Jasper
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| posted on 10/3/09 at 04:13 PM |
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Commuter (motor)bike recommendations
I moved my shop to a nearby town, about 12 miles away. Almost the entire journey is on a busy dual carriageway.
So I've got a full bike license, but want something cheap just to get me to work everyday. Needs to do 80mph comfortably as I don't want
to get stuck behind lorries etc...
Cheap to run, insure, etc etc, but hopefully fun to ride.
Quite like the idea of a supermoto type machine, but anything would do.
Your thoughts gentlemen 
If you're not living life on the edge you're taking up too much room.
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Flamez
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| posted on 10/3/09 at 04:15 PM |
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Harley "fatboy"
my build mac1motorsports
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whitestu
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| posted on 10/3/09 at 04:20 PM |
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A Kawasaki GPZ500S is nice and cheap, does about 50-60 mpg and is plenty fast enough, or alternatively a Honda CB500.
Suzuki SV650's are also nice and a bit different.
Stu
[Edited on 10/3/09 by whitestu]
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Dangle_kt
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| posted on 10/3/09 at 04:21 PM |
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As someone who has owned a few supermotos... THEY ARE NOT FOR COMMUTING!
The wind blast is aweful, the vibes are terrible, the service intervals are very very short and the seats are like long thin planks.
For a toy they can;t be beaten, but for using daily your barking up the wrong tree... well unless you go for something lame like a drz400, but that
struggles to pull the skin off a glass of water in standard trim.
I'd recommend something simple, like a bandit 600 s, it has an excellet riding position, fast enough for what you want, can handle reasonabley
well for a sunday ride out and dispite looking tatty when well used, are a real work horse.
If you are looking for even more of a work horse, check out a bmw k1, ugly as sin, and getting on a bit - but shaft driven and about as bullet proof
as it gets!
Also look at an sv650 either naked or s version, s is more racey but can be heavier on the wrists in slow traffic - naked version can be a bit poor
for windblast but has a good riding position for commuting.
All are pretty cheap to run too
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tomgregory2000
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| posted on 10/3/09 at 04:30 PM |
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VTR1000 
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Memphis Twin
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| posted on 10/3/09 at 04:34 PM |
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BMW R80.
Cheap, fast(ish), handles well(ish). Reliable, simple, shaft drive, everything accessible, very comfortable, bags of character. And when the bug has
well and truly bitten you'll want to turn it into a Cafe Racer, and then wonder why you'd want anything else.
And I've owned a VTR1000...
[Edited on 10/3/09 by Memphis Twin]
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Jasper
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| posted on 10/3/09 at 04:41 PM |
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Hmmmm - like the Suzuki SV when it came out, and I do like a twin (had ducati's before)......
VTR - yeah right, nice sensible option!
Will take a look at the rest as well though....
If you're not living life on the edge you're taking up too much room.
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Peteff
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| posted on 10/3/09 at 04:43 PM |
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650 or 600 Bandit, 600 Hornet or Kawasaki ER6 can all fit into your category and put a grin on your face or get you in trouble for speeding.
Anything's an improvement on the Ducati
[Edited on 10/3/09 by Peteff]
yours, Pete
I went into the RSPCA office the other day. It was so small you could hardly swing a cat in there.
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owelly
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| posted on 10/3/09 at 04:45 PM |
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Edited because my idea was stupid...
[Edited on 10/3/09 by owelly]
http://www.ppcmag.co.uk
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tomgregory2000
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| posted on 10/3/09 at 04:45 PM |
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My VTR is, ive got race pipes on it and its the best sound, also in traffic you give it a couple of blips on the throttle and people tend to move out
of the way
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ernie
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| posted on 10/3/09 at 04:48 PM |
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See my ad in for sale section
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bigrich
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| posted on 10/3/09 at 04:49 PM |
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The SV is a good option, or a bandit got to say that as i have just bought a MK1 bandit 1200, that would be a great commuter and with minimal front
tyre wear into the bargain.
Supermoto's are a little too focus'ed. If your not too image concious then a GPz 500 or cb500 or gs would fit the bill.
Dont forget hornet 600's cracking bike also fazer 600
.JPG)
A pint for the gent and a white wine/fruit based drink for the lady. Those are the rules
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Dangle_kt
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| posted on 10/3/09 at 05:06 PM |
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If you start looking more to a sportier model, the a zzr600 is a decent bike for the money.
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lsdweb
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| posted on 10/3/09 at 05:21 PM |
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Honda NTV . Bags of torque, very reliable and plugs along really well.
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owelly
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| posted on 10/3/09 at 05:29 PM |
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I bought a GSXF 750 last year and it's a good thing for the price. Full t and t for £600.
http://www.ppcmag.co.uk
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Mellow Matt
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| posted on 10/3/09 at 05:45 PM |
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I'd suggest something faired, that far on a dual carriageway without fairing might get a bit annoying. I've got a CB500 and a GSXR 600 and
I much prefer the GSXR on motorways due to the fairing. A GPZ500 as suggested before would be nice and cheap and pretty solid too. Or a ZZR600, tried
and tested bike that one!
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mads
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| posted on 10/3/09 at 06:05 PM |
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Another person for the Bandit. I had a 600cc Bandit S (semi-faired) and it was a fantastic bike. Great for general cruising and certainly able to keep
up with my mates Thundercat as well as some of the 750's. I'm sure a 1000cc would be just, if not more, fun. And if you do do any
pillioning, then it is really comfy for your pillion. I did a Birmingham - Stafford M5/M6 journey with my mate on the back and the bike took no notice
of that fact.
They are relatively cheap to buy and to repair (learned that the hard way) and very forgiving if you do some saft stuff :$
Whatever bike you go for, I'd go with a semi-faired version as wind blast can be a PITA especially on dual carriageways/motorways.
[Edited on 10/3/09 by mads]
We gain knowledge faster than we do wisdom!
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in
sideways, thoroughly used, totally worn out and loudly proclaiming... "f*ck, what a trip!"
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Dangle_kt
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| posted on 10/3/09 at 06:11 PM |
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forgot to say, you might want to consider buying a cheaper bike and us the extra to pay for a local police training course or similar, and some high
visability waterproof kit (suit, gloves and boots)
commuting on a bike isn't much fun - I can only guess you havn't done it much as you own a ducati, and you'd spend more time on the
phone to greenflag recovery. 
[Edited on 10/3/09 by Dangle_kt]
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rf900rush
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| posted on 10/3/09 at 06:33 PM |
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Keep it under 400cc and you only pay £36 road tax.
I used to run a CBR400RR for commuting.
£90 insurance (TPFT) 50MPG.
Although sports bikes are hard on the wrists/arms.
Don't forget bike bikes eat tyres.
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Mark Allanson
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| posted on 10/3/09 at 07:34 PM |
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The last commuter bike I had was a Honda CD200 Benley, 130mpg, nice big seat, might struggle to cruise at 80mph though!
If you can keep you head, whilst all others around you are losing theirs, you are not fully aware of the situation
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ibakes
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| posted on 10/3/09 at 09:03 PM |
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My Father in law has a f reg honda cg125, not really very good for 80 but think its something like 200 miles from £8 worth of fuel. £15 tax, i would
have it but i want my zx6 back on the road.
think he only wants £100 for it
kick start, very reliable needs mot, new battery £10 and regulator £16 as the front light dosnt work too well at low revs
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RichardK
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| posted on 10/3/09 at 09:07 PM |
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remember my dad had a metalic maroon cd 200 benley, spend ages earning my pocket money waxing that, arh memories!!
Cheers
Rich
[Edited on 10/3/09 by RichardK]
Gallery updated 11/01/2011
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foes
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| posted on 10/3/09 at 10:53 PM |
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Reliable/cheapish supermoto, how about a Suzuki drz400sm....?
They're not too focused to ride every day and don't have the daft service intervals like the proper euro supermoto's, ideal
i'd say...
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Jasper
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| posted on 13/3/09 at 10:38 AM |
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Thanks guys - will have a lok at all those and see if anything comes up cheap in my local ads....
If you're not living life on the edge you're taking up too much room.
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idl1975
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| posted on 13/3/09 at 02:34 PM |
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A few comments and suggestions...
1) The GPz500 recommendation is a very good one. Brilliant to ride (considering the obvious!), comfy, light, 60mpg, cheap as proverbials. Google
GPz500 race bikes and you might be surprised too. Remember you want a later model with twin front discs - early ones have only 1.
2) SMs - true SMs are indeed s*** commuters, very thirsty and extremely unreliable (replace piston and inspect bores at 20hrs ... etc etc). I owned
a Duke II for a while, which was NOT a true SM, but was very economical on petrol, brilliant to ride and quick as all buggery round corners.
Perfectly happy on motorways or extended 80mph runs, if a bit windy. Available for a grand or so. Only problem is the valve clearances (DIY?) and
the s***metal used to manufacture the exhaust and fasteners.
Edit: Nowt against DRZs and the Yam XT600 SM-a-like, but they're both heavy and slow compared to a Duke.
3) K100, K100RS, K100RT, K100LT. Get one in decent nick with full luggage under 100k for under £800. Will go forever if it ain't already
broken, also 50-60mpg. 16v RS is more than quick enough, and the post-89 models even have modern(ish) tyre sizes, so you can stick some BT020s on.
4) TRX850 - my main road and commuter bike, which I've kept while selling GSX-Rs, '954s, etc etc. 55 mpg, one ins. group lower than an
old 600, 135mph and 79hp with the obligatory cans. Good do-anything bike which can tour, scratch, commute, track day, and so good BMW copied it and
called it the F800. You can get a 10 year old version with all the key mods done for a little under a grand, and nothing really breaks. Change the
oil and keep riding.
quote:
Originally posted by Jasper
I moved my shop to a nearby town, about 12 miles away. Almost the entire journey is on a busy dual carriageway.
So I've got a full bike license, but want something cheap just to get me to work everyday. Needs to do 80mph comfortably as I don't want
to get stuck behind lorries etc...
Cheap to run, insure, etc etc, but hopefully fun to ride.
Quite like the idea of a supermoto type machine, but anything would do.
Your thoughts gentlemen
[Edited on 13/3/09 by idl1975]
[Edited on 13/3/09 by idl1975]
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