New job... Bit of a commute for the Ducati

agnes

agnes

agnes

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Well, this new job is in Old Woking and that is roughly 80 miles of A road for me a day. Not bad, but that is going through Bracknell each day, as much as I love my Ducati 748 to bits, I simply can't put it through that as it would kill me lol. So, wondered if anyone has any opinions on a cheap reliable bike to get as a commuter? Has to be small as I filter when possible/safe. Less than £1k. Looks... Don't care, as long as it gets me from A to B :)

ags
 
Superewza said:
If it's just for commuting, and you already have a 'big' bike then you might want to consider a 125 of some sort. Cheap as to run and will definitely get you from A to B.
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I was thinking this, also, would be cheap as chips to insure, tax and maintain.

But never dabbed in the 125 world.

ags
 
Sorry to be slightly OT but agnes, did you happen to be up by Caversham Heights any time in the past 2 weeks?

Oh, here's some On Topic: A friend has been using his Bandit 600 for about 4 years now, commuting and he's broke due to other reasons but can still afford to run the bike, so presumably it's cheap to keep! Though the exhaust did sort of fall apart a bit when he visited me in London once.
 
agnes said:
I was thinking this, also, would be cheap as chips to insure, tax and maintain.

But never dabbed in the 125 world.

ags
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Varadero 125 is a big big, I'm 6' 3" and road to Clapham every day, a bandit will ache your wrists it's still a sit over bike, try a BMW F650, mine cost £900 and I've seen a few on the bay go for £500 - 600, real sit on top ride, good for traffic, loads of torque easy to fix yourself and bits are cheap
 
80 miles a day on a 125 doesn't sound like fun. You want a bike that can still brighten up your commute. I'd be looking at something like a ZX9R. Comfy, fast, handles ok and some weather protection. Should be able to pick up a tidy B model for around a grand.

If you want something more sit-up, then some sort of parallel twin like the BMW 650 funduro, although not sure how cheap you can get those for.
 
To be honest I have done commuting on 125cc and now 600cc and the only difference I experienced is the cost, at least twice as much fuel for the bigger bike. It all deepens what roads you will be using I suppose and the speed limits that you will have. If you can afford then go for a bigger bike as it's so much more fun to ride.

How about a 250cc bike? I've never ridden one but is that an option?
 
Sagalout said:
If you want something more sit-up, then some sort of parallel twin like the BMW 650 funduro, although not sure how cheap you can get those for.
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The Funduro is a single cylinder :) , and don't you know it bang :( bang :( bang :( bang :(, the only problem I found with a commute on a 125 is the traffic light grand prix, it gets a bit hairy if you can't outrun a ford fiesta
 
I commute about 40 miles a day on my Pegaso, which is the same engine as the Funduro and a very very similar bike (better bits on it though :D) and I wouldn't want to double that commute. It's a big rattly old single. It's fun for what it is but a 'proper' bike would leave you feeling much happier on arrival at work.

Edit: Removed hearty recommendation for a pre-injection Fazer 1000 because I missed the less than £1k statement!

Pegaso/Funduro makes more sense at that price but to be honest I'd probably get an ER5/CB500. The Pegaso/Funduro engine is lumpy and bad-tempered. It's hilarious to ride in small doses but honestly it's about as refined as Chris Moyles.

My Pegaso costs me about £100 to insure TPFT, I'm 26 with 3 years on my license, cheap as cheaps to tax/insure/run.
 
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Griffo said:
Sorry to be slightly OT but agnes, did you happen to be up by Caversham Heights any time in the past 2 weeks?

Oh, here's some On Topic: A friend has been using his Bandit 600 for about 4 years now, commuting and he's broke due to other reasons but can still afford to run the bike, so presumably it's cheap to keep! Though the exhaust did sort of fall apart a bit when he visited me in London once.
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Yea, couple of my mates live around there... Red 748 with white number boards and a single seat? Red/black/white leathers? Why?

ags
 
PardonTheWait said:
Pegaso, which is the same engine as the Funduro and a very very similar bike (better bits on it though :D)
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Interseting didn't realise there was a Pegaso owner here :) the Funduro is built in Italy alongside the Pegaso, they share many parts, I've just bought a 1990's magazine from ebay comparing the two, I'll scan it in and post it here at some point. Try this :)
 
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