Total Motorcycle Community Forums

Something very weird happens to bike performace stateside...

I think you are right. I don't understand it. My father had a Honda CB92R in the early '60s which at 124cc and 17HP was supposedly a capable bike. He had to take the megaphones off and install mufflers to ride it on the street but he said it was fine for everything except carrying passengers.

As for the mixture at altitude... hopefully that won't be a problem. Most of my riding will be below 3000'. Maybe I should install a mixture control al la piston aircraft engines.

Thanks!

I've done the commute thing on my katana a few times. if you can carry clothes so you dont have to wear your riding gear at work. go for it. Highway riding in slacks. at 50 degrees. chilly. dumb. but damned exhilirating.

Highway riding in slacks. at 50 degrees. chilly. dumb. but damned exhilirating.

I'm lucky... no dress codes (we're a small tech company), no problem swapping clothes at the office (everyone already knows I'm strange), and there is a full shower in the bathroom so if I need to get cleaned up I can.

I commute with my bike. I ride 15 miles each way. Certainly not the amount you plan to ride, but I am one of the few who rides every single day to and from work, mostly @ 70mph on the freeway.

A giant cruiser is not the way to go. A sportbike is definately not the way to go. Standards and medium sized cruisers will do you fine. Since you are a new rider, you should stick to under 500ccs. You do NOT need a 600-1000cc bike to ride all day at 75. If you do, you don't know how to ride a bike. Mine is a 500cc with very low horsepower (around 30s) and I can run up to 85+ with the best of them (though I dont) and I've ridden hundreds of miles at 75 on open highway with enough power to spare to navigate traffic.

What you need to focus on is comfort and gas mileage. My bike for example does well in commuting, but its a trade off. I get 70mpg (literally) but its a single cylinder, so vibrates more than would a twin+. Its frame is a LITTLE small but I dont notice until I ride 50+ miles nonstop. Its got a small tank and so I can only go around 130 miles before I need to gas up again (or switch to reserve and look for a gas station), but at the same time its very lightweight and its small size makes it a breeze to dart around city streets.

Too big and you will be comfortable on the highway but it will be a cumbersome beast in the city. Too small and it will be a breeze in the city but a pain on the highway.

And, suck it up and take the safety course. The experience alone is worth the money, especially if you want to start commuting soon. Shop for insurance (Progressive and other high profile insurance companies do not like to insure motorcycles, so they have ridiculous rates - folks here can give you ideas of where to get it). Plus the MSF may give you insurance discounts.

Dont buy a brand new 10K bike. Odds are you will drop it in your learning experience. Me, I havent dropped mine yet...but I'm not much of a gambling man so I bought a used bike for 2k. A brand new shiney bike could end up being a money pit in damage repairs.

Pay particular attention to gas mileage. Most motorcycle dealer specs dont seem to display the information, so you may have to ask or do your own research. Bigger engine = worse mileage. You'll thank yourself at the pump for not buying a 750.

Wow that was long. Anyway, motorcycles are the ideal commuting vehicle. Get a good set of saddlebags and enjoy the ride. You'll look FORWARD to getting up every morning and riding to work - I know I do. Good luck.

I think most of the 250s like the Nighthawk, Rebel and Virago will be going close to flat out at 75-80mph. The 250 Ninja's more powerful, high revving engine will take it up to 100 mph. I rode a Ninja on the L.A. freeways last year and I considered it barely passable. Top speed was not a problem, but the constant accelleration and decelleration in traffic was not great. When you have to slow down to 50 mph, then everyone suddenly takes off at 80 mph again, the Ninja will get some cars breathing down its tailpipe. Additionally, performance will be not be good on the steeper grades of the big hills east of L.A. The 250 will be breathing hard trying to keep up with the 75mph traffic.

Overall, I think something in the 500 cc range, like the Suzuki or Kaw, will be more comfortable for that commute. As a noob, I used to do a similar commute (over steeper mountains) on a 32 hp 400cc twin and it was just enough to keep up with the high speed freeway traffic.

I went wandering around a dealership earlier today, just getting an idea of what the bikes look/feel like IRL. They had Suzuki, Kawasaki, and Honda.

The 250 ninja is definitely out. The 500 wouldn't be bad, but I want something more upright. I like the look/feel of the enduros and as close to "standard" style bikes best. Just sitting in the garage I actually fit pretty well on my XS1100, which has a seat height of ~31 inches.

I just couldn't see myself on any of the cruisers they had there. Of course most were large displacement bikes, but even if they weren't they just weren't "me". Heh.

My favorite was not a good starter bike... D-Strom 650. My friend's F650GS is prettier, but both have a similar vibe. I need to research this more...especially since both apear to, when available used at all, exceed my self-imposed first bike budget by at least a couple grand and the recommended performance by 15HP. The GS500F seemed ok but compared to the pics of the GS500E I've seen online it is fugly (this coming from someone who can tolerate the d-strom ). Hopefully that will work in my favor shopping for a used bike.

I think I need my head examined.

Thanks everyone!

I wouldn't be so quick to discount the V-Strom 650. The motor is very smooth and predictable. It'll move along nicely but you have to explicitly ask it to do so. I had more trouble with throttle control on the Yamaha XT225 I rode during the MSF course. The only complaint I have is that it's somewhat top heavy. I bought mine last year as my first bike and I commute approximatley 50 miles round trip.

sshhhh....I'm trying to save myself $6500 by forgetting that the v-strom exists. Your post isn't helping.

If break down and buy a new bike within the next year, the 'strom 650 is at the top of a very short list of candidates. I haven't seen many used (mainly because they are so new at a guess), and few I have seen advertised were either expensive (relative to new) or had a salvage title.