As the lockdown eases and employees begin returning to work, there are still inherent risks as many continue to rely on public transport and in turn spend a great deal of time in a confined space with complete strangers. But there is a ready-made economical, affordable, and, more importantly, socially-distant alternative: motorcycling.

For many motorcycling conjures up images of people enjoying weekend rides with friends and gatherings at cafés, but motorcycles and scooters provide a viable and valid form of transport, especially in the world we are now living in.

Swapping a busy train carriage or bus for the social distance of commuting on two wheels brings with it many other benefits, too. It reduces journey times, with a study in Belgium concluding that if just 10% of commuters switched to a powered two-wheeler, journey times for all road users dropped by 40%*. Another study** found that motorcyclists are 88% more likely to be happier at work.

It’s also affordable and efficient. Take Suzuki’s Address 110 scooter, which returns 134mpg and can be ridden on L-plates after passing some compulsory basic training (CBT), which takes just a day to complete for the cost of around £100. And at just £2,299 it can be owned for just £43 per month. That’s just £1.39 per day, less than the price of your daily high street coffee.

Suzuki’s Burgman 125 scooter and GSX-S125 and GSX-R125 geared motorcycles can also be ridden on L-plates and represent astonishing value for money – especially with the Japanese firm currently offering £500 off its two 125cc motorcycles.

In fact, to help promote the viability of commuting via motorcycle, Suzuki is currently offering £500 off the majority of its range. On top of its learner-friendly GSX-S125 and GSX-R125, the bigger SV650 and café racer-inspired SV650X, the GSX-S750 street bike, and the V-Strom 650 and V-Strom 650XT adventure bikes are all available with £500 off.

As a result, buying the GSX-S125 can see you riding a geared motorcycle for just £59 per month, or for those with a full licence the SV650 is available for £69 per month. And, of course, unlike your train season ticket, there’s always residual value in it.

For those looking for larger capacity scooters, the Burgman 200 and Burgman 400 can be ridden on an A2-category licence, and offer huge levels of practicality, including cavernous underseat storage space, additional storage compartments up front, 

For more information on Suzuki’s range and current offers, click here.

*Lueven 2011 study

**Bennetts 2014 study