Ideal long-distance commuting bike?

[Broken_panniers]

Hello boys and girls

First post here, so go easy!

I am in need of a bit of bike advice and chat. Curious about what others in the same situation have found.

I live just outside Oxford, and have a new job requiring me to be in central London once a week. I plan to commute by bike, M40 then A40.

Now I already have a GSXR for the fun stuff, so don't need one of those. I need a pure commuter. That being said, I suppose I'd like it to be a little bit fun too, if possible.

Problem is conflicting criteria:
- Motorway competence: needs a decent fairing
- Filtering competence: needs to be narrow (ideally nimble)
- Reliable: needs to be Japanese!!
- Shaft drive nice but not essential
- ULEZ: needs to be 2008 or newer
- Comfort. It's nice to arrive at work ready to actually work

Budget is around £3-3.5k. I'm pushing my luck at this price.

Candidates:
- Honda Pan European ST 1300: great on Mway, but too wide to filter well
- Honda NT700 Deauville: perfect but too dull. Shouldn't matter but it does
- Honda VFR 800F: budget? Also too close to my GSXR
- Kawasaki Versys 650: enough wind protection? Chain drive.

Is there anything else I'm missing? What have you all found when faced with this problem?

(I've done this journey before on an FJR and it was fine except for the narrow bit of A40 near Gypsy Corner. Maybe something has to give though.)

[xX-Alex-Xx]

VStrom? Vtwin so narrow enough, designed for touring, definitely enough punch for a bit of fun and ease on motorways, right with the price bracket..
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DILLIGAF

[Broken_panniers]

V Strom 1000 or 650?

650 seems pretty good. I like the old shape better than the new one, but not certain of budget. Also chain drive, but that's not a deal-breaker.

Only real issue I have is height / manoeuvrability when filtering (not sure about this one?). Also I think the upright position exposes you to the wind, and the screen isn't quite an ST 1300.

Maybe that's the compromise. It's narrower than a Pan, but when it's 2 degrees the Pan is probably better on the motorway...

Is there much difference from Mk1 to Mk2?

[CorriganJ]

I did 550 miles in one night on my XRV750 and felt fine. I'm not necesarially saying that is the best bike to go for, but what I am saying is don't underestimate an upright seating position.
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1991 RD04

[Broken_panniers]

550 miles in one night? Jesus.

You could be right!

Maybe the main issue is wind protection then. It would be nice if someone made a bike that had:

- Lightweight
- Tall fairing, but narrow
- Shaft-drive (a Scottoiler partially negates the shaft's advantages)
- More power than a Deauville!

Apparently it doesn't quite exist.

There's a V Strom 650 on ebay for 3k with 39k miles (13 plate). I've only ever bought once not from a dealer, and that bike was crap so I'm a bit nervous...

[Arfa__]

Yamaha FZ6 S2.

Got the power, just under 100bhp.
It's light and nimble. I can confirm it's great for cutting through London traffic.
Got mini fairing, and with a touring screen offers good proection.
It's Japanese and reliable. Only break down I had was a rectifier failure.
Chain drive yes, but a Tutoro or Scotoiler will help you there.
It's cheap and easy to maintain/service.
Does about 50mpg ish, with a range of about 150 miles odd, maybe a spot less when in town.
The S2's from 2007 onwards are ULEZ complient.
Should be able to find a decent for for £2000-2500. Possibly a spot more for a really nice one or one with ABS.
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Beginner Biker Adventures Blog
Yamaha FZ6 S2 2007

[stinkwheel]

Late model BMW K100 and put it through a ULEZ test, which I'm confident it will pass because it's not lean burn so doesn't poke out loads of NOX.
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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.

[Broken_panniers]

Now that is from leftfield. Googling BMW K100...

Maybe Honda CBF1000...This is just outside budget:
[url]https://superbikefactory.co.uk/2013-honda-cbf1000-red-with-16072-miles/[/url]

(CBF 1000 / 2013 / 16k miles / £3,744)

Also superbikefactory is 80% staffed by retards, so there's that to consider.

Probably the Fazer is the more budget-friendly option, and it's lighter and similar power. Hmm maybe a Fazer...

Would like a tad more wind protection than both though, but maybe I'm being fussy.

[to v or not to v]

a Honda Silver wing? something a bit different. owners seem to rate them though.
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current bike Yamaha Thunderace.
its old and fat, but its a damned good ride. the bikes not bad either.

[stinkwheel]

[CorriganJ]

[WD Forte]

Burgman 650
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bikers smell of wee

[c_dug]

As somebody who has spent god knows how many miles filtering through London, narrowness isn't that big a criteria.

Making progress filtering through London is more about learning how traffic moves and where your lane positioning need to be to take advantage of good passing spots - progress comes more with route knowledge than anything else IMO.

Even once you get down to absolute standstill traffic it's pretty rare for bike width to be the limiting factor unless you're riding a Harley or something silly. I've ridden some pretty chunky bikes including an R1200GS and a K1300GT and not had width issues.
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I am a bellend, I am a man of constant sorrow, I am a gummy bear, I am a rock.

[Fat Angry Scotsman]

[Broken_panniers]

Thanks for the thoughts everyone.

Burgman, yeah probably. Maybe this is the new Deauville! Not sure about motorway stability with those wheels? Also I'm not sure I could bring myself to ride one, but that's just me being annoying.

Interesting about the width. I probably have a lot less filtering experience, but what I've found is that 90% of the time, width doesn't really matter. EG in town, you just filter alongside the traffic, or on a dual carriageway the lanes are generally wide so it's fine.
However I think there are still sometimes places where it isn't possible to get through with a wider bike (like the part of the A40 I mentioned - just west of gypsy corner).
I feel like I want a Pan, and maybe just have to accept I can't really filter in that section. Or that I'm going to be blocking everyone behind me! There's just something about a massive fairing that is lovely in winter.
And contrary to just about all bike reviews, I'm happy that Honda never 'solved' the 'heat problem' on Pans. Sounds like free heating to me!

(As an aside, I used to have a Triumph Sprint 1050 GT and that was almost perfect as an only bike. Then a ZZR 1400, which filtered well but was just a little bit less comfy on the motorway: I arrived at work tired. Not great in winter. The FJR I had a few years before was great but not ideal filtering with panniers...)

[slowasyoulike]

[A100man]

Be the envy of all your friends with...

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/mPAAAOSwBrhe4Lnf/s-l800.jpg

ULEZ - yes historic
Shaft drive - Yes
Fairing - Full Rickman Polaris
Fun - yes, bloody hilarious
Comfort - like a Parker Knoll recliner
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Now: A100, GT250A, XJ598, FZ750

Then: Fizz, RS200, KL250, XJ550, Laverda Alpina, XJ600, FZS600

[jeremyr62]

Honda NC700/750X or S.
X has more wind protection.
Has the frunk and very good mpg.
Low power but as a commuter how much do you need..
DCT works really well on it.
You see loads of these in London, so plenty have got the message.

[Broken_panniers]

I mean it meets the criteria, yeah!

Joking aside I kind of agree, but maybe there is a limit to how old is still OK!

Choosing a bike is such an emotional process. I find myself looking at Pans but perhaps I'm being random. I suppose they'll go through tyres quickly (given the weight), so perhaps not so practical after all?!

NC700/750 - didn't know that about the X, but I think they're slightly out of budget.

I think they're probably good bikes and also sound nice. Think an old V strom or Versys is probably similar but slightly cheaper / more fun? Also the Deauville has shaft drive...

[jeremyr62]

[stinkwheel]

Can I just throw the existance of termoscuds into the ring on the side of superscooters.

https://images.sip-scootershop.com/en/a9cb71e5-5a97-4827-9bc7-703dec596dba/600x600/wind-weather-leg-cover-termoscud-pro-tucano-urbano_TUR154PR_5.jpg
____________________
“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.

[Nobby the Bastard]

Are they to keep your vagina warm?
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trevor saxe-coburg-gotha:"Remember this simple rule - scooters are for men who like to feel the breeze on their huge, flapping cunt lips."
Sprint ST 1050

[stinkwheel]

[Broken_panniers]

If super scooters are seriously being proposed, it seems to me that the downside is a relative lack of motorway stability and wind protection. Also potentially motorway grunt (depends what we're comparing with though).

Clearly the plus is easy filtering - width, plus handling.

Then there's the association of riding a scooter, which is personal and subjective.

I've changed my mind again and am now thinking either Deauville or V-Strom / Versys.

[blurredman]