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Recommendations for a commuting bike

I'm also searching for a new commuter. ~80 miles per day, half twisties, half lane splitting. I lean toward sport bikes and have been using my Ducati 848 primarily this last year. So, I will say that almost any bike will work and I recommend getting something you really like since you'll be spending so much time together. If you love it too much, like my 848, then you might feel bad like I do because you're abusing it.

My main criteria are:
  • Tank Range (size/mpg) - I tank up at home and refill weekly so, this isn't critical.
  • Long maintenance intervals (alternate easy maintenace)
  • Cost of maintenace e.g. Ducati vs everyone else (local BMW dealer quoted me costs comparable to Japanese bikes)
  • Width for lane splitting (mirror height is nice to check too - duc is over sedans and below trucks)
  • Sporty (sportbike/sport tourers ideally but naked bikes may be considered) w/ enough hp to make passing in the twisties easier

I've been all over the place in terms of what that could be or how much I'm willing to pay. I haven't sat on these yet but, these are my current leading candidates:

BMW R1200RS - $14,995 msrp, ~55mpg, 4.7gal (1R) tank, mid-grade gas, 520Lbs wet, 125hp., 36" wide, 6,000 mi maintenance interval, 1.1 gal of 5W50 oil, NGK LMAR8D-J (~$13 ea), shaft drive, water cooled twin. Wethead boxer valve adjustments look easy and aesthetically it works for me. It also has a glorious single sided swingarm - I didn't realize how easy tire changes could be!

BMW F800GT - $12,095 mspr, ~60MPG, 4gal (0.8R) tank, 470Lbs Wet, 90hp, 36" wide, 6,000 Interval, 15W50 oil (same as my Ducati), rubber band drive, liquid cooled parallel twin. It's not nearly as pretty to me though.

Ducati Monster 796 - ~$8,000 Used, ~40mpg, 4gal (1R) Tank, 373Lbs Dry, 87hp, Unknown Width(~29"?), 7,500mi Interval, 3.9Qts 15W50 oil, NGK DCPR8E (~$4 ea), chain drive, oil cooled l-twin. I hear the 2-valve air/oil cooled ducati motors are incredibly reliable, no coolant to change, I'd like to try maintaining one and there's *alot* of part overlap with my Ducati 848 and it also has a single sided swingarm.

Honda CBR650F - $8,999 msrp, ~55MPG, 4.5gal tank, chain drive, 461Lbs Wet, 86hp, Unknown Width(~29"?), 8,000mi Interval, NGK CR9EH-9 (~$9 ea), chain drive, liquid cooled inline-4. Boring but would probably be reliable and do the job.

A Zero Electric got crossed off the list for alot of reasons, the Ducati Scrambler was too small for me. I'd prefer a fairing for commuting so alot of great naked bikes are not on my list and I like to think I'm not old enough yet for adventure bikes ...but I'm considering a BMW so, obviously the clock is ticking on that. :)

The pushing turning radius would be nice to know too. I prefer to back them into my garage at night and the 848 is a 3 pointer when I'm pushing it. Other bikes have been much easier.
 
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Rick, 80 miles a day and you refill weekly? You can/want to go 5*80=400 miles per tank?
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I refill as needed at home using a pump and larger fuel drum that in turn is refilled every other week. Massive time saver/happiness increaser! :)
 
redtail said:
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.
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+1 for heated grips on the K1200s. Plus that bike is really comfy after a long ride; you know 50+ miles. I know this is an old thread, but I had to chime in about the BMW. Plus, it's got electronic wizardry with the suspension, anti-knock sensor for the engine & some other goodies. Just wish it had a digital speedometer like the VFR.... analog :thumbdown is just so tiresome when you try a quick glance.
 
There's a lot of bikes that fit this bill pretty well.
I commuted 45k on my fj-09 and enjoyed it. Get the oem hand warmers they are insanely good. Good mpg, lots of power on tap if needed and I got 44mpg.

I rode ThumperX's nc700x for a while after the Tubbs fire (thanks again đź‘Ť) and if you just want something that gets you from A-B with no fuss then it is absolutely perfect for it. 60+ mpg on the freeway, nice storage tank and enough torque in the city to get around traffic.

My most recent commuter has been a ktm 1190 adventure R. It's the most comfortable of the bunch, very upright and gobs of power. If commuting and wanting one bike for everything then this is the bike for you. I rode 30k on mine last year and love he fact I could be slabbing to work one day, and then the next I was riding with friends on trails in the middle of nowhere. My only complaint is its a pain to work on. Also, ditch the tkc 80's they are overpriced junk imo. Go with the shinko 804/805. Better performance on the road, off road and last almost twice as long for almost half the price.

Feel free to pm if anyone has questions.
 
Trashed 600 said:
+1 for heated grips on the K1200s. Plus that bike is really comfy after a long ride; you know 50+ miles. I know this is an old thread, but I had to chime in about the BMW. Plus, it's got electronic wizardry with the suspension, anti-knock sensor for the engine & some other goodies. Just wish it had a digital speedometer like the VFR.... analog :thumbdown is just so tiresome when you try a quick glance.
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I have to chime in, too! Love the K1200s for the daily 101 commute (100 miles round trip). Same complaint about the analog speedo, but that is it. Excellent wind protection.
 
I've commuted on an SV650, FZ6, and a Tiger 800. Of those three, I'd probably recommend the Tiger if you're going to be doing any long distance and will be carrying stuff.

It's very comfortable for long distances, reliable engine and a very predictable power curve. Good power throughout the powerband so you can often WOT your way outta problems if you need to.

However, if you're going to be spending more time in the cities, you may prefer the FZ-6. Not as comfortable as the Tiger for long rides but nicer to handle in the tighter city environment.
 
Surprised no one has mentioned used B12 or 12.5, except in passing WRT crap MPG. Although my 1st-gen FZ1 is a bit better for commuting B12s are dirt cheap, reliable, easy to work on, and not slow. MPG not bad if you can keep your wrist out of it. My '02 B12 can do just over 50MPG droning down the freeway at legal speeds.
 
I used F4i - Just loved it in EVERY manner. There's not one thing against that bike. I've done long distance trips on it as well. Super sexy, fast, great handling, very reliable, commute in style.
 
A more upright 1kcc sport touring bike is, I think, often overlooked for commuting. Don't let the high performance fool you; they are very comfortable. A ninja 1000, fz1, gsx1000, and so on would be a great buy. What you get with them over a touring bike like a tenere or FJ, is that they are much easier to lane split on and low speed maneuvers are much easier.

Touring bikes may seem like the wise choice but consider this; what are touring bikes made for? They're made for long rides at highspeeds. On a long tour you can usually avoid traffic, so lane splitting is not designed to be in their nature. And you'll only be stopping every 100-200 miles, so low speed mannuevers are few and far between.

Plus, they are going to be that much more fun when you take them out for a rip up highway 1.

Tl;Dr: sport-touring bikes are usually better commuters than touring bikes.
Touring=\= commuting.
 
I am late to this party, I notice the OP has an F800GS. Depending on whether OP is taller or shorter, the F850 or F750 are about as close to the perfect commuting bikes as I can imagine (i like ADV bikes obviously). I do think about narrower bars sometimes, but that's it.

The detuned 850 in the '750' still has almost full 850 torque, which matters more than HP on the high end. They only need oil changes up to 12k, and dealers do the work if you like, complete with loaner bikes.

Not the cheapest way to go though.

Still, sometimes you just need a change, another FXXXGS bike might be too boring, if I wanted more up high I would have gotten a triumph tiger 800.
 
Hammerin'Hank said:
Aprilia Tuono V4. Great commuter. End of discussion.

:)
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While I enjoy commuting on my TV4 - I wouldn't recommend it. The fuel economy is atrocious when splitting at 35mph in 1st gear, which is about 60% of my commute. :( In the few times when I get to whack the throttle I forget all about that though. :laughing
 
Krooklyn said:
While I enjoy commuting on my TV4 - I wouldn't recommend it. The fuel economy is atrocious when splitting at 35mph in 1st gear, which is about 60% of my commute. :( In the few times when I get to whack the throttle I forget all about that though. :laughing
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Sarcasm lost via the Internet?
 
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