Discussion
dern said:
toxgobbler said:
I owned a deauville for 1.5 months before I had to get rid of it for something else, I hated it with a passion. I now commute on a CBF1000 A, which is much better, the deauville may have a shafty, but it also has built in panniers (makes it wider than you think) crap mirrors, seriously underpowered for the weight of it and a very bad turning circle, before you seriously buy one, take an extra long test drive. The entire bike is a terrible compromise of design, it's not a good tourer, it's clearly not a fun bike as it has no power and to top it off pillion is uncomfortable (according to the wife).
Christ, not good then! 
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ABS - only used it once on my VFR, but it paid for itself there and then. I'd certainly put it high up on my list for an all year round commuter.
Shaft Drive - the maintenance free benefits are overrated IMHO. Go chain driven and fit a Scottoiler.
As someone else said, the Deauville (with it's built in panniers) is quite big/wide and coming from a Fireblade you will hate it.
I'd suggest a VFR (I've got one) or a Sprint ST...on my last contract a colleague had the ST. We both did 100+ mile round trips daily without issues - a mix of motorway and central London.
If tank range is the main gripe then buy a couple of jerry cans and fill them once a week.
Shaft Drive - the maintenance free benefits are overrated IMHO. Go chain driven and fit a Scottoiler.
As someone else said, the Deauville (with it's built in panniers) is quite big/wide and coming from a Fireblade you will hate it.
I'd suggest a VFR (I've got one) or a Sprint ST...on my last contract a colleague had the ST. We both did 100+ mile round trips daily without issues - a mix of motorway and central London.
If tank range is the main gripe then buy a couple of jerry cans and fill them once a week.
I almost bought a dullville but just couldn't bring myself to pay real money for one. In the end I bought a pre-vtec VFR800 which although efficient and can be great fun, still doesn't do it for me on the commute. It's too sporty for city centre work with limited steering lock and too much weight on the wrists, even with a lowered custom seat and bar risers.
The TDM850 I had before was perfect before it lunched it's engine, but it did suffer from Yamaha build quality issues.
I looked at the BWM GS range, but they were too huge and the other BMW's were just too expensive for what you got. Also looked at Buell's, but the riding position leavesme feeling like I'll fall over the headlight if I brake hard.
In hindsight I've decided that my next city commuter will be the big Varadero. Good height for forward visibilty, comfy, plenty of grunt, good brakes and suspension in a reliable Honda package.
The VFR is a bloody good bike and I would recommend it. It can pop wheelies, get the pegs down and sit at silly speeds for hours, but it just doesn't do it for me for some reason.
Shaft drive is worthwhile, but not a dealbreaker. Just get a scottoiler instead. As for ABS, I've never had a bike with it fitted, but have had quite a few front end high speed lock-ups, so can see the benefit of it.
Definately test ride what you're buying though in the environment you'll ride it in so you get a feel for how "filterable" it is.
The TDM850 I had before was perfect before it lunched it's engine, but it did suffer from Yamaha build quality issues.
I looked at the BWM GS range, but they were too huge and the other BMW's were just too expensive for what you got. Also looked at Buell's, but the riding position leavesme feeling like I'll fall over the headlight if I brake hard.
In hindsight I've decided that my next city commuter will be the big Varadero. Good height for forward visibilty, comfy, plenty of grunt, good brakes and suspension in a reliable Honda package.
The VFR is a bloody good bike and I would recommend it. It can pop wheelies, get the pegs down and sit at silly speeds for hours, but it just doesn't do it for me for some reason.
Shaft drive is worthwhile, but not a dealbreaker. Just get a scottoiler instead. As for ABS, I've never had a bike with it fitted, but have had quite a few front end high speed lock-ups, so can see the benefit of it.
Definately test ride what you're buying though in the environment you'll ride it in so you get a feel for how "filterable" it is.
As somsone said above, don't worry about a shaft drive, fit a scot oiler. My last chain lasted 30,000 miles and I've not adjusted the current one for around 10,000. A fill on the standard oiler tank lasts me well over 1000 miles, less in crappy weather though as you'll want to turn the flow up a little.
If you're commuting in town then tall and slim is the way to go. TDM900 will average 60mpg and 250 miles on a tank. Varadero or V-strom have more power but are bulkier, and less fuel efficient. They're all bikini fairings rather than full fairings though, weather protection is still pretty good and you're not going to be as bothered when some dopey commuter scrapes it.
If you're commuting in town then tall and slim is the way to go. TDM900 will average 60mpg and 250 miles on a tank. Varadero or V-strom have more power but are bulkier, and less fuel efficient. They're all bikini fairings rather than full fairings though, weather protection is still pretty good and you're not going to be as bothered when some dopey commuter scrapes it.
dern said:
Phil C said:
How about a Bandit 1200 / 1250 - think some of these have ABS - tank range is OK (160+ish) tho' you still have a chain - plenty of quite recent ones around for sensible prices - great engine too...... just a bit heavy for muscling through traffic.....
Cheers but a fully faired bike is pretty essential.RizzoTheRat said:
As somsone said above, don't worry about a shaft drive, fit a scot oiler. My last chain lasted 30,000 miles and I've not adjusted the current one for around 10,000. A fill on the standard oiler tank lasts me well over 1000 miles, less in crappy weather though as you'll want to turn the flow up a little.
Have one on the blade but turned it off - hate the bloody thing to be honest, would rather lube by rattle can. I like the idea but the consistency of oil delivery is all over the shop as the temp changes.RizzoTheRat said:
If you're commuting in town then tall and slim is the way to go. TDM900 will average 60mpg and 250 miles on a tank. Varadero or V-strom have more power but are bulkier, and less fuel efficient. They're all bikini fairings rather than full fairings though, weather protection is still pretty good and you're not going to be as bothered when some dopey commuter scrapes it.
Generally my commute is cross-country, some dual-c or motorway and then some town stuff. Quite like the varedero/v-strom but would prefer full fairing. Not fussed about scrapes... you should see the blade 
.dern said:
RizzoTheRat said:
As somsone said above, don't worry about a shaft drive, fit a scot oiler. My last chain lasted 30,000 miles and I've not adjusted the current one for around 10,000. A fill on the standard oiler tank lasts me well over 1000 miles, less in crappy weather though as you'll want to turn the flow up a little.
Have one on the blade but turned it off - hate the bloody thing to be honest, would rather lube by rattle can. I like the idea but the consistency of oil delivery is all over the shop as the temp changes.Hooli said:
dern said:
RizzoTheRat said:
As somsone said above, don't worry about a shaft drive, fit a scot oiler. My last chain lasted 30,000 miles and I've not adjusted the current one for around 10,000. A fill on the standard oiler tank lasts me well over 1000 miles, less in crappy weather though as you'll want to turn the flow up a little.
Have one on the blade but turned it off - hate the bloody thing to be honest, would rather lube by rattle can. I like the idea but the consistency of oil delivery is all over the shop as the temp changes.k this" moment 
Hooli said:
strange then, only took me a month or two to get it sorted. mind you i had to make a nozzle & delivery pipe for it as it was missing when i got the bike. so maybe i've changed the flowyness of the design?
In fairness I've had the system on 3 bikes and on 1 of them it worked reliably 
dern said:
Have one on the blade but turned it off - hate the bloody thing to be honest, would rather lube by rattle can. I like the idea but the consistency of oil delivery is all over the shop as the temp changes.
There are same good alternatives to scottoiler. Mate of mine has a Lubeman, you give the bulb a little squeeze every so often to get some oil in the pipe and then gravity does the rest, you can control the amount very well by how often or how hard you squeeze. Chaintec do an electric oiler that's supposed to be pretty good too.Another vote here for the Lubeman. The design is simplicity itself and you control the amount of oil that goes on the chain. They're a bit messy, but you soon learn how often to give the bottle a squeeze.
I put a Scotoiler on the VFR and I've not got it right yet so will soon be taking the Lubeman off the mortally wounded TDM and fitting it to the VFR.
I put a Scotoiler on the VFR and I've not got it right yet so will soon be taking the Lubeman off the mortally wounded TDM and fitting it to the VFR.
I'm biased as I have a 650 Bandit - the one with the half fairing. I find it comfortable, good for filtering (quite tall and relatively narrow) ABS and with a double bubble screen (just fitted) OK for higher speeds. And pretty cheap...
dern said:
Phil C said:
How about a Bandit 1200 / 1250 - think some of these have ABS - tank range is OK (160+ish) tho' you still have a chain - plenty of quite recent ones around for sensible prices - great engine too...... just a bit heavy for muscling through traffic.....
Cheers but a fully faired bike is pretty essential.
Oooo, having said that I sat on one this morning... how comfy are they, eh? I'm definitely on the right track with a big comfy bike, it's going to make my commute a lot more lush - lol.
dern said:
Phil C said:
How about a Bandit 1200 / 1250 - think some of these have ABS - tank range is OK (160+ish) tho' you still have a chain - plenty of quite recent ones around for sensible prices - great engine too...... just a bit heavy for muscling through traffic.....
Cheers but a fully faired bike is pretty essential.
Oooo, having said that I sat on one this morning... how comfy are they, eh? I'm definitely on the right track with a big comfy bike, it's going to make my commute a lot more lush - lol.
RizzoTheRat said:
Didn't realise you still had the remains of the TDM. Don't suppose you're breaking it for parts are you? I'm after a set of forks (currently borrowing a set of another Carpe member) 
Yep. Still got it. Forks aren't the best in the world, but they're straight and true. Too many wheelies mean one fork seal needs replacing though. PM me and I can pull them off next weekend if you want them. I'm in near Chelmsford, Essex if you want to come and check them first.I looked at what the couriers used when deciding what commuter hack to get - after all, they should know.
Diversion 900 it was...can't fault it - it's perfect for commuting in every way. 200 miles to a tank, zero maintenance shaft drive, air cooled reliability, excellent top fairing etc.
It's going to be difficult to know what to replace it with when the time comes. But after having a few near misses I will definitely be going down the ABS route.
Diversion 900 it was...can't fault it - it's perfect for commuting in every way. 200 miles to a tank, zero maintenance shaft drive, air cooled reliability, excellent top fairing etc.
It's going to be difficult to know what to replace it with when the time comes. But after having a few near misses I will definitely be going down the ABS route.
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