Economical Commuter
Discussion
So an upcoming change is job means I have an excuse for another bike.
I currently have two bikes that aren't up to the job, a Daytona 600 (too thirsty) and a Sprint ST (too big and heavy).
Distance will be just over 30 miles each way, motorway/fast A road, through a town with filtering etc.
I want something light, economical (50 mpg+) that can keep up with traffic on the motorway. Thinking of taking a look at the new F310GS, any other second hand options?
I currently have two bikes that aren't up to the job, a Daytona 600 (too thirsty) and a Sprint ST (too big and heavy).
Distance will be just over 30 miles each way, motorway/fast A road, through a town with filtering etc.
I want something light, economical (50 mpg+) that can keep up with traffic on the motorway. Thinking of taking a look at the new F310GS, any other second hand options?
I do a similair journey just over 40 miles each way on M40/M25/A3 and filtering when the M25 is jammed, every day!
I've got a CBR650F and that does about 50mpg but more importantly to me 180 miles out of a tank so two days between fill-ups
Mine is a June '14 bike and its just coming up to 29K miles, routine servicing (8K miles) tyres last about 9K miles and chain/sprockets needed replacing after 20K miles
It does everything I need out of it, so much so I will change it for a new one in January, it's on a PCP deal from Honda
The only thing i'm not happy with is the quality of finish, which this being my first Honda i'm surprised at
Hope the above helps
I've got a CBR650F and that does about 50mpg but more importantly to me 180 miles out of a tank so two days between fill-ups
Mine is a June '14 bike and its just coming up to 29K miles, routine servicing (8K miles) tyres last about 9K miles and chain/sprockets needed replacing after 20K miles
It does everything I need out of it, so much so I will change it for a new one in January, it's on a PCP deal from Honda
The only thing i'm not happy with is the quality of finish, which this being my first Honda i'm surprised at
Hope the above helps
As above, how much do you want to sacrifice? If fuel economy is it above all else then a small scooter (less than 200cc) would probably be the best solution but it will make you slower than most traffic on the motorway/fast A road and will get you shunned by Fleegle!!!!
While a new small bike (BMW 310) will be good on fuel it’ll be a long time before your fuel cost savings get anywhere near the lack of depreciation in buying a larger but second hand bike. By getting a slightly larger second hand bike you might be sacrificing a little bit of reliability but you’ll gain significantly on open road usability.
If it were me, I’d put up with the increase in fuel consumption over a smaller engine bike and get something like a second hand NC750, an ER6 or an F800. I’d want something that I’d still feel OK riding when it’s cold, dark and pissing with rain and when blasting up or down the motorway, late to get to either a work meeting or home because I’m on a promise!
While a new small bike (BMW 310) will be good on fuel it’ll be a long time before your fuel cost savings get anywhere near the lack of depreciation in buying a larger but second hand bike. By getting a slightly larger second hand bike you might be sacrificing a little bit of reliability but you’ll gain significantly on open road usability.
If it were me, I’d put up with the increase in fuel consumption over a smaller engine bike and get something like a second hand NC750, an ER6 or an F800. I’d want something that I’d still feel OK riding when it’s cold, dark and pissing with rain and when blasting up or down the motorway, late to get to either a work meeting or home because I’m on a promise!
BMW F800
I use mine for a 30 mile trip every day. Fast A road plus through town each end.
Average nearly 60mpg. If i take it on a long motorway trip I get over 70mpg.
I fill up at 200 mile intervals when commuting (don't trust the fuel guage, so just zero the trip every fill up)
Will happily cruise at 90. Handles well enough for me. Room for two, and can take a top box and/or panniers - useful for waterproofs/shopping on the way home
I use mine for a 30 mile trip every day. Fast A road plus through town each end.
Average nearly 60mpg. If i take it on a long motorway trip I get over 70mpg.
I fill up at 200 mile intervals when commuting (don't trust the fuel guage, so just zero the trip every fill up)
Will happily cruise at 90. Handles well enough for me. Room for two, and can take a top box and/or panniers - useful for waterproofs/shopping on the way home
Yam Tracer 700 or 900cc?
Not ridden one; but they are apparently nice to ride, plenty of poke, get around 65mpg from a 18 lire tank (250 mile range?) and seem pretty suited to the long commute.
Only negative I've heard generally about the MT range is that the suspension is a bit 'cheap' and the seat can be uncomfortable after an hour or so; not sure if this applies to the Tracer variant though.
Not ridden one; but they are apparently nice to ride, plenty of poke, get around 65mpg from a 18 lire tank (250 mile range?) and seem pretty suited to the long commute.
Only negative I've heard generally about the MT range is that the suspension is a bit 'cheap' and the seat can be uncomfortable after an hour or so; not sure if this applies to the Tracer variant though.
Jezz172 said:
I've just clocked up my first 1,000 miles on my MT 900 Tracer and I'm impressed so far!
I'm averaging 63mpg on the 50 mile round trip - the heated grips could cook my dinner there so warm.
Only thing I had to do was swap to a touring screen but it's a bargain at £7k
Did you notice much difference between the heated grips on each side? I've known one person who reckoned the throttle side is too hot but the left one is OK, and spoken to a couple of people who said the throttle side was fine but the left not warm enough.I'm averaging 63mpg on the 50 mile round trip - the heated grips could cook my dinner there so warm.
Only thing I had to do was swap to a touring screen but it's a bargain at £7k
Dr Jekyll said:
Did you notice much difference between the heated grips on each side? I've known one person who reckoned the throttle side is too hot but the left one is OK, and spoken to a couple of people who said the throttle side was fine but the left not warm enough.
It's a known issue yeah.The LH grip glues straight to the metal bar where as the RH is onto the plastic throttle tube.
The fix is to wrap the LH bar in an insulating tape ( I used ali' speed tape then electrical tape ).
There is a small temp' difference but much better now
CaptainSlow said:
lindrup119 said:
shielsy said:
Triumph ST.... Oh wait...
^^Filtering should be fine on that no?
How about an older BMW F650..Dakar version, so I can look like Charlie.
powerstans said:
If you want a bit of comfort and some screen etc. why not try a Versys 650, V-strom 650, all sit up with a bit of power good MPG and top box often already fitted.
Is the V-Strom 650 any good? I'm in a similar position to the OP - new commute has meant by car is just tedious and I don't really want to use my Street Triple over winter - so am looking at one of the sit up bikes with a big screen to commute on.
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