cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/48386038
Reccommendations
I’ve been riding my 125 on a CBT for 3.5 years now just for fun (I have a car I use for work).
I’ve decided I want to ‘level up’ and have my full licence booked in for next week (second attempt).
So (assuming I pass this time) what recommendations do people have for a good quality commuter bike?
60 mile round trip including the m5 into Birmingham and I need space to carry at minimum a laptop plus bits and prices in case it chucks it down and I need spare clothes for work. Not fussed about top speed or name recognition etc etc, this is just a tool.
Gonna keep the 125 for town riding local to me and I have a 350 Norton from 1961 I’m gonna use for weekends and fun.
Suggestions please!
Good luck with your licence. I found it a hard test when I did my DAS a few years ago but did pass first time, doing both MOD 1 and 2 back to back.
You say you’re not fussed about top speed, but smaller bikes are very buzzy at the top end of their range (as you know on a 125) so don’t be afraid to go bigger for motorways and it’s nice to have power in reserve. Big bikes ride better there and less twitchy in side winds, but are less agile in the city.
If you want a solid commuter bike, you can’t go wrong with Honda cb500 or similar. There’s a lot of older ones still chugging away - tatty and less stealable, but ultra reliable and cheap to maintain. 70mpg, more than enough power for the motorway, not too fat to filter.
Some of the older (2000-2010) BMW 1100-1200s are fairly good, either GS or RT. Lovely torquey engine, good presence, comfy and nice on the motorway. A bit fat for filtering sometimes.
Good shout on keeping your 125. They’re a hoot and great for bombing around the lanes or cities.
Hard no on 2000+ BMWs, they are mortgages.
NC700s last forever, have built in storage. It’s an automotive engine derived from a Honda Fit, valve clearance intervals of 50,000 miles.
NC7s a good pick.
But don’t blur all 2k+ beemers into the same group. I had a 2004 GS for a good few year - my first proper bike. Not as solid as the CB or NCs that’s true, but that big solid boxer engine is lovely and a superb motorway cruiser. The 04’s were the last of the oilheads, widely considered the most reliable engines, But even then, BMW were over-complicating shit, and it’s much worse now.
Ta. Will have a look at your suggestions. Cheers for the comments re: power and yes, Deffo keeping the scooter! 😀
Ask 10 riders and you will get 10 answers. For cummuting in Cape Town, which has some of the worst traffic in the world and wet UK like rainy winters, I would look for something with a fairing, good fuel consumption and a bit of power, to stay out of trouble.
The Honda NC750X was high on my list the last time I evaluated options. The high seating position makes lane splitting easy, the fuel consumption was amazing. The power there, but not unmanageable.
What did I do, well I bought a BMW K1300R with too much power, no fairing and a ridiculous amount of grins per kilometre.
So ride what makes you happy, just stay safe within your limits.
‘ride what makes you happy, just stay safe within your limits’ - yep! Cheers.