Commuting - have I forgotten anything?

[HEsch]

So, I've been commuting on 2 wheels for nearly 4 years now in Auckland (87,000 Km on the 'Busa and rising daily)

Scottoiler - if you are riding daily - doing 30 Km (there and back) - a Scottoiler will really start to pay for itself - especially when a chain and sprocket set is $2-300 (or more depending on bike), and without a scottoiler, you'd be looking at replacing it around every 20-30,000 Km - With a Scottoiler, some people are reporting 100,000 + Chain life.

The best wet weather gear you can get. Especially in Auckland - I've worn through 2 Alpinestars waterproof inner liners, same with my Revit trousers - consequently, if it rains now, I get bloody wet. So good quality Wet weather gear is a must.

Be prepared to love your Mechanic and buying Tyres. Commuting means you are going to hit the 6,000 Km service interval for your bike really quickly - at my old job, I was doing this every 3-4 months. So being on good terms with your Mechanic is a good thing - or Learn to do a basic service yourself (Oil, Filter, etc. etc.)

Axle Stands - for when you need to adjust your chain - they make life so much easier, and since you will be riding lots, you should be regularly inspecting and adjusting your chain

Riding Course - I don't know what your level of riding is, but I found the rideforever course a good thing for my riding, whilst most of it was stuff I'd learnt whilst commuting, was still good value.

tinted visor - ideally one you can toggle between clear and tinted - especially since you are riding at 7:00 am - sun glare isn't fun and can really kill your hazard awareness

Pinlock for your visor - stops your visor fogging up - is worth it's weight in gold when the weather is muggy and wet.

Good Rubber - as above, you are going to start going through tyres - so buying a good set of dual compound will help - my last set were flat in the middle, with about 3-4 mm on the sides (I don't get a lot of time to chase the twisties )

I would also suggest some form of Helmet Camera - mainly so that if you are in an accident where the Driver was at fault but they try to pin it on you or simply lie through their teeth, you've got the evidence. Just don't fall into the Motovlog trap of riding like a fuckwit in order to get 'close calls' footage.

Finally: practice your emergency stopping, regularly - I've had at least 2 occassions where I've had the rear wheel get very loose under heavy braking thanks to fuckwits being fuckwits. I've also had a couple of close calls in the wet were good, progressive braking was the difference between staying rubber side down and ending up a gooey mess.

Awesome suggestions, thank you, plenty to mull over, some I hadn't considered/didn't know. Hadn't thought about playing the tyres game, but I already do that with the SUV (which I need for towing and going off road, but spends 90% of it's life on the road).

For a bit more context - work are very flexi so I am generally in Auckland 4 days a week and the Tron on Fridays (except when I have unavoidable meetings that simply have to be scheduled at the end of the week). I'll be riding up and down so will get to take the bike for a bit of a blat (errr, a longer ride) at least once a fortnight, if not every week. My flatmate has had bikes and is very hands on so will be teaching me what I can do... I look after my vehicles because I need them to look after me (fuck getting stuck in the middle of nowhere, hours from home, no mobile reception, after a very long day riding, two horses in the float, and a vehicle that isn't going anywhere - at least with only a bike or car you can get a lift home - can't do that with nags on board).

[Jeeper]

Rather than carrying two visors, think about a helmet with builtin sun visor. I can drop it down when I need it, flick it back up when its dark.

[Ocean1]

That's a bloody good tip. Apart from a few weeks in mid winter I always have a tinted visor on but have never carried a clear one with me as spare. Should bang a pair of clear glasses under the seat for those those unexpected dark rides home.

If your helmet is sized right the bits that go behind your ears hurt after 5 minutes. Cut those suckers off. The bits, not the ears. Just leave, (checks) maybe 90mm of the arms and round the ends off nice and smooth.

Added bonus: if you're old enough to have trouble seeing the instruments you can get safety bi-focals from most engineering suppliers. The tiny lower lense is fucking useless for any normal work but happens to be smack in the right place for above use.

[rastuscat]

I go the same way to work each day. I divert from the route my GPS wants to go so I can avoid certain controlled intersections.

I prefer roundabouts to stop signs at 100 kmh intersections.

It's worth considering your route to see if a small diversion can increase your safety.