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Which commuter bike?
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It's been a few years since I last owned a bike, having relied on public
transport, bicycling and nabbing my brothers car. I've now got a new job
which will involve 30 miles each way of heavy traffic, and M3 or A3.
Basically, from Kingston-upon-Thames to Basingstoke. To start I'll get a
train over, but am playing with the idea of commuting by bike and am
wondering what bike to get. Friends are saying BMW GS650, although I quite
like the look of a Valdaredo. Of course there may be even more suitable
bikes which you guys may be able to recommend. I'm 6ft and pretty heavily
built.
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Supermoto such as KTM.
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Sixty mile roundtrip on a 7l tank doesn't sound like that good an idea
to me.
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Hyosung Aquila GV125. I know a very nice man in Kingston who has one for
sale, and I'm not just saying that for my own benefit. Oh alright then,
I am.
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The GS650 doesn't have much oomph and might be a bit tall for a short
fatty.
I suggest you visit a motorcycle dealer and have a look around at a B6
or something similar which you might enjoy a bit more
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Having not had a bike for so long, and I was pretty young then, I'm out of
experience on what equipment I would need. I would need everything, from
clothing to security stuff. I'd also be looking to get a loan to cover it
all. So, what's the best bike, the best deal I can get etc?
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I know I'm going to get flamed mercilessly for this but...
A Honda Deauville (aka Dullsville) is probably just what you need.
Panniers, fairing, shaft-drive extremely well-built and reliable, good
for 100k. Not much fun, but for commuting is fun the first priority?
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Yep, better put that flameproof suit on. The Dullsville will commute
happily, but for anything else, don't bother. Mine managed to get me to
the South of France and a couple of the French Runs here without a
problem, but it was a literal pain in the arse.
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A 650 BMW would be okay for the trip. The GS variant is not my favourite in
the rang though. I've had them as loan bikes from dealers and the CS
Scarver appeals as it has low maintenace belt drive rather than chain.
The 650 will cruise at motorway speeds but I'd prefer something with more
weather protection and a bit more power.
As someone else has suggested, one of the Suzuki or Honda 650cc V twins
might be better. Try each of them as they have different ergonomics and
plus/minus points. If you can bear the shame then a Deauville will provide
good weather protection and low running costs. Transalp or Vstrom would be
my choice in this category.
Avoid the 1000cc Varedero as the fuel consumption is excessive.
Lastly, until you are convinced that you can cope with commuting all year
on a bike don't spend too much money. If darsy still has that SOBMW then
I'd be tempted to take that off his hands to run through the winter: you
might find that by mid-December you are taking the train.....
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Clothing: Motorcycle shop
Security stuff: Motorcycle shop
Loan: Motorcycle shop
If you get the bike, clothing, etc. from the same motorcycle shoppe
then you might even get a discount on the clothing, helmet, etc as
they're quite high profit.
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