Motorcycle for daily commute?

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zabimaru

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 zabimaru
Nov 18, 2019 34 Comments

Looking to purchase a motorcycle for ~10k to use as my daily commuter in the bay area (South Bay to mountain view). Recommendations?

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  • I know you’re not asking this but please think twice about a commuter bike. Everyone I know who has a motorcycle has had an accident. Several serious, one death.
    Nov 18, 2019 5
    • Intel
      D’s🥜

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      D’s🥜
      Motorcycles are very susceptible to failure when you are stuck in traffic. Typically, there is no liquid coolant system due to space constraints. Instead, the engine relies on high speed airflow from driving at full speed. An idling engine has no airflow to cool itself and you will either have to turn off the motorcycle & wait a bit or figure out what happens when the engine block cracks.
      Nov 20, 2019
    • Amazon
      y33tcode

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      y33tcode
      Intel have you seen a modern motorcycle? They are mostly liquid cooled, aside from boomer bikes.
      Nov 20, 2019
  • Yahamas are cheaper to repair. Suzukis and BMWs are less so. If this is your first bike I would stay under 50hp/500cc, buy used, and spend less than 4-5k.

    Also definitely get a mechanic to look at the used bike before you buy it. Seriously.
    Nov 18, 2019 7
  • Buy a new CBR300r for 5k or a ninja Kawasaki new around the same price range. That's what I got. Love my 17 minute commute vs 45-60 minutes normally.

    Cons: facing death twice a day.

    Edit: one thing about owning a bike: please only get a bike if you truly believe that your eye hand coordination and reaction time is much better than the average person. It may not help you in every potential accident, but be honest with yourself and figure out whether you do have what it takes to avoid a near death collision. I've had a good 4 or so close calls in the past 4 years of riding, so about 1 a year. If it weren't for my reaction time/being able to stay calm and collected in extremely stressful situations I probably wouldn't be here. I still love riding my bike though, and I accept these risks every day I ride.
    Nov 19, 2019 3
    • This is something that you'll need to judge on your own. Do you play sports? Video games? How well would you be able to catch a frisbee if you've never played before? How is your split second decision making like? This is especially important if you plan to lane split (I lane split all the time from the first week I started riding) since even a quarter of a second too late, it could all be over for you. Your life depends on how good your skills are since you have no control over the actions of others, so you have to be reactive and hyper aware of your surroundings. California is no easy place to ride a motorcycle considering how many cars there are, and how many people never check their blind spot.
      Nov 19, 2019
    • Hello, fellow rider here. Hand eye co-ordination is one way to think about it... but on a higher level, making sure you have correct training that will keep you alive is what gives you that mind-body connection that keeps you out of trouble.

      I started in another country that did a whole week of training (think MSF Basic, Street Rider 1, Street Rider 2) and I still didn't think that was enough.
      Oct 12, 2020
  • Amazon
    y33tcode

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    y33tcode
    Lightly used Ninja 400 or sv650.
    Nov 20, 2019 1
  • Don’t buy a brand new buy a under used couple of yrs old one at 5-6k budget and be safe
    Nov 18, 2019 0