250-400cc bike for commuting?

[dyzio]

Hi,
Thinking about getting a bike purely for commuting, the traffic is making the commute in the car take about 45minutes (7 miles) or more.

As much as enjoy the Falcow on local roads:

http://img851.imageshack.us/img851/4266/46916781.jpg

My commute goes through Aberdeen - a lot of traffic lights, roundabouts, 2/3 of which is at 30mph. It just does't like beeing ridden in conditions like these:

http://img857.imageshack.us/img857/9344/aaax.jpg


Could anyone recommend a bikey 250-400cc?

Looking for:
- upright riding position,
- good reliability,
- easy maintenance, low costs
- up to ~£1000.

I know this budget will get you a decent SV, and my previos curvy has done well when it was my only means of transport, however I think a smaller bike - or even a GS/ER5/CB500 will be better on fuel, tax/insurance and consumables.

I'm not mentioning 125's for a reason, mainly I had access to a cbr125 for a few days and the number of dodgy overtakes, smidsy's and near misses was unbelievable. This does't happen when I'm on the Falcow, so I take it was down to the wee bikey.

Any ideas?

Cheers
dyz

[custard]

honda cb400 big one.

[STRAMASHER]

I have had the pleasure of riding about on "dogs" ie RXS100, KC100, CB250 commuting for a few days at a time. I freely admit to riding like a total tit. Its either that or get rammed or squashed. Safest place is out infront and well away! So I know what you are saying.

I say get a trailie with a leccie boot. (kicker if you are a patient/placcid type) See Ralph with his XT600E. Or DRZ400S. DR600/650.

Might put a bit more on to your budget for purchase but cheap insurance, cheap tyres , cheap brakes, frugal, one pot maintenance. Only negs I see are PITA tubed tyres and maybe a little heavy on C&S (600cc+ anyway) A ton of presence on the road too in town and a chance to cut about off road if the notion or opportunity takes you.
Must be loads of them up in your neck of the woods?

[-Ralph-]

XT600E not too heavy on C&S so long as you use the gearbox properly and don't get tempted to go everywhere at 2000 revs, just because you can and it's fun to hear and feel the thump, thump, thump. I put a new C&S on 2000 miles ago and I haven't adjusted it yet.

Trailles have the advantage in town because of the height for sure, great visibility, but the brakes wont match up to something more road biased.

Personally for town commuting though I'd be looking at a 250 or a 400. The XT is no better on fuel than an SV650. A CBF250 is a good option, 80-100mpg!

If I ever have to commute by bike, it'll be a maxi-scoot.

[dyzio]

Cheers,
DRZ's are great, but too pricey and I'd have to wear platforms to reach the ground :D
The cbf250/ybr250 that looks like it could be it, but the ones I can find at the moment are around £2k.

Maxi-scoot... hmmm....

Looking through adds, DR350 could be tempting... any idea how bike's like this like filtering between cars on dual carriageway's?

[Sally]

Tried phoning Ecosse or Shirlaws for anything?

Can usually get a good deal on bikes that have been traded in!

I can't find anything on gumtree locally...

[-Ralph-]

Looking through adds, DR350 could be tempting... any idea how bike's like this like filtering between cars on dual carriageway's?

Quite happy filtering, at an advantage actually you can see over the top of all the cars into side roads and onto the pavement, etc, can turn the front wheel about 160 degrees from lock to lock, and turn on a sixpence, but the bars are wider. This is not generally a problem though as the bars are above the level of most cars mirrors, so you can still squeeze through. You might not get between two buses on a trailie, whereas you might on a CBF250.

As for the maxi-scoot, how comfortable does this look? 62 litres of underseat storage for your lid, textiles, laptop, and some shopping as well. Decent weather protection, easy to keep clean, no chain and sprockets, 70 mpg, ABS, and if you want to sit on a motorway for 2 hours, it'll do that too!

But you'd have to be like me and not care if other people think you look like a poof! ;)

http://europeanmotornews.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/030609suzm.jpg

[dirtydog]

honda cb400 big one.

Do you mean a CB1-400 or do you mean the CB400 super four

The CB Bigone was the UK 1000cc model wasn't it?

Either way both are good bikes

[nikon70]

i hear the clutch goes quite quickly, so as a commuter it might be out of action more than it is on the road.... my mate had one.

Quite happy filtering, at an advantage actually you can see over the top of all the cars into side roads and onto the pavement, etc, can turn the front wheel about 160 degrees from lock to lock, and turn on a sixpence, but the bars are wider. This is not generally a problem though as the bars are above the level of most cars mirrors, so you can still squeeze through. You might not get between two buses on a trailie, whereas you might on a CBF250.

As for the maxi-scoot, how comfortable does this look? 62 litres of underseat storage for your lid, textiles, laptop, and some shopping as well. Decent weather protection, easy to keep clean, no chain and sprockets, 70 mpg, ABS, and if you want to sit on a motorway for 2 hours, it'll do that too!

But you'd have to be like me and not care if other people think you look like a poof! ;)

http://europeanmotornews.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/030609suzm.jpg

[custard]

Do you mean a CB1-400 or do you mean the CB400 super four

The CB Bigone was the UK 1000cc model wasn't it?

Either way both are good bikes

sorry. cb1 400... was looking at some on ebay the other day. you can get a pretty tidy one for around a grand and as luck would have it

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/honda-super-four-400-nc31-superfour-cb400-/250793888665?pt=UK_Motorcycles&hash=item3a647b0b99

[-Ralph-]

i hear the clutch goes quite quickly, so as a commuter it might be out of action more than it is on the road.... my mate had one.

Has it got a manual clutch or a centrifugal clutch? Is it not a CVT auto gearbox?

[BBadger]

i will plug the dr350 route. just follow the big link in my sig but plenty about robust bikes that are easy to work on with parts plentiful.

filtering is a doddle as your nice and high up and no wider than an sv just got to watch the bars on mirrors as you are abit higher up.
also good pull and will happily do 70mph.

[dyzio]

Tried phoning Ecosse or Shirlaws for anything?


Shirlaws have a shiny drz400sm, but it being a drz at Shirlaws, I'd struggle both financially and vertically :lol:

[dirtydog]

sorry. cb1 400... was looking at some on ebay the other day. you can get a pretty tidy one for around a grand and as luck would have it

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/honda-super-four-400-nc31-superfour-cb400-/250793888665?pt=UK_Motorcycles&hash=item3a647b0b99


Ah thats the CB400 superfour lovely bike, I had the earlier CB1-400 same engine i think but different styling/frame etc. Mine was bought as a first big bike except it wasn't particularly big lol. Did loads of miles on and it was good for 3 figure speeds if you were that way inclined ;)

[dyzio]

Just found out that someone I know may be selling their GS500.
It was his first bike, so it was dropped, parked outside but being a commuter all the servicing has been done. Apparently it's in good mechanical condition, just doesn't look brilliant, something like a YC bike ;)

£500

Last time I saw it:

http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/9075/img2059b.jpg

Bad idea?

[-Ralph-]

Bad idea?

Nobody can tell you that from that photo, but at £500 quid if it is in decent mechanical nick you can't complain. Fuel has to be your biggest bill though and that is where you will make your saving, so people buying larger capacity bikes to save money never makes sense to me, by the time they have paid another lot of road tax, insurance and MOT, do they save anything?

[dyzio]

Nobody can tell you that from that photo

Correct, but I meant it more in the way that we were talking about a 250-400cc bikes and suddenly a GS500 comes into play.

I'll need to talk to him about condition and fuel consumption, check tax and insurance.

[-Ralph-]

If fuel bills are the reason for doing this, stick with a 250.

[dyzio]

Lower fuel costs would be nice (Falco does 30mpg on this route), however the main reason is to stop me from going insane from sitting in traffic in the cage.
1h to travel 7 miles is normal in the afternoon.

[mikerj]

If fuel bills are the reason for doing this, stick with a 250.

If fuel economy is the ultimate goal then a four stroke 125 would be perfectly feasible for a 7 mile commute, I know people on 50cc scoots that go much further than that. It's the law of diminishing returns though, obviously something that can do 120mpg will cost you half as much as one that will do 60mpg, but neither will cost a lot of money to run in absolute terms.

[toxic]

Mate of mine just got a suzuki gn250 as a commuter, it was either that or a yamaha sr250. The GN won out on front disc and parts availablity. Cost him £350- does about 80 to the gallon he reckons.

[-Ralph-]

If fuel economy is the ultimate goal then a four stroke 125 would be perfectly feasible for a 7 mile commute, I know people on 50cc scoots that go much further than that. It's the law of diminishing returns though, obviously something that can do 120mpg will cost you half as much as one that will do 60mpg, but neither will cost a lot of money to run in absolute terms.

Dyzio said in his OP he wouldn't consider a 125.

[yorkie_chris]

Looking through adds, DR350 could be tempting... any idea how bike's like this like filtering between cars on dual carriageway's?

Really easy. Massive leverage on bars, light weight, loads of view, really tight turning, well behaved at low speeds.

Brakes and forks can be fixed.

However electrics on that sort of thing are CRAP

[custard]

250 hornet

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1998-HONDA-HORNET-250-RED-/250795614673?pt=UK_Motorcycles&hash=item3a649561d1

[Jayneflakes]

we bought a lovely Yamaha XJ400 for me to commute to work on, it was a lovely bike and was always reliable. Every time it rained, it could be relied on to sulk in the garage not running! Eventually the engine blew up on the motorway and we have since discovered that the head had been glued on with araldite! Oh well, the perils of buying bikes on E-Bay and thinking that every one out there can be trusted!

However, riding the bike was lovely. It was a totally different feel to the SV and is really comfortable. Because it is a Maxim, it has a king and queen seat and good stand over height, so even a short@rse can reach the floor. We put a new 550cc engine in it a couple of weeks back and are waiting for the new reg document to come back, but it feels really lively now and so much better than the engine of old.

A mate here has a 250 Hornet, it is a lovley looking bike, is the same size as a 600 and has the wheels of a 900. It looks mean, rides lovely, but trying to convince him that he needs to rev it is a nightmare. I am guessing that he goes every where at 4K, despite it revving to somewhere like 14K. I have passed on the same advice I was once lovingly given by YC:- Open the Throttle ya soft southern Fecka!

[2000curvy]

Mate of mine just got a suzuki gn250 as a commuter, it was either that or a yamaha sr250. The GN won out on front disc and parts availablity. Cost him £350- does about 80 to the gallon he reckons.

I'll second that. I've had a couple of Gn250s, still got one of them. Fantastic commuter bike, definitely 80 mpg and can keep up with the flow of traffic easily. The pipes rot where the 2 downpipes join under the bike though, and not too many after market exhausts are available. Really cheap to run as tyres, chain & sprockets etc seem to last forever, just change the oil regularly and you can't lose.

[toxic]

It's a pity that Suzuki have never imported the TU250G grass tracker. There is a real shortage of small capacity bikes here in the UK. Fuel prices may reverse this, but by then, who will have the money for a new bike.

http://www.suzukicycles.org/photos/TU/TU250-Bigboy/2003_TU250-Bigboy_top_450.jpg

[no_akira]

I really like the look of that Tu250. Its looks are spot on as a commuter, Not to flash as to attract unwanted attention and get nicked. Or as gaey as a scooter / cg125. It also looks like a fun ride.

Found this link to a really nice looking model from australia. There are some really nice subtle / retro design touches in this bike. I especially like the separate rider / pillion seats.

Possibly could do with being at least a 400cc but then falls out of being a commuter.

http://www.mcnews.com.au/2011_Bikes/Suzuki/Suzuki_TU250X/Suzuki_TU250X_Images/pages/TU250XL1_Location2.htm

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8b/2010_Suzuki_TU250X_at_Aurora_Suzuki_2.jpg

[toxic]

Still based on the GN250. It's been around for about 20 years that engine. The little marauder 250 uses the same engine. My mate has just bought a 300cc barrel and psiton for his GN250, it's going to get the whole faux grass tracker look by the time he's finished.

Another bike that would be a great commuter is the Honda VTR250.

http://iwanbanaran.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/gs_vtr250_l.jpg

[-Ralph-]

Another bike that would be a great commuter is the Honda VTR250.

http://iwanbanaran.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/gs_vtr250_l.jpg

Like the look of that!

[MR UKI (1)]

Very monster-esque that little Honda :thumleft:

[dyzio]

Nice, yes, but that's not avaliable in the UK :(
(or is it?)

EDIT:
that would be

Ah, got it :)

[-Ralph-]

According to wikipedia

The VTR250 is widely sold in the Asia Pacific region but not in the US. While currently difficult to obtain in European countries, the 2009 model VTR250 will be imported to Europe.[1] It was officially imported into Australia between 1998 and 2007, with the 2009 model being reintroduced mid-2009.

[instigator]

I have a Honda CB-1 at the moment and I've had it for...almost 3 months now. To be honest, I'm surprised I've had it so 'long' as I usually get bored very quickly with bikes. However, after 32 previous machines (including SV's, GSXR's, blades, the lot) I find myself so at home on the little CB1. It is, by far, the best in town bike I have ever ridden.

The power is so smooth, the gear driven cams make a gorgeous noise and it shifts if you want it too....you just have to ignore the thoughts of it exploding when you're sitting on the motorway doing 100mph with it screaming its nuts off at 12,500RPM. :D

Its small, nimble, fairly light and trouble free. Mine has 59k on the clocks now (miles) and it still keeps on going.

The tank capacity is pretty crummy - only seems to last until 90-95 miles to reserve but being that I survive with that when I do 50 miles a day, I'm sure you'd be okay.

[dirtydog]

A few years ago there used to be a magazine out called Greybike and they did a test on the vtr250. Now I only bought that magazine when I had a grey import which would be about 10 years ago now I reckon.

If it was me I'd consider getting another CB1-400 as said above the tank doesn't last too long but it's a lively bike to ride. Only thing I did was fit a small screen which took a little wind blast off me on my short dual carriageway blasts.
I had mine for about 3 years and the only problems I had were a duff reg/rec and a snapped speedo cable

[custard]

there was a report on that hond 250 in an issue of either ride, or bike magazine. see one everyday parked up in the china town car park.
good bikes apparently.