A good machine can make all the difference between despatching being an enjoyable pursuit and turning into a malevolent, fear inspired trip. The last 15 years has turned up some good despatch hacks. The longest running has to be the GT550/750. At first glance these bikes are a bit unlikely, being heavy and slow in town but the tough engine, shaft drive and overwhelming sensible nature has converted thousands of DRs. When the boredom becomes too much they can be got up on the back wheel!
Even more unusual is the NTV600 (and lately the budget priced 650) but despite some flash accoutrements the engine is tough, the shaft drive maintenance free and the narrowness of the layout, along with a useful power to weight ratio, make them very nifty compared to the portly GT. Honda must've been shocked to see their high tech tourer thus abused but played along by slashing the NTV650's price. If you have to buy a new bike this one is worth looking at.
The NTV was a bit of evolution of the VT500 which, clutch and camchain on high mileage bikes apart, provided many a despatcher with an immensely useful hack. Its low weight and narrowness more than made up for any deficit in power compared to middleweight fours. There are still quite a few running, a testament to the basic strength of the motor.
The VT could trace its roots back to the CX500, the odd rat still seen on the DR circuit. Given their early engine problems and top heavy feel their passing popularity as a DR hack was a bit surprising but in between engine rebuilds they did run reliably and were always cheap to buy.
At the other end of the spectrum the odd step-thru is seen wobbling along the gutter. The biggest problem with these wasn't the lack of performance but the way each and every car tried to run them up on to the pavement. Despatch bikes have to look large and sound loud!
The Paris Dakar replicas would seem ideal on that score. Comfortable long travel suspension and riding position, a brilliant view over the top of cars from the tall saddle and loads of thumping torque. The Transalp is the most popular, another derivative of the VT500, perhaps because it has a better running engine than the big thumpers. The latter tend to cut out at low revs and burn out their starters; the electric boot isn't a luxury in despatching it's a necessity.
For these reasons the XBR500 didn't last for long in the popularity stakes with DR's. It was just too much work for too little return. Despatching is always a test of an engine's toughness and the two XBR500's I knew about were finished off in about 15000 miles of hardcore despatching.
I did run a Z200 for a month, which proved that a tiddler could turn in decent delivery times but thrashed relentlessly it started blowing gaskets and losing its gearbox. A few desperate characters seem to do quite well on newish GS and CG 125s. They both have fantastic economy (100mpg plus), weave through small gaps and have tough motors for the first 20,000 miles. Thereafter it's down to the breakers looking for a cheap, low mileage motor. Good bikes are available for under a grand so they are ideal for new despatchers.
I quite like the GS125, which like their bigger twins, is as tough as they come. I rolled along on a GS450E quite happily for half a year and the bigger GS500E is even better for despatching. The electrics were quite reliable but, ultimately, the crankshaft bearings start to knock around 60,000 miles even if the oil's changed every 2000 miles.
Comfort, when riding for long hours for day after day, is very important. I have a King & Queen seat that I keep swapping between machines along with a large screen and pair of handlebars that suit my body perfectly. The set-up ruined the lines of almost every bike I fitted them to but it didn't matter as I was able to pull them off when it came time to sell. Much better to look like a plonker but still be able to walk after a day's hard graft.
Even better than the GS was the GPZ500, a remarkable little twin from Kawasaki. Its only real fault was the sixteen inch front wheel that would slide away on greasy London roads - at least it made sure there were plenty of bikes in breakers! As narrow as the NTV but quicker than the weighty GT750, making it a fast and furious way of doing jobs in record times. I always sold mine before the motor needed a rebuild (at about 75000 miles, though camchains can be needed at half that mileage). Some also seem afflicted with Suzuki inspired electrical foibles!
The universal hack, the Superdream, preferably in 400 form but more usually as a 250, is still used by the odd masochist, who having perfected the roadside adjustment of the balance chain (GS and GPZ's have gears) swear by them when not swearing at them. The 400's certainly fast enough to do the job but the whole thing starts to rot away come 50,000 miles; few have gone around the clock. Thank God!
Much more promising, the CB500, Honda's new twin seems as well set-up for despatching as the GPZ500 with a design that has no connection with the Superdream other than in general layout. It's too early to comment on the longevity but a few have already done 15000 miles without falling apart.
Just as new, BMW's F650, has also fallen into despatchers' hands. Its engine runs beautifully, matched by good comfort and light handling. The Pegaso, the Aprilia version, along with most Italian bikes, are rare on the despatch circuit. They are either viewed as being too expensive (although the Pegaso's cheaper than the Funduro) or too dodgy to take the rigours and abuse of continuous thrashing.
Other BMW models are quite often employed, more for their virtues of longevity and low running costs than anything else. The way the boxer's cylinders stick out is a grave limitation on fast riding through traffic, though I know at least one reprobate who reckons it's better to take off the side of cars than lose his foot or leg in an accident. I wouldn't buy one for despatching unless my circumstances were desperate.
The same goes for the old British stuff (I've yet to see any new Triumphs being ridden into the ground), although the odd one pops up from time to time. Usually a Triumph or BSA twin from the late sixties or early seventies. God knows how they hold together, although their lack of mass and relative narrowness makes them quite usable. When they aren't falling apart!
Much simpler and dirt cheap, the MZ 250's quite popular as a winter hack. Its solid handling over wet and icy roads is useful, the large cloud of pollutants obscuring the numberplate from alert plod and it is reliable for the first couple of years. As long as the electrics are covered in gunge and the motor's given regular servicing.
Few other Iron Curtain models are up to the job. I saw one guy on a Ural 650 trying to make a living, even saw him reversing down a one-way street at a tremendous rate, wobbling all over the road. After about three days he was never seen again. He'd either crashed into something or the boxer-type engine had lived up to its reputation by blowing up.
Few people have the time for the constant hassle involved in running such bikes. Wasted time equals lost opportunities. One possibility when running old hacks is to have two or three spare bikes and an engine ready to swap when the other one fails. This is a good ploy with devices like Kawasaki's GPz305. An ideal little despatch mount for heavy town work but one which can blow its engine with tedious regularity. One mate has no less than two spare engines, reckons he can do a swap in less than an hour.
Low running costs can make the difference between making loads of dosh and just getting by. Shaft drive obviously helps but the weight penalty can hasten the rate with which other consumables are ruined. It's a brave rider who buys secondhand tyres because in the wet that extra bit of grip from new rubber can avoid terminal slides.
There are lots of possible machines for despatching but no definitive ones. More than anything, choice will depend on what comes up in the secondhand market.
D.L.