What A road commuter bike? A few criteria.

[Benbay001]

Im looking for a bike that i can use daily to commute 5 miles to and from work. I leave home at 5:30am, and intend to ride throughout winter (done it before when i was 16, 17 and 18. Im now 22, so still young enough to fight frostbite )

• cheap to insure
• fuel injected
• an achieveable average fuel consumption of 55mpg would be good.
• fantastic weather protection (almost crutial)
• good luggage
• a good turn of speed would be a plus, but doesnt neccesarily have to be fast 30hp is the minimum.
• alluminium would be a plus so the gritters dont knaw my bike.
• reliable!

The criteria can be ignored, but the more boxes ticked, the better.
Budget is somewhere between £1000 and £2500. The less the better.

Current winners are
Suzuki Burgman 400
Yamaha Majesty 400
Honda Silverwing (may just about slip one in budget)
Yamaha YBR 250 (worried its a touch underpowered and under faired)
BMW F650 of some description
Vstrom 650 if i can get one within budget.
Honda Deauville.

I await your replies.
Thanks.

ETA a Varadero 125 would be ideal, if it was a couple hundred cc bigger.

[Benbay001]

mopman94 said:

Honda CBF600?

Carbs

DuraAce said:

SH125/300. Cheap as chips to run, fix and insure. I did 10k miles on mine and it cost me almost nothing.

Dont know why, but i have a mental block to scooters under 400cc I also dont think the fairing on the SH300 is anywhere near as big as a burgman or majesty. Its also definately a town scooter. My commute is mostly a roads.

[Benbay001]

It will also be used for other bits n bobs. I intend to insure it for 10000 miles per year.

[Benbay001]

Tall_Paul said:

Ahh, in that case, don't even think about a 125. for 10k a year I'd want around 50bhp minimum. CBF500? No fairing, but when you drop it in winter on an icy road you'll be glad of no fairing.

I did 10000 miles in a year on an rs50. Hard work but doable. I then got a gsx650f 33bhp restricted. It was heavy because it had panniers and top box but still was quick enough. 30hp is the minimum for me I think. I don't want carbs because they use unnecessary fuel. Any make starting the bike hard. My DD car uses carbs.

[Benbay001]

On alot of this insurance becomes a factor. I was 17 when i passed my bike test. im still only 22. And because i havnt ridden for just over 3 years my NCB are well and truely gone.
A burgman 400 is £350 fully comp. A Deauville is £550. Everything else 600cc is about £6-700.

[Benbay001]

Getting good insurance prices on GPZ500s.
Anyone got any experience of them?
Given up on FI bikes.

[Benbay001]

Tried most of the comparrison sites.
MCE are coming out cheapest for scooters (they used to be my insurer) by are very pricey for bikes.

[Benbay001]

MotorsportTom said:

Gimme a shout when you've got one and we'll go for a run!

Even if i decide to get a scooter? Haha.

[Benbay001]

Spoke to MCE earlier. Apparently my 3 years NCB expired on the 23rd of last month That could have saved me a packet and allowed me to have pretty much any bike.
In other news.. im viewing a burgman 400 tomorrow.
The one here (half way down) http://www.motorcyclemaniafrome.co.uk/

[Benbay001]

In even further news.. im baffled.
Cheapest quote for a CG125 is £330 a year fully comp... only £20 less than a burgman 400..

[Benbay001]

MC Bodge said:

5 miles?
-Bicycle or scooter.


Carbs are fine.

Strange criteria....

At 5 in the morning in the middle of winter? I'm not fat and I'm not poor so why punish myself with that?

[Benbay001]

MC Bodge said:

Do you need to be fat and poor to have carbs?

No, but you will struggle to get fat if you dont have carbs,

MotorsportTom said:

How did viewing the burgman go?

Honestly carbs aren't a problem. I've started a couple of bikes at below zero, full choke and first touch of the button has seen them fine.

Plus adjusting the choke is satisfying, just pressing a button on an injection bike is boring.

Also have you tried thebikeinsurer.co.uk for quotes?

Test rode it. What a revelation! So smooth and effortless. Think i even got it to 0.09 leptons and it felt like it could give more! Wind protection was great and the 0-60 with CVT although not "fast" is so predictable and repeatably quick.
Very impressed. Going back with my dad next saturday for a through examination of the mechanics. Got alot of number crunching to do in the mean time.
Yes, i tried bike insurer. Quotes were almost identical. Im happy with £350 per year fully comp for the scoot.

[Benbay001]

Tampon said:

Told you. People who haven't ridden a maxi scooter them write them off, but they are decent, really ridable machines. Completely different to "scooters."

You can even get 650cc and 800cc ones now.

Yep. Really want this..
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2014...



But it falls well out of budget..

[Benbay001]

Do you DIY all your servicing? Whats the CVT belt changes like?