Commuting: North Shore to City

[BM-GS]

Apologies to those who don't inhabit Jaffaland.

Am about to totally re-jig the family transport systems as #1 son will be starting school. This re-jig has to account for 2 working parents, kids in 2 locations and The Budget.

The dim glimmer of light is that we can possibly keep a bike in the family (it's just that I won't get to ride it) and wifey will get to trundle it across the Harbour Bridge each day: once in morning crawl-hour, once to meet our fresh-faced bundle of joy after school.

My questions are all about this last bit:
1. How long to get from, Northcote/Esmonde Road on-ramp to Fanshawe St around 8-8:30am? (20 mins would be an acceptable answer; 60 would scupper the whole deal and I'll be getting an econobox instead)
2. Do the cops give chase & ping you for lane-splitting on the motorway?
3. How dangerous is it? (wife learned to drive in London and rode a bike for ~5 years until #1 son appeared) I'll consider the recent sideswiping loon to be a one-off. Please include weather-related hazards like cross-winds.

Supplementary questions are:
4. Do you want to buy my BMW R1150GS? (1 owner, 90,000km, ABS, heated grips, BMW panniers, Ohlins f & r, extra 12V socket, screens, driving lamps, rear rack, etc) Beloved & bedecked bike must go for the greater good of the family. Best bike I've owned in every respect, except that a B I G gap is required for lane-splitting.
5. Which do you reckon: Kawa ER6n or Suzi SV650?

Cheers,
Soon-to-be-ex-BM-GS

[Filterer]

1. How long to get from, Northcote/Esmonde Road on-ramp to Fanshawe St around 8-8:30am? (20 mins would be an acceptable answer; 60 would scupper the whole deal and I'll be getting an econobox instead)

20 min on the bike easy if your lanesplitting

2. Do the cops give chase & ping you for lane-splitting on the motorway?

Generally not unless your being silly

3. How dangerous is it? (wife learned to drive in London and rode a bike for ~5 years until #1 son appeared) I'll consider the recent sideswiping loon to be a one-off. Please include weather-related hazards like cross-winds.

With a 5y.o on the back, most defiantly dangerous

4. Do you want to buy my BMW R1150GS? (1 owner, 90,000km, ABS, heated grips, BMW panniers, Ohlins f & r, extra 12V socket, screens, driving lamps, rear rack, etc) Beloved & bedecked bike must go for the greater good of the family. Best bike I've owned in every respect, except that a B I G gap is required for lane-splitting.

No

5. Which do you reckon: Kawa ER6n or Suzi SV650?

SV650

[chickenfunkstar]

1. How long to get from, Northcote/Esmonde Road on-ramp to Fanshawe St around 8-8:30am? (20 mins would be an acceptable answer; 60 would scupper the whole deal and I'll be getting an econobox instead)

Probably around 6-7 mins. I can get from the Top of Onewa Rd to Britomart in morning peak hour in under 15 minutes easily and I'm hardly an agressive lane splitter.

2. Do the cops give chase & ping you for lane-splitting on the motorway?

You could probably do most of this trip without lane splitting at all

3. How dangerous is it? (wife learned to drive in London and rode a bike for ~5 years until #1 son appeared) I'll consider the recent sideswiping loon to be a one-off. Please include weather-related hazards like cross-winds.

Can get a bit windy on the top of the bridge, but nothing too bad.

Supplementary questions are:
4. Do you want to buy my BMW R1150GS? (1 owner, 90,000km, ABS, heated grips, BMW panniers, Ohlins f & r, extra 12V socket, screens, driving lamps, rear rack, etc) Beloved & bedecked bike must go for the greater good of the family. Best bike I've owned in every respect, except that a B I G gap is required for lane-splitting.
5. Which do you reckon: Kawa ER6n or Suzi SV650?

No and SV650S respectively.

[rainman]

1. How long to get from, Northcote/Esmonde Road on-ramp to Fanshawe St around 8-8:30am? (20 mins would be an acceptable answer; 60 would scupper the whole deal and I'll be getting an econobox instead)
2. Do the cops give chase & ping you for lane-splitting on the motorway?
3. How dangerous is it? (wife learned to drive in London and rode a bike for ~5 years until #1 son appeared) I'll consider the recent sideswiping loon to be a one-off. Please include weather-related hazards like cross-winds.

1. If you can't do Esmonde to Fanshawe in under 20 mins that would be surprising. I do Oteha Valley to Fanshawe in not much more and I'm slow.
2. Haven't chased me yet, the trick is apparently to not be a dick. I'm the very model of courteous and considerate when I'm lane splitting. And I'm slow.
3. I think it's less dangerous than suburbia. More people have tried to kill me on suburban roads, than while splitting. Of course when the stream speeds up to beyond about 50km/h I tend to merge back in, 'cos I'm slow.

Weather? Meh. I've ridden my old GN over the bridge in howling gales without problem but I did need to lean on the tank a bit. A heavier bike should give you (her) no probs. I do find the reflective lane marking things a bit slippery in the wet, though.

[Mom]

SV650

and SV650S respectively.

I dont do a regular commute, but agree with the bike choice SV650

[tide]

1. How long to get from, Northcote/Esmonde Road on-ramp to Fanshawe St around 8-8:30am? (20 mins would be an acceptable answer; 60 would scupper the whole deal and I'll be getting an econobox instead)

Like others have said from Northcote to Fanshawe mmm easy 10min and only lanesplit to Onewa anyway

2. Do the cops give chase & ping you for lane-splitting on the motorway?

Nope been told by one cop that line splitting is fine as long as you are careful

3. How dangerous is it? (wife learned to drive in London and rode a bike for ~5 years until #1 son appeared) I'll consider the recent sideswiping loon to be a one-off. Please include weather-related hazards like cross-winds.

The lane split is generally good, not too many hassles as long as you are careful, the lanes on the northern are pretty wide, the wind on the bridge can be hairy but just slow up a bit.

[FROSTY:Me]

Actually I'd agree with most about travel times.The metal plate northbound begining of the bridge can be a bit er "interesting" and bridge traffic can be nasty for splitting.otherwise its an easy split.
Bike wise I'd actually suggest a GS500 or a er5. My reasoning is they both use diddly squat gas,Very narrow and light to throw around.Tyre wise they are cheaper Having smaller wheels.They both have basicly flat seats so the pillion sits behind not above you. In both cases theyve been around forever so all the mechanical issues have been worked out.They fall between the gaps price wise IE they be cheap.Ive owned examples of both bikes .Used them for commutting from massey to devonport.
(Ive also done it on a FJ1200/rf900/sv650naked and a few other big bikes)
They were Heaps better than bigger bikes for the job being easily flicked around and having great brakes.