• There has been a recent cluster of spammers accessing BARFer accounts and posting spam. To safeguard your account, please consider changing your password. It would be even better to take the additional step of enabling 2 Factor Authentication (2FA) on your BARF account. Read more here.

Recommendations for a commuting bike

I've put nearly 20k miles on my Yamaha Super Tenere (1200 cc, shaft drive) in the last two years, mostly commuting. ABS, traction control, new ones have cruise control. Works well on fire roads, too.

Riding it to Burning Man in a couple of weeks.

Very reliable, stable, and fun ride.... lots of low end torque.

- Bart
 
Welcome!

You CAN commute on anything from a 200cc scooter to a 2 liter cruiser.

The important thing for you is to be comfortable on what ever bike you choose and to adjust that bike's controls to fit you so you can use them most effectively.

What you will generally find in the last 20 years is about 50% increase in HP, 20+% increase in torque and 20% reduction in weight for the same displacement motorcycles.

To put that in real terms, your old VFR 700 was very close to 500lbs in ready to ride, full tank.

An FZ09 makes more power and torque and weighs 414lbs with a full tank of gas.

The other thing you need to ask yourself is what features do you want on the bike:
Saddlebags
Trunk
Heated grips
Excess electrical power for driving heated jacket and/or pants
Windshield, how big of a windshield

and many other things.

If you chose some of those, the stock bike might not have a windshield but one can be added.

Some bikes do not have the extra electrical power to drive heated riding gear...

Some bikes can easily have saddlebags or a trunk added, some bikes, not so easy.
 
OP,
You haven't said if you have a budget or want to finance your new Moto.
Also, are there limitations? (such as a 28 inch inseam)
Do you plan to wrench it yourself? Are you comfortable buying used?
Do you think you will be bored or impatient with something smaller than the VFR you had before?
You are older and wiser now, but are you wise enough to take a moto safety course?
 
Personally I would refrain from a bike that weighs more than roughly 500 lbs for commuting. You want agility and lane splitting options for a commuter, esp. going to Napa. Ever seen a cruiser split on 80 versus a sports tourer?

KTM, BMW and Aprilia and the terms "easy maintenance or inexpensive repairs" usually don't fall into the same breath as hiring a mechanic to do the work. Just my two cents.

Regardless of brand, I would go with an upright bike with decent windscreen protection. This site will be very helpful for ergo evaluation: http://cycle-ergo.com/
 
My second gen tuono has been an awesome commuter for the last 6ish years. I put gas and oil in it. It's not even that bad on tires. Only thing that sucks about it is it's 100mile range
 
berth said:
Welcome to the forum!

As you can see, the group immediately rallied around and came to a consensus, so your choice should be clear.
Click to expand...

:hail :laughing

I commute everyday, my choice for commute bike;
1) shaft (or maybe belt) drive
2) fuel injected
3) wind protection/ fairings
4) 1000 cc .. ish

That should help to narrow it down a little
 
planegray said:
:hail :laughing

I commute everyday, my choice for commute bike;
1) shaft (or maybe belt) drive
2) fuel injected
3) wind protection/ fairings
4) 1000 cc .. ish

That should help to narrow it down a little
Click to expand...

FJR or Super Tenere!

If I were in the market for a second commuter bike, I'd have a hard time deciding between the two.
 
GordonGekko said:
FJR or Super Tenere!

If I were in the market for a second commuter bike, I'd have a hard time deciding between the two.
Click to expand...

:thumbup

I wore out my bmw r1100s, she was great, now I've a '12 Concours... yikes what huge bike !! but I like it a lot... and a &*&%$#* Camry came out the worse for wear the other day when it decided it wanted my lane NOW... Ha, maybe size does matter :)
 
planegray said:
:hail :laughing

I commute everyday, my choice for commute bike;
1) shaft (or maybe belt) drive
2) fuel injected
3) wind protection/ fairings
4) 1000 cc .. ish

That should help to narrow it down a little
Click to expand...

Moto Guzzi V7 II + windscreen? Not enough wind/rain protection, maybe. Just throwing it there because I don't think there are enough options in this thread :)
 
Last edited:
Electric is good for commuting and today's electrics can get to Napa and back with a little destination charging.

Most charging is done at your house, which is way nicer than going to the gas station all the time. Destination charging is harder than the gas station, but it is a lot easier than it was a few years ago.
 
crap, I forgot some important things !

so, I'm going to be an asshole and quoted myself and revise;

I commute everyday, my choice for commute bike;
1) ABS/ Traction control/ any and all elec wizardry possible
2) shaft (or maybe belt) driveuel injected
3) wind protection/ fairings
4) 1000 cc .. ish2) fuel injected
5) wind protection/ fairings

That should help to narrow it down a little.

I added the ABS/ elec wizardy requirement as #1, because as an all-weather commuter I believe in giving myself any/every assist possible
 
planegray said:
crap, I forgot some important things !

so, I'm going to be an asshole and quoted myself and revise;

I commute everyday, my choice for commute bike;
1) ABS/ Traction control/ any and all elec wizardry possible
2) shaft (or maybe belt) driveuel injected
3) wind protection/ fairings
4) 1000 cc .. ish2) fuel injected
5) wind protection/ fairings

That should help to narrow it down a little.

I added the ABS/ elec wizardy requirement as #1, because as an all-weather commuter I believe in giving myself any/every assist possible
Click to expand...

No Scotts steering damper?
 
planegray said:
I commute everyday, my choice for commute bike;
1) ABS/ Traction control/ any and all elec wizardry possible
2) shaft (or maybe belt) driveuel injected
3) wind protection/ fairings
4) 1000 cc .. ish2) fuel injected
5) wind protection/ fairings
Click to expand...

Interesting that the one that appears twice on your list doesn't make my list at all--wind protection. Nice for touring. Just isn't a thing during maybe 2 1/2 hrs of commuting though. I value light, narrowish and agile more. I even value not having to take a ton of crap off to change the oil more. Though I can't figure out why I keep reattaching the belly pan to my FZ1 after oil changes.

I guess those different wants explain why we have the bikes we do.

FWIW if the range were greater I likely would have bought an F800GT early last year. I think that bike could commute and tour pretty well--at least for a commute shorter than mine, and if you got on OK with the engine. Might work well for the OP. Belt drive, good fuel economy, factory luggage, BMW service with loaner bikes available from some dealers.
 
Last edited:
planegray said:
I commute everyday, my choice for commute bike;
1) ABS/ Traction control/ any and all elec wizardry possible
2) shaft (or maybe belt) driveuel injected
3) wind protection/ fairings
4) 1000 cc .. ish2) fuel injected
5) wind protection/ fairings
Click to expand...
Pretty good list, I completely agree. :thumbup

My absolute favorite commuter was my BMW K1200s, had all those things except traction control. The heated grips were nice since I could wear the same gloves in the cool mornings to work as well as the warm afternoon return trip home.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top