Honda CT110
 

So was looking at small bikes which would be capable of overland travel and I came across the Honda CT110 or Postie Bike...has anyone had one of these bikes ? They seem to only available in OZ at auction when the postal service is getting rid of them when they reach 30k or so...anyone have any feedback of this bike and what you should watch out for when buying one ? and anyone here from OZ fancy picking one up from auction for me if i was crazy enough to buy one and try get it shipped over to the UK ?? or has anyone found a bike of similar size that is more available in europe ??

Buy one in NZ much easier than OZ. OZ only got them for public use relatively recently.NZ was much more enlightened and has had them for years road legal. Farmers etc use them and they are also available as an AG version with dual sidestands and a low range 'box.

Was trying to figure out how much it would cost to ship one to the uk ? and where would be the best place to buy one ? Auction ?

History
Oz Post has been using the CT series (90, 100 and now 110) for a number of years ...

Wasting money
Shipping a bike to the UK from OZ/NZ would be wasted money .. you could ride the bike there and then ride it back ...

A google on 'postie bike' should get you a few hits on people who have bought and used them .. hummm the Royal Mail probably does not use them due to the British weather ? doh What about farm bikes (Agricultural Motorcycles)?

I love my Postie!!

I have FOUR! bought directly from AusPost for under $1000 each.

In November, four of us are setting off around Australia on them...

Postie Notes

https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.n...16698007_n.jpg

And.... the iconic red CT110 has now been replaced by the ND110... so ALL the CT110's will be up for auction in the next year and phased out. Snap one up now while you still can!

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.n...11589402_n.jpg

Try Trademe.co.nz they have them listed from time to time.

I didnt know you could buy them directly from OZ Post....anyone any ideas how much ot would cost to ship 2 of them to the uk ? waiting on cargo company to come back to me with a price.....getting parts could be an issue too, i would have to get everything sent from oz....depression setting in....maybe ill just get a honda club 90...

Ask Dave Milligan from Get Routed about shipping costs.
When the bikes leave Auspost they are graded A, B and D (damaged?) and are priced accordingly, so for parts - just get a second bike and keep it for spares...

"........ hummm the Royal Mail probably does not use them due to the British weather ?" : QUOTE

Don't you get out much mate?

This British guy rode his CT 110 from Sydney to London

Sydney Australia to London England on a moped. The adventure travel blog of Nathan Millward | The Postman

He's recently ridden it across the US. As reliable and simple bikes go, I don't think you can go far wrong.

Have a look at Bikesales.com.au. It's the biggest web site for bike sales here in Aus.

Nathan got his from OneTen bikes in Brisbane. They set him up with a great bike and sent him spares throughout the trip.
http://www.onetenmotorcycles.com.au/

I'd definitely consider getting one myself for a road trip, but then I am based in Aus (and a Brit!)

Cheers

Oh and also check out this guy, he did a thorough breakdown of prepping his 110 for a trip.

Postie Bike Setup for Adventure - YouTube

I had to ride one of these horrors for work. Yes, I'm an ex postie. Well telegram boy actually. I've been riding for over 30 years, most of which I've not had a car licence. I've owned dozens of bikes and ridden hundreds. The postie is without any doubt the worst motorcycle I've ever ridden. You might want to ride one as a lark, but that would be the only possible reason. Look, I rode 70 km with a flat front tyre a couple of weeks ago and it was *far* better than riding a bran new postie. They're far too heavy at the back and too light at the front. The tiny pipe that connects the front to the back is alarmingly flexible. The gearbox is grindingly horrible and without the heel shifter your toe would fall off. The front brake is only slightly better than dragging your feet on the ground, but if you really really pull hard you can make the front wheel jump up and down and make squealing noises. It barely slows you down but it is exciting. There's no identifiable damping in the front forks. The footpegs are made of solid steel rod without any hinge so if you catch your foot on a rut the bike will neatly snap your ankle. The ones I rode were given a full service every 1000 km and were *totally* stuffed when we got rid of them at 10 000. The oil came out filled with metalic chips every change. I hear they now keep them for 25 000 km. I can't imagine the state they must be in. Honda used to rate them for a total load of 90 kg but now they seem to rate them at 109 (without changing anything). That includes the rider so if you carry any luggage your insurer would be quite within their rights to wash their hands of you in any accident.

They're a completely valid choice for transport, in just the same way a unicycle is. A guy just went around Australia on a Unicycle.

Nice first post! The truth must come out, I guess.

:welcome: to the HUBB.

Shhhh - don't say it too loud... everyone will want one. :thumbup1:

It was a bit of a clanger for a first post... Thanks for not hitting me over the head! I did want to make it clear to someone thinking about this as a nice reliable "Honda" that it's not a normal honda. You can't expect one with 25 000 k on it to behave like say a CBR1000 that has 25 000 k on it (ie, work perfectly and behave like a bran new bike). I've been following Postie Notes and I think I get it. I think JFK's speech writer summed it up the best. "Not because they are easy, but because they are hard". If you set off to go around Australia, or Sydney to London on a postie, you're doing it *because* it's hard. That's an *admirable* goal. Having ridden a postie for 4 hours a day for 2 years over every imaginable surface (from a motorcross track to a 6 lane highway) in every kind of weather, even an earthquake, but never leaving my own postcode, I have a very clear idea of the challenge you've set yourself. I don't think that ATWR, the first poster, had any idea of what a postie is really like.

"We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too"

I love that quote (I might steal it and use it on the blog)... my own bastardised version is:
"any numpty can cross the Nullabor on a 1000cc machine - there's no challenge in that".

I think they're a fine travelling choice.
A few years ago, I rode around 15000ks in a year. Mostly with cooking, camping gear etc on board and plenty of off road. Also did around 900k one day at around 65km/h! However, compared to other postie riders, I'm a blouse. Folks have ridden them across Aus, in less than 2 weeks (Byron to Steep Point). :offtopic:

Also, regarding longevity, mine had around 45k on it when it was moved on, and even after having an engine full of water, still ran great. Plenty of others with higher mileage.

C90s in the UK are pretty close; that would be easier and cheaper.