Best commuting bike

[titirangi]

Ok, so I am getting a little tired of commuting on the gixxerthou. Sore wrists, hands and arse plus crap visibility and riding position.

Commuting from west akl into city every day, gt nth rd, pt chev bus lanes onto k rd. sometimes take the motorway when traffic is busy (feels safer at low speed).

Must have
Heaps of grunt coz its fun as hell
Easy clutch
Upright riding style
Narrow overall width (for filtering)
<15k

Could have
one of those crappy looking plastic top box things to stick my shit in
a screen for longer trips

Wont have
panniers
anything <750
honda (i'm straight)

My shortlist
Buell xb12
z1000
Superduke

What have i missed?

[R6_kid]

ScorpioZ 225. It does wheelies.


You'll just have to take '225' the sticker off the side.


Otherwise i'd go XB12 or SD. Actually - just go superduke and be a hooligan with it, you know you want to.

[PirateJafa]

Swap?

Oh wait, the Bandit doesn't have USD forks. :(

[jrandom]

Don't be such a pretentious wanker. XB12 or Superduke for commuting?

Get a GS500.

:yes:

[riffer]

I reckon a Buell XB9S would be mint. The extra grunt of the 12 is wasted.

[n0regret5]

i WAS gonna say vfr750 but you'e gonna be difficult..probably the buell (as much as i hate to admit it) as they're narrow. and it'll make you look hard-arse, which is, of course, the fundamental choice in bike-buying..

whats with everyone taking a dig at hondas?

[Grub]

whats with everyone taking a dig at hondas?

It's like poofter footballers making fag jokes to cover up their own insecurities :)

They really want one - bad! .... and for commuting it'd have to be a VFR. All the other stuff he's talking about is as much a commuter bike as the Gixxer Thou is

[Revit]

Whats wrong with a Honda?
What have you missed?
May be you suffer from smallm penis syndrome!!

[McJim]

Ducati Multistrada 1000ds....'nuff said.

[FilthyLuka]

Suzuki DR650 = $7995
17" Black Anodized wheels = $1264 (from states)
Mikuni TM41 Flatslide Carb = $265
Supertrapp Exhaust = $326
EBC Brake Kit = $251 NZ

Total = about $10100 NZD not including the shipping of the bits from states

DR650 is new btw

The result? a great big stonking single cylinder super moto :first: for cheaper than the DR400SM

[Squiggles]

My shortlist
Buell xb12
z1000
Superduke

What have i missed?

You want a naked sportsbike?

GN250 or cx500 (even if its a honda, its an older school one so doesnt fall into the gay category) Small single/twin = good for the commute, cx outshines the gn for anything that'd hit the mway, cheap to buy and run

Not brand new though, so probably not what you're looking for at all

[n0regret5]

i find people who have prejudices about bikes have never ridden one in question..bah. duc sounds like a good idea..but its still a shite oldschool engine (unless they've updated recently?)..buell ullysses is a fuckin monster bike too..gotta be 6'9'' to put both feet down.

harden up, take a late model vfr750 for a spin. bet you'll love it and cry yourself to sleep about becoming a fag.

[Steam]

You want a naked sportsbike?

GN250 or cx500 (even if its a honda, its an older school one so doesnt fall into the gay category) Small single/twin = good for the commute, cx outshines the gn for anything that'd hit the mway, cheap to buy and run

Plus he has the budget (15K) to buy five of each, Two for every day of the week! Ride one to work, ride the other home, repeat.

[Ocean1]

I reckon a Buell XB9S would be mint. The extra grunt of the 12 is wasted.

Yup, the 12r can be a pain in the arse around town. Not sure if I'd have an XB9S for straight commuting but it'd be on the list.

[quallman1234]

GS500E, Just get used to it then start thrashing it. You wont realise how much you loved it untill you moved on. Either that or.. God forbid a Honda CB900 Hornet.

[rainman]

I'll probably get red repped for this for breaking teh code of teh sprotsbikes but my Suzuki 800 cruiser is a bloody marvellous commuter, and has an awesome seating position. I have a generally dodgy back and never have any pain from riding.

If that's a bridge too far I'd vote for the Hornet as well, although it might be overkill for a commuter. Depends if you plan on having a weekend bike as well, or whether it'll just be the one.

[quallman1234]

If that's a bridge too far I'd vote for the Hornet as well, although it might be overkill for a commuter. Depends if you plan on having a weekend bike as well, or whether it'll just be the one.'

Look at all the other bikes suggested, they are far from communters.

All the Buell's have tiny tanks.

I think he's more refering to something what is a good communter and a good weekend bike.

CB900 Still my vote for a weekend / Communter.
GS500E For pure communter.

[marioc]

Monster? 10 char

[Pwalo]

If you're really after a commuter get a GS500, or possibly a naked SV650. They really slice through the traffic, cost bugger all to run, and are great fun to chuck around.

[rainman]

I think he's more refering to something what is a good communter and a good weekend bike.

And there I was thinking we'd given up making recommendations based on the original requirements... He also said no Hondas, and nothing less than 750cc. :)


All the Buell's have tiny tanks.
15 and 17 litres.... bleeding luxury! :) Not sure if they're a good commuter or not but for sprotsbikes they certainly do look good. :niceone:

Like with all these threads, the answer is the dude should ride a few and see what he likes... then see if he can find a good deal.

[HornetBoy]

well id have to go for a cb900 for sure -use it personally to commute from wanganui to Palmerston everyday 140km.
has got lots of grunt ,fairly skinny width wise although you might want to change the mirrors,big tank range ,upright position,and under $15k and if you really wanted to use the full 15k do as i did and go buy dual Arrow exhaust so you can blast peoples ear drums,and stop them from swerving into your lanes when you filter past them :first: plus they look good

[jrandom]

Oh, yeah, CB900s are OK.

But you'll spend a fair bit more on one of those than on a GS500, and they're pretty blah bikes. Boring as hell but still lacking the grungy GS coolness of being a bashable thrashable hack that you can personalise by just chucking down the road a few times.

A little birdie told me CB900s have trouble keeping up with GSX1400s on the open road, too.

;)

Get the GS. You can't beat a commuter that'll do a hundred miles an hour, run on fumes and can be picked up with one hand when it falls over.

[James Deuce]

Anything with bars instead of clip-ons, and a seat instead of a perch.

Tank range doesn't matter.

[kiwifruit]

dr 650

[dino3310]

speed triple

[Devil]

I'd go naked SV650 with pipe and down one tooth on the front sprocket.

[Blue Velvet]

Ok, so I am getting a little tired of commuting on the gixxerthou. Sore wrists, hands and arse plus crap visibility and riding position.

Burn him!

Sorry dude, but harden up :lol: :innocent:

[RearWheel]

Oh, yeah, CB900s are OK.

But you'll spend a fair bit more on one of those than on a GS500, and they're pretty blah bikes. Boring as hell but still lacking the grungy GS coolness of being a bashable thrashable hack that you can personalise by just chucking down the road a few times.

A little birdie told me CB900s have trouble keeping up with GSX1400s on the open road, too.

;)

Get the GS. You can't beat a commuter that'll do a hundred miles an hour, run on fumes and can be picked up with one hand when it falls over.


Get the cb900 carve up the traffic like no gs500 could ever do and you have a sweet as weekend blaster as well + its reliable as hell and pulls like a school boy from 3k on, the price is right even new and if you put 15/45 cogs on you have a true hooligan grin machine that will leave most everything standing at the lights with stupid looks on there faces....... c;mon get ghey...you know you want to:msn-wink:

[Ocean1]

Why the capacity stipulation? A 750+ sprotsbike is going to be too twitchy around town and a lot of the rest will be heavier than ideal for good low speed manoeuvrability. I reckon the motard suggestions are onto it, go take an Aprilia SXV550 for a test fang.

[jrandom]

Sorry dude, but harden up :lol: :innocent:

Not everyone actually fits gixxers, you know. Some of us have to fold ourselves up onto them and suck our guts in to squeeze behind the tank, et cetera, which means that it's no fun riding the fucking things unless we're thrashing the tits off them.

[HornetBoy]

Get the cb900 carve up the traffic like no gs500 could ever do and you have a sweet as weekend blaster as well + its reliable as hell and pulls like a school boy from 3k on, the price is right even new and if you put 15/45 cogs on you have a true hooligan grin machine that will leave most everything standing at the lights with stupid looks on there faces....... c;mon get ghey...you know you want to:msn-wink:

AMEN TO THAT!!:2guns:

[Badjelly]

ScorpioZ 225. It does wheelies. You'll just have to take '225' the sticker off the side.
Or add a '1'.

[FROSTY]

By commmuting I guess you mean riding the great auckland carpark (motorway) daily?
Last few years Ive ridden a shit load of different bikes 30 km each way and by a country mile the best 3 were
1)honda revere 600 (v twin shaft drive)
2)suzuki GS500 -twin
3) kawasaki gpz500/er5

They all get to --"you will be walking home" speeds, they all handle ok
They are all light and easy to toss around without getting blown off the road by a tiny gust of wind. the riding position is neatral for all of them

I'd possibly toss in the mix a carbed SV650 naked -bit more power and better handling

[Matt]

I commute on my Gixxer, bit harder work than my old ER6n but I love it :)

Sensible choice would be an SV or VStrom 1000?

Matt

[Blue Velvet]

which means that it's no fun riding the fucking things

My heart bleeds for you. Honest. I feel your pain :lol:


I reckon the motard suggestions are onto it

P.S. I'm with Ocean1, get a tard, attack every corner sideways and stunt through the peak hour traffic.

[jrandom]

My heart bleeds for you. Honest. I feel your pain...

<_<

You, missy, shall now receive THREE LEARNS.

[Fatjim]

How many k's will you do on it in a year. I'm not familiar with distance your covering.

To me, the ideal dedicated commuter bike has the following

Big lazy power. easy to ride
narrow. for lane splitting
manouverable. don't want to put much effort into it.
stops well. doh!
makes some noise. it IS a safety issue
reliable. Cause your doing the k's
cheap to buy. cause its just to get you to work.

The firestorm fits all these except the brakes. I've done 70,000k on mine, I've had to replace the headlight bulb.

In your case your not worried about a dual purpose (weekend use as well) otherwise I'd talk the hornet 900. Lacks the low end grunt, but is much more fun in the twisties. A good compromise.

[90s]

And there I was thinking we'd given up making recommendations based on the original requirements... He also said no Hondas, and nothing less than 750cc. :)

"Sometime you don't get what you want, if you ask sometimes, you get what you need - oh yeah"

And what he needs is this:

Keep the Gixxer for fun. Get a proper commuter for around $2 1/2K, such as a late '80s CBR-F or GSX-F.
Why?
Cheap to buy, already scuffed, large tanks for commuting (20l) & good economy, fast but much more relaxed and torquey than a modern sport bike, nimble enough but robust and stable. You can leave it parked and not worry about it getting scratched or stolen. Arouses little envy from parking Nazis. Smaller bikes are good for commuting too, but ...

My final offer - get a GSX750F - that meets your 750 criteria although 600 is the perfect commuter compromise.

[madbikeboy]

Superduke.

I've got a gixer 1000, and I'm foaming at the mouth at a Superduke for commuting...

[Ewan Oozarmy]

Superduke.

I've got a gixer 1000, and I'm foaming at the mouth at a Superduke for commuting...

Do it. Or even a motard. I changed from litre sports to motards a good few years ago, mainly due to the state of the roads in London, and have never looked back. Heaps of fun and far more forgiving on crappy roads/surfaces.

And with today's hyper-motards you get the best of both worlds.

[BarBender]

Do it. Or even a motard. I changed from litre sports to motards a good few years ago, mainly due to the state of the roads in London, and have never looked back. Heaps of fun and far more forgiving on crappy roads/surfaces.

And with today's hyper-motards you get the best of both worlds.

Yep - that makes sense to me.
Would love to have a motard as my everyday bike.

[Devil]

Yep - that makes sense to me.
Would love to have a motard as my everyday bike.

If you do get one... can you post a pic. Methinks you'd make it look like a bicycle :D

[BarBender]

If you do get one... can you post a pic. Methinks you'd make it look like a bicycle :D

LOL
A moving popsicle I was once referred to whilst on a CBR250RR many moons ago...

[titirangi]

10km pa

Quite surprised at how many folk are recommending the honda(s).


How many k's will you do on it in a year. I'm not familiar with distance your covering.

To me, the ideal dedicated commuter bike has the following

Big lazy power. easy to ride
narrow. for lane splitting
manouverable. don't want to put much effort into it.
stops well. doh!
makes some noise. it IS a safety issue
reliable. Cause your doing the k's
cheap to buy. cause its just to get you to work.

The firestorm fits all these except the brakes. I've done 70,000k on mine, I've had to replace the headlight bulb.

In your case your not worried about a dual purpose (weekend use as well) otherwise I'd talk the hornet 900. Lacks the low end grunt, but is much more fun in the twisties. A good compromise.

[titirangi]

yeah me too. Ive seen a few dudes zipping around city with those mean looking airoh helmets on their SD's. They look mean and you just know they're having more fun than me on the gixxer.
Superduke.

I've got a gixer 1000, and I'm foaming at the mouth at a Superduke for commuting...

[titirangi]

I do like the SV just a bit too wide for my liking. Wish they would do an underseat can and USD forks on the naked version - now that would be kinda ideal. In black with gold and carbon bits - yum.


I commute on my Gixxer, bit harder work than my old ER6n but I love it :)

Sensible choice would be an SV or VStrom 1000?

Matt

[titirangi]

Your right, it does sound a bit pretentious now that I re-read it! But, hey life is short and apparently you only get one shot at it (i'm somewhat sceptical but you never know the bastards may be right).


Don't be such a pretentious wanker. XB12 or Superduke for commuting?

Get a GS500.

:yes:

[carver]

rocket 3 should do....enough power and all


but seriously


street triple man

[danchop]

i got the same bike as you a gixxer 1000 03,i swallowed my pride and thought with what brain i have left and got a uz125 scooter,bets the crap out of any bike i pull up and pass through aucklands traffic,came from gulf harbour this morning left at 7.30am and got to nelson street in exactly 45 mins, on the way i overtook one hayabusa,gs500,xr250,sv650 and millions of cages:2thumbsup

[homer]

bandit 1200 or 1250 now

[lanci]

Some sort of Ducati Monster but I would say that wouldn't I...................

[Gremlin]

CB900... I use one daily. It does have mx bars tho, so is too wide at times, but narrow enough for most sections of motorway. Still a decent ride on the weekends, as long as you don't have some fetish for doing 200kph+ (it finishes around 200).

Does not lack bottom end grunt either. Enough prod to wheelie it. Honda, so it just goes and goes, racking up the k with minimal servicing costs. Definitely better than both the sv650 and f800 (ridden both)

Supermotard shouldn't be on your list, (well, especially not stuff like the sxv550) as the maintenance costs are terrible. Seat is generally torture as well, depending on the length of your communt.