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[Waverider]

 
Expecting twins so moving to a bigger house, the missus has found a good one but it's 30 miles from work. The roads are good (no motorways) but I've worked out I'm going to be doing 16k plus miles a year just to work and back. The fuel and running costs are looking quite scary so I've been looking at boring commuter bikes. Things like the honda nc700, yamaha sr400, suzuki dr's etc. The NC700 will do twice the mpg of my ninja and I'm pretty sure it won't eat tyres at the same rate either.

I will be replacing the pirelli rosso corsas with michelin power road 3's on my 10 as I will inevitably want to take it from time to time to relieve the boredom and I've heard they give good mileage but the overall cost of using it daily is too much.

So to my questions,

Does anyone on here do a long commute, if so on what?
Does it do your head in? (I'm currently 15 mins from work, will increase to 45)
Can anyone recommend a bike that is mega cheap to run?

Cheers

[arch stanton]

forget any notions of cool or sportiness. The DR should be ruled out straigh off, smal tank and uncomfortable seat would be a mare. TBH, whicever bike you choose you'll be visiting the fuel station every few days, in winter without heated grips you'll be stopping a couple of times on the way home to try and warm hands up. I did it for a few years and the novelty wore off in winter. If you defo want to do it on a bike, id go for an old tourer style, big comfy seat, good weather protection and big tank. Or get a small diseasal car.

[michael4012]

commuting year round is hard on bikes i would buy an older fully dressed bike such as a VFR750 or Triumph Sprint 1050 as mentioned above fairing and heated grips are essential dont forget the cost of adding commuting to your insurance.

[Waverider]

forget any notions of cool or sportiness.

Lol. The Suzuki Vstrom 650 looks like a good compromise between cost and enjoyment, reported at 50 mpg ish, has a screen and could easily fit heated grips. The v twin engines are meant to be pretty tough.

Bikes like the VFR are a bit to technical, I will be doing my own servicing and won't something moderately straight forward to work on. A guy at work had one and ended up spending a fortune on it, might have been a lemon though.

A small car does make sense but I hate sitting in traffic so have ruled that out.

[docta13]

I've been doing a few trips back and forward to site, thankfully not always on the bike, I'm splitting it between an rsv4 and a zzr1400. maybe get some music in your ears as i get get bored very easy and and my commute can sometimes be 50-60 miles each way if I've got to go into london!!

[Si-10R]

A cheap to run commuter an old CB500, BMW F650GS. The bimmer frame is mentally good on fuel. 200 odd miles to a tank. Stupidly comfortable and has heated grips. They ride the fookers round the world so cannot be that bad. I had the second gen for a while and loved it.

[Kaos Theory]

I've been commuting on sportsbikes for years, this year is the first time I've had heated grips on a bike, before that, decent gloves made all the difference.

[Wellerman]

I do long commutes and work away from home up as far as Northumberland from kent and have always had diversion 900s...on my second one now and wouldn't have anything else as a hack/tourer cheap as chips comfy no chain and it will do 200 miles to a tank mines on 60k miles and engine is sweet as a nut

[kwakkid]

[r1flyguy]

Does anyone on here do a long commute, if so on what?

Firstly, congratulations 

Secondly, my commute is 6000 miles every 2 weeks 

Does it do your head in? (I'm currently 15 mins from work, will increase to 45)

When I worked in the UK my commute was year round on a ZX10R albeit 20 miles each way and a combination of A,B and motorway, winter was a ball ache but as I worked shifts and sometimes finished at 2am the ride back from work was interesting 

It was always a better proposition than taking the car as I had a large bike garage often all to myself 

The ZX10R is always more economical than a car IMHO,

Depending on the type of roads, just be careful in the winter as you have and expanding family now 

[MJJ_ZX6RR]

I commute 52 miles each way on a 1400GTR. Lots of comfort, room to carry suit/laptop etc. and a big fairing to shield you from the weather.

It does 200 to a tank, and has averaged 52mpg in the 54,000 miles since new. Tyres (Pilot Road 3's or Pirelli Angel GTs) last 10,000 miles and it has been magnificently reliable. Only downside is the servicing, every 4,000 miles and expensive at a dealer.

The trouble with buying a cheap and cheerful, or boring motorbike is that it may stat to suck the enjoyment from riding. I am happy to pay the bills and have a nice bike to commute on.

Final recommendation - Gerbings heated jacket and gloves wired into the bike's electrics. Makes winter a breeze.

Matin.

[Waverider]

[millsyboy]

I live about 16miles from work and when I first moved here, I took bike to work (when I had a GSXR) and then took the car and the time it took was the same (two lane A road - 90% of it). This is driving at speed limit (and keeping mpg high). I decided it was better to take the car, as no need to change clothes when I arrive, the bike would have been in the elements (rain) and usage/mileage would have raked up.
If I lived somewhere where the roads mostly countryside, then I would alternate. If I was constantly stuck behind traffic on the roads or through a city, then I would definitely take the bike as quicker.

[sinewave]

Could always look for a new job closer to the new Gaff?     

[Waverider]

Thanks for the advice on this one. I ended up getting a Yamaha XT660z tenere with boxes on the side. It's working out pretty well so far giving between 50 & 55 mpg and the boxes mean no rucksack. Sunny today though so on the ten