I have a 17 mile a day commute one way. About 50/50 interstate/hwy driving. I need a lot of help deciding what do get for mpg/reliability, and I don't know squat about bikes.
Thanks.
Thanks.
Best Place For Scooter/Small Bike Info?
- Thread starter MrCritical
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Honda Helix is what I would go for. 249cc engine, 70 mph top speed, very dependable, has been around forever and it around 5K brand new. Has been successfully used for long distance riding. Gets great gas mileage to boot. For less money and a less powerful engine, the Yamaha Vino 125cc comes in at around 2500 bucks new. 65 to 90 mpg. Top speed of around 55mph depending upon conditions.
A Suzuki DR650 is my first bike in 40 years and works great on a 15 mile commute to/from work. Gets 50-55 mpg if you don't goose it constantly. Big wheels, lots of suspension travel, decent brakes, and by all accounts very reliable. Running a scooter on the freeway would scare me.
My 2 cents.
Tom
My 2 cents.
Tom
i gave up the 52mpg that my cbr600 was making because i didnt want to get killed on it. wife has NICE diamond earrings now.
not because of my 30+ years of riding experience, but because of everyone else!!!
soccermom on a cell phone ---- give a W I D E berth!!!
not because of my 30+ years of riding experience, but because of everyone else!!!
soccermom on a cell phone ---- give a W I D E berth!!!
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: sunruh
i gave up the 52mpg that my cbr600 was making because i didnt want to get killed on it. wife has NICE diamond earrings now.
not because of my 30+ years of riding experience, but because of everyone else!!!
soccermom on a cell phone ---- give a W I D E berth!!!
i gave up the 52mpg that my cbr600 was making because i didnt want to get killed on it. wife has NICE diamond earrings now.
not because of my 30+ years of riding experience, but because of everyone else!!!
soccermom on a cell phone ---- give a W I D E berth!!!
Originally Posted By: sunruh
i gave up the 52mpg that my cbr600 was making because i didnt want to get killed on it. wife has NICE diamond earrings now.
not because of my 30+ years of riding experience, but because of everyone else!!!
soccermom on a cell phone ---- give a W I D E berth!!!
you dont have to give up a bike just because you may be afraid of other drivers. If a soccermom is on the phone either stay behind her or pass and get in front of her. Place yourself out of danger.
dont ride stupid, always be on the deffensive, dont stay in drivers blind spots etc...
when I am passing someone I am always looking in their rearview mirror or driver side mirror to see what they are doing, I either stay behind a car on there left side or i pass them and get in front.
might seem like too much to do but it really isnt and you get used to it rather quickly.
take a MSF course, even if you have been riding for years you WILL learn something you did not know form the course of how to do this better, do that better.....it is worth it
i gave up the 52mpg that my cbr600 was making because i didnt want to get killed on it. wife has NICE diamond earrings now.
not because of my 30+ years of riding experience, but because of everyone else!!!
soccermom on a cell phone ---- give a W I D E berth!!!
you dont have to give up a bike just because you may be afraid of other drivers. If a soccermom is on the phone either stay behind her or pass and get in front of her. Place yourself out of danger.
dont ride stupid, always be on the deffensive, dont stay in drivers blind spots etc...
when I am passing someone I am always looking in their rearview mirror or driver side mirror to see what they are doing, I either stay behind a car on there left side or i pass them and get in front.
might seem like too much to do but it really isnt and you get used to it rather quickly.
take a MSF course, even if you have been riding for years you WILL learn something you did not know form the course of how to do this better, do that better.....it is worth it
I test rode a scooter the other day. It was a two stroke 110 cc. They said it went 55 mph I was on side street and was doing 45 pretty easily.
They said it would get 80+ mpg. That's super but not very practical for $2700 miles. I could get a good used motorcycle for that and take it just about anywhere.
There are a ton of smaller bikes you could. Check out the Buell Blast. It's a 500cc single that is sold at most harley/buell shops. You can find them used all day for less than $2500 I believe they get about 60 mpg.
I'm a dual sport type of guy. If I were to have a second bike for commuting it would be either a KLR650 or a Suzuki DR650 depending on how much offroad I wanted to do.
If you are not so much into the motorcycle thing check out the suzuki burgman scooters. They make a 400 and 650cc. No gears and a huge storage area under the seat.
Here is a burgman review: http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/firstrides/122_0610_2007_suzuki_burgman_400/index.html
They said it would get 80+ mpg. That's super but not very practical for $2700 miles. I could get a good used motorcycle for that and take it just about anywhere.
There are a ton of smaller bikes you could. Check out the Buell Blast. It's a 500cc single that is sold at most harley/buell shops. You can find them used all day for less than $2500 I believe they get about 60 mpg.
I'm a dual sport type of guy. If I were to have a second bike for commuting it would be either a KLR650 or a Suzuki DR650 depending on how much offroad I wanted to do.
If you are not so much into the motorcycle thing check out the suzuki burgman scooters. They make a 400 and 650cc. No gears and a huge storage area under the seat.
Here is a burgman review: http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/firstrides/122_0610_2007_suzuki_burgman_400/index.html
A two stroke 110? Was this a Genuine Rattler? It's a 110 two stroke. Nice fast scooter but two stroke engines aren't as durable as a four stroke. And I would get a motorcycle too, one hidden cost is tires, on a scooter you'll likely be changing tires every 3000-4000 miles or so, at least that was my experience with my Buddy 125 and my Honda Metropolitan. And You can get good mileage on a motorcycle. I have a Suzuki GS500F right now and with my usual freeway commutes and front sprocket change I average 70 mpg, if I ride it in the slow lane all the time I've even seen it as high as 78 mpg. And yes this is actually better than a kawaski ninja 250, more power and better gas mileage. Always factor tires into your equation because you replace them quite often, a bona fide sport bike will cost about $100 per tire every 12,000 miles thereabouts. My GS costs only about $55 a tire for a tire that lasts about 15,000 miles.
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