Good commuter, under 10k

:huh

holy crap dood.... thats astonishing....

oh and whats up man

Just riding (alot) and avoiding lawnmowers...

You?

not avoiding lawnmowers as well as I should fo sho - and not riding as much as I would like (minus three weeks in mexico that is....)

ok not racing as much as I would like

About a year ago I had similar needs--though for longer commute, so range might have been more important for me.

I chose a Versys. I've put ~22k miles on it, and it's been a great bike for my needs. My only complaint is the cheap suspension, but that isn't hard to upgrade.

If I were doing the same search today, I'd consider the Honda NC700X, and CB500X as well.

I'll have to put in another plug for the Wee-Strom. Low maintenance, all day comfortable, good mpg, and even a lot of fun in the twisties. The best jack of all trades, do it all bike out there for the money.

I am on my 2nd one, the 07 was great but the 12 is even sweeter. Not big changes just a lot of little ones. For starters, a little more low and mid range, smoother shifting and clutch, and a little quieter engine, handles a little better, a little lighter, oh and better looking too, kind of like a new girlfriend. I averaged around 50 mpg on the old one and 55 mpg on the new one.

The NC700X would be good but not as much fun IMHO. 6K redline is too low for a bike, unless your coming from a Harley! I think if they would have raised the redline, with hp to match the Strom, and offered ABS as an option without the auto trans, they would have had a grand slam. That new Honda CB500X looks good too but I don't know much about it.

Kawasaki Versys would be another good choice more fun from what I hear but not as comfortable, nor as many luggage options. I've done 600 mile days on the Strom no problem.

My buddy has about 270k original miles on his 03 DL1000. I see him weekly and he rides everyday rain or shine. Here's some of his write up's. Amazingly, he hasn't had any big issues in all those miles.
- 250k mile write up - http://www.stromtrooper.com/dl-1000-[-vee]/75529-quarter-million-mile-252-683-k3-write-up.html
- 226k mile write up - http://www.stromtrooper.com/dl-1000-[-vee]/68545-226-107-mile-k3-dl1000-writeup.html
- 200k mile write up - http://www.stromtrooper.com/dl-1000-[-vee]/62650-dl1000-k3-200-000-mile-writeup.html
- 170k mile write up - http://www.stromtrooper.com/dl-1000-[-vee]/54531-170-000-mile-k3-writeup-link.html

He had a custom 7.3 gallon tank built a couple years ago for it

This screams for a 250cc or up scooter.Great gas mileage,weather protection,storage and nobody will ask to borrow it.

With a second set of spoked wheels for when you want to go off the road.

If you're serious about this than ax that one.

I'm as much a Honda fan as I am a Toyota, but my NX TROUNCES Honda's "best" from India...




Get a Ninja 300 and save what you would almost certainly "upgrade" the CBR25india with.

Or a KTM, EXC.

Check this out North Carolina. I used to commute from Monterey, CA to Santa Clara, CA 4 or 5 days a week, 72 miles one way, for several years. I didn't even own a car for a few of those years. Now, how important is speed when you are commuting? I'm asking this because of some of the choices in your list, the CBR250, and whatnot. I commuted on an SV650, a CBR1000F, and a Triumph 955 Daytona. The SV was cool. But the big bikes, got good gas mileage when cruising at steady state speeds, say 90 or 100 mph. The SV cruised real good about 80 or 90. I'm not sure the police presence where you are located, but there were none at the commute times when I was out there. SoI tended to roll pretty fast.

But one thing I noticed about riding big bores those long distances, was that they were very comfortable, and there was very little stress on the engine. Something to think about, maybe getting a used Z1000 or something of the sort with very low miles, For $5000, you can get all kinds of good stuff.

The new Weestrom was top of my list at the end of 2011, but the 2012 wasn't available mid-December, so I bought the Versys. For many, ABS and slightly higher fuel economy would tip the scales toward the Vstrom. But the smaller, lighter Versys with 17" front wheel is a win a lot of the time.

I'd really want to ride an NC700X before committing to one. Some love it, some hate it. I am willing to try this bike-with-car-engine idea though.

I find the Versys really comfortable. Some people complain about the stock seat, but it works for me, and of course there are aftermarket choices and seat mods.

I thought it had about as many hard luggage options as the Vstrom. People put Givi, HB, Trax, Pelican and Seahorse boxes on them. I don't know of a hard side case option that isn't wider than the bars though, and that would be nice on a commuter.

A DR650SE would check off all the boxes and be economical. A KLX250S, DR-Z400S or SM, or a WR250R would be just a little more $$ and slightly more complicated. You could also ride trails when not commuting. They are all fun bikes in the appropriate places, easy to upgrade, and have an aftermarket. Beef the KLX subframe if loading it. The DR flies interstate nicely for a thumper.

If you don't ever want to ride trails with it, and buying new(er) doesn't really bother you, try a CB500X ABS or DL650 ABS for commuting.

That one too, I just can't say bc ive never owned a KTM ( I want to tho, it's on my bucket list). But a Supermoto IMHO offers the best compromise. You can commute w sticky rubber, second set of wheels for dirt and even do some touring with the addition of a Giant Loop.
Who knows you may even b able to attach one rot of wind Protection. Acerbic makes a couple and you can find them at Cee Baileys

Oh yeah, forgot to mention the fun factor! These bikes are fun, why get a boring tool to make the ride to work monotonous? Someone also suggested Speed or Street Triple. I say yes.

I used to do 40 miles each way, 95% of it a fast highway (so 80 to 90 MPH), and I agree with many parts of your post. The big bore bikes will be stressed less, and that does translate into less stress on the rider. Wind buffeting, rider position and everything else has to be considered when taking on commutes that long, that often (I did mine every single day of work for well over a year, so no cages even if the weather got so bad that cages were pulled off to the side of the road, or skipped getting on the highway altogether).

But the OP is riding two-lane, so I highly doubt his speeds will be as high as our average speeds were. Now I've done my 80-mile-a-day commute on my DR650 many a time (geared up for the highway), but I'd rather have had two cylinders even if they were the same cc's for all that riding.

Still, since he isn't doing the big speeds of big highways... a big bore bike probably isn't needed.

At the other end - what he's proposing with dual sports - the advantages of a single cylinder being so much lighter in case one drops it on the trails is a moot point for that many road miles.

----

Something else to consider, OP, is that if you've never done it before, planning to carry your work stuff in a back-pack is a teenager's, or once in a blue-moon commuter's, short-sighted plan for that many miles that often. You are always far better served by having a nice sized rear rack for goods (ideally wide and large enough for a laptop case to be tied down on it, plus groceries when you stop to pick some up), and in keeping your upper torso free. Some guys don't like dual-sports with racks, so it's something to consider.

I vote for the KLR....plus, you can buy a new one for under $6,000.....very good used ones in the $2500-$3500 range.

61,000 miles on mine and still doing fine.

This reads to me like interstate or built-up state highway, not country road.

I was mistaking the terrain of NC as something other than it is... you're right that he doesn't seem to live near the hills. May be pretty straight roads, but I bet the local police are strict enough that he won't be doing the true 80 to 90 MPH every day that some of us have. I'd probably still vote for a WeeStrom or, again, if there is some Sportster model that is actually comfortable to ride (but I've been reading that there isn't ... I just tire of the nuances of a chain when I could have a belt for commuting).

I love hearing stories about those super high mileage bikes.... just makes me want to ride more

also look at the guzzi v7.
looks like it would be a good do it all type bike.