Lots of dads end up looking at the endless line of traffic on their way to work and decide a motorbike is the obvious answer. It’s easy to convince yourself that a second hand Japanese commuter bike will solve all your problems (and save you a fortune), but does swapping the comfortable seats of a family estate car for two wheels actually work in the real world when you have a household depending on you? The short answer is yes, but the daily logistics are incredibly annoying. You do have to really want to do it.
Time and Money
The main argument is always about saving hours of your life. You absolutely will cut a miserable journey in half because in a motorbike you can just filter straight past all the stationary cars. You also run on absolute pennies compared to a heavy diesel engine an might even arrive at your desk feeling awake and revitalised because you had to actually pay attention to the road instead of zoning out to terrible morning radio. The problem is the hidden costs can creep up on you so it’s important to know what they are. There’s the initial costs, as you obviously dont just buy a bike and ride to work in your normal work clothes. You have to buy a heavy helmet and thick textiles, winter boots and a massive lock to stop dodgy people trying steal the thing from the station car park. These things aren’t cheap.
Logistics
Then there’s the depressing reality of the local weather. Riding a bike in July is fantastic, but riding through a Tuesday morning in November is always going to be wet and cold. You spend ten minutes sweating profusely in your narrow hallway wrestling with thick waterproof trousers before you even open the front door, so consider if this is something that you can or want to deal with every morning. You might arrive at the office and immediately have to find a respectable place to hang a dripping textile jacket and helmet. There’s also the danger side of things too, unfortunately accidentes de motocicleta do happen and when they do they’re more likely to be fatal. If you live in a very busy city or somewhere known for bad traffic you might be safer keeping your car.
Childcare
Unfortunately this is where the entire masterplan usually collapses for most dads. As let’s face it, you cant strap a toddler to the pillion seat of a motorbike, so if your weekly schedule involves dropping a kid at nursery or picking up a massive box of nappies on the way home the motorbike is probably completely useless to you. If somebody else handles the morning school run or your partner has a car then you might be ok switching yours for the bike.
