Most practical bike you have owned?

[CorriganJ]

Title says it all. I'm sure everyone has a "most fun" bike but which was the bike you always ended up grabing the keys to because it was just easier?
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1991 RD04

[arry]

CBR600F. Did everything. Easy to stick luggage to, easy to ride slow and fast, always just bloody worked, comfy enough to do a tank, tank range decent enough to get somewhere meaningful. Yeah, no hesitation.

That beats my Sprint ST - on the grounds that the luggage was crap and the bike was too heavy, and it beats my KTM 990 SMT - on the grounds that it was a thunderously violent potential murder weapon which kinda goes against the 'easier' bit.

[The Shaggy D.A.]

Tend to have one bike at a time, so the choice is usually made for me. Saying that, I kept the CB500 for 6 years, so was the one that I didn't feel like changing for the longest time.
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Chances are quite high you are not in my Monkeysphere, and I don't care about you. Don't take it personally.
Currently : Royal Enfield 350 Meteor
Previously : CB100N > CB250RS > XJ900F > GT550 > GPZ750R/1000RX > AJS M16 > R100RT > Bullet 500 > CB500 > LS650P > Bullet Electra X & YBR125 > Bullet 350 "Superstar" & YBR125 Custom > Royal Enfield Classic 500 Despatch Limited Edition (28 of 200) & CB Two-Fifty Nighthawk > ER5

[Skudd]

Each bike I buy has to be practical and give me fun, so each bike has been "THE" bike I wanted at that time even the Honda Superdream 250cc.
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Famous last words of Humpty Dumpty. " Stop pushing me "
Petty Anarchists look at "1984".............. The Visionary looks at "Animal Farm".

[ThunderGuts]

Technically the Crossrunner (with the cases fitted) can carry more stuff than any bike I've owned and it'll also demolish the miles if I want it to, but in practice my old ER5 was probably the most practical day to day. I had throw-over panniers attached to it permanently so I could carry plenty of stuff, even with panniers it was very narrow and could filter past anything, it was comfy, frugal, wasn't a thief target (relatively speaking) and I had heated grips on it so it didn't matter what the weather was doing. It was light too so you could do absurd slow-speed manoeuvres on it which I wouldn't dare try on the VFR.
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TG.

[stinkwheel]

VFR750 has to be up there.

Although I don't think your test of which I end up grabbing the keys for is a good one. I will tend to take one of my Enfields out given a choice and not too much distance to cover, not because they are practical but because I enjoy riding them. In practical terms if I'm being lazy, it's whichever was used last because that will be nearest to the garage door and I'd have to move it to get a different one out.
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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.

[Polarbear]

Triumph Tiger 955i.

Comfy, decent performance, good carrying capacity and reasonably light compared with most bikes I have owned.

I'd still have a Goldwing over it though.
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Triumph Trophy Launch Edition

[droog]

For me the most practical was the MK1 Suzuki Bandit 600 - always started on the button, solid motor, oil cooled so no coolant to worry about, easy to work on with screw & locknut valve adjustment and acres of space around the cylinder head for hands and spanners to operate in (you could change the plugs without removing the tank - and no rad to get in the way either), also respectable performance, great on the motorway etc.

Also less likely to get nicked than flashier bikes - which was a bonus when parking up in London.

An easy to maintain, capable and reliable workhorse of a bike.

Never had the 1200 - but it would have had all the advantages of the 600 but with loads more power - so even better - I would definitely consider getting an old oil cooled 1200.

[Kris]

Another vote for the Bandit 600, although the S variant. I had mk1 and mk2 versions of this bike and it's definitely the Ford Escort of the bike world. Cheap, mostly reliable, easily serviceable but corrodes a bit.

My last was like an old friend, doing 76,000 miles together will bond you a bit I guess. It took me on a daily commute in all weathers bar heavy snow, took me on Sunday morning hoons, London protest rides, odd jobs for mates, shopping trips and even round Cadwell. Always returned 45mpg.

Only the Datatool alarm going wrong and being hit by a hit-and-run driver forced it off the road for a few weeks - but it survived it all with a few parts off eBay.

Great bikes, proper budget biking
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NSR125RR - ZXR750H1 - ZX9R E1 - GSF600S - GSF600SK3 - VFR400-NC30 - SV1000N - ST1100-R - CBR900RR-R - GSF1200SK5 - GSF600SK1 - VFR1200FA - GSXR1000K2 - ZZR1400 D8F
www.prisonplanet.com

[Kris]

[droog]

[Tdibs]

Divvy 600, in the same vein as others have said with the bandit 600.

- Incredibly simple, little to go wrong, very under stressed engine
- parts are very cheap.
- comfy enough, decent room to load up with luggage, good economy
- Cheap enough that if it got nicked I would not be financially put out.
- About enough power for the road.
- Undesirable enough to run through winters with no worries.

Even done a few green lanes on it
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Previous : 09 Vanvan 125| 02' Sv650s || Current: 1999 Xj600n | 1992 DR650 RSE | 2005 Fazer 1000

[trevor saxe-coburg-gotha]

cb500, I suppose. I rarely look forward to riding it though. Never thought I'd say it but there're definitely times when a car seems like a more enticing prospect.
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"Life is a sexually transmitted disease and the mortality rate is one hundred percent."

Mobylette Type 50 ---> Raleigh Grifter ---> Neval Minsk 125

[redeem ouzzer]

GSXR1100 I guess. Grunty, easy to ride (if a bit fat), requires little maintenance and utterly reliable.

However even the most dull practical bike is inferior to a car as far as day to day drudgery goes.
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Be a REAL MAN!

[Kris]

[Polarbear]

[pepperami]

At the moment, my Honley RX3 Chinese pos must be my most practical bike to use.
With the exception of motorways which I try to avoid because I don’t like them, the bike is capable of keeping up with traffic.
It has panniers and a top-box for carrying stuff.
It starts on the button every time.
And now I have an ‘Airhawk’ cushion fixed on it, it is reasonably comfortable.
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I am the sum total of my own existence, what went before makes me who I am now!

[Fisty]

The Busa with a top box fitted.
Fast, fun, functional.
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Quietly and consistently taking the piss.
TL1000R | Hayabusa | ZXR400 | TL1000S | Bandit 400 V
Fatter and faster than Fret

[dynax]

I prefer my UM to the CG, just so easy to ride even though it is bigger and heavier, i have full confidence in it, and has never let me down.

Even though it is only a 125 it is also my "Forever Bike", as no matter what happens it is the one i will always keep
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Mike.
Bikes: Xena, Bridget,Florence
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmihUc0xXxYbR4_0l-F1FzA/videos?view_as=subscriber

[Robby]

Either the first Harley (883R) or the current Guzzi V9. Simply because they were the newest and most reliable, so they start every time and don't spend loads of time off the road being worked on.

[droog]

[xX-Alex-Xx]

Owned? My K5 Gixxer. Stupid amount of space under the seat (for a sportsbike), easy enough to throw some soft tailbags on when needed.

Had use of? ST-1300 with factory panniers.
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DILLIGAF

[ThatDippyTwat]

Owned? ZZR1100. Currently own? VFR750. There's a theme there.
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'98 VFR800 (touring) - '12 VFR800 Crosrunner (Commuting) - '01 KDX220 (Big Green Antisocial Machine)

[wr6133]

ZZR600, easy to work on, goes reasonably well, comfy enough to ride across a continent with luggage and fairly cheap to run. Same can apply to any of those '90's middle weight sports tourers (VFR, Thundershat, GSXF750), they are all highly practical with a bit of fun added.

That said I just sold mine

[hellkat]

The GPZ500 Ninja.
It was a small enough bike to get me out of a lost-my-nerve funk and back on the road - it was flickable, and cheeky in traffic.
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Not nearly as interesting in real life.