suggest me a bike

[colin1]

I've got a commute that is is 13 miles of town riding on fairly clear roads 30-40mph with only occasional filtering followed by 7 miles of twisty country roads. Then for the way back, I've got 30 miles of motorway with usually a solid 50-60mph with sometimes a bit of filtering.

I'm currently using a triumph tt600 which is a lot like a cbr600f.

This sort of bike is really meant for riding harder and faster, so it's not really the right tool for the job in some ways. Bars a bit low maybe but it is agile with a fair amount of low rev power.

I've had 3 ideas of what sort of bike

traditional commuter
paralell twin 500
pros - light and nippy for the town bits
cons - lower build quality and less weather protection for wet motorway riding

bigger more tourer sort of bike
tdm900, cbr1100
pros - effort less for the faster roads
cons - possibly a bit more awkward in town than a commuter but higher bars so maybe still better than the tt600

big commuter moto
duke 640 , ccm 604 etc
pros - agile in town
cons - maybe not so great on the motorway

other thought was a faired bandit 1200, or a versys 650 but the versys would be a bit more than I want to spend

I'm currently getting 45-50 mpg, but I dont mind sacrificing a bit of mpg for comfort. I quite like the idea of getting something a bit bling like the cbr1100 or duke 640 as my tt600 is a bit scruffy with damaged panels but don't want to spend much over £2k.

I'd keep the tt600 as I don't think I'd get much for it.
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colin1 is officially faster than god

[sidewinder]

Thought about one of the maxi scooters
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"Nitrous is like a cheap hooker, you want to hit it but are scared of the consequences

[colin1]

Yes I have. I used to not care about image, and had a yp250. Before I had that, I tried a burgman 400. The burgman was better on motorway, but the yp250 was much more agile and nippy in town.

After I had the yp250, I had a gilera runner 180sp 2 stroke, which was better handling and faster.

If my commute was all town riding, I'd consider getting a another runner, but I'm more image conscious these days and am only 3 months into my job.

The yp250 was ok on motorways, but would run out of lean angle quite quickly on twisties which could be a bit scarey at times when you grind the centre stand after going too fast into a corner. I suppose I could have removed the centre stand.

So for the moment I'm ruling out scooters, as big ones are a bit tail happy, small ones don't feel right on a motorway and most importantly, I dont have the balls to turn up in the works car park on something that could make me a laughing stock.
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colin1 is officially faster than god

[bikertomm]

Commuter-moto

Like it
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07' Honda Hornet now full powaah! My guide on performing an oil change!

[CB77]

Keep the TT and save your cash. Good allround bike.

[colin1]

[C1REX]

London couriers don't stop raving about new nc700s.
They buy them new.

Not the fastest but perfect for commuting.
80mpg is similar what 125cc scooters get.
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[G]

Commutermoto usually used to describe heavier bikes - like the XTZ660 which makes not much more power than a DRZ400 (or a CRF250), but weighs almost as much as bikes that make 3-4x the power.

Usual suggestion from me if you want the easiest and quickest journey with the best chance of getting through really tight traffic - a modern litre bike. GSXR1000, then ABS CBR1000 then S1000RR as your budget goes up.
The big bikes do easy commuting with a lot less hassle than a sports bikes - stick it in top for silly low rpm with still some go, or leave it in first for a gear that will be very responsive from 0 to 100.

If I was doing 50-60mpg on a motorway, I'd expect to be constantly filtering. For that reason, I'm not a fan of regularly using singles on them. However, if you're not going over 70, a big single may be fine. However, the pre-690 LC4 based bikes do tend to be a bit vibey.
A rotax 604 may well be a bit blowy-uppy. The later 644 with a Suzuki engine is more reliable but also more sedate and possibly heavier?

[colin1]

[andyscooter]

why is it 10 miles further home then to work
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gilera runner vxr200 (chavped)
if its spelt wrong its my fat fingers and daft auto correct on my tablet

[colin1]

[colin1]

[WetAndCold]

[colin1]

[ThoughtContro...]

Find a "comfort kit" for your TT600 and lob some Renthals on it. Crappy town riding position solved and still good for a blast.
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Prize cunt
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"In a world of universal deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act" - George Orwell

[C1REX]

Because of the budget I would suggest older Honda.
CBF600 or CB500 are considered as one of the best commuters in the price range.

They do decent mpg as well and are cheap to run.

60m/h is very slow however. You could do it even on 125cc and get way over 100mpg.
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[P.]

I wouldn't suggest a "moto" on the motorway.

I sat on my TT600R at 80 for a fair bit of time, by the end of it my neck and back were quite sore.

I've ridden a fair few things on the motorway now given that I work at the end of the M20 I can't see why you have an issue with the TT, the Thundercat I had was ideal.

BMW F650?
XL1000V?

It sounds like you want the bike everyone dreams of, ideal handling, perfect in town, not slow but not too fast, good mpg and motorway mileage...

If you are only doing 50/60mph on a motorway, I really cannot see the issue with something like a Varadero 125 or a CB250 or something, pennies to run, servicing/tyres is just pocket change..

Or, just grab yourself a CB500, fit some muffs, heated grips, wear some waterproof trousers and get on with it? I'm going to try using the Vara 125 on the motorway at some point next week, its a non limited motorway, I do 23 miles there and 26 miles back. It won't be bad at all, used an RS125 before hand

[colin1]

[RichieZX6R]

[Groove]

I think you should re-test a R1.

I once heard how you could adjusted your speed with a touch of the throttle.


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|| Past: 1991 Kawasaki ZXR 250 ~ 2003 Honda CBR 600 F Sport ~ 2004 Kawasaki ZX6R B1H 636 ~ 1999 Yamaha R1 ~ 1999 Kawasaki ZX6R J ~ 2004 Kawasaki ZX6R B1H 636 ~ 1998 Honda VTR1000F Firestorm ~ K1 GSXR 600 Track bike ~ K6 GSXR 1000 ~ 2006 Speed Triple 1050 || Current: 2005 R1 https://www.adrucore.co.uk

[pits]

MK1 Blade
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Stinkwheel: You have no right to free speech
00:32:08 Blau Zedong: yes, i am a massive CB400 fan and collector
00:33:00 Blau Zedong: the CB400 is my favourite road bike

[jay12329]

Blackbird.

Mine is forsale here;
https://classifieds.pistonheads.com/classifieds/motorbikes/honda/cbr1100-blackbird/honda-blackbird-2000/279714

I bought it for a 100mile a day commute, mostly a and M-ways but with 10 of so miles of twistys at the end. Perfect fast cruiser and not to shabby around corners

I'll do you a BCF deal too

J

[Srengam]

Why the different route?

I would suffer the town traffic to enjoy the county ride, on both trips.

And not use the motorway at all.
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Suzuki GSX600F Katana (1997)

[WetAndCold]

[tahrey]