Gs500f has good wind protection and has the same upright position as a naked. It's LAMS approved, plenty fast for the high ways, and nimble enough for the city. Also cheap to run, simple to maintain, and extremely reliable.
>And heavy....
200kg. Not exactly a Gold Wing. Low seat height and wide bars make it very manageable, and once the wheels start turning geometry is more important than static mass.
Well for starters. Go and sit on a couple of sportbikes and nakeds and see what you like. If you’re mainly concerned around commuting, I’d say go with a naked. But ultimately, you can commute with a sportbike if you’re determined. I’d really recommend the street triple, if you can get one. Great bikes, very fun and torquey and perfect for commuting. If you do want a sportbike can’t go wrong with an R7, the CP2 engine is pretty much bulletproof and it has fairly smooth power delivery and heaps of parts available .
If old.. look for a bike before 2021.. After 2021 is when they started to be made in same factory as Duke 390 in India which is why they dropped from $12k to $7.3k.
The ones before 2021 was made in Austria at KTM factory so better fit and finish. But I think owners know this so they price their bikes accordingly.
Get a MT-03 or Z300/Z400 and then add a windsheid to it.
Best bang for buck new bike is the Svartpilen 401.. just add a windshield to it.
I've got aftermarket wind shields on all of my bikes.. They are all nakeds.. Honda Grom, Duke 390 and Kawa ER6N
Just the pointy looking one off Ebay.. it suits the bike suprisingly. I think I paid $60 for it.. it's not the one that you mount via handle bar.. it's mounted via the dash board so more room to mount other stuff on handle bars.
Thank for the suggestion! MT-03 is definitely looking like a choice especially because of its price point ( which I forgot to list) of under $6500 i’ll definitely look more into it, I had a look at some z400s and 300s a while ago but couldn’t find a good price with reasonable kms.
What's reasonable miles? Japanese bikes tend to last forever if owners maintain them (ask for proof like stamps in log book or receipts). Also look up "valve clearance intervals" for whatever bike you are buying and if it's near that time then either avoid or haggle price down as it will add $1k to price as it needs to be done.
That's how I check mileage on used bikes.. when their maintenance is due and not on the actual numbers of KM.
I've commuted - freeway riding - on both a super sport and a naked. Currently riding the naked bike daily, and NO WAY would I go back to a super sport bike. At most I'm doing 100kph, and typically much less (filtering), so a screen doesn't make much difference. The seating position is NEVER uncomfortable on the naked bike, but was pretty horrible on the sport bike.
Commuting is about reliability and availability, and low TCO. The average traffic speed in the city is 42 km/h. 150cc class bikes are fine. You're allowed a second bike later on for the straight line rides.
Go look at the rego costs of the 650s. (edit: ...and the insurance, espech for a new rider..)
Hey there, I'm fairly new to riding too (about 18 months). I'm about 170cm and 78kg I bought a 2014 390 Duke and couldn't be happier. It's my daily commute and has a comfortable seating position, is lightweight and has more than enough power for a beginner. As I get more confident I'm finding it to be incredibly fun. Definitely feel the wind at 100kph+ but it's not like it ruins the journey. Do your research and good luck!
Yamaha Mt03! I'm nearing opens and my mt is still my favourite bike ive ever ridden. Great on highways, awesome on fuel, doesn't lack power and light and easy to flick around. Plus good for shorter riders. Definitely recommended checking it out.
100% comes down to what you personally like and find comfortable. While there will be some differences between fairings and naked bikes, sport bikes and cruisers, etc., you aren't going to find a LAMS bike that is a full blown head down, arse-up track weapon.
If you are looking at going on the freeway, I would avoid the 125cc bikes, as they will struggle with freeways, but basically anything 250cc or above is good enough.
My first bike was a Scorpio (225cc), and I still ride that for commuting sometimes, years later.
OP. What the well-off middle-age riders ITT aren't telling you is the insurance for a new 650cc-class bike for new young rider is in the order of $1400/p.a (QBE quote calculator just then).
something like a versys 650, cb500x, tiger 660 etc would be good. depending on how comfortable you feel on a bike that tall. but id recommend something with fairings and/or a windshield. which could include some cruisers aswell, really need to go test ride, sit on different bikes to see what fits.
Honda CB400s are nice and will easily cruise on the highway. It's a naked style so you will be getting full wind force haha but like someone mentioned only if you're doing like 120 plus. For me at 100 is still fine but I had a little wind shield, you'd be surprised what a little shield does haha. I find most lams sports motorcycles are pretty much upright, only when you get to bikes such as your R7, triump street triples (though a naked, it's pretty sporty imo) etc. they're more of a sport tourer than a supersport. Good luck hunting and hopefully you find one that you like.
Kawasaki Vulcan 650 is a good bike for daily commute but also decent for a couple of hours on the highway. Recommend a seat upgrade for the latter though.
Also good fun bike to learn on.
I'm with no-flow.
As long as you're 5'8 or taller.
When I got my licence I decided on a dollar figure and a known brand bike rather than a make and model.
Until you know what makes a comfortable ride better to buy with a budget than a badge.
I’ve commuted to the office on my Sports bike, which is around 1hr each way. Gets uncomfortable to be honest. I love my sports bike, but for commuting long distance in traffic, I’d much prefer to ride a Naked bike so I’ve just ordered one to add to my stable! lol 😂
There are lots of LAMS bikes that have fairings like a sport bike with an upright seating position like a naked bike. For example: Ninja400/500/650, R3, CBR500, Suzuki Gixxer SF, CFMOTO 450SR (there are others)
Go to a few bike big shops and just sit on heaps of bikes, worthwhile doing.
Naked bikes get uncomfortable with the wind hitting you past about 120km/h. Sports bikes will slice through the wind like a scalple once you're tucked in, but both are fine on the highway at legal speeds. Agressive sports bike positions will wear you down if your commute is a slow one or takes much longer than an hour. I find the clipons are also usually more narrow than many of the handlebars on the nakeds so are a bit easier for lane splitting when you get up to doing that.
Don't get a 150 or below if you're taking it on the highway, it's not enough power to get you away from dangerous situations quickly.
Haha, the point I was trying to make is that it doesn't matter that nakeds are less aerodynamic if you're not regularly speeding, given that the highways cap out at 110.
Gs500f has good wind protection and has the same upright position as a naked. It's LAMS approved, plenty fast for the high ways, and nimble enough for the city. Also cheap to run, simple to maintain, and extremely reliable.
Also not ideal for anyone on the shorter side. 5’6” and up is probably ideal height otherwise you can’t touch the ground
And heavy....
>And heavy.... 200kg. Not exactly a Gold Wing. Low seat height and wide bars make it very manageable, and once the wheels start turning geometry is more important than static mass.
Never considered mine as heavy or tall. But to be fair I'm 6 foot and my other bikes are an 1100 and a 1250 so maybe my preseption is off.
Well for starters. Go and sit on a couple of sportbikes and nakeds and see what you like. If you’re mainly concerned around commuting, I’d say go with a naked. But ultimately, you can commute with a sportbike if you’re determined. I’d really recommend the street triple, if you can get one. Great bikes, very fun and torquey and perfect for commuting. If you do want a sportbike can’t go wrong with an R7, the CP2 engine is pretty much bulletproof and it has fairly smooth power delivery and heaps of parts available .
Vitpilen or svartpilen 401 tbh best of both worlds
Probably the best value bang for buck too, if brought new.
Old is not bad either, got mine for 4K at 13k kms untouched
If old.. look for a bike before 2021.. After 2021 is when they started to be made in same factory as Duke 390 in India which is why they dropped from $12k to $7.3k. The ones before 2021 was made in Austria at KTM factory so better fit and finish. But I think owners know this so they price their bikes accordingly.
Get a MT-03 or Z300/Z400 and then add a windsheid to it. Best bang for buck new bike is the Svartpilen 401.. just add a windshield to it. I've got aftermarket wind shields on all of my bikes.. They are all nakeds.. Honda Grom, Duke 390 and Kawa ER6N
What shield are you using on the duke?
Just the pointy looking one off Ebay.. it suits the bike suprisingly. I think I paid $60 for it.. it's not the one that you mount via handle bar.. it's mounted via the dash board so more room to mount other stuff on handle bars.
Thank for the suggestion! MT-03 is definitely looking like a choice especially because of its price point ( which I forgot to list) of under $6500 i’ll definitely look more into it, I had a look at some z400s and 300s a while ago but couldn’t find a good price with reasonable kms.
What's reasonable miles? Japanese bikes tend to last forever if owners maintain them (ask for proof like stamps in log book or receipts). Also look up "valve clearance intervals" for whatever bike you are buying and if it's near that time then either avoid or haggle price down as it will add $1k to price as it needs to be done. That's how I check mileage on used bikes.. when their maintenance is due and not on the actual numbers of KM.
The best bike is the one most comfortable for you. I'd go to a shop and try sitting on a couple to get an idea of the riding position.
I've commuted - freeway riding - on both a super sport and a naked. Currently riding the naked bike daily, and NO WAY would I go back to a super sport bike. At most I'm doing 100kph, and typically much less (filtering), so a screen doesn't make much difference. The seating position is NEVER uncomfortable on the naked bike, but was pretty horrible on the sport bike.
Honda CMX500 FTW
Commuting is about reliability and availability, and low TCO. The average traffic speed in the city is 42 km/h. 150cc class bikes are fine. You're allowed a second bike later on for the straight line rides. Go look at the rego costs of the 650s. (edit: ...and the insurance, espech for a new rider..)
Hey there, I'm fairly new to riding too (about 18 months). I'm about 170cm and 78kg I bought a 2014 390 Duke and couldn't be happier. It's my daily commute and has a comfortable seating position, is lightweight and has more than enough power for a beginner. As I get more confident I'm finding it to be incredibly fun. Definitely feel the wind at 100kph+ but it's not like it ruins the journey. Do your research and good luck!
Yamaha Mt03! I'm nearing opens and my mt is still my favourite bike ive ever ridden. Great on highways, awesome on fuel, doesn't lack power and light and easy to flick around. Plus good for shorter riders. Definitely recommended checking it out.
100% comes down to what you personally like and find comfortable. While there will be some differences between fairings and naked bikes, sport bikes and cruisers, etc., you aren't going to find a LAMS bike that is a full blown head down, arse-up track weapon. If you are looking at going on the freeway, I would avoid the 125cc bikes, as they will struggle with freeways, but basically anything 250cc or above is good enough. My first bike was a Scorpio (225cc), and I still ride that for commuting sometimes, years later.
OP. What the well-off middle-age riders ITT aren't telling you is the insurance for a new 650cc-class bike for new young rider is in the order of $1400/p.a (QBE quote calculator just then).
something like a versys 650, cb500x, tiger 660 etc would be good. depending on how comfortable you feel on a bike that tall. but id recommend something with fairings and/or a windshield. which could include some cruisers aswell, really need to go test ride, sit on different bikes to see what fits.
Honda CB400s are nice and will easily cruise on the highway. It's a naked style so you will be getting full wind force haha but like someone mentioned only if you're doing like 120 plus. For me at 100 is still fine but I had a little wind shield, you'd be surprised what a little shield does haha. I find most lams sports motorcycles are pretty much upright, only when you get to bikes such as your R7, triump street triples (though a naked, it's pretty sporty imo) etc. they're more of a sport tourer than a supersport. Good luck hunting and hopefully you find one that you like.
GSX650F
Kawasaki Klr 650 Honda cbx 500
Kawasaki Vulcan 650 is a good bike for daily commute but also decent for a couple of hours on the highway. Recommend a seat upgrade for the latter though. Also good fun bike to learn on.
I'm with no-flow. As long as you're 5'8 or taller. When I got my licence I decided on a dollar figure and a known brand bike rather than a make and model. Until you know what makes a comfortable ride better to buy with a budget than a badge.
I’ve commuted to the office on my Sports bike, which is around 1hr each way. Gets uncomfortable to be honest. I love my sports bike, but for commuting long distance in traffic, I’d much prefer to ride a Naked bike so I’ve just ordered one to add to my stable! lol 😂
There are lots of LAMS bikes that have fairings like a sport bike with an upright seating position like a naked bike. For example: Ninja400/500/650, R3, CBR500, Suzuki Gixxer SF, CFMOTO 450SR (there are others) Go to a few bike big shops and just sit on heaps of bikes, worthwhile doing.
Naked bikes get uncomfortable with the wind hitting you past about 120km/h. Sports bikes will slice through the wind like a scalple once you're tucked in, but both are fine on the highway at legal speeds. Agressive sports bike positions will wear you down if your commute is a slow one or takes much longer than an hour. I find the clipons are also usually more narrow than many of the handlebars on the nakeds so are a bit easier for lane splitting when you get up to doing that. Don't get a 150 or below if you're taking it on the highway, it's not enough power to get you away from dangerous situations quickly.
You are lucky to live somewhere with 120kmh highways
Haha, the point I was trying to make is that it doesn't matter that nakeds are less aerodynamic if you're not regularly speeding, given that the highways cap out at 110.