best first time bike for commute

hello all

I'm getting way ahead of myself here but i plan to take (and pass!) my full test in february/march next year in order to buy a bike for doing a 30-mile each way motorway commute for 4/5 days a week (changing jobs). Used to ride a bsa bantem when i was a nipper, now im gracefully drifting into middle age. want to get a bike because i used to love my bantem,for economy and to beat the traffic jams. at the moment am torn between going for a maxi scooter such as a bergman or silverwing - or a proper bike, maybe something like a bmw 650 GS. My budget is c. £3k. So pros and cons please and advice: whats good to commute? whats good for a beginner? what's good for economy? will be doing the commute through all seasons. I'm not a boy racer but don't mind a little speed in the right circumstances.... any thoughts? I do care what the bike looks like, however. If youre gonna have one you may as well have a beautiful one, no?thanks!

jon

First off, welcome to the forum! Good luck with the tests when the time comes.

I have a F700GS which is basically the same as the newer twin version of the F650GS (for your budget I'm not sure if you could get a twin or the older single). It sits perfectly happily at 70mph on the motorway, with some power to spare. However it does't feel properly at home there due to the lack of wind protection. Average is around 80mpg on mine just now.

If you are doing primarily motorway miles, maybe something like the F800ST or GT? Bit more wind protection and the advantage of belt drive rather than chain. So less maintenance.

Thanks Arwen - that sounds like advice to consider. What about maneuverability through traffic? ill have dense city centre streets to manage in sunny manchester and sunny liverpool at either end of my journey. F800 not too heavy? one of the things that caught by eye about the 650 is how light it is and, seemingly, easy to handle in congestion etc?

I've only had a sit on a F800GT (the ST was too tall for me) but it felt like it should be able to filter no bother between normal sized gaps. Sitting on it was not nearly as "sporty" a position as I first thought. I found it very comfortable, however I am short!

I normally do city traffic on my MSX, which can do pretty much right angled turns if need be! The F700GS has rather wide bars for filtering, but it is light enough that I don't feel it a problem.

I'm sure some folk with way more experience than me will be along to offer more advice soon

thank you arwen - and for taking time to respond!!!

Hello and welcome to the forum.

I've just recently picked up a 3 month old VFR 800X Crossrunner and it is a dream to commute on. The round trip is 55 miles on the motorway.

I also tried the Africa Twin which works of been my first choice of bike, but unfortunately the insurance premiums are far too high to justify getting the bike!

I passed my DAS in May this year and went straight out and purchased a CB650F (sane bike as used for my DAS) as I found the bike really comfortable.

However, I soon found out it wasn't so comfortable clicking up the motorway miles.

In my opinion, something more upright with wine protection etc withdraw definitely be high on the priority list.

I think in all honesty you can do a 30 mile commute on pretty much any bike. A small screen will make a real difference at motorway speeds but that's about all. So my suggestion would be to buy a bike you like - even if it doesn't come with a screen you can easily fit one. My first bike, used for a similar commute, was a Kawasaki ER-5. The more modern equivalent is the ER6n or, if you want something with a bit more wind protection, the Versys 650. The Versys also has the added advantage that while being a road-oriented bike it can handle a bit of rough track action should you want to go a bit further off the beaten track. Both bikes are perfectly comfortable filtering on the motorway and cruising up to (and over) 70 mph.

Here's a couple of (not brilliant) pics of my 2009 Versys 650.

If a notably lower weight was one of the things attracting you to the F650, then you've definitely been reading about the old single versiom and NOT the newer twin that Arwen is talking about

I posted a review on the F650GS:

https://www.themotorbikeforum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=52720

And Old Timer is still riding around on the Dakar variant, if you want a second opinion on the bike.

For me, the short version would be:

+ Great all rounder that can haul a lot of crap with ease by 600/650 standards

+ Fun to ride, great at technical stuff especially picking through heavy traffic

+ Far more capable off road than most of its Japanese counterparts

- VERY popular bike for more serious adventure riding and round the world stuff - a whole lot of very tatty examples out there as a result!

- Far more expensive to maintain than equivalent models from Japanese manufacturers, and needlessly complicated to work on

- Not so hot on top speed; gets lazier after 50mph and doesn't have a sixth gear

Awesome bike for adventure travel if you can find a tidy one and are handy with a spanner! But for primarily road miles and commuting I'd recommend looking at the V-Strom 650 (or Versys, as recommended above). Both will give you a fair bit more top end on a road and don't have the same pedigree health issues - or the BMW tax on parts costs!

For similar money to a tidy F650 you can usually get a Strom with luggage included

Welcome to TMBF mate. ......pop over to the Newbies section and introduce yourself to the guys when you can. ......

I'd be looking at a Honda NC700X if I were you......very frugal on the fuel, and they seem to be coming in around the £3000 mark for some fairly tidy bikes.....

So - a very quick thanks to everyone for so generously giving of their opinions. You've obviously all made it much worse by giving such varied views! But that's a nice dilemma for me and the prospect of 4/5 months window shopping is cool. You're a friendly bunch, which is more grist to my mid/life wannabe bike boy mill.

Thanks again everyone. Lots of thinking ahead and lots of good insight from your contributions.

jb

Don't just window shop, get in there and sit on as many as possible! I spent a few months before I got my 125 siting on big bikes to get the feel of them. Then a good 6 months of weekends going around every bike shop and show I could to finally decide which bigger bike I wanted.

The folk in most shops are generally full of info, tips and tricks for new riders. Not all are accurate, but they may sit you on a bike you would never have thought of, and you'll just "click" with it

Im using an fz6 to do 20 miles a day. So cheap to run and perfect through traffic. If i could go back i would get the faired version as 70mph is a bit windy, got a little screen coming to try and combat that.

hello and welcome

As above sit on as much as possible and buy what makes you smile

on a side note some decent waterproof gear if you're riding all year.