Topic: Commute bike...would you use your cb for it?

[ieism]

I've recently learned the company i work for is relocating, so i'll have to commute by bike soon    

Here's the problem:
I don't really have a lot off cash for a new bike, but i will get money for traveling to work (enough to cover expenses, but not enough to buy a new bike)
It always rains here, I plan to ride the whole year round, and my 550 rusts really fast.
My bike has 80.000 km. on it , and i'm afraid it won't like riding another 20.000 each year.
I don't have room to store 2 bikes inside, and i don't want to sell my cb.

Do any of you guys use a cb daily in crappy weather, and is it wrecking your bike?

[Pinhead]

I've ran my 650 all through last winter, this summer, and now coming into fall. I think having the bike sit for a long time is actually harder on it than driving the crap out of it. At least when you're driving it stuff won't be able to freeze up. Also, if you're driving on a long commute, you won't have to worry about condensation inside your exhaust because they'll be hot enough to steam it all out. Short trips are actually harder on them in that respect than a long commute.

[nickjtc]

Ride it! As Pinhead says, the bike is better off being used rather than letting it sit. If it is in good mechanical shape and the tyres are OK I would just ride it!

I used my 650 for 'commuting' to work through the summer, and put 9,500km under the wheels. no problems at all.

[Ernie]

my bike hasnt been wet since i bought it except for during cleaning sessions

[Jeff]

I ride in the rain. Of course, it bit me in the ass when my starter switch fried. I think water had gotten in the switch housing and started having fun with the wires. It was my fault... I'm sure I didn't put the switch back on properly after  I switched bars.

I'll ride in the rain again. If I get bit again, maybe then I won't.

Jeff

[ieism]

I'll try riding it for a few months, and maybe then i'll decide if it suffers too much.
You think parking it inside once I get to work will help slow down rust?

[Jeff]

I would think it would. But OTOH, out in the rain all day will wash any cack/grime off the bike that collected during the commute.

Jeff

[nickjtc]

I'll try riding it for a few months, and maybe then i'll decide if it suffers too much.
You think parking it inside once I get to work will help slow down rust?

Make sure you rinse off any road salt or any crud which holds moisture against parts of the bike. The big thing to avoid is big changes in temperature, like from outside in to a heated garage. If there is going to be any rusting it will be accelerated that way.

If you don't mind what the bike looks like, give it a thorugh clean and dry, then slather it with vaseline or some such. There are several products out there that are designed to be sprayed on, and which give a protective coating. Scottoiler makes one.

[Bob Wessner]

If it rains a lot, I'm sure corrosion is inevitable, even on bikes that are not used daily. I think the key will be to get it dry ASAP after riding in the rain and keeping good protection on it (wax, etc.). I rarely ride in the rain, but if I were forced to, when getting home, I might consider using a blower to get most of the water off. There are very expensive ones just for this, but I've used a leaf blower after washing it and it seems to work just fine.  Make sure your points cover has a good seal on it.

[Gordon]

As long as the frame still has a good coat of paint on it, it should be fine.  The engine and exhaust will be hot enough that any water left on them will evaporate fairly quickly.  The only parts that I worry about are the fenders and rims, so I keep a good coating of wax on them and they're fine.  Just keep it clean.  Like Nick said, any dirt left on it just serves to hold the moisture in longer.

[Ratfink]

I've been riding mine every day for two months. Its getting a little cold in the mornings...

[cb650]

buy a truck and trailer and just tell people you have a bike.    Sorry I was thinkin this was a hardly site.    Unless its a unrested pristine museum piece ride it.  If you put to many miles on it get another and ride it also. 



                           Terry

[Jugghead]

my bike hasnt been wet since i bought it except for during cleaning sessions

Haha, neither has mine! it is a CB350F and still retains the original exhausts! A rarity on these bikes, but I think the fact that I make sure to ride it until fully hot, plus it has never seen rain, adds a lot of years to the cosmetics of the bikes.  It seems to me these bikes will pretty much run indefinitely (with required maintanence).  Check out some of Honda mans's posts.  There is a poll? regarding highest overall mileage on a CB.  They can get up there!
Don't be afraid to ride your wonderfful Japanese bike!

[Slapguts]

Ride it. Heck, I don't own a car, so I might be biased.

Detailer friend has a blow dryer type contraption that he uses after washing a bike to blow the water off it. Might look into one of those.

[SohcCBs]

The bike shouldn't have any problem with the milage if it's in good shape and well maintained and cleaned after each wet ride...especially the chain, but riding in the rain is very risky, and that risk increases dramaically if you're in heavy traffic.

90% of the dumps I had in the past (when I was younger - about 5, 6 times, 2 on dry pavement, not included in the dirt) were in the rain.  These days I avoid riding on wet surfaces as much as possible.

[putnaja1]

Man, I don't mean to be the 'turd in the punchbowl' here, but I wouldn't rely on a motorcycle as a daily commuter to work even if it was a new one- it just isn't practical.  I know it is possible, and I don't mean to insult anyone that currently does it.  It's just, let's be honest- weather is not under your control.  Some days it will snow, some days it will rain so hard the car drivers are having trouble.  Not to mention, if you rely on a motorcycle as your daily mode of transportation, you are on the road that much more, and that increases your risk of a crash exponentially.

Add to that you are on a vintage bike, and a lot of the parts have been discontinued and might be very hard (and expensive) to get in the future.  Running up the milage on a CB can be done, and they will always be as reliable as a stone axe (that's VERY reliable!), but is there any other alternative?  Maybe carpool and chip in for gas/petrol- that way you can leave your bike at home and still get a ride to work.  On days where the carpool won't work, you can still take your bike.

That's what I'd do anyway- I haven't ridden in rain in years, and I won't purposely do it anymore. 

[SteveD CB500F]

I wouldn't commute on my 500, but I bought the VFR specifically for that purpose.

6 miles each way most mornings with the occasional 100 mile blast to meetings around London.

[winston]

I take my car in nasty weather, but otherwise ride my K7 to work daily, a 25km run each way.

I find it works better the more it's used...it shifts more smoothly (or maybe I shift more smoothly) and after giving it a few 70mph blasts on the highwway, the exhaust note is better defined per cylinder and slightly deeper...blew out old carbon?

[Einyodeler]

Daily driver ..`72 CB500 ..140 miles roundtrip every day.
If I know it is going to rain or if it gets below 40 deg F I`ll take the stinkin car.
Next week the `72 will hit the 100.000 mile mark

[SteveD CB500F]

What's that under your screen?

[Einyodeler]

What's that under your screen?

Bud Light beer huggie.....works great as a camera or cell phone holder

[nickjtc]

You guys and rain........made of sugar or something??

[Vatch]

I don't use the 650 because the commute is too short, ~ 2.5 miles.  If it was longer I'd use it more.  The bike is just running well and I have to turn it off.  Ride in the rain?  Hell yes.  But I do seem to have and on and off problem with condesation in my guages.  As for the frame my "secret" is to lub the chain with 90W oil.  Sure there may be better things out there, but the 90W ends up coating the bottom of my bike in oil, which protects it from rust.   

[putnaja1]

You guys and rain........made of sugar or something??

Hehehe, I'm the first to admit I've gotten wimpy.  But, the way I see it- rain isn't too much a hazard in itself for a motorcyclist that knows not to test traction when it first starts raining, has good tires, and respects the wet in general.  

The problem is the insane car drivers, who are already distracted (cell phone, radio, 4-course taco dinner, book, laptop, DVDs while driving) and are inconsiderate of others on the road as well.  Once these fools add rain to their driving mix, they are outright dangerous.  I just don't want to be on a bike out there with this crazyness going on.

Again, I admit I am borderline overly cautious.  I have a lot of respect for full-time motorcycle commuters..  You guys are out there riding rain or shine.

[750K4]

He** yes, that's what I bought it for!

With gas at over $3 per gallon, I had to find an alternative to the pickup I drive. I travel 35 miles round trip to work. I don't ride in the rain, though. I suppose it's because I don't want to get to work wet, but it's also the safety factor - it's hard enough staying out of the way of all the cell-phone-wielding soccer moms in their mini vans and SUVs without making the pavement slick and reducing visibility in the rain.

I agree that riding it is the best way to make a bike last. They were meant to be ridden. But I don't ride in the rain, and when winter sets in the CB is tucked away in the garage.

When I was in high school, I was out riding my dirt bike right after a 12" snowfall. There was a layer of ice under the new snow, and it was a blast skidding and sidesliding around town. A policeman stopped me, dumbfounded that I'd be riding in those conditions. There was no law against it, so he let me go. He seemed almost disappointed that he couldn't charge me with anything...