First big bike for commuting

[Dennymc123]

Hi Sorry if this is the wrong part of the forum to post this,
Im sure this has been asked a million times before but:
I've got my full licence after 8 years of 125's and want a big bike primarily for commuting to work but also one that is fun.
I will be getting a 2k loan to buy the bike so want something I won't be bored of for a few years.
I like the cbr600's but are they good for commuting and what are the maintenance costs like?
I have don't bits and pieces to the 125's I've had so can probably do basic bits but are tires etc too costly for this to be practical?
I'm not that tall so I know that will rule some bikes out straight away.
Also what mileage should I look for on a second hand bike? I know service history is important but are there any other red flags to look for?
Thanks in advance 👍

[Dakkon]

You can commute on any bike, but some are better than others, and you will get many opinions, so buy a bike that YOU like.

Are you doing any dual carriageway or motorway riding? If so I would advise faired, it does reduce the windblast.

I have been commuting on VFR's for years, solid, reliable, starts everytime, if a little on the heavy side, but that does mean stability on the motorway.

A lot of people commute on adventure bikes GS's, Tigers, Africa twins etc, I have always felt that they are a little wide for filtering, but lots of people tell me I am wrong.

If you are commuting across central London then a scooter is probably the fastest machine.

Where are you going to park the bike once you get to work? Is it secure or just public parking? I would advise not getting anything too nice if its public parking as bike theft especially in London is rampant.

Edited by Dakkon on Thursday 18th January 14:09

[BuzzBravado]

I think you have already hit the nail on the head. £2k gets a decent CBR600F which is how i commuted everyday for 2 years. The only issues that are likely to arise is the need for a new cam chain tensioner and a new reg/rec, both of which are easily diy'able.

For a first big bike it was enough excitement for me and it had plenty comfort. The other default answer is SV650, again its supposed to be bulletproof and able to deal with high miles.

Edited by BuzzBravado on Thursday 18th January 13:40

[Dennymc123]

Hi
Thanks for the reply
I will be using a roads mostly and won't be going through London at all, parking is open but fairly secure as the offices face the car park and I have a lock.
Any views on what kind of mileage I should steer clear from? I know a lot of bikes are classed as indestructible but a guide would be handy

[WarnieV6GT]

My honda hornet 600 is coming up for sale, just as quick as the cbr600 (same engine) but tuned for more low down grunt and less top end which makes it quicker away from the lights. Upright riding position so mega comfy and it has a low seat height as standard, but I also have an even lower seat that came with it as the previous owner was 5ft 8.

27k with heated grips, adjustable levers and r&g crash bungs.

I only had it as my brother in law was selling it and to be honest I didn't think it would be that quick after passing my test, but Christ it's quick enough and a 1/4 mile comes up in 11.6 seconds....

[moanthebairns]

Buy a 600cc late 90's early 00's sports bike.

Don't buy some drab piece of st you will never want to take out on a Sunday. The costs are negligible.

Anyone that can't do 20 miles a day to work on the above bike (and lets face it they aren't as race track focused as the new 600's) has health issues.

[joema]

WarnieV6GT said:

My honda hornet 600 is coming up for sale, just as quick as the cbr600 (same engine) but tuned for more low down grunt and less top end which makes it quicker away from the lights. Upright riding position so mega comfy and it has a low seat height as standard, but I also have an even lower seat that came with it as the previous owner was 5ft 8.

27k with heated grips, adjustable levers and r&g crash bungs.

I only had it as my brother in law was selling it and to be honest I didn't think it would be that quick after passing my test, but Christ it's quick enough and a 1/4 mile comes up in 11.6 seconds....

Top end is almost irrelevant on a naked as you'll be blown off at 80mph

[Dennymc123]

I've found a really nice looking sv650s on eBay from a dealer, 21k miles and 2001 reg.
Says service history but I will check if it's full.
Bright yellow but I can live with that!
Thanks again for the help

[Dog Star]

I've found that riding big adventure bikes - Triumph Tiger and BMW 1200GS in heavy traffic - filtering to be precise - is an utter utter pain in the arse - the mirrors are spot on for getting in the way with vans and 4x4s.

[BuzzBravado]

Not wanting to put you off but i think you should also have a seat on the 600F. I went from a CBR600F to a SV1000, and whilst the Suzuki is a perfectly fine bike i would say the 600F is a better package, much faster too than a SV650.

[E36GUY]

I commute on a faired 1250 Bandit. Bit of a tractor but it's a peach of a torquey engine and very suitable for my 25 mile each way journey.

[DJP]

Dog Star said:

I've found that riding big adventure bikes - Triumph Tiger and BMW 1200GS in heavy traffic - filtering to be precise - is an utter utter pain in the arse - the mirrors are spot on for getting in the way with vans and 4x4s.

That was my exact conclusion the first time I test rode one, which is a shame since those are the kinds of bike that I'd really like.

That said, I now do this:

E36GUY said:

I commute on a faired 1250 Bandit. Bit of a tractor but it's a peach of a torquey engine and very suitable for my 25 mile each way journey.

And I have no complaints.

[mad4amanda]

where are you commuting to ?
If london you need a later bike or will get hit daily with the congestion tax?
Think other cities are looking at it too

[anonymous-user]

mad4amanda said:

where are you commuting to ?
If london you need a later bike or will get hit daily with the congestion tax?
Think other cities are looking at it too

Not until 2019. And even then it's only in the very middle of town.

[patchb]

I'd say a CBR600F will be spot on for what you want. My dad had an early steel framed model that did everything you could want, I even rode it for a session at Brands and it was perfectly capable (they still race them)
Your budget would get a decent early 2000's model.
I had a Yamaha Thundercat to commute on which it largely the same thing as a 600F, a comfy, road biased 'sports' bike and it was a great tool for the job. Also did a couple of trackdays on that and it coped okay. £2k would get a minter.

Both never had a problem, my thundercat had over 60,000 miles on and never missed a beat in my ownership despite getting thrashed daily.

I now have a B1H zx6r that I use for commuting (not every day anymore). I bought it as a replacement for the thundercat as I am planning more trackdays this year and don't want to throw my Aprilia down the road. It's not a comfortable commuting tool and is actually quite hard work to ride daily so I'd probably avoid something like that.

My money would be on a J/A1P zx6r though...

[supercommuter]

high mileage cb500x / nc750 or something.

Frugal and reliable and also fun when you want

[creampuff]

Personally I would not buy anything with an 'R' in the model name for commuting. R means sports bike. You can commute on anything but it just seems that you will be making yourself uncomfortable, limiting your luggage options and buying something which is made for going fast on open roads which you will end up using for filtering on congested roads.

[ringsound]

creampuff said:

Personally I would not buy anything with an 'R' in the model name for commuting. R means sports bike. You can commute on anything but it just seems that you will be making yourself uncomfortable, limiting your luggage options and buying something which is made for going fast on open roads which you will end up using for filtering on congested roads.

R1200R XD
Alright joke aside, BMW R series roadster actually very nice to ride for daily commuting if you don't intent to lane split

Personally have try GS twin and ER-6F for commuting, they are great for most of the time, abit dull on open road, but good fuel economy, upright sitting position, slim and very good low end torque

[Dennymc123]

Going to test a cbr600f, 2002 this Saturday

[Ho Lee Kau]

Dennymc123 said:

Going to test a cbr600f, 2002 this Saturday

2002 was my first bike and also the one I took license on. Still ride it daily since 4 years and like it a lot, perfect city bike in terms of comfort and power. Mine is 15/46 final ratio. In these 4 years I had 7 other bikes as well, some still with me, but F4i is still the primary choice for commuting, in fact it is also the one I use for most corner carving on local mountain hairpins, it has enough power, friendly, but I also had suspension upgraded front and back and have braded brake lines front.