View Full Version : best tourer/commuter
I've just changed jobs which now means a 90 mile round trip commute all on motorways. The SV isn't really that comfortable for me over that distance so I'm on the lookout for another bike to do the commute on plus a bit of two up touring with the Mrs when the mood takes.
What's the opinion of the best bike for the job on a £2000 budget?
yorkie_chris
14-05-11, 12:04 AM
Dullville, XJ/divvy, something like that.
tigersaw
14-05-11, 12:10 AM
I'd look for a 900 divvy. That budget would get you the best of the best with all the luggage too
yorkie_chris
14-05-11, 10:05 AM
I'd save some money in reserve to get someone like spanner man to go through it all with a fine tooth comb and mileage-proof it all.
muzikill
14-05-11, 10:22 AM
Though about extending the bars and getting a bum friendly seat cover?. It's worth doing some research cost-wise before you shell out on another bike.
yorkie_chris
14-05-11, 10:38 AM
Personally I wouldn't want to do that on an SV, such a waste, SV's deserve the twisty bits :)
Yeah thought about bar raiser and seat change but to be honest I'd rather the bike went to a home where someone will use it as its meant to be. I've got my eye on a 1995 xj900 on at £1200 quid does that sound like a reasonable price? Mint condition and full history.
yorkie_chris
14-05-11, 11:56 AM
Seems alright if it's in good nick. Like I say though it's well worth going through everything and giving it a good fettling to ensure long term reliability.
Calipers, if it's a divvy the suspension bearings, all the electrics, final drive etc etc. A good dolloping of grease everywhere will save you a lot of cursing later.
looking at the divvy its in good condition and rides well but one concern is that the engine makes a squealing sound on and off when revved above 2000rpm. Its not constant and can happen in or out of gear. It sounds a bit like a car fan belt would if it was slipping.
any ideas
Bedhead
21-05-11, 09:47 AM
I used to courier on a 900 Divvie and I can tell you they drink fuel like nobodies business, I don't think I ever got more than 35mpg out of mine even on a run. If you're big like me, you'll need an extended screen.
I'm probably be going to doing a 40 mile commute soon and I'll probably use my CBR1000F, still does about 45-50 mpg, comfy as hell and you'll never need to go above 4000 rpm all day.
2k would get you an absolute cracker, I paid £1100 for mine and that included 128L of hard luggage. I had one before with 63k on it and it ran like a swiss watch. :)
Teejayexc
21-05-11, 09:57 AM
I used to courier on a 900 Divvie and I can tell you they drink fuel like nobodies business, I don't think I ever got more than 35mpg out of mine even on a run. If you're big like me, you'll need an extended screen.
You must be a big bngger then or the carbs needed balancing or summats!
I've had one for years and regularly go touring on it and it returns 45-50mpg no probs.
Bedhead
21-05-11, 10:09 AM
You must be a big bngger then or the carbs needed balancing or summats!
I've had one for years and regularly go touring on it and it returns 45-50mpg no probs.
Was a rental bike, supposedly well maintained, but you never know! ;)
I was pushing 19 stone then too :pukel:
I can't remember the exact miles it had, but it was high 40k region, I ended up giving it back and getting a CB500 instead.
Saying that, the most I've ever got out of the SV has been 52mpg, the only bike I've ever got close to the quoted figures on have been CBR1000F's possibly because I fit behind the bodywork a lot better with no sticky out bits in the airflow. :D:D:D
Supervox
21-05-11, 10:16 AM
For 2 grand you could probably find a nice (although old-ish) VFR either a carbbed 750 or pre-VTEC 800i both of which are really nice bikes.
Providing the bike has been well maintained (check service history etc) then mileage really isn't an issue - I used to know several people who had over 100k on their clocks & the bikes were still fine :-)
The bonus is that as well a good commuter you can have some serious fun on them as well :-)
Teejayexc
21-05-11, 10:19 AM
Providing the bike has been well maintained (check service history etc) then mileage really isn't an issue - I used to know several people who had over 100k on their clocks & the bikes were still fine :-)
+1
My divvy has close on 70K on it and never misses a beat :)
Bedhead
21-05-11, 10:29 AM
+1
My divvy has close on 70K on it and never misses a beat :)
+2
I have an old Bandit in the back of the shed with over 100k on it.
The SV has 30k on it and it's perfect.
Dealers and some riders perpetuate the myth that high mileage bikes are timebombs, maybe in the 60's or 70's that had a grain of truth but there's no reason why a well maintained Japanese bike will not do at least 100k with just standard servicing.
The only thing is, it means that there's a load of cheap useable bikes out there for less money that they're really worth.
It's probably worth inspecting the owner as carefully as the bike. :-D
xXBADGERXx
21-05-11, 11:09 AM
For 2 grand you could probably find a nice (although old-ish) VFR either a carbbed 750 or pre-VTEC 800i both of which are really nice bikes.
Providing the bike has been well maintained (check service history etc) then mileage really isn't an issue - I used to know several people who had over 100k on their clocks & the bikes were still fine :-)
The bonus is that as well a good commuter you can have some serious fun on them as well :-)
I know 2 guys locally who still run their original VFR`s . One is on a D plate and the other is on an E and they are WELL over 100k miles . They bought them from new , I`ve seen them being wheelied , caned , miles after miles after miles of twisties , commuted .... you get the idea . The bikes still look quite tidy as well .
On a side note , they both bought VFR750`s on D plates . One ,of them , who shall not be named , decided to wheelie his in Betwys-Y-Coed outside "Dills Diner" ..... and the outcome was one of the funniest things I have ever witnessed in my life . He started rolling , raised the revs lofted the front end and went to snick it into the next gear whilst quite vertical . The bike seemed to veer off to the left and headed for the window of the Tourist Centre . Needless to say the poor Viffer went throught the plate glass (which seemed to bend forever before shattering) landed on it`s side with the throttle jammed wide open in second gear ....... and this is the bit that made me near widdle meself . A display of Welsh Dolls toppled over and landed on the back wheel and these things came out like Tourist Seeking Missiles ... I have never cried from laughing so much in my life .
Bike was written off , he got a payout and managed to get another Viffer on an E reg plate , which he still owns and is rarely seen near Betwys-Y-Coed tourist centre
Supervox
21-05-11, 04:56 PM
+1
My divvy has close on 70K on it and never misses a beat :)
+2
I have an old Bandit in the back of the shed with over 100k on it.
The SV has 30k on it and it's perfect.
Sorry guys - I didn't mean it to sound as if only VFR's could handle high mileage :-)
Bedhead
21-05-11, 05:17 PM
Sorry guys - I didn't mean it to sound as if only VFR's could handle high mileage :-)
Didn't take any offence at all mate, VFR's are a fantastic bike, they had to be after the disaster of the VF's.:cool::cool:
Any decent big bike should do 100k, if you spent 7 or 8 grand on a new car, you wouldn't expect it to need an engine rebuild after 50k.
Bloke I work with drives exactly 37 miles a week, traded in his 2004 Mondeo with less than 30k on it last year, the dealer thought it had been clocked. I took my SV to a dealer and he said it was high mileage with the same 30k on it!:mrgreen::mrgreen::mrgreen::mrgreen::mrgreen:
I've used my SV1000S a couple of times on my new commute of 88 miles. It will do three legs of the journey on a tank full. My ful light stopped flashing ( really time to find fuel ) at 164 miles as I rode into the garage near work. I squeezed in 14.4 litres on side stand and that's nearly 52 mpg and rarely dropping under indicated 80.
Ratty
SUPERSTARDJ01
23-05-11, 08:05 AM
[/URL]Here you go some VFR's.
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201117386009377/sort/priceasc/usedbikes/model/vfr/make/honda/quicksearch/true/postcode/mk64lw/page/3/radius/1500?logcode=p (http://www.autotrader.co.uk/search/used/bikes/honda/vfr/postcode/mk64lw/radius/1500/quicksearch/true/page/3)
[URL]http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201120387587233/sort/priceasc/usedbikes/model/vfr/make/honda/quicksearch/true/postcode/mk64lw/page/3/radius/1500?logcode=p
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201119386660911/sort/priceasc/usedbikes/model/vfr/make/honda/quicksearch/true/radius/1500/page/4/postcode/mk64lw?logcode=p
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201120387839575/sort/priceasc/usedbikes/model/vfr/make/honda/quicksearch/true/radius/1500/page/4/postcode/mk64lw?logcode=p
custard
23-05-11, 09:32 AM
just picked up a 2001 faired hornet to use on a 60 miles roundtrip commute for 1500... fairing is effective, its comfy, quick enough, cheap parts, cheap insurance, not too bad on fuel and consumables. will handle anything the british weather can throw at it and go on for years... oh, and its near enough mint :)
philbut
23-05-11, 11:07 AM
I have a ZZR600 which I have travelled all round Europe and the Balkans on. does London filtering fine. Never missed a beat. Has 50k on now, and I'm starting a job where my commute will be 100 miles a day, will still stick to the ZZR,. best bit is, they are cheap as chips. I bought mine with 18K on it for £930. Will do 50+ mpg on a run. I get about 45mpg when getting a shift on.
yorkie_chris
24-05-11, 03:24 PM
just picked up a 2001 faired hornet to use on a 60 miles roundtrip commute for 1500... fairing is effective, its comfy, quick enough, cheap parts, cheap insurance, not too bad on fuel and consumables. will handle anything the british weather can throw at it and go on for years... oh, and its near enough mint :)
I dunno, my experience of hornets isn't that good. The suspension and brakes are just as sh*t as suzuki ones and the fasteners aren't anything special either.
finish of paint on old h*ndas was pretty good but that's neither here nor there as thin pain never left you stuck anywhere.
The one I worked on was a thirsty bugger as well, worse than SV. And the engine's a pile of sick.
custard
25-05-11, 09:48 AM
I dunno, my experience of hornets isn't that good. The suspension and brakes are just as sh*t as suzuki ones and the fasteners aren't anything special either.
finish of paint on old h*ndas was pretty good but that's neither here nor there as thin pain never left you stuck anywhere.
The one I worked on was a thirsty bugger as well, worse than SV. And the engine's a pile of sick.
you like them then :-D
Jackie_Black
25-05-11, 10:28 PM
My 2010 hornet is canny but I wouldn't commute a long way on it. It's just a toy. The engine isn't a pile of sick though chris I thought you'd like it you hAve to nail it everywhere...
yorkie_chris
25-05-11, 10:35 PM
Pile of sick is harsh I admit.
But, you have to nail it everywhere, they're wheezy at the top. If I wanted something to thrash then there's no reason I'd possibly buy one instead of a GSXR (with bars not clipons...). And since the one I was messing with was thirstier than the GSXR750K I was knocking about on around the same time... no contest at all.
dare i say a BMW of some description. nice sit up, comfy, reliable, shaft driven mile munchers.
xXBADGERXx
25-05-11, 11:07 PM
I sicked in my mouth then
Jackie_Black
26-05-11, 06:35 AM
Pile of sick is harsh I admit.
But, you have to nail it everywhere, they're wheezy at the top.
Maybe I have a good one then, mine doesn't feel far off my old ninja 600 (p7f) except once you get flat out in 4th you feel like you're going to get ripped off it!!
I would probably agree with the GSXR thing though, it is meant to be one of the best road bikes you can get and is on my list.
vBulletin® , Copyright ©2000-2025, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.