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Good commuter bike

8K views 30 replies 18 participants last post by  the weiand one 
#1 ·
So, my wedding is now bearing down, only 1 year away and I've since had to part with my Trans Am and I'm looking to sell my TW in May. Honestly, I'm having harder time selling the TW than I did with the T/A haha but anyway, my plan is to sell both and get a good commuter bike that will get good gas mileage to help save. Before you think I'm crazy though, I'm obviously not dumping all my money in to a bike haha, only about $4k-5k. My requirements are at least one disk brake, can handle Houston traffic and highways decently (go at least 80MPH, modern enough frame to be nimble and maneuverable, not too heavy). Fuel injection is a huge plus, being fast is a much bigger plus. So far I've been fixated on an SR400. Its not fast, but can go as fast as I need it to. But where it is slow, it looks amazing. So that's where I'm at with it. Reliability and fuel economy are most important. It needs to be somewhat fast. If it isn't fast, it needs to look very good. I know I sound picky, but I'd much rather spend my money on something I'm really satisfied with. I appreciate all the help in advance!
 
#8 ·
I was raised in Houston and have been acclimated to the "unique" driving styles of Houstonians. You know how they say you should ride like you're invisible? Well, in Houston you should assume the same when driving haha! But my commute is in the north East side of Houston and opposite the flow of traffic. So not bad at all, I just want to make sure I can keep up no matter where I am at.

Good used V-Strom 650 with a Power Commander and dyno tune. 100+mph and 60+mpg, but not at the same time. $4-5K will get a nice one.

Truth of the matter is a beater Civic or such will be cheaper in the long run due to the relatively high cost of maintaining a motorcycle. Any motorcycle. Anything freeway capable will eat tires, and there go any fuel savings.
Insuring, parking, and getting a Civic to the point where I can enjoy it as much as a small bike would make it more expensive. Sorry, I should have said overall happiness with the vehicle is a priority too :p Trying to be picky as long as I can. I'm not a big fan of the V-Strom, just in appearance. I'm sure performance is exactly what I am looking for though.

Honda 919. I'm on my 3rd one. Light, torquey, 100 horse, 45-50 mpg & 200+ miles to a tank.

What are you wanting for your TW?

I also have an old Hawk GT, that would make a great commuter that I would trade.
Wow!!! I'm really really liking the Honda 919!!! Unfortunately I think fuel economy would need to be better for me to bite on it. I just am really wanting a four cylinder haha just I love the way the header looks on 4 cylinder bikes, love the noise, but I don't know if I need the power right now. I appreciate the offer! Please get in touch with me in May, that will be when I'm selling it. Trying to plan ahead haha!

That right there is pretty sound advice.
I may be biased because I own a 650 V-Strom however it just might suit your requirements and then some. It isn't the prettiest bike on the road but in IMHO it gives excellent bang for the buck and then again beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The bike is pretty much bullet proof and makes a good commuter or tourer and will even get you off the pavement although not like the TW will. It is a tall and top heavy bike and does blow around in high winds somewhat especially when decked out for touring. A fork brace helps with that.
If you really crave more power the 1000 V-Strom has 30 more horses. Top speed is about the same and it will get you there quicker than the 650 will but gas mileage is not as good and the engine is not as "refined" as the 650.
Keep us posted and let us know what you end up with.
As said before, I just can't get sold on the looks. I can deal with ugly, but it has to be much faster to deal with it :p Sorry, I know I sound crazy picky, but I pick apart every major purchase! Ha! Still trying to get a little better fuel economy. For my goals, I don't think I need much more than a 500.

Thank you everyone for helping me get the ball rolling!!
 
#3 ·
Good used V-Strom 650 with a Power Commander and dyno tune. 100+mph and 60+mpg, but not at the same time. $4-5K will get a nice one.

Truth of the matter is a beater Civic or such will be cheaper in the long run due to the relatively high cost of maintaining a motorcycle. Any motorcycle. Anything freeway capable will eat tires, and there go any fuel savings.
 
#7 ·
Good used V-Strom 650 with a Power Commander and dyno tune. 100+mph and 60+mpg, but not at the same time. $4-5K will get a nice one.
That right there is pretty sound advice.
I may be biased because I own a 650 V-Strom however it just might suit your requirements and then some. It isn't the prettiest bike on the road but in IMHO it gives excellent bang for the buck and then again beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The bike is pretty much bullet proof and makes a good commuter or tourer and will even get you off the pavement although not like the TW will. It is a tall and top heavy bike and does blow around in high winds somewhat especially when decked out for touring. A fork brace helps with that.
If you really crave more power the 1000 V-Strom has 30 more horses. Top speed is about the same and it will get you there quicker than the 650 will but gas mileage is not as good and the engine is not as "refined" as the 650.
Keep us posted and let us know what you end up with.
 
#9 ·
Actually, is sounds like you are mis-representing what you want. Economics has nothing to do with your decision, does it? Yes, the Suzuki is ugly, but it simply works better for what you want than anything else on the planet.

If you don't like the V-strom, you can pick up a SOHC Honda 550 from the olden days, rebuild the carbs to resist ethanol, upgrade to electronic ignition, o-ring chain and a 5.10-16 rear tire, and do the service yourself at 3000 mile intervals for the cost of oil and a filter, and still be well within your budget. Angel and I rode a CB400F and a CB550 thus modified and treated to synthetic oil all over the southeast. Either will do what you want economically and from a performance perspective, with enough style that lack of size is not a concern. Lots of other 400-650cc classics out there that will work for you. Too bad we don't see new bikes like these on these shores--Europe is full of them.
 
#10 ·
I didn't like the looks of the v-strom at first but the more I researched I found the 650 to be attractive in various ways, especially the 2nd gen - I'd like to get one myself but I don't want to give up any of my current bikes.
I'd take a look at a used Versys too - people who have them love them.

Good luck
 
#12 · (Edited)
I'll throw in the Honda NC700X. Great gas mileage, good looking, comfortable.


Then I'll throw in the Honda 500 series that came out last year. 3 bikes built around the new parallel twin; faired CBR500R, naked/standardish CB500F, or adventure styled CB500X. I think that they would meet all of your stated wishes. They are reasonable new, but are showing up used in your price range.
 
#15 ·
Im biased, But the FZ6 may work well for you.
Ive owned mine for 3 years and never had a problem. Its a fuel injected 600cc sportbike motor with a comfortable upright seating position.
The motor really comes alive when you rev it (14k redline) and its cheap to insure as its classified by the insurance companies as a "touring bike".

 
#16 ·
One of the new Honda 500s would be a pretty economical choice. Any mid-sized twin would work well also. SV650, Ninja 650, FZ6. I like my Vstrom for what you describe but atleast around here they go for more used than similar 650 bikes.
I used to ride a Ninja 250 and it is a decent freeway machine that is easy on tires and gas. But it doesn't have the extra power margin I'd prefer for dealing with rush hour on a freeway. The Ninja 300 would be better but not great.

Craig
 
#17 ·
I have another one to throw in the mix. An older Ducati Multistrada either a 620 or 1000. Both can be found used in your price range. They have a very nimble chassis and would easily meet the "fast" requirement. They are also pretty simple to work on with the older style 2v air cooled motors.

I occasionally commute into Boston MA on my newer Multi 1200 and its a great commuter bike. Its nimble enough that i can maneuver in traffic and its brutally fast when i need the speed.
 
#18 · (Edited)
Call off the Wedding and Move to the Desert or Mountains/Lakes ... Keep your TW and buy another T/A:p I regret getting rid of my 650 Yamaha and 78 Firebird Trans Am all those years ago.....but ya gotta do what you gotta do....

Of course I also regret moving back to Ohio 30+ years ago from Dodge City, when what I really wanted to do was move to the South Range of Colorado...but Hell, regrets are few and far between, and I've had the same wife, who has put up with my BS and my other faults for 40 years, so who am I to complain? :confused:
 
#21 ·
Sorry for the late reply! I promise I didn't abandon the thread haha! I'm still looking at the SR400. The 66MPG is just so appealing. But now I had another thought. What about a CRF250L? I really like how I could still ride offroad (which I REALLY love) but I know I'm gonna eat offroad tires on the street. Which since they are innertube tires, I'm not actually too worried since they are so cheap. The only unappealing thing is the DOHC, liquid cooled, fuel injected engine. Now, while I did say FI was a huge plus (as is the over 70MPG rated!) I feel like this bike lacks severely in the simplicity department... Big time! But isn't Honda notorious for making very sophisticated, yet supremely reliable engines? It looks like it can do ~80MPH which is absolutely plenty. Still very light and nimble (disclaimer: I will be riding in the right hand lane minding my own business all the way to work, just need to keep up with 75MPH traffic). I just really feel like it's hard to get a small, fuel injected engine for not too much money and this is a fairly good deal (2013s going new for $4500!). So my current split is between the SR400 and a CRF250L unless someone can make some more fantastic suggestions. I REALLY REALLY want a SOHC 550 or 650 or even a 919, but fuel mileage needs to be higher :( Thoughts and opinions? Y'all are too awesome, I promise I will FOR SURE come back to TW land!
 
#22 · (Edited)
crf250l review from OWT's test ride...
http://tw200forum.com/forum/off-topic-other-bikes/10004-good-commuter-bike.html#post108694

my choice would be the wr250r (plus an extra set of wheels with supermoto tires)...Nello just picked one up...
http://tw200forum.com/forum/tw200-classifieds/4804-tws-craigslist-10.html#post108522

here are some reviews between the crf250l/wr250r/klx250s (the honda is the fatty of the bunch but also the cheapest, the yamaha gets the best gas mileage but is also the most expensive)...
Rider Comparo: 2013 Honda CRF250L vs. 2013 Kawasaki KLX250S vs. 2013 Yamaha WR250R | Rider Magazine
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showpost.php?p=20620546&postcount=1627
http://www.cycleworld.com/2013/02/27/dual-sport-motorcycle-comparison-test/
 
#23 ·
So I called a dealer to inquire about their 2013 CRF250Ls (since they are only $4500) and there were out, duh, and he told me they had a special on current 2014 CRF250Ls for $5500 out the door. Well I still didn't like that price so he told me they got a black (not green) 2010 KLX250S yesterday and wanted $3700 for it. I thought this was steep but still an okay deal so I asked about it. Turns out previous owner had the warranty extended until 2017 and it is fully transferable, and, get this, it had 127 miles!!! You read right, 127. So I went and got. With a wedding coming up, the warranty sounds insane and I still got a basically brand new bike! Thanks everyone for the help! Now on to moving the TW :(
 
#27 ·
Sounds like you did OK.................

Should have bought a 919..............:p

I got an 07 that looks exactly like that one!

The bike kicks ass in almost every way, the only things that kinda suck is that first gear is too damned tall; you can't really go slower than 15 in first which combined with its 500 pounds makes tight parking lots a little tricky. Once you get up to 20 mph things smooth out and handles very well. It'll keep up with any 600 or 1000 on a mountain road.

The only other thing that sucks is the excessively high red line of 9500 - there's no need for it. I've never even taken mine above 7500 because the low end power is so abundant. If they dropped the redline to 8500 or even 8000 it would still be an incredible bike, and they could have used automatic valve lifts like the Nighthawk CB750, which would probably add even more to the overall engine life.

49k miles on mine and counting without any problems!
 
#31 ·
I know a lot of people will disagree with me but in my opinion best bike for the money that can do close to everything is the klr 650. Kawi kept it simple. Still carbed and low tech. Means u don't have to depend on dealer for maintenance. Proven design. Million guys rode em forever already
I rode an old junky one once. Did seventy plus just fine. Fairing does good job. And you can go to your dealer and buy one now for cheap. Saw one brand new for 5 grand something once. I suggest this because your already a two owner. Klr is a natural for us tw guys. Although my personal bike of choice for me are older evo Harleys the klr is my next new bike.
 
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