x
My thoughts are
1. Anything that is good on gas
2. Comfrontable for moderate rides
3. Thats all i can think of
But i have been known to be wrong
The Suzuki UK site listed the GS500 for years in a catagory called Commuters, but now it's listed in a catagory called Traditional. :dunno_white:
http://www.suzuki-gb.co.uk/category.asp?id=76
Suzuki USA listed it in a street sport catagory but now call it a Sportbike. :laugh: Cruisers and Sportbikes sell in the US. They'll call them anything they have to to sell them. :thumb:
The GS500 does make a good commuter though, and a good anything else you want to use it for. My GS is my commuter bike, my sportbike, my sport touring bike, and my touring bike. So I just call it a bike.
x
I call snoby riders Posuers. :o
the ninja 250 is one of the best commuters...
In my mind a commuter has always been something that is reasonable on the street. I feel a 1200 CC bike is usually not a reasonable commuter because its overengineered for its purpose. So yeah since the 500 is a reasonably powered bike i'd consider it a commuter.
Commuter bike to me would be a bike that gets really good gas milage ( 50+ per gallon ). Easy going ergo's ( up right ). Thats it, scooters are the perfect commuter bike, yeah I think of them as motorcycles. I would guess anything 650'cc or under should be considered a commuter.
Commuter bike just gets you from Point A to Point B
Sport bike gets you from A to B very quickly
Touring bike gets you and your stuff from A to B
Cruiser gets you from A to B with the other bad-boy wannabe's
Chopper gets you from A to B with no money left in your wallet
x
every morning I start my bike, ride out of my carport the wrong way, cross my yard and a lot next to me, jump the curb and wheelie across a vacant parking lot on my way to work. Hows that for a commuter :thumb:
Quote from: Stephen072774 on September 08, 2006, 06:52:47 AM
every morning I start my bike, ride out of my carport the wrong way, cross my yard and a lot next to me, jump the curb and wheelie across a vacant parking lot on my way to work. Hows that for a commuter :thumb:
Stop that! You're making me want a Supermoto even more!
Quote from: TadMC on September 08, 2006, 05:51:36 AM
i actually give the wave to guys on scootters
Actually they make good practice bikes, a little slow though. The Zumas I ride usually top out at 40, 50 if they have been jugged.
Quote from: pantablo on September 07, 2006, 11:30:23 PM
the ninja 250 is one of the best commuters...
Maybe in socal Pablo, but when you actually are going freeway speeds on the freeway, you gotta wind the 250 up too much for my tastes. But for low speed lane-splitting commuting, I'll take the 250 any day of the week.
x
Quote from: Caffeine on September 08, 2006, 03:52:54 AM
Commuter bike just gets you from Point A to Point B
Sport bike gets you from A to B very quickly
Touring bike gets you and your stuff from A to B
Cruiser gets you from A to B with the other bad-boy wannabe's
Chopper gets you from A to B with no money left in your wallet
I actually snarfed my coffee out my nose at this one...
Quote from: TadMC on September 08, 2006, 08:50:04 AM
what kinda speeds does a 250 get up too?
About 100 ind, I believe.
x
Quote from: AlphaFire X5 on September 08, 2006, 07:24:07 AM
Quote from: Stephen072774 on September 08, 2006, 06:52:47 AM
every morning I start my bike, ride out of my carport the wrong way, cross my yard and a lot next to me, jump the curb and wheelie across a vacant parking lot on my way to work. Hows that for a commuter :thumb:
Stop that! You're making me want a Supermoto even more!
2nd that.
Commuting is the process of travelling between a place of residence and a place of work. Students who are enrolled at a college or university but who live off-campus are also typically referred to as commuters.
A good commuter bike is comfortable, easy to handle in everyday traffic, and reliable.
Duh..THe GS is a great commuter bike.
as is anything else that any other random person decides is comfortable enough to ride to work or school. I know a few guys who cummute to work on their Hyabusa's.
To them that big 1300cc hunk a shaZam! is a great commuter.
Also, There is no such thing as a "commuter bike" not as a category anyway.
THe commuter decides what he rides on or in to work.
My commute is 60 miles round trip every damn day.
Commuter bike as defined by me: :thumb:
• Good on gas
• Comfortable to sit on (low seat, high bars, short reach)
• Good suspension
• Faired (fully prefered)
• Thin width (lane splitting in mind)
• Low-end torque
• Lightweight
• Durable
I have put 12k miles on my GS (mostly commuting) and 4k miles on my 600RR (commuting and play). Although the GS gets great gas mileage, is relatively comfortable to sit on, thin, lightweight, and obviously durable, I don't think it makes a good commuter. It lacks the suspension needed to negotiate imperfections in the road comfortably, there is zero wind protection which is really draining on long high speed commutes, and it chokes around 80mph with fuel starvation. I also find the GS seat and position squishes my nuts into oblivion and that's not fun for 60 miles a day. My 600RR obviously isn't any better, but for much different reasons.
I would really consider the SV650S the best bike I've ridden so far for commuting. It covers all of the things in my criteria pretty well. Have been looking into one for a while now and waiting until the end of the year when dealers just want to get rid of them. I'd throw the full fairing on it also.
I use the GS everyday.
Maybe L.A. big city driving is different. Here in LA (lower Alabama) the roads are all super straight :cry: and generally in good repair. Maybe my nuts are kinda small too, cause I don't have an issue with them on my bike. God musta needed the extra skin for my huge....well....you know.
or maybe all of us are different and like different things... or maybe I am a victim of this Gstwin cult and can't fathom the idea of ever riding anything else....~now wheres my damn koolaide~
Quote from: roguegeek on September 08, 2006, 03:59:57 PM
I would really consider the SV650S the best bike I've ridden so far for commuting.
+1, but I think my '92 GS's seat was more comfortable than the SVS's for rides lasting an hour or longer (my commute to work is about 40 minutes, and it's about an hour to home with heavier traffic). Now that I can actually touch the ground, I'm going to look into a seat that's more comfortable.