Which ABS commuter bike ?

Danny · Ask Me About Stoppie School Joined: 26 Jan 2003 Karma :

Need to commute from Reading to Hammersmith* and am trying to figure out what bike I should get.
Been out of the bike scene for a little while so could do with some advice.

Criteria are:
Must be comfortable or be made comfortable relatively easily
Must have ABS

So far the main candidate is a 6th gen VFR800

*about 45mins > 1hr 15mins journey time
45miles distance, mostly motorway and dual carriageway.
But will be during rush hour so needs to be narrow enough to filter with ease

Britabroad · Banned Joined: 14 Feb 2021 Karma :

Do it in style...................

https://www.motorcyclenews.com/news/new-bikes/2021-triumph-bonneville-range/

MarJay · But it's British! Joined: 15 Sep 2003 Karma :

I had the same problem Danny, I bought a GSX-S1000F. Reasoning as follows:

I wanted something that wouldn't be screaming it's head off on the motorway

Full fairing

ABS

Rudimentary traction control

Fun when not commuting or taking the long way home.

Comfort

It's not the best bike for the job though, I think the Z1000SX is better, as is the BMW F800ST. The ST is the best for fuel economy and equipment and comfort and all that but I couldn't bring myself to buy one as they look bland and apparently ride that way too. It might be just the ticket for you if you can look past that.

I liked the Z1000SX but it didn't turn very well and was a lot heavier than I wanted. Not particularly rational arguments, especially as it has panniers as standard and has a better fuel range than the GSX-S. With that journey, as with mine you really want a 200ish mile range so that you don't have to fill up every day. One of my colleagues lives in Reading and pre-Covid rode into London every day, and he used a NC750. Not super exciting, but the best on fuel you're going to get for a big bike. Wind protection is not great - it's OK but it does have a storage space for a full face lid etc.

But also you should probably not discount a Maxi scoot, Especially if you have secure parking.

Other bikes considered:

CBR650F (Discounted as I wanted an excuse for a 1000cc bike - but if you've been out of it for a while then insurance might be an issue)

Africa Twin (Discounted as it's an adventure bike but I considered it as it's the only adventure bike I remotely like)

6th gen VFR - I really came close with this, but as I was upgrading from a 2000 VFR800Fi I wanted something different. Also riding position surprisingly sporty!

Also worth noting:

Hammersmith is going to be in the ULEZ so the bike will need to be newer than 2008 or exempt.

Bikes 2017 or newer (I think?) will have standard ABS
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British beauty: Triumph Street Triple R; Loony stroker: KR1S; Track fun: GSXR750 L1; Commuter Missile: GSX-S1000F
Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another.

Danny · Ask Me About Stoppie School Joined: 26 Jan 2003 Karma :

Thanks for all the info Mark!

I hadn't thought about an Africa Twin, they are quite cool bikes.
But I think the seat height might be an issue for my wee little legs, also not sure how great it would be for a long motorway journey.
Will check out some reviews on this bike.

Hadn't realised the ULEZ zone is getting so much bigger, that rules out a lot of bikes.
Really glad you mentioned that! Thumbs Up

BMW F800ST would probably be just a bit too boring I think but will check out some reviews just in case.

Not too keen on the litre bikes you mentioned, I just don't need that kind of power for a bike that will spend 99.9% of its life in rush hour traffic.
Although who knows, I may get a less powerful bike and crave more power again .......

Maxi scoot? ..... Just no.

CBR650F is probably a bit too sporty, but will check reviews.
My NCB expires in May so insurance shouldn't be an issue and previous bike was a 2000 Bandit 1200

MarJay · But it's British! Joined: 15 Sep 2003 Karma :

MCN · Super Spammer Joined: 22 Jul 2015 Karma :

Litre bikes are fine in traffic.
And more than 2 cyls is comfort heavy too if your riding the hoowur every day. Inline as opposed to anything V.
Balancing shafts work but are a bit RPM dependant when they smooth out the out-of-balance forces.

I've been scooting and hooning on 600> machines for years. Soon as I changed from 600 to 999 comfort level improved exponentially.
Went onto an opposed twin R1200GS. Tons of performance and very filter-through-wankers-in-cars-able but at some rev ranges a bit vibratey matey.

(But I still like the unlimited usefulness of a GS)
My machines are inline 4s now.)
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Disclaimer: The comments above may be predicted text and not necessarily the opinion of MCN.

ThunderGuts · World Chat Champion Joined: 13 Nov 2018 Karma :

If the bike isn't really getting used for anything other than commuting, I'd be looking at something requiring fairly cheap consumables too - you'll be squaring off tyres fairly regularly if you're going back and forth along motorways/dual carriageways daily so you probably won't want to be buying wide expensive rubber on a regular basis.

NC750X is the sensible choice (and the storage bin is a massive boon for a commuting bike as it avoids the need for a topbox if you're not carrying too much) and would probably be what I'd choose for that purpose, but if it was a bike to ride for fun occasionally too then I'd probably avoid it and go for something like a Vstrom 650. Bit cheap and cheerful but should be reliable and fairly frugal. Vstrom 1000 if you want a bit more go. Not sure where they stand in ULEZ terms as I'm a bit remote from all that lark oop here in the norf.
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TG.

Kentol750 · World Chat Champion Joined: 24 May 2016 Karma :

Have you considered a vfr800 crossrunner? Nice and upright, vfr 800 engine!
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Some bikes.

ThunderGuts · World Chat Champion Joined: 13 Nov 2018 Karma :

PotatoHead202... · Scooby Slapper Joined: 10 Feb 2020 Karma :

I know I had issues with mine (tbh i think it was the very short journeys and occasional use) but have you thought of the Triumph Sprint ST1050? Most seem to have ABS (mine did) and are great at motorway miles.
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Suzuki V Strom 1050XT, Honda CBF500 ABS,

Robby · Dirty Old Man Joined: 16 May 2002 Karma :

Used bike prices are a bit silly currently. New PCP deals are quite attractive, so consider something new. Anything new is going to meet the emissions requirements anywhere for a long time to come, and you would struggle to find a bike without ABS (or traction control, phone connectivity, all the toys).

Danny · Ask Me About Stoppie School Joined: 26 Jan 2003 Karma :

Thanks for all the info everyone.
I've looked through most of the bikes suggested and so far the front runners are:
Vstrom 650 - cheap but seat is a bit high
Tiger 800 - more power, low seat, more toys but more expensive

jeffyjeff · World Chat Champion Joined: 02 May 2020 Karma :

sickpup · Old Timer Joined: 21 Apr 2004 Karma :

I don't understand why anyone would want a VFR800 for a commuter. Not particularly good on fuel, not particularly comfortable, horrendously expensive to service, expensive on tyre, terrible fairing coverage and it has a chain.
Same of course applies to a lot of bikes.

Buy an old Deauville or Pan European. Not the greatest on petrol if you rev them but cheap on servicing, Avon tyres can be picked up for £135 a set if you wait for Ebay discount codes or £160 full price, Built in luggage, very good weather protection with adjustable screens for good weather, cheap insurance and no chain to adjust.
Various people on here will tell you they are boring but most of these people have never ridden one let alone owned one so you can pretty much ignore them. It's also quite amusing overtaking them around the outside on a roundabout.

At a push look at any of the NC's or the latest CB's. Very good on petrol, cheap servicing and with the addition of a big screen and side/top deflectors, crash bars and leg deflectors better weather protection than a VFR800 and still better mpg.

An outsider would be the 1200 Super Tenere with all the additional deflectors as it at least has a shaft driver, cheap servicing and cheap tyres.

When you add luggage and weather protection to a bike the mpg drops so just buy one that has everything built in to start with. Works out cheaper in the end.

MarJay · But it's British! Joined: 15 Sep 2003 Karma :

Danny · Ask Me About Stoppie School Joined: 26 Jan 2003 Karma :

sickpup · Old Timer Joined: 21 Apr 2004 Karma :

Danny · Ask Me About Stoppie School Joined: 26 Jan 2003 Karma :

Kris · World Chat Champion Joined: 03 Feb 2002 Karma :

If I was looking at doing big monthly motorway miles in all weathers again I'd probably think about a Crosstourer v4.

Shaft drive, abs and big miles comfortable. The engines are bulletproof and the bike will take a top box / rack with ease. Put some muffs over the handguards, switch on the heated grips and waft to work with the 19" front coping with shitty roads easily.
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NSR125RR - ZXR750H1 - ZX9R E1 - GSF600S - GSF600SK3 - VFR400-NC30 - SV1000N - ST1100-R - CBR900RR-R - GSF1200SK5 - GSF600SK1 - VFR1200FA - GSXR1000K2 - ZZR1400 D8F
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Danny · Ask Me About Stoppie School Joined: 26 Jan 2003 Karma :

sickpup · Old Timer Joined: 21 Apr 2004 Karma :

I am absolutely intrigued as to why people think a 45 mile commute requires a 1000cc 100bhp+ bike?

MarJay · But it's British! Joined: 15 Sep 2003 Karma :

Kris · World Chat Champion Joined: 03 Feb 2002 Karma :

sickpup · Old Timer Joined: 21 Apr 2004 Karma :

MATTT · Renault 5 Driver Joined: 20 Dec 2015 Karma :

Dads bought one,the 2020 model has a slipper clutch so its really light action
Twin has more than enough power and really good on fuel
Honda build quality with pretty good resale values
Screen and optional luggage ,light and not too wide for filtering