Mr New to bikes seeks help!

[Khan]

Firstly, I'm very new to bikes so apologies before hand for boring anybody!

I have done my CBT, playground, cones etc.. and just passed my theory test (very pleased to get that out of the way!).

I've got two days of training lined up at the weekend, assessment first and then two full days out on the road on a 500. I've got my test booked in for next Thursday and hope to have full license by next weekend. Perhaps I'm being a little optimistic here and might need some more days?

Anyway, this all came around because I have to drive the car to work, 50 miles each way, on the M25 and its taking me some 4 hrs a day. No fun at all.

So, initially, I was looking for something sensible to ride a long distance everyday and thought about a Honda Deauville. HOWEVER, went to the BMF at the weekend and thinking I need something that will excite me somewhat more. CBR or GSXR spring to mind. Has anybody got any advice, considering how new I am to biking, the distance I have to travel, but also want something fun for the weekend. I can only afford one bike by the way!

Thanks.
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JP

[krebsy]

No experience and need to commute? get something like a divvy, fazer or bandit 600. A decent nick GS 500 would suit as well, you'll probably be learning on something like that anyway.

I've been commuting through the traffic every morning for a year now on a Divvy 600 and it's perfect for the run. Quick enough for the motorway, narrow and nimble enough to get through the gaps in the traffic and is still fun when I open it up on the twisty route back homewards.

If you are commuting on a daily basis then a sportsbike might get too uncomfortable or impractical. A commuter bike will suit you better. You need something that is comfortable to ride on and is as light and easy as possible.

K.
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What's my New Year's resolution?

1280 x 1024.

[Bendy]

A sports bike is fine to commute on if you find it comfortable, and that's really down to you. Some people like sitting with their knees round their ears and their arse in the air, others dont.

Your only real issue will be tyres, if you're using the bike for fun as well as commuting, you've got a little bit of a quandry on your hands... soft sports tyres for fun grip versus harder commuting tyres for long life. But that's a hurdle you can deal with once you've got the bike.

Howabout something like a Fazer, faired SV650 or faired Hornet (definitely get something with a fairing for all that motorway time). They're all sporty enough to have fun at the weekend without being too full on for the 500 miles a week of commuting. Maybe a VFR800, they're also a good all-rounder but a fair bit sportier than the Dullville.

[Khan]

Thanks.

So, a NO to a CBR?

Should I consider economics here as well or am I just being dense, i.e. it's cheap enough to run, or a lot cheaper than a car anyway!

What's a divvy anyway? Apart from me!

Thanks again.
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JP

[Bendy]

I'd happily ride my CBR that distance every day, comfort wise.

Divvy - Yamaha XJ600 Diversion.

Economics would be a factor for me, if I was doing 500 miles a week. Which is why I mentioned tyres.. consider you should get maybe 4000 miles out of stickyish rubber and you're going to be buying tyres every 2 months at £200 a set. So something a bit harder would make sense. 4000 mile oil change intervals, so oil and filter every couple of months. Major service at 16,000 miles, so at least once a year... this is starting to get scary!

Fuel consumption... I get about 12 miles to the £1 on fuel with my CBR (a 2000 CBR600F). Think tank range, are you going to get irritated having to fill up a lot? There are a few bikes out there that'd be a stretch to get you to work and back without hitting reserve.

If you want fuel economy / tank range numbers, someone on here'll have most bikes you could think of so you should be able to get real world answers.