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My Working Harley

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Rocket J.

Member
Not in the sense of working or broken, but as in using it as a working vehicle and not as just some nice to have toy. My bike is well suited for my job. I ride/drive about 135 miles per day making 8 (or so) stops at ATMs. I get paid mileage so I maintain that my bike is actually earning it's own keep. Well, that's my story, anyway. I don't really think my wife totally buys my line of reasoning because sh sees me play with it, too, but it sounds good, huh? At least she never has used the argument that since I'm making more mileage $ by using a Harley at 45 mpg then I should just probably go all out and use a 250 Yamaha or something that gets 80+ mpg. Anyway, the commute is GREAT; mostly country roads with a little bit of small country town thrown in.
I consider myself very lucky to have a job so well suited to riding my Harley. I know lots of folks who ride their bikes to work, but no one else who rides their bike during work. Maybe some of you, here, are as lucky and use the Harley in your jobs, too.
 
Commute with the Sporty as much as possible for satisfying ride and because I can as SoCal is nice most of the year...easy decision really!
 
Rocket...
Sounds like a great plan to me!:) Why not mix "business with pleasure"? Yes I think your theory is very sage.

I commuted to work on my HD very much, but since becoming a retired pensioner 5 years ago, I put more miles on my machines than any cage I own. My view is, if you are going some where and can ride...why not mount and scoot!:D
 
The ATM route gig does seems to be about perfect for using the bike as transportation. I do take a car to our regional office for administrative work and to pick up supplies once about every two weeks, but mostly it's making my rounds doing my own thing. I use the bags on my Glide to carry the more permanent gear (rain suit, drinking water & etc) and wear a light day pack to carry what I mostly need in the ATMs.

I've become much more of a devotee of the Weather Channel, for sure. I'll ride if the forecast is at least in the 40s and dry. I usually chicken out and take the car if there's even a 30% chance of rain. I'm pretty much a fair weather rider, but it's mostly because I hate to put the bike through a soaking.

28 cents per mile (more or less depending on the average price for gas) adds up over a pay period. I just hope they never find out that I'd ride the Harley for free.
 
Lucky you that you can ride while you work. I am retired and have a lot of time on my hands so i ride as often as I can.
 
According to our accountant at work, the mileage rate just dropped to $ 0.50 mile this year 2010...from $ 0.55 in 09
 
i to was lucky for 25 years worked maintenance at multi site apartments, fit all my tools in 2 bag & top box hammer screw gun sawsall. wanted a softail but needed an ultra. as years went by the ultra grew on me. made a detachable top box mounts. for weekend travel & sporty look in 93. now a caretaker at a temple, so its one stop now. still ridding & lucky:) my story...
 
Semper Fi, Tank. Retired U.S. Marine, here. Well semi-retired, cuz I still "work" (if you can call a 135 mile bike ride work). I do claim the difference between what I actually get for mileage and what the Gov. allows at tax time. I've also hear it's less this year than last year. Still, the point is that I'm extremely lucky to have a job so well suited for using the Harley as a service vehicle and for actually getting paid for riding it. Even better is the knowledge that at the 45 MPG of the Harley I'm making out even better than most economy cars I could use for my job.

Cool that some others have been lucky enough to use their Harleys for their jobs.

Speaking of using your bike to commute to work; it got to be such a hassle to ride on military bases (florescent vests and all) that I just stopped taking my bike to work my last few years on active duty. I had a friend who rode a very cool old pan-head and he was repeatedly hassled by the MPs about the noise of his pipes.

Well, no one's going to pay me mileage today, but I'm heading out to run some errands on my Glide. Kinda like a buss-man's holiday, huh?
 
larryjmiller said:
According to our accountant at work, the mileage rate just dropped to $ 0.50 mile this year 2010...from $ 0.55 in 09
Click to expand...

Kind of strange that the mileage rate would drop, as gas is still high and maintenance/insurance details certainly have not dropped that much either. :small3d023:
 
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