| Author | Message | ||
     Mrsuperbuckets |
I have been using a suzuki dr200 as my vehicle to get to and form work. my question is, would a buell blast or a buell xb12/9s be a good commuter bike? i ride 98miles one way to work, so i need something that is comfortable and i don't want to use my 1125r as a commuter. any recommendations for commuter bikes anyone? | ||
| Froggy |
I love my Blast for commuting, but I don't put 100 miles on it each way. If you are thinking of an XB for commuting, I'd look at a Ulysses with luggage, that way you have room for your crap, and it complements the 1125R nicely. Down side to the Uly is running cost, it uses the same size tires as the 1125, so everything is expensive and doesn't last long, even touring ones. | ||
| Rogue_biker |
The XB12R was my perfect commuter. Low maintenance, fast enough, great for highway work because of the extra power and the fairing, narrow enough for lane splitting in SoCal. It was my favorite bike for the daily commute. | ||
| Tbowdre |
DRZ400SM.... FCR39 carb, big bore kit, open pipe... dirt cheap, reliable as hell and suzuki made about a billion of them, unchanged from 2000 to today. DRZ400s, DRZ400E, DRZ400SM all the same. Laugh like a maniac all the way to work. | ||
| Matteson |
I commute on the 1125 all year minus rain and snow. | ||
| Jimustanguitar |
Stop and go is less fun than highway on an 1125. It turns into a BBQ grill when you have to make lots of stops. | ||
| Dannybuell |
Tbowdre - I like the way you think. A smaller super motard like the DRZ400SM would be an excellent choice for a naked bike. My thoughts were leaning towards a Kawasaki Ninja 250. for a 200 mile commute an inexpensive and economical aero bike like this might be just the ticket. Your profile says South Carolina, here is a link from Charleston SC: http://charleston.craigslist.org/search/mca?query= 250+ninja&srchType=T | ||
| Sl33py |
commute for 90 miles ea way - i'd go for maximum mpg. Not scooter MPG but not 1125R MPG either. THe DRZ400SM would be my choice. I had an older XR650L and it was fantastic to commute on. great suspension for our crappy roads. | ||
| Coastrambler |
I'd make sure my butt was happy for the ride, especially coming home. | ||
| Mrsuperbuckets |
my dr200 was great because of the fuel economy and I could be a hooligan on the way home but my wife isn't that happy with my hooliganism on my way home. that is why I was looking for a street bike that was good for commuting. | ||
| Ernie579 |
I have a 650 Versys for commuting on an it does well with that. IT is fun on winding roads and will run all day at 80 mph in a straight line and still have enough to pass if needed. The Versys has a torque tune so will not feel great if you try to red line it but if you are not a dolt and know when to shift it does wonderfully. I had a big XR650l and while it will do highway miles it is not great for the longevity of the piston and cylinder. If you go the single cylinder route watch your oil closely the BRP will start eating oil and I suspect the same for most other singles. | ||
| Stevel |
In my opinion and opinion is what you wish to hear, none of the Buells make good commuters. Buells are sport bikes and are designed to fill that role. A commuter must be all weather. It must be ultra reliable. It must be able to carry "stuff". It must be comfortable and be very good on fuel. For city or city/light highway use, a large displacement scooter is superb. I have two friends that are freelance photo journalists. They swear by the Honda Pan European in that role and they make their living with their bikes. In Holland, medical first responders ride these type bikes as well, but they use the BMW equivalent. The pan European Honda and equivalents have no chrome, excellent weather protection, high power, great fuel consumption, large fuel range, great rider comfort and they can carry the kitchen sink when required. Another application of these same requirements are police bikes. Look to see what these guys ride. Don't re-invent the wheel, use what history has proven to be best. | ||
| Ernie579 |
Not as slick as the big Euro bikes but the budget Euro.  | ||
| Rogue_biker |
I guess it depends on where you commute daily, and what weather. I commute daily on my 1125R, prior to that my XB12R. I carried my laptop and all my work stuff inside my waterproof Messenger Bag. I rode in the rain, in stop and go, highway, etc. The only times I don't ride to work is when the weather is REALLY bad, which is REALLY rare here in Southern California. But it does rain during winter. Having said that, the roads where I live are smooth and well maintained. There is a lot of stop and go, but I can split lanes. The XB12R did heat up, especially the rear cylinder. When you're stopped in hot weather, and the rear cylinder cooling fan kicks in, some of the rear cylinder heat hits your lower thigh. It's HOT! This isn't a problem as soon as you start moving. The 1125R also gets hot but it doesn't have that concentrated rear cylinder heat blast when stopped. Again, lane splitting allows me to keep moving most of the time, so it's rarely a problem. If given the choice to commute on a bike that is designed for all weather use, with all the practicality of a police bike, I would still choose my sportbike. Why? Because it is DAMN FUN! Also, a sportbike like the XB or 1125 is really narrow, allowing me to go in between the tightest gaps in traffic, something you can't do on an ST1300 and similar types bikes. The ability to take advantage of lane splitting is a HUGE advantage on a motorcycle. | ||
| Captjoe |
Is lane splitting legal in California? | ||
| Nikoff90 |
Is lane splitting legal in California? Yes and you can filter at intersections. | ||
| Redbat |
When My son and I rode our bikes to California (my 1125 Cr and his Yamaha r6) from Texas, we met a young lady on the road in Arizona who was also heading back to California. She struck up a conversation with us and asked if she could ride with us. Turns out she was a motorcycle riding safety instructor from LA. She taught us how to split lanes as soon as we crossed the border. At first it was a little scary at 70 mph, but we picked it up quickly. This made riding around LA, and anywhere in the state an absolute blast! I especially liked when in traffic and stopped at a traffic light say,......15 cars ahead of us, you can ride between cars all the way to the front of the line. When the light changes to green, you start out ahead of everyone! I can't say enough good about it. Sure wish the other 49 states would adopt this law. | ||
| Nikoff90 |
Its actually a lot safer to get out ahead of the traffic mess at intersections also. i only had issue with lane splitting once and i am sure that the car that took me out did it intentionally. The lovely police called it a 50/50 accident regardless. | ||
| Noobuel |
I love taking advantage of lane splitting, but at one time the California Highway Patrol recommended that you not do it when traffic is moving faster than 30mph. (Some "concerned" citizen complained that the CHP didn't take cagers concerns into consideration when developing the lane splitting guidelines, so they had to remove them from the DMV website.  ) The current site shows the "We had to remove the guidelines." message, but the old version can be seen here: Lane Splitting General Guidelines | ||
| Tbowdre |
The guidelines were removed because someone (a lawyer) interpreted the guidelines as the CHP was making laws or amending the california vehicle code.... which the police are not allowed to do. | ||
| Noobuel |
Don't go confusing the story with facts! It makes a better narrative if it can be framed on a "us versus them" theme.  | ||
| Rogue_biker |
It was ONE person's complaint that brought the CHP Lane Splitting Guidelines down, which created a huge backlash among the motorcycle community here in CA. That one person is a freakin' lawyer that works in Sacramento (of course. CA has the most Lawyers who have NOTHING to do but sue to make a living). The CHP recommends not to lane split at speeds above 38 mph, and to maintain a 10 mph speed differential to give motorists time to see bikers approaching. I've followed this guideline most times, although I'll up the lane splitting up to 45-50 mph. In traffic dense SoCal, lane splitting during commuting is absolutely golden! I've gone passed other bikers on wide motorcycles like ST1300's, Goldwings, BMW R1200's, H-D's, etc., who where stuck in the stop and go because they couldn't fit in between the cars. It sucks for them. LOL! That's why commuting on a narrow sportbike is important to me. | ||
| Captjoe |
In my opinion, two vehicles, in basically the same 10ft - 12ft space, both moving at high speed might get you home a little quicker but it isn't worth the risk. A wise old rider, without any titanium screws in him, once told me it's better to lose a minute of your life then your life in a minute. Things happen fast on highways and the dope in the car always comes out the winner!  | ||
| Stevel |
I have been riding for 55 yrs. I have seen too many accidents caused by lane splitting. It is very tempting to do I admit. I do it only when traffic is at rest. It should be avoided if you wish to be an old motorcycle rider. | ||
| Butthurt |
I ride about 32miles mostly highway to work 2300-0730 1125R loves the late spring/ fall of MN. When my IAT tells me <65 degrees F. she just hauls and howls like the street beast she is. Thou shall not tip toe through life only to arrive at death safely. | ||
| Maggotbar |
My 1125CR is a great commuter bike. I added heated grips and some small LED flood lights to aid in the commute other than that I ride it all year round all weathers, I ride it around for work too, very comfortable very agile great handling and performance. My attitude is why settle for second best commuting one day you may need the extra power brakes handling to get out of a situation. I would rather commute on what I enjoy to ride. They just made Lane splitting and filtering legal here in Australia although have been doing it for the last 15 years. IMO sometimes you are safer between the cars rather then in the pack with them. | ||
| Dannybuell |
When someone says commuter I think economic considerations like mileage, ease of service, frequency of service... | ||
| Froggy |
Exactly, which while sportbikes may be great to ride, they are nowhere near economical. At least with my Blast, the tires cost next to nothing ($130 a pair), and at the rate it burns oil I never need to change it! Dirt cheap insurance, 70+mpg, and cheap enough that if it blew up tomorrow I'd just get another one. It costs a fortune to keep an XB or 1125 on the road. I just don't know how it would be for 100 miles each way commuting. I've done NYC to Boston and back on mine a few times and it was fine, but I know it won't be comfortable for everyone. A beater car like an old Corolla will be cheaper in the long run. | ||
| Nikoff90 |
I just get PO.ed when I commute on my CR. With everyone going too dam slow. I still ride it half the time. | ||
| Fresnobuell |
My old XB9SX was a GREAT commuter bike. Like what's already been mentioned--good (enough) MPG, fast enough to get you out of tough spots if necessary, FUN to ride. Also, the short wheelbase makes U-turns and parking lot manuevers a snap. If I was in the market for a commuter, I wouldn't hesitate to put a late model XB at the top of the list. My other consideration would be a Yami WR-250R dual sport. |
