Ideal commuter bike

[jw5876]

Hi all,

I'm thinking about purchasing a second bike which will primarily be used for commuting.

Therefore, I'm looking for suggestions.

Thanks

[trcooke]

I ride a 2004 Honda 650 TransAlp and use it for commuting. The low rev torque and the high seating position is nice for chugging through traffic and being able to see over the cars. Plus as it's 14 years old I'm not super precious about it getting mucky and stacking the miles on.

[jw5876]

Cheers Tim

[trcooke]

I'm told if looked after well the Honda v-twin will go on forever, same for the Suzuki v-twin that you'll find on the SV.

[Moonraker]

My SV is a great commuter!

[Muttly]

I’m a complete newb so ignore the next bit.

Depends on what your commute is like?

My 125 is everything I could need to get from an outer suburb of Birmingham to the centre and anywhere within the Wider Birmingham area.

[fastbob]

ER5

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

I use a 2006 CBF 500. Reliable, comfortable, easy for filtering, cheap, light round town but able to keep motorway pace. No fairing on mine but those are available if you need it.

[RAYK47]

Take no notice of me as I have not passed my test yet but hopefully will be in the market in a few months. Obviously I have been looking loads and have my eye on so many FZR8, CBR650 and also MT-07.

Like I said I have no experience but just what I like the look of.

[Phill]

Fazer 600 fox-eye model. Very good lights, comfortable, flickable, fun, good mileage(~57mpg, over 200 miles to the tank without reserve, that's another gallon left).

Not that I'm biased

[Bender]

Fazer 600 fox-eye model. Very good lights, comfortable, flickable, fun, good mileage(~57mpg, over 200 miles to the tank without reserve, that's another gallon left).

Not that I'm biased

 

Plus 1, cheap to insure, cheap to run, still enough poke at the top end to have fun when needed

[jw5876]

Thanks everyone.

Personally I like the look of the Kawasaki Versys but am not sure on reliability etc.?

[Tango]

Thanks everyone.

Personally I like the look of the Kawasaki Versys but am not sure on reliability etc.?

 

Ask [mention]Throttled[/mention] .......

[fastbob]

Do the big four Japanese manufactures ever make an unreliable bike these days ?

[geofferz]

Panigale v4.

Budget?

[jw5876]

Budget is £1500 - £2500

[trcooke]

My Transalp cost me £2000

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

Budget is £1500 - £2500

 

Is that for the bike - or bike plus gear? Decent riding kit can set you back quite a lot.

If you've got up to £2500 to spend on a bike then there's loads of low mileage used bikes out there which will make good commuters. When I was looking I based it on what I wanted included on the bike - for commuting purposes I wanted a top box, fly screen and centre stand (just makes maintenance simpler) so I looked mainly for anything with those already installed. You can add them later but they cost, whereas if they come fitted you don't really pay much extra for the bike with them included.

Given the reliability of most Japanese bikes you might be better looking for accessories and comfort as your main concerns.

[geofferz]

Budget is £1500 - £2500

 

Is that for the bike - or bike plus gear? Decent riding kit can set you back quite a lot.

If you've got up to £2500 to spend on a bike then there's loads of low mileage used bikes out there which will make good commuters. When I was looking I based it on what I wanted included on the bike - for commuting purposes I wanted a top box, fly screen and centre stand (just makes maintenance simpler) so I looked mainly for anything with those already installed. You can add them later but they cost, whereas if they come fitted you don't really pay much extra for the bike with them included.

Given the reliability of most Japanese bikes you might be better looking for accessories and comfort as your main concerns.

 

The op says second bike so I'm assuming he has gear.

[Throttled]

Thanks everyone.

Personally I like the look of the Kawasaki Versys but am not sure on reliability etc.?

 

My Versys 650 was fine. Bough new and run to over 20k without much happening. The main issue was water got into the coils and they split and corroded. It always ran fine. The Versys 1000 has been fine as well, bought with 20k and now with 24k. The only issue was that the running light came out of its mount and the hot bulb melted a bit of the headlight casing. I replaced it with an LED. Both bikes have good forums and you will see there is not much about reliability issues.