I'm stuck on what to get next. I commute 2 or 3 times a week from Hertfordshire into London, generally a 30 mile each way journey that involves lots of filtering. I currently do it on an 1198s which is great fun as it is very loud and very thin (took the wing mirrors off), two qualities absolutely needed for a commuter. I generally come home on the M1 to beat the traffic so tuck in and open it up, very little wind buffering. However it gets hot at the lights and isn't great at starting - is a little temperamental. It also has 27,000 miles on it. Would like to save the rest of it's life span for pleasure really. What do i get? Am thinking Hyper as it looks comfortable and have heard how much fun they are, however the width of the bars goes against it. Monster, although i'd like the 1200 as not sure the others are powerful enough (convince me if i'm wrong) but they are big money. An older Multi, but are they reliable? The 950? Is it going to be fun, and large? 848 Streetfighter? Will that be reliable as a commuter, bearing in mind the age of one now? Help!
Series 1 Multistrada 1200S with the Ohlins front and rear. Decat it and get the ecu flashed. Mines 5 years old and is my go to forever bike for every day. Just done 650 miles over the weekend through Devon and Somerset. Some flowing and curvy tarmac some with grass growing in the middle of the road. Awesome fun. Andy
Had a gs500 for commuting..60+mpg. Sold with 40k on the clock, changed oil every 5000miles and air filter every second oil change. Checked valve gap at 25k, all within specs. Now the interesting part..bought for £1800..sold for £850 after 6 years.(part exchanged for 2017 KTM250EXC six days) LOL Although the bike might struggle above 80-85mph..cb500 even better option.
The Multistrada option seems like a mine field at the moment, there seems to be so many different varieties. What years between would the series 1 be?
I bought a 2008 gs500, 4000 miles ago. Had 12000 miles on the clock, cost me £700. Never missed a beat. Dull as dog shit though!!!
gsxr 600/750 2007 onwards brilliant bikes for commuting and general riding, small nimble and quick what more do you want??
I'd agree the CB500 is the ideal commuter, I used one for a 100 mile daily commute for 4 years in all weather conditions, but if want to staff with Ducati and money isn't an issue, I'd say the 821 Stripe. I don't commute anymore but for filtering it's great, it's got plenty of power and speed when you need it but if you're doing motorway riding I'd recommend the larger touring screen as the mini screen is pretty useless on motorways. Luckily I hardly ever use motorways. Just food for thought really.
If the journey doesn't consist of motorways then a CG125 is the best congestion filtering motorbike ever built. Great handling and around town you can get over 110mpg. Lots of street cred for little money.
The thing is i never ride for pleasure at the weekends as have no mates with bikes so my only riding is the ride into London, hence why i currently do it on the 1198. Has to be something semi-fancy, the 821 Monster sounds like a good option. My choice of routes in is either M1 or A1 so a 125 would not really cut it i think, although probably great once i hit Hampstead etc.
Semi-fancy without worrying too much about coin and has to be a Ducati? I'd go Monster 1200. Multi is too much, hyper to wide. I always commuted on Honda's myself. My old CBF1000 was a hero.
Gotcha. In that case any Ducati will be a compromise. Staying away from sports and larger models is a good start. The Monster is what I would look for if I were you.
Could save yourself a few ££££'s and go for a M796 and you'll have the added bonus of it being a single sided swing arm and look much nicer too
Honda Blackbird there cheap to buy easy to service, reliable good weather protection Used one for a number of years for commuting down to London and to Leeds
Z1000 (what i use most days) had mine over 2 years now. Never missed a beat. You can pretty well serivce it yourself. Valve clearances not needed til 26k. Loads of tuning spares available. And.....ive gotta say it. Out of my 4 bikes....its the one that draws the most looks....
Only been out on it a couple of times as it's actually Mrs M's bike. It goes well enough though, I had fun on it the couple of times I've taken it for a run and still put a grin on my face... Streets apart from the brutality of the 1198 but would make a comfortable and fun commuter. Don't know if maintenance costs are a contributing factor for you but would also be more reasonable than the 1198 servicing
