| Author | Message | ||
     Mcfly |
Hey gang. So I know the 1125 isn't exactly the best commuting bike, with stop-'n-go and low RPMs, heat problems, electrical gremlins, etc. But it's all I have and I want to make it work for me. I live in Northern VA and commute to D.C. - currently by train/bus (or a 2+ hour drive w/traffic). VA has High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes which allow cars with 3+ or Hybrid cars or MOTORCYCLES to enter/exit the HOV lanes... and save a TON of time by avoiding D.C. area traffic. My last job I rode my bike all the time, because I could wear khakis/jeans and wrinkled polos... no one cared. Now, I wear a suit to work... even on "casual" Fridays (I get to ditch the tie), and I take my laptop to/from work with me daily. I need advice - my problem is two-fold: - Staying protected on the bike with my jacket/boots... and not arriving with wrinkled clothes. - Bringing a 17" laptop (& accessories) on my bike without having to carry the shoulder weight. Most of the Cortech luggage I've seen (I have a Super-Mini on the airbox) is too small for the laptop. I only ride solo, so I'm not concerned about what I have to do with the pillion seat or rear footpegs. Any suggestions? If you commute in a suit, what works for you?  | ||
| Froggy |
Cool! I commute on my bikes daily, so I got some experience with this. While the 1125 isn't the best bike to commute on, thats mostly due to financial reasons. (Gas, tires, insurance, maintenance all suck any savings vs a car, but it is worth it due to traffic).
What are you wearing for riding gear now? I have to wear slacks and button down shirts at my job. I arrive at work unwrinkled when using my Aerostich 1 piece suit over my work clothes. I leave a pair of shoes at my desk that way I don't need to carry a pair back and forth every day.
The Ventura pack system is great for this. I use mine to carry large and heavy objects including CRT televisions and desktop computers. It will swallow a 17" laptop and a weeks worth of clothing without issue. | ||
| Rogue_biker |
Can you get a 15" laptop? A 17" is NOT a laptop! That's pretty big to carry around comfortably. I know because I have one. Having said that, I bought a Timbuktu Messenger bag that was big enough to fit it. The Timbuktu Messenger bag is designed for carrying a lot of stuff over your shoulder and down on to your waist, with a secure strap so the bag doesn't move around in a sportbike position. It works. It's also waterproof. Since most of the weight sits near your waist, the weight sort of disappears. You will notice the weight again when you get off the bike and start walking around with it! I commute on my 1125R daily and use this bag. It cost me $100 though so it's not cheap. But I got rained on a few times and everything inside the bag stayed dry. I do commute in Khaki's but I wear my riding boots, plus the jacket/helmet/gloves. There is enough room in my bag to store additional riding gear in really cold days. On my lunch break, I drink a healthy shake in the office while I work, then take off to ride my 1125R for an hour! Woohoo! | ||
| Duphuckincati |
Personally I'd say find another any-ol-bike for your day to day commute. They cost will even out somewhat by saving wear on the Buell, easier on tires and gas, and ya don't have to worry about it when you're at work. And if you get something like a Suzuki DR650 or Kawasaki KLR duel sports you'll have a totally different bike for other types of fun, tires can be had cheap, 55 mpg+, long travel suspension for pot holes and such, higher line of sight for traffic spotting, if you need to get off the pavement for evasive maneuvers they are great, skinny for slipping thru tight spots, LUGGAGE RACKS, and no worries about keeping them clean and shiny. Think about it. Nothin' but fun! | ||
| Dcmortalcoil |
Can you change at work? That would be an ideal solution. | ||
| Ratbuell |
I'm on my way out the door to work myself, but if you're in NoVa...you need to head up here to Frederick sometime. We'll hit some twisties  (I'll have input on the original question later today, but there are ways to do it) | ||
| Nuts4mc |
1) tail rack to mount some substantial luggage ...I don't see a rack for a 1125 - but you could call and ask ( an maybe become a "tester" of a new product) http://www.thecycleguys.com/default.aspx?PageID=11 9&CategoryID=9 basically remove the "rear" seat/tail fairing...use that mount to place a big flat piece of something to mount luggage. 2) Luggage (Givi)bulds some nice units and has a system that allows easy removal http://www.twistedthrottle.com/ 3) Clothes: Aerostitch - the founder of the company modeled his suit after the James Bond "overalls" in Goldfinger... http://www.aerostich.com/ ...or do like Mr.PH Duck sezs - buy a KLR or a DL - and just ride it Good luck with the new job and the commute! PS - PM Froggy - he commutes on his bikes... I'm sure he has some tips... | ||
| Rogue_biker |
I have another bike that is an excellent commuter: a VFR800. But guess which bike I prefer to take to work? The 1125R! ƒº I will agree that the added wear is going to be there. About half the miles I¡¦ve put on my bike are commute miles. Nevertheless, since I enjoy it so much then I figure those are all worthwhile miles. It¡¦s not like I¡¦m saving my 1125R for something other than riding as much as I can. When the bike sits unused, the battery gets weak, tires go flat, fluids don¡¦t circulate, engine doesn¡¦t get to operate at optimal temperature, etc. It¡¦s like having an F16 fighter that sits on the tarmac! I say ride it as much as you can. | ||
| Smoke4ndmears |
Ratbuell -I'm in New Market. Great roads up here! McFly -you have to change at work. Your suit is going to look like ass after all of that commuting. | ||
| Timebandit |
Your suit is going to look like ass after all of that commuting. That's what I'm thinking -- my leathers look so grimy after riding that there's no way I'd want to put a dress suit through that kind of abuse. I'd keep a suit or two, and a bunch of different ties, at work and rotate them. I'd recommend dedicated riding gear during the commute so that your suit doesn't get ruined on the ride and so that you always have adequate protection. On the subject of clothes, I can't even get through a half-day in a 100% cotton dress shit before it beings to look all nasty and wrinkled. When I'm wearing a suit I change my shirt at lunch so I don't look like crap at the end of the day. There's no way it would come off of a bike/under leathers looking presentable. Unless maybe you like permanent press shirts. | ||
| Roadrash1 |
I wear a pilot uniform to work under my Aerostitch Roadcrafter, and that works for me. But my commutes are short (20 minutes) and usually cool. (So Dak) | ||
| Stevasaurus |
+1 on what Dcmortalcoil said. I used to commute 20 miles per day on a bicycle. I kept a Rubbermaid style tote in cubicle and kept a week's worth of clothes in it. When the end of the week came, or lack of clean clothes dictated, I would load them all up in a backpack and bring them home to wash. Granted, it was khakis and polo shirts. But you could hang your suits and use the tote for your dress shirts? | ||
| Green1 |
I have a large plastic cutting board mounted to a spare rear seat with a Givi tank bag attached to it that has quick disconnects.It works great and has lots of storage.I used the 2 mounting holes for the strap on the seat and added 1 other point.I can just take the bag into work and its easy to switch back to the stock seat.I'll try to get a picture later | ||
| Xb1200rick |
+1 on the spare rear seat. Buy a extra seat , take off the pad and use the frame to attach a box big enough to hold a 17" laptop . I found mine at harbor freight. | ||
| Timebandit |
Here are some links about attaching luggage to the rear seat: http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/290 431/615566.html?1297194085 http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/290 431/613206.html | ||
| Pnw_uly |
"I'd keep a suit or two, and a bunch of different ties, at work and rotate them. I'd recommend dedicated riding gear during the commute ... so that you always have adequate protection." Agreed - Also commute daily, but don't have the suit requirement - - regardless, ride in gear and change at work with clothes kept there. If you don't have a "locker room", any stall in the Men's Room (preferably the larger handicapped one), works well enough for changing. If you don't have a wardrobe at your desk, just keep a small travel (carry-on overhead style) suitcase under your desk with a weeks worth of clothes... Worst case, you might have to take the 'cage' in once a week to swap clothes. . . Just might need to check the "culture" of your office - - while I've done this without issue, every office is different. . . Ride! | ||
| Ratbuell |
Get some wrinkle-resistant suits and try them out. Don't wear leathers, wear textiles. They're baggier and won't "crimp" the suit as much, and you won't sweat (steam-in the wrinkles). Get a spray bottle of wrinkle release to keep in your desk. The stuff actually works, unless you have SERIOUS wrinkles. And, if you can't wear the suit...pack it carefully and carry it with your laptop. I agree - 17" is not a laptop. Lose the numeric keypad and get a bluetooth one if you have to have a numeric. If it's your primary machine on your desk...get a monitor and plug in when you get there. If you use it on jobsites, you should use something like a ToughBook anyway. Smaller, durable, portable. I never use the back seat on my CR either. I have the Buell tailbag, mounted to a spare seat pan. I cut a piece of plywood the size and shape of the base of the bag, bolted it to the seat pan, and bolted the tail bag to the plywood giving it a permanent flat floor. The Buell bag isn't big enough for a 17" (but we've already talked about that), but you could use the same approach to mount a bigger bag. The floor keeps it from "sagging" over the taillight, too.  | ||
| S21125r |
I tried commuting in Dockers pants for a summer but I found out the hard way that they do a very poor job of imitating leathers. Another thing not mentioned thus far is I keep a tiny bottle of Fabreeze in my tank bag to squirt on my cloths after dismount. Otherwise I have that exhaust smell on me for the rest of the day. Smell even lingers on my skin/hair. Maybe my nose is more sensitive? | ||
| Timebandit |
That's a good point. I've noticed the smell, and I think other people notice it too. | ||
| Notpurples2 |
+1 on the changing at work. As long as you have an private office or locker room and a place to hang suits, that's probably the best bet. Every week or so commute by car and take the suits to the dry cleaner. You can wear dress shirts under your riding gear each day, but keep a couple of spares at work too. If you get the right kind of backpack (with waist and chest straps) you could carry the laptop with out too much discomfort. Otherwise, you'll need a big topcase. | ||
| Notpurples2 |
Also, do you need the laptop at work everyday? Do you need it at home each night? If it's possible, leave it at one place or the other. You can carry tons of data on a jump drive in your pocket. Maybe a dedicated work computer and dedicated home computer would be worth the extra money. I understand that may likely not be an option. I have to carry my work laptop everyday. Luckily it's a 15" that just fits in my large tank bag. | ||
| Timebandit |
There's an uber-g33k solution to the multiple PC problem that some of the linux guys are using. I don't know if windows does it or not. If your PC is capable of booting off of a flash drive, it's possible to install your entire OS on the flash drive and use that in lieu of your PC hard disk. Then you just carry the flash drive with you (leaving the PC behind), and insert the flash drive into whatever PC you intend to hijack for use as a host CPU for your flash-based system. For this solution to work, all of your PCs need to be able to boot off of a USB flash drive. | ||
| Black |
Jeez, I live in Northern Virginia and commute in to the DC area. Have commuted for years on a motorcycle. Simple....roll up your suit and lay your shirt flat. That means you have to fold it. You can either carry a pair of shoes, or leave a pair at work. If your must carry a computer, either get a messenger bag, or a smaller computer, or just carry your files, or store your files on line, or email them to yourself. Even if you switch to Linux or BSD on a flash drive, you still have to have your files. The best part of commuting on a motorcycle in DC is seeing how many people are texting with no idea about anything going on around them. That commute makes a bus look mighty good some times! Almost forgot! You have three really great Buell dealerships in this area. Winchester, Shenandoah (Staunton), and Frederick Md. (Message edited by black on February 03, 2012) | ||
| Ratbuell |
I second the messenger bag ideal. I much prefer a cross-chest single strap to a pair of shoulder straps, especially with an aggressive riding position like the CR has. The cross-strap is much less restrictive on upper body movement. | ||
| Notpurples2 |
Messenger/computer bags worn cross chest tend to flap as you near triple digit speeds. DAMHIK Get one that has a stabilizer strap too. | ||
| Ratbuell |
I have the Buell messenger bag and it has a waist belt. Figured they all did or I would have mentioned that, sorry. |
