Your pick for best comunter?

[st00ji]

been riding the wee gsxr 250 daily for about 5 years now, and its taken its toll. long days sitting by itself out in the rain etc.

looking to replace... for pure commuter, what would be the communities pick?

i've liked the 250s narrow nature, great for narrow gaps filtering to the front at lights etc. its good on gas too, at least compared to a car - though im sure there are alot of bikes that could do better.

LAMS compliant not required.

budget to about 5k, the less the better

reliability and cheapish to run obviously priority.

your thoughts appreciated!

[haydes55]

Klx250.
Drz250
wr250

Then you can jump over beetles or minis if need be.

I once filtered through auckland rush hour on my old hyosung... horrible experience. Done it once on the motard. Peice of piss. Might be my confidence and low speed skill improving, or the motard could be easier.

[tigertim20]

EX650. little more grunt for motorway shit, agile enough for the carparks and stuff, just big enough for a fun weekend ride through the twisties on friday after work.

Also has factory options for heaps of panniers and whatnot - a friend has one and Im often amazed at how much stuff he can carry on that thing with ease. I could do a weeks shopping and still have enough room for extra shit with the two panniers = top box.

I saw an 08 model for $5,500 on trademe that looks like good buying.

[Magnum Noel]

DR650. Thats what I use as a daily comuter. Big enough for the weekend ride also. Although you would have to have the padding in the seat seen too.

[hayd3n]

600 hornet little bit thirstier tho but if you have a limp wrist youll be sweet

[iYRe]

err.. going by all the 250-650's I pass in the traffic every morning, I would say its more about the rider than the bike. Admittedly, there isnt much point trying to ride a 109 or goldwing in the traffic.. (might as well be in a car), but My zrx1100 is nimble, not all that heavy, narrow enough to fit through most gaps (only twapped 2 mirrors in a year going through gaps that even a scooter would hesitate on (not my fault.. gap vs under car)).

I've thought about getting a 500->650 but after trying one, the only real difference is a bit of weight. Most of the time, the issues I see are people meandering through the traffic like a bunch of old women trying to remember where they put their false teeth last night, or people riding like custer's cavalry into the indians. Ride at a constant speed, scan like a fighter pilot, concentrate on controlling the traffic and making it work for you...

so.. just buy a bike, make sure its comfortable for you.. and ride it.

[Subike]

Its not the bike that matters . but the rider,
Others have said this too. You could be happy commuting on a full sized Cruiser if you were comfortable on it.
Or you could be just as happy commuting on a 50cc scooter.
It all comes back to what you are personally comfortable on.
We could, by our individual experiences, recommend any number of bikes, any one of them could do the job.
Look at what you like, and feel happy with, that is what you need to get.
It will come back to the "Sit on heaps in the shops"" when buying, till you find that ride you like.
Then spend the next month learning how to ride THAT bike.
That will then become the Best Commuter for you.

[McFatty1000]

Get a gn250! Or, really, a twin or a single of the like, tend to be better on fuel and are 'skinnier' than the inline fours

srx400 maybe?

[blackdog]

You are all wrong.

http://motorcyclespecs.co.za/model/k...e%20r%2013.htm

[Subike]

You are all wrong.

Now that I could have fun with commuting....hell yes.....just need to win lotto .....

[FJRider]

An older single cylinder (FT/SR 400/500/600 .. ??) ... low/cheaper maintenance costs ... less moving parts to break down. Less worry about clocking up Km's. Less worry about scratches on the paint. Less money tied up in it if it does die. Narrow and light in traffic. An upright riding position for ease at slow speeds mid city. Easy to park. Enough power to keep up on the motorway.

Big dirt bikes with road tyres and highway gearing .. on spare rims. Change the wheels to the dirt tyres at the weekend for dirt use. The old XL500's used to be good for that. And still pretty cheap too ..

[Gremlin]

I'm enjoying the CB900. 88k in 6.5 years, and besides consumables, the clutch cable was replaced at 60k (shortest life they'd seen). Tyres last 20k+ each end. Not sure how long a Hornet lasts actually, as no-one has seen one die from being ridden heaps.

With wide bars, it's not the best in tight traffic, and not a small bike, but a large top box sits on the back permanently anyway. Very torquey, but predictable etc.

[Oakie]

My 600 Bandit makes a great commuter.

[Drew]

In that price range, options are way too many to list. Go round shops and ride everything you like the look of at all. Then get on trademe and buy whatever you liked best.

No two cunts on here will ever agree on anything.

[BMWST?]

its funny people say to big for splitting,,,,the wideste thing on most bikes is the handlebars or riders knees.If i commuted on the GS i would be splitting with the rest,.