What bike would you get

[BigVeeGrin]

if you had to commute 120 miles round trip. Criteria are:

- good economy
- non-chain as I can't be arsed to be adjusting/cleaning every week
- has some character and fun
- doesn't look like an old git bike (cue comments.....)

I may be getting a new job and rather than four wheels would prefer a bike to commute on. I looked at the Triumph tiger but fuel is pretty crap compared to a BM GS800 etc. Then found a BM F800 - belt drive.

Views anyone?

[Wicky]

GTR1000
Old CX650ES or 650 Katana
Super Tenere

Not a shafty: Honda XL1000V Varadero

[VTRPiG]

Had a BMW F800s loved it, was my first bike though. Unfortunately it was one of the first years they were built and developed piston slap. thankfully BMW Acknowlodged that it was a manufacturing fault and rebuilt the engine at their expense. Great punshy little engine and fun to ride though traffic. If you look at any of the F800 range they all have a bit of a snatchy throttle easily fixed with a booster plug, accelerator module or power commander( accelerator module being the cheapest).

The belt drive only needs replaced every 24000 miles, have read of belts lasting as much as 35/40000 miles. Great on juice to, would get about 210 miles to a tank. Use to bug my wife as her r6 with a bigger tank only gets 160 at a stretch.

[VTRDark]

There's always this but it does have a chain.

[youtube][/youtube]

(:-})

[seb421]

personally i would get a Honda NC700 for those type of miles, good storage you can put a helmet under what looks like the fuel tank (its a cubby hole tank is at the rear), great reviews ive seen, and returns 78.9 mpg, if i was doing that mileage i would be looking for something that frugal

Engine is based on the Honda Jazz engine

can have manual, automatic, semi auto etc

Not a bad looker either

Chain driven but fit a Scott Oiler and you will be golden as its not putting big power through the chain

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_NC700_series

[BigVeeGrin]

thanks Seb - thought the NC700 was the Dullville. Just read about it and avg claimed mpg is 75! And you're right looks good. Basically I'll be in a motorway for 3/4 of the route so not interested in tearing around - something not for commuting in my mind anyway. Also given it's a Honda I'd trust the reliability more given it might be doing 25k or so a year. Off to find out more

Also VTRPig - thanks for the insight, you can pick a good bargain up secondhand it seems with 5k or so on the clock.

And Carl -

[seb421]

Yeh going off reviews ive watched and mags ive seen its a belter,

plus you can stick some shopping in it and wombles off, the storage space of a scooter with the looks and drive of a motorbike

I fancy a go on one of those DCT bikes see what its like

It would certainly bring down your fuel costs running that than a storm lol


If you get MCN this week they had a big write up on it in there too

[Seven Of Nine Firestorm]

What about a black bird those have big tanks can go for miles on end + luggage panniers.

[seb421]

What about a black bird those have big tanks can go for miles on end + luggage panniers.

if i was after a big bugger like a backbird i would get a BMW K1200S, better and with Shaft Drive too

Mega power, Mega Fast and decent tank range, nothing on a Honda NC700's mpg but if you want power and shaft drive the K1200S is the one to go for

They also did a K1200ST (lots of fairing) and a naked K1200R

[thumperslaw]

BMW k100 cheap as chips

[seb421]

BMW k100 cheap as chips

yeh if you buy a wreaker, have a look on ebay they go for silly money those old dogs

[Wicky]

Problem with NC700 and any newish bike which costs say £5000+ and your buying it for economy - you'd need to do quite a few miles for it to work in your favour against an older bike a little less frugal for say £2500.

[seb421]

That's a fair point but with a bike he's looking at doing near 30 k a year just on a commute it will soon pay it self off during ownership,

fuel price will surely be at 1.50 per ltr this time next year too

if he gets a shaft drive that's gona need doing at least once a year with the given mileage too, a chain should last just as long on that NC700 and they (chains) are a doodle to do your self in your garage

[Wicky]

Well with that kind of milage the best bet would be sell/trade it in it within the year or two before it becomes shagged. I'd buy something quite new with low milage i.e minus VAT and with manufacturers warranty as reliability for work would be important especially if I didn't have an alternative vehicle. Scrupulous maintenance would be important so servicing costs, if using a dealers, would need to be factored in. Sod it I'd buy a car just for commuting as doing that kind of milage for work day-in-day-out would at the weekend mean the last thing I'd want to do is ride for jollies.

[BigVeeGrin]

just that Seb. I reckon if I get the job I'll budget to replace a bike every 3 years after it's done 75-90k miles, so it needs to have done few miles to start with, so £5k for and F800ST or NC700 looks v attractive given they are cheaper to fuel than any other it seems. And I can spend time and a bit of dosh on getting the storm how I want and like.