| Author | Message | ||
     Zane |
Ok, here is a question for the collective. Currently I live in the Northern Phoenix area and have a 14 mile one way commute. It takes about 25-35 minutes depending on time of the morning. Unless I get a late start, it's generally 30 minutes or less. I’ve stumbled on a pretty good opportunity out in the west side of the valley in a town called Avondale. It would be about 25 miles and 50-60 minute one way commute through heavy traffic and construction. I hate to commute and in the past I’ve had commutes as short as .75 of a mile, 1.5 miles and 4 miles. I’d say that I’d be on the XT for about 80% of the commute, only using the car when it rains (3 or 4 times a year here in Phoenix) or when the temp is above 110 in the afternoons. My question is this: Would an hour one way commute be a deal breaker for you or am I just being a whiny little baby? What is your work commute like compared to this? | ||
| H0gwash |
Here in CA 1 and 2 hour one way commutes are common for people working in San Francisco area and living in surrounding areas. I used to have a 2 hour 1 way commute on Wednesdays but nowadays I stay in Sacramento, and I am only 25 min one way from work. (Message edited by h0gwash on November 13, 2017) | ||
| Britchri10 |
My commute is c36 miles each way. It takes me about 40-45 minutes each way. I use my bike (Not a Buell) most days unless it's wet. foggy or cold. My previous commute took 15-20 minutes. I don't have a problem with the current ride. Ride safe, Chris C | ||
| Rick_a |
My commute is about 20 miles (one way) of mixed town, highway, and city traffic. It's about the worst of everything, but Jacksonville traffic is slightly more tolerable than Orlando traffic. It's usually a 40-45 minute ride...often more during the holiday season. It beats driving so long as someone doesn't nearly kill you. | ||
| 86129squids |
I deal with a 25 mile, 30ish minute one way commute, through idiot traffic for about 1/3+ total of the distance. Given that I go to work at the beginning of evening rush hour, and return home about 10PMish, the ride home is actually kinda peaceful. Still hate it. The closer I get to work, the higher my adrenalin. Started the job over 2.5 years ago, rode the Triumph in the beginning, then realized I'm a LOT better off in the car. Besides, aren't motorcycles for riding AWAY from work?  Looking for a much shorter commute, with a much more local employer. | ||
| Ratbuell |
its a coin toss for each person. Look at it objectively - first, finances. Is the increased mileage (i.e. fuel cost) more than made up for by a pay increase? If yes, then move to the next question. Will the job be less stressful enough to make up for the added commute stress, and the added time away from home/family? No one answer fits more than a single person - it's all up to you. Me? I'm 90 minutes from DC proper and about 45 minutes from the I-270 "corridor"...but wouldn't even CONSIDER a gig there for less than $100k a year. I've done that traffic and have friends who still do it - and even $100k is pushing it for the aggravation. But...in that area, $100k isn't out of the ordinary. | ||
| Airbozo |
My commute is about 38 miles. Half of that is on a twisty mountain road, the other half on the freeway. It takes about 50 minutes on the bike or just over an hour in the cage. Well it used to. Now it takes about 1 1/2 hours or more in the car and about an hour on the bike. Even with lane splitting. I don't have an issue with an hour commute, but I am reaching my limit. When I ride my Buells in, I am usually in a better mood when I get to work or arrive home (My smile is much bigger when I get home). If I were in your shoes, I would judge my ability to handle the longer commute based on how I felt about my current commute. I handled the slightly longer commute until it started getting significantly longer and am now looking for a different job. | ||
| Teeps |
My question is this: Would an hour one way commute be a deal breaker for you ? What is your work commute like compared to this? Yes. Last commute; 2.5 miles. Crusty Posted on Monday, November 13, 2017 - I'm retired. What commute? Ha! Me too. Morning commute is walking to Starbucks for coffee. (Message edited by teeps on November 13, 2017) | ||
| Pwnzor |
20 miles. 35 minutes from home to work. 45 minutes from work to home. No freeways. 13 traffic signals. | ||
| Torquehd |
Temporarily displaced service member here. On a 3 year temporary assignment for the moment then I'll be headed back home to Washington State. Where the commute is 50-60 minutes. BUT, I have my little 2.5 acre piece of peace of mind there, out in the county. In town there's a grocery store, a hardware store, and ONE red light in the whole town. Only have 2 neighbors in arrow-shot distance and they're both older and awesome to have as neighbors. It would take some serious compensation for me to consider living in town. I currently live in a subdivision but out of city limits, <30 minutes to work. But when I walk out my front door I see nothing but houses and pavement. I can't wait to get of here and get back to un-civilization. | ||
| Orman1649 |
I live in WA State about 30 miles S of Seattle. My commute is about 3 miles including a short detour to drop the kids off at daycare. It takes me about 20-30 minutes each way. Maybe 10 of that is dropping the kids off. I hate wasting time sitting in bumper to bumper traffic. I would rather have a 30 min commute where I'm moving than a 20 min commute where I'm parked 50% of the time....although an hour long commute each way every day would be a deal breaker. I picked my current house for proximity to work while not being able to be sitting on the crapper and being able to shake my neighbors hand through the window. | ||
| Aeholton |
About 30 ft from my bedroom to my in home office. Low stress commute with a stop off in the kitchen for coffee. | ||
| Crusty |
I'm retired. What commute? | ||
| Ourdee |
I tried to go easy on this one. | ||
| Etennuly |
I walk 50 feet on good days. I walk 50 with a limp on other days. Used to do that nasty sitting in traffic in Tampa for 17 years. 20 minute trip 4 days a week hauling ass, on Fridays some times 45 minute going in and up to two hours getting home. I don't miss wasting the time and risking life and limb. | ||
| Sifo |
Half a mile to get out of my subdivision, then it's 55 mph for 12 minutes, with 2 flashing traffic lights, and one normal traffic light, then one stop sign. One down side, is that in winter snow storms, traffic snarls up on the hill up toward my area. I can take different routes, but the all have a steep grade with about a 400 foot vertical rise. I have done 1.5 hour commutes (in good weather) for about a year and a half. It was 2 or more hours heading home. Also did the train thing for 5 years, with about 1 hour 20 minutes on the train, then another half hour drive. It all comes down to is the opportunity worth it to YOU. Both of these commutes were for opportunities that were fantastic, and I could afford the time away from home. If I were missing kids growing up, those commutes would have sucked big time. Another question to ask is if you can relax while in traffic. If not, a long commute may really start to get to you. | ||
| Tootal |
I'm with Crusty, what commute? I have a good friend in New Jersey who drives 1.2 miles to the train station and then takes a 2 hour ride into New York City. 2 hours in and 2 hours home, everyday!! He is so looking forward to retirement! I don't think I could handle that but one does what's necessary, that's the decision you have to make. | ||
| Zane |
Well, the gig I have now is kinda sweet. Best paying job I've ever had and I like my coworkers. I currently in a rental house and I hate renting. This would be a house purchase. Bigger than I need but the Avondale area is about to explode and I think I can make some money on the house in a few years. Plus it'd be a nice place to live. New construction, lot is big enough to put in the fruit trees I want plus room for some of my own veggies. And to go from good to great, it's a three bay garage with a pass through to park a boat or camper in the back yard. One bay for the car, one bay for the motorcycle and one for junk...lol Not sure I'm gonna go for it but I'm leaning that way right now. No wife or girlfriend to influence me, just my younger son and he could't care less where we live. (Message edited by Zane on November 13, 2017) (Message edited by Zane on November 13, 2017) | ||
| Ltbuell |
...I'm retired. What commute?.... ...what Crusty said...me too.... | ||
| Froggy |
Funny enough, I recently moved, and my commute is exactly an hour door to door now, with a good mix interstate and backroads. It took some getting used to, as my previous commute was about 20 minutes on a bad day. Honestly my first few times driving to work from the new place sucked, it was a longer drive than I anticipated, and I began to think I made a huge mistake. After about a week, I took one of the Buells to work for the first time about a month, and it didn't take long for me to do a 180 on my opinion of the commute. If anything, now I feel the commute is too short, and I'm often leaving 30+ minutes early just so I can divert and explore different routes on my way in. One day I had an almost 3 hour commute  One thing that sucks though is that I am more likely to take the cage to work, the longer distance means higher chance of weather variations throughout the ride, and its not like I can just suck it up for 10 miles if I make a bad choice in riding attire anymore. Today I took the truck, it was literally snowing and below freezing when I left for work, then at work it was bright and sunny, and about 15 degrees warmer. Chance of black ice tonight on my way home. | ||
| Greg_e |
I've been commuting for 35 minutes to an hour for the last 28 years... You get used to it and unless I hit lots of construction or rat racers it gives you time to decompress or think about solving problems. But it does suck up a lot of time too. You need to have a certain mindset, if you were born into it, you'll probably hate it. | ||
| Griffmeister |
One of my questions would be how consistent do you think that 50 to 60 min estimate is? My commute is three miles, to the shop that is. Some days my job is in the shop and some days it’s in the field. There are three things I dread when I get there. One is seeing Greenwich on the work order, two is rain and three is that the day happens to be Friday, Put those together and a 55 mile ride is guaranteed to take 3 hours or more each way. The only good thing about that is I’m on the clock by then. | ||
| Zacks |
I used to have about a 50 min commute. Now, it's get up from the breakfast table and walk into the office - about 10 feet. Unless you count the trip to the airport as commute and that's just about every week. Personally, I didn't mind the distance before. Gave me a chance to spool it up for work and decompress on the way home. Most days. bluetooth and cell phone killed that a lot of times. However, I have sat in Phoenix traffic for the hour trips. Different 60 min experience than in Milwaukee. I work with several guys in the Phoenix area. Most live south and east to avoid the traffic. Guess what I'm saying it isn't necessarily the time or distance, it's the quality (or lack thereof) of the trip. | ||
| Pnw_ulys |
My Uly commute is 40 miles each way, about 35 miles of interstate, and like you I can ride most days of the year (although we get a few days of snow/ice each winter in the Seattle area). Also like you, commuting time has lengthened due to population growth - - a few years ago I could make the 40 miles in 45-50 minutes, now leaving a half an hour earlier the same distance is 55-60 minutes. To echo some earlier comments, you'll probably either find it bearable, or not. . . You'll know soon enough, and I don't mean that to sound condescending, just that everyone has different perspective on the subject. Here's a few random thoughts: CONS 1) Threat. Drivers can be idiots - - Cell phones, eating, crossword puzzles, watching movies, changing clothes, etc. Today I had a car enter my lane - - no blinker, just a "Law of Tonnage" maneuver, then the defiant glare as if I'm the one at fault... 2) Diminished Joy. Commuting by motorcycle has curbed my enthusiasm for motorcycling in general. You grind out a couple hundred miles per week (on the interstate, no less), and motorcycling on the weekend is not so appealing. Have a multi-week motorcycle trip planned to help remedy this issue. . . 3) Maintenance. It's probably more expensive to commute by Uly than a Chevy Volt or Prius, but time is money and I get the HOV lane. Add up the cost of oil, tires, plus riding gear, probably no better than breaking even with a hybrid or econo-box. 4) Transition. Change of clothes, dressing room, shower need to be considered for shifting from commute mode to work mode... 5) Exposure. For me, it's cold rain - - heat likely your issue. PROS 1) Focus. Definitely gets the brain active for risk mitigation, collision avoidance, etc. Remember a few years ago someone here posted a link for an article that actually listed all the positive mental aspects of riding to work as opposed to "shlubbing" to work driving a car. 2) HOV Lane. I can use the HOV lane, and it's available for all my interstate mileage as lane splitting not legal in Washington State (yet). 3) Thrill. I'm a "adrenalin enthusiast", and quite bluntly the rush in some instances is the closest I've experienced since combat - - you know, "Hours of boredom interspersed with moments of sheer terror." 4) Every day is "Ride to Work Day". 5) Quality Time. More time with family / friends / time to do your own stuff. 6) This:  (Apologies in advance for the shameless self-promotion. . .) Probably leaving a lot of info out, but too much typing already. Good luck with your decision, and Ride Safe, Paul | ||
| Shoggin |
Used to do 45 miles each way in So. Cal which equalled 1.5 to 3 hours EACH WAY. I tried it on a bike because we can split lanes here and found that even though I could get home a bit faster, it took me MUCH longer to relax. The concentration required to not die on an LA freeway on a bike is intense. All that said... I will NEVER commute again. Right now I can't even finish 1/2 a cup of coffee on my walk to work | ||
| Snacktoast |
Props on the 100K on the odo. That's the highest mileage one I've seen, though it wouldn't surprise me if there are more. | ||
| Cupcake_mike |
53 miles for me door to door...takes me about 45 min. 3/4 of it is interstate at 80 mph. I enjoy it, gives me about the only time I seem to get to listen to stern (in the car or through the bluetooth speakers in my helmet). I work 13ish hr shifts though, so I leave the house at 5:30 and get home at 8. Not counting PTO/vacations I have more days off then I work (about 170 days a year at work), which is nice. I couldn't imagine going back to a 9-5, especially with a hourish commute each way. Making that trip 250ish times a year would definitely suck. I lived in the phoenix area for a number of years, up until about 10 years ago. I am surprised by the commute times. I lived in surprise and worked downtown, about 25 miles took easily 1:15, then moved to north phoenix, shortening the commute to 15 miles, but it still took 45 min. | ||
| Pwnzor |
My commute time is spent listening to unabridged audio books. Currently on chapter 65 of War and Remembrance | ||
| Zac4mac |
Before I started working for Dan and Cil at NRHS, my commute was an hour each way. Dan's shop was "across the street", 1.1 miles door to door. Then we moved a little north and my commute was 20 min on backroads. Very soothing thru corn and beet fields, watching for pheasant, eagles, hawks and once a friggin peacock. Another time, I was on the Uly, on a dirt road, and spooked 3 male pheasant. One flew right past my head. I actually miss that trip. Now I'm back in the same industrial park, "across the street". Every day I come home for lunch - some soup and a 10 minute nap, all in 45 minutes. I HATE interstate commuting. Z | ||
| Zane |
My commuting has been radically different over my career. When I lived in Yuma, Az my commute was less than a mile. It took longer to walk from my parking space to my office than it did to drive from my garage to my parking space. I had a 4 month contact when I lived in Central Florida that was Dunedin, to Mulberry, an hour and a half to an hour and 40 minute commute and went through downtown Tampa. My current commute is about 30 minutes give or take, depending on traffic. I don't find it at all objectionable. If I buy this house, my commute would be about 50 - 60 minutes depending on traffic and time of day. This map is from about 9:00am local time. At 7:00 when I currently leave for work it's 50 minutes and with construction, 50 minutes is optimistic.  |
