I'm just wondering how many of you will be using your bike as a daily driver this summer. I just got my license and decided to sell my car, buy a bike, and use that as my daily driver until i go away to school this fall. I just put my car up for sale and I want to make sure its going to be somewhat practical. Chris

 

I hear ya, I sold my 2000 Acura RL in March of this year and bought my bike. Don't get me wrong I still have a cage for the times when it is necessary, check out my photo gallery. But I found out since I've been riding motorcycles, in a year I was putting 10K miles on my bike and 4K on my car. I couldn't stand to see my Acura go to waste so I sold it.

Some suggestions:

#1 Gear, gear and more gear. 'Cause you are going to need it. Rain or shine .

If the bike is truely going to my daily driver do you want something comfortable, i.e. cruiser or not as sporty? Depends on how long is your commute, to work, school, grocery store, where ever.

What type of traffic environment will you be riding, i.e. city, rural, suburban, mix etc. Do you want a smaller cc bike to "whip" around instead of a big bike if you have more open road. Also, a smaller bike = better gas mileage.

Do you want a naked bike or a faired bike? If you are on it all the time, who wants to be washing the shyt every weekend.

Some things to think about.

I was trying to hold out as long as possible with my new bike before I rode in the rain, just because it was new, but it has already been baptized. I just try not to ride in serious down pours, few reasons it sucks, my bike gets dirty and not as safe. I haven't rode in the snow yet, but I have a feeling it is coming this year 'cause I have a garage. Previously I had to store my bike at a buddies place.

Good luck, it can be done.

Rubber side down.

 

Its my DD now. I still own my jeep (although broken right now) for when the weather gets bad. But if you live where its nice all year y not.

 

My car is collecting dust but don't feel sorry for it, 03 rsx type s w/ over 80k! I'd rather ride in the rain than drive in the sun. Me and snow/ below 30 degrees don't mix so no rides in the "winter".

 

i plan on riding my bike as often as possible. i don't think it's been parked for more than 5 days in a row since last summer - had a very mild winter here as long as the roads are dry, cold or hot - i'll ride!

 

I ride year around unless there is snow or ice on the ground. I have 2 other trucks and a car but I never drive them anywhere.

 

Been riding my bike as a daily driver for 10 months now and its not that bad. My room mate has a car so we use that for grocery shopping and if i have something to do then i have used his. The only dowsides i can think of is,
1. Weather, well in my case its heat and its just now starting were already almost to 100 degrees,
2. Some girls wont go anywhere on them and i hate being driven or driving girls cars
3. Cant go shopping or any kinda errand that involves something big

But look at the bright sides cheap on gas, fun on your way around town, and some girls love them. Just make sure you have somewhere safe to park it there is no such thing as theft-proof on a bike

 

Thanks for the positive input guys. I've basically thought about all that you guys have mentioned and figured, im only 18 and it will only be for about 5months so why not. The only problem i would have is rain but honestly it doesn't rain all that much here and its more quick storms then things dry up. I'm living at home so i will have a garage to park in and in bad bad weather I could borrow my sisters car or if one of my parents are home, their car. Oh and in response to Frerice, I want to buy either an f4i or gsx-r depending on the first good bike in my price range that comes up. That was my last concern, that I might get soar on a sports bike all of the time but it seems like that might not be as big of an issue after all. Thanks for your replies guys. Im dieing to sell that stang and get a bike now!

 

I purchased my 97 900RR last May to start riding back and forth to work in Mexico. (23 miles each way.) When I purchased the bike it had 2800 miles, today I have over 12,500. In that time I have accumulated a total of 2500 miles on my 2005 Nissan Armada, use it only on the weekend to drive to the country club to play golf. I have taken the bike every day for the past year except 2 days. One day when a hurricane hit North Eastern Mexico and one day in mid December when it was 32 degrees and raining. I have ridden through torrential down pours and temperatures ranging from 29 to 110. Waiting in line at US Customs when it is 105 in full gear sucks but it still beats getting stuck behind a line of trucks 5 miles from the border. I just split the lanes while everyone else from work waits an extra hour in line. There is absolutely no way I could go back to driving my SUV to work every day. I look forward to my daily ride to and from work, nothing like a few minutes of 150+ mph to get ready for the work day.

 

I'm a daily rider... hate driving a cage and I'm in a very bad mood when I have to.