Commuter Bike

cp33c · L Plate Warrior Joined: 27 May 2007 Karma :

Hi All,

Bit of a dilemma. I'm 25 and looking to commute to work using a bike. The commute would be approx. 75 miles a day, 50% would be on a 70mph road but after that would be driving through town dodging the traffic.

My dilemma is I only have £1k to spend on CBT, bike & gear(don't worry after a few months I'll trade in to do my full license with bigger bike). My normal travel is crippling me with cost, coming in at nearly £300 a month to catch a train.

The bike needs to reasonably comfortable, good on petrol and most of all can do 70 quite easily, no hassle.

Any ideas?

Cheers

mchaggis · World Chat Champion Joined: 09 May 2004 Karma :

If you want a bike for lots of 70mph stuff, you'll be wanting something bigger than a 125. None of those other than a couple of 4 strokes will do 70-75 without gulping petrol/ 2t oil.

Pass your test and the world's your oyster.

Sorry for not being so helpful, but 125's aren't as cheap as all that and if you could I'd step straight onto something a little bigger, even if it's only a 400-500. There are plenty of commuter bikes around.
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cp33c · L Plate Warrior Joined: 27 May 2007 Karma :

Thanks for the info. I'm gonna do my DAS, and save for the bike.

St0rmer66 · World Chat Champion Joined: 27 Nov 2005 Karma :

Just to echo mchaggis, a 500cc commuter would do 70mph comfortably whilst still having fairly cheap running costs. A 125 doing 70 would be screaming it's head off (unless it's a 2stroke which would eliminate the cheapness) and still struggling.
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timjim · Trackday Trickster Joined: 31 Aug 2006 Karma :

save a bit more dosh and save up for a 500-600cc ,loads of choice and in my opinion cheaper to buy than a 125.a few options to choose are
suzuki GS500,Yamaha 600 diversion,Honda Hornet,Honda CB500,Kawasaki ER5,Suzuki GSF600 Bandit,Kawasaki Zephyr,...the list goes on!!Hope its of use.Tim

Itchy · Super Spammer Joined: 07 Apr 2005 Karma :

get thee an NTV the 600 or 650 , its frugal thin for filtering and can hack 133mph if you are brave (skips around like a bugger at more than 110mph) , you can buy a low mileage NTV for <£400, + grp 10 and with bravery can waste sports bikes on the twisty roads.

its also beaut with shaft drive goodness = lower maintaince !, cons are zilch wind protection (buy bigger shirts) the V engine being a bugger to work on (not that it needs much work) and its heavy!.
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cp33c · L Plate Warrior Joined: 27 May 2007 Karma :

Thanks for all the advice. I'm going to get my test done asap, then start hunting for a bike in the 500-650 range.

stinkwheel · Bovine Proctologist Joined: 12 Jul 2004 Karma :

Mind you, any of the 500 twins are pretty cheap to buy, cheap to maintain, don't drink much fuel and are not too hard on the insurance.
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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.”
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cp33c · L Plate Warrior Joined: 27 May 2007 Karma :

Where's the best place to look for cheap bikes? I've been to biketrader & MCN, but most of the bikes are over £1k. Someone mentioned an NTV600 for less than 400 quid.....the only ones I can find are over 1500.

I've thought about ebay, but don't know how much to trust it. I know someone who has bought a bike through ebay and he's had no problems and I actually sell items through ebay but know my items are quality.

stinkwheel · Bovine Proctologist Joined: 12 Jul 2004 Karma :

You have to go and look at it first. I know it's an online thing but it would be stupid to buy a sub £1000 bike off ebay without giving it a once-over first.
____________________
“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.

cp33c · L Plate Warrior Joined: 27 May 2007 Karma :

Of course, but finding one in my area is becoming a mission. I would assume living just outside London there would be loads to choose from from.

Are you saying that ebay is best place to look?

stinkwheel · Bovine Proctologist Joined: 12 Jul 2004 Karma :

No, look everywhere and speak to people. If you go down to some of the bigger bike shops and popular meets, you'll usually find a noticeboard with cards on. I usually land up getting bikes via word of mouth though.

Local free-ads papers (eg ad trader) are a good source of cheap motorcycles.
____________________
“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.