9 points in 10 months, suggest a low insurance commuter.

[c_dug]

The other day I got myself flashed by a damn speed camera coming through the limehouse link in London. So pissed off at myself! Anyway assuming the points come through that will be 9 points on my licence in the last 10 months, and will make insuring the CBR next year too expensive to be viable.

I'm pretty specific with what I'm after, I'm looking for a bike that:

Costs less than £1500, ideally less than £1000.
Is in a low insurance group or cheap to insure
Is suitable for a 40 mile daily commute through the centre of london - narrow, reliable and economical
Is greater than 125cc
Enough torque to move when I wind on the throttle at lowish revs - chasing revs isn't easy through tight traffic!

I'm going to run up an insurance quote for any serious suggestions and see what I can get. I've tried the obvious standard commuters (cb/gs/gpz/divvy) and am looking for suggestions that I probably wont have tried yet. A good suggestion recently was the BMW F650 funduro.

Thanks

Conan
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I am a bellend, I am a man of constant sorrow, I am a gummy bear, I am a rock.

[P.addy]

CB400SF, fast enough to be fun, handles fantastic and cheap to insure.

tut tut Mr Conan. Got an XJ600 for sale £600 and its yours, 1993, 18800 miles and needs a new set of tyres, thats all

[G]

What about some bigger 'boring' bikes like the xj900?

Any trail style bike (f650) will have wide bars which will be limiting if you're going through properly tight stuff.

[c_dug]

Is an xj900 not quite a wide bike anyway at the fairing? Hadn't considered the bars to be honest!
____________________
I am a bellend, I am a man of constant sorrow, I am a gummy bear, I am a rock.

[c_dug]

Paddy, I'm not sure the cb400 will have the grunt that I'm after, I get frustrated as it is with my cbr when I wind on the throttle and nothing really happens until the revs are up. I should add grunt to my first post actually.
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I am a bellend, I am a man of constant sorrow, I am a gummy bear, I am a rock.

[Robby]

I was thinking about recommending some manner of 250, but not for 40 miles in from Essex. I assume that first chunk of your commute is a relatively quick A-road.

When I had a similar commute the best tools for the job were big singles.
Cagiva River 500 handled very well, made enough power for the commute, but I wouldn't take it out for a fun ride at the weekend and parts are expensive and hard to get.
Honda XL600R, or any big trailie, was fun. Tall, so you can see. Narrow, so you can get between things. Tough enough to take a crash. Enough power for what I was doing, and ok for a backlane bash. You can get tyres with chunky tread that handle rain well. Main drawback was the small fuel tank, which only lasted for about 100 miles between fill-ups.

CB500 isn't great for central London if you want to keep the speed down, mine felt a bit crap at 30 or below, the engine is very flat at low revs and you can feel the weight.

Or just get a cruiser. I commute into Westminster on my Harley in summer. Excellent tool for the job. Loud, stable, things get out of your way. Open face helmet means you can have a fag whilst riding. Schoolgirls stop and stare, then take photos.

[c_dug]

The commute is 22 miles each way but you are right about it involving an A road - the A13 to be precise. I'll check out the others you've suggested.

And as it goes your Harley wasn't as ghey as the reputation of cruisers suggests, no way I could afford one though.
____________________
I am a bellend, I am a man of constant sorrow, I am a gummy bear, I am a rock.

[Robby]

A13 is a 50 limit for most of its length as I remember, so just about anything would do the job.

Don't focus on horsepower figures too much, look at engine size. A 600 single is going to have less total horsepower than a 400/4, but it will have a lot more grunt where you need it when commuting.

[GSTEEL32]

Gilera Nordwest.

Torquey Single, but only 40 odd horses, so should be cheap as chips to insure.

[c_dug]

[Rogerborg]

[stinkwheel]

A maxi scooter?

Suzuki Burgman 400?
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[GSTEEL32]

Triumph trident 750 ? Insurance group 12. Bullet proof engine. Looks dated, but rides like a proper motorcycle should.

Ducati 750ss. Pure Banter, Cheap, group 13. Ignore all the $hite about servicing costs, £100 will easily cover you for a major service which you can do yourself.

Cagiva Elefant. Looks wide, isn't. Looks powerful, isnt. 650 & 750 options, Group 10 & 11 respectively.

[goto10]

[P.addy]

[chris-red]

Right, first £10 says you don't get points, I've been flashed by those a few times and never had a letter plus they don't seem to be maintaining any of them now.

Secondly what you want is a TDM850/900

I doing similar commute to you and find it perfect for it. A lot 850's burn a bit of oil some more than others. I know what you mean about chasing power through traffic, the TDM has an 8k redline and makes loads of low down power.

The 900's are sightly better bikes all round, but pushing it a bit with your budget.

Insurance will be cheaper than your CBR but tax will be dearer, I reckon the missus will prefer it too!

If you sign up to Carpe TDM they are often for sale.


Here is one up ATM that seem like an Alright deal.

Happy to provide any additional info or photos for prospective buyers.

Yamaha TDM 850 MKII ‘P’ Reg 1997
Silver / Yellow
48,500 Miles
MOT End May 2012
Taxed End Feb 2012
Data Tagged (haven't transferred the details from previous owner)

Very good condition and runs well (average 48mpg)
Both ignition keys present
Nexus exhausts (stainless downpipes)
Original Yamaha (Krauser) panniers. Single key (4 keys)
46 litre top box, fixed using clamps so grab rail not drilled
Recent new OEM rear shock (April this year)
Front suspension serviced at 47,370 (oil replaced with 15w)
Good front discs
New starter relay fitted June this year
New rear disc fitted + rear caliper overhauled with new pistons and seals
(42,800)
Yamaha R6 electric fuel pump fitted (46,200)
Michelin PR2’s fitted at 42,800 Rear pretty squared off but front still good, see photographs
Front brake pads fitted at 42,800 (Goldfren HH)
Spark plugs, air filter and coolant changed at 46,000
Swing arm in good condition
Regularly serviced by my good self
LED side light and OSRAM night breaker bulbs fitted
Yolks dropped 15mm to sharpen steering, will reverse if requested
Waterproof USB socket fitted inside nearside fairing to power iPhone etc
Chain and sprockets in reasonable condition, do not need replaced yet

Bad bits
Slight scratch on offside exhaust (previous owner dropped whilst stationary)
A couple of very small nicks on offside fairing panel as above, see pics
Panniers have a good few scratches but work fine
Front mudguard has a couple of stone chips and a slight scratch, see photographs

Asking price £1350

Photos taken today can be found here https://s837.photobucket.com/albums/zz291/b...M%20for%20sale/

Bob
____________________
Well, you know what they say. If you want to save the world, you have to push a few old ladies down the stairs.
Skudd:- Perhaps she just thinks you are a window licker and is being nice just in case she becomes another Jill Dando.
WANTED:- Fujinon (Fuji) M42 (Screw on) lenses, let me know if you have anything.

[Cuchulain]

[Teflon-Mike]

Honda CD200 Benley - about as cheap as cheap can be without having pedals! 15bhp & 150Kg, with four speed gear-box, its like riding back in time!
MZ 250 ETZ - air-cooled two-stroke 'cool'.. surprisingly spritely, and you can leave a blue fug behind you to piss off the enviro-mentals, and err. 'interesting' handling.
Honda CB250RS Four stroke single, with four valve head; which is remarkably spritely as well as ecconomical & handles quite sweetly for what it is.
Ural/Dnjnipnier/Cossack Russian Pre WWII BMW copy; usually attached to a side-car. 34bhp or thereabouts, shaft drive, without the chair, they are actually quite nimble and nice to ride! Need one that has had 'all the mods' to make it reliable though; BMW Pistons, Mikuni Carbs, Boyer ignition. Another ride back in time!
GS500 The boring choice; cheap, capable, moderni-ish.
CB500 Another boring choice; heavier, lardier, but better finished with wider service intervals
Bros/NVT650 the 'Sensible' choice; shaft drive, and soft V-Twin for comuterability; VFR400 inspired chassis for when you get the devil in you in the lanes!

Alternatively.... go find a stretch of 50mph bypass, with a few more cameras on it, and crack the taps.....

Get yourself 'banned'.....

Go to court, plead guilty; offer a sob story for why you need your licence; show them you have sold the 'horrible sports bike' and bought a 'sensible commuter', and 'started' an advanced riding course..... bidding it down to a couple of months....

Get licence back 'clean'.....

Still have to declare the convictions for five years, but they will technically have been 'spent'.....
____________________
My Webby'Tef's-tQ, loads of stuff about my bikes, my Land-Rovers, and the stuff I do with them!
Current Bikes:'Honda VF1000F' ;'CB750F2N' ;'CB125TD ( 6 3 of em!)'; 'Montesa Cota 248'. Learner FAQ's:= 'U want to Ride a Motorbike! Where Do U start?'

[G]

[J4mes]

Have you done a quote as if you have just served a totting up ban? Might be worth enjoying your last 3 points and then starting fresh (albeit with the ban hanging over you) in 6 months time.

Or do you really, really need your bike?

[c_dug]

Unfortunately a ban isn't an option, the train costs far too much to be viable.

Keep the suggestions coming please, some very good options so far
____________________
I am a bellend, I am a man of constant sorrow, I am a gummy bear, I am a rock.

[Hyaon]

Walking?


Sorry couldn't resist.
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Mod2 Passed 30/03/2011!
CBF125>GSF650 Bandit K8>B-King 2008+R1 2002

[KingKong]

[c_dug]

Received the NIP yesterday, 36 in a 30, 9.05pm, precisely fuck all traffic at that time. Massively pissed off that they can claim it was unsafe.

Oh well, guess I'll do some more quotes for insurance!
____________________
I am a bellend, I am a man of constant sorrow, I am a gummy bear, I am a rock.

[Wafer_Thin_Ham]