Cheap bike for work commute?
 

I've always considered this and now I am in a financial position to make this possible. I love driving my BRZ but I can't help but think I'm wasting it a bit by using it to commute. If I got a cheap bike that's good on gas I could save the car and some money over time I believe.

The thing is I know nothing about riding, have not even done it once.

What would be a good used bike that's reliable, great on gas, and relatively cheap (without sacrificing reliability and good fuel economy).

Anyone have any advice for me in this endeavor?

You won't save money. Do it for the joy of riding if you get a bike, but saving money? no.

unless you mean a bicycle!

Not a bicycle lol

I don't know if I'll enjoy it, what's the best way to get some seat time. I don't know anyone that rides.

how long is your commute?

maybe try a scooter or one of those electric bicycles first?

I knew nobody who rode, I started with a scooter and eventually had a 2008 Ninja 250R and I recently just sold a Suzuki SV650S. The gear cost, insurance and maintenance (bikes needs more maintenance than cars) all ads up pretty fast - and you can suffer greatly if you skimp on anything!

The Suzuki sv650s is a lot of bike for the money, everybody will recommend something different, but this bike just did EVERYTHING well and it's reliable as hell.

My commute is ~20 miles depending which route I take based on traffic. 90% highway, usually clear going to work and bumper to bumper coming home.

Also, is it safe to street park a bike? Once I relocate if I can street park it I would save $150+ a month on paying for a garage for the BRZ which I could leave at my family house and pick it up when I want it.

I'll stick my neck out and say you shouldn't buy a bike. When you consider the cost of the bike, insurance, maintenance, tires (they wear fast) and riding gear you're not going to save any money. Riding motorcycles requires a lot more learning, practice, skill and common sense than driving a car does and unless you have a strong desire and passion for motorcycles you should not think of riding.

idk your price range but i got this for sale $6800 title in hand

This is my experience with this, based on riding off and on for 40 some years, with the caveat that this is my personal opinion and there will be others that disagree.

If your commute is 90% highway, you will not be happy with a low-end and lightweight ride, but as a new rider you aren't ready for a beefier bike. Light bikes will get pushed all around the highway at speeds and you'll be running high-revs to keep up with traffic. You'll want at least a 600CC bike, and even at that it will depend on the bike.

Also, remember that you are going to arrive at work smelling like the road, and it will always rain when you most expect it won't.

You also need to get your "tools of the trade" to work. You'll need to buy a bike with the capacity to haul whatever you need.

You are going to enjoy your ride in the morning and hate your ride in the evening. As much as you dislike being caught in bumper to bumper in a car, wait until you try it on a bike... in full gear... on a 90+ degree day... behind an old Mercedes diesel with its own smoke screen. Yea, that's living.

As far as costs, insurance for motorcycles is dirt cheap, so that won't be an issue. It's cheap primarily because most bikes in the US are garage queens. (And a thanks to all those that do that!). However, you will spend more on everything else, partially out of choice and partially out of necessity, particularly if you don't work on them yourself.

My recommendation, don't buy your motorcycle looking at it as a commuting option, buy it as if it is a toy. Also, don't buy one until you've taken the MSL class, gotten your license and rented a bike for a long weekend. Then, buy one, ride it on weekends, and decide.

The good news is that a good, used bike will hold its value (slightly) better than a car. If you don't like it you can get most of your money back out of it next "riding" season. By the way, I NEVER buy a new bike. There are just too many hardly ridden used bikes on the market.

All that said, I love commuting on a motorcycle, even in Atlanta traffic. It is the next best thing to driving the FR-S. I sold my Honda 919/Hornet to buy the FR-S, and I miss it. I used to ride it to work several times a month and made a point of doing it at least once a month, every month. (40 miles one way)

Crap, now I need to hit Craigslist and wowmotorcycles.com for a new used bike. Thanks a lot @#87!

Where are you located in NY? If you work in NYC, then I would advise against parking on the street. Bikes get stolen right off the street quite easily. There are a few Youtube videos of it happening as well. They just pull up in a van and lift the bike in and drive off. Less than a minute and your bike is gone.

Take a motorcycle safety class. They're cheap, the one I took had a $20 "suggested donation". It takes a weekend and counts as your driving test if you want to get your license. It's also a good way to decide if you actually like it.

If you're looking for a brand new bike, I'd like to suggest the Moto Guzzi V7 Stone. It features a 90-degree 744cc V-Twin (50 hp at 6,200 rpm and 42.7 ft/lbs of torque at 5,000 rpm) that is capable of 50+ mpg. Brand new, costs start at $8,390.

http://www.corsaspeedshop.com/WebRoo.../60C0/img5.jpg

If your gonna spend 5k + get a second car.

I would recommend a used ex500 ninja. Fast enough for high riding. And decent on fuel 35+ mpg. Its what I have now. I would suggest that you take a motorcycle learning course first. Because you will drop your bike. Better be on someone else's then your own .

Gas is about 5-8 dollars tank. Average like 120 a tank. $100 a year on insurance. And about $250 a yearon service. It just depend on what needs replacing

`get a honda ruckus

Ninja 650, excellent commuter bike and can get out of its own way :)

That is kick-ass! But no way the OP should be spending that on a bike. Used bikes are cheap and you can always find one that's been in a garage and barely ridden (no reason to get one that's faded/rusty even with low miles).

But agree with the conclusions above: you're not going to save money by buying a decent used bike plus gear over simply commuting in the car and enjoying it.

I agree with the EX500 comment. They never got the body refresh like the 250 did so they still look kinda 80's, but you can get them dirt cheap. A buddy got one right after high school and turned a low 13 in the 1/4 mile with it so it'll keep up with anything short of a corvette. I believe he was getting in the 50's for mpg on the highway.

And if you get the right tires they should plenty long enough, just don't get something like a battlax bt016 or diablo corsa and you'll be fine, I got 5k miles out of the last set of battlax's i had on my 675.

I'm not in the US, so my cost per mile is much higher than yours. Keep that in mind.

Anyways I had never ridden a bike regularly but about 2y ago I bought a cheap Honda PCX125 scooter just to commute, about 34 kms roundtrip with some highway. I got a 2y loan with 0% interest, and all things included, i still save money! My monthly commuting budget is way down. I only need to grab the car when theres a storm outside. I also save shitload of time as I can lane split and you can really save even more hassle and money on parking if you work downtown.

IMHO a comuting bike is not a toy bike and you can't have them both! But it's totally possible to keep the costs down while having a good amount of fun. Just buy a sensible bike, you don't need a CBR1000RR to have fun. The BMW F800R, BMW F650GS, Ducati Monster 600, Honda NC700, or the new Honda CB500 are all pretty good commuting bikes.

OP is in NY (USA).

Sure you can! SV650 :) And others...

Yes, but they're also at least 3x more $$$ than OP needs to spend on a commuter bike. In the US, anyway, used is the way to go. There are *so* many bikes out there that got bought and then lived an easy life in the garage.

Ninja 300.

Looks better than the 250, only $300 more than a 250 and the 300 is fuel injected unlike the 250. I've thought about trading my zx6 for a 300 so my wofe could ride as well.

Great bike. Still gets over 65mpg

If you're seriously considering it, just take the MSF course and you'll get a feel for a small bike to use for the course (you'll probably end up using a Honda Rebel or something). If you realize it's not for you, you can walk away from the course at any time. If it turnbs out that you love it, then you'll have the course credentials to get the license, and can start looking for a bike and gear. The instructors are typically REALLY supportive and urge people to take additional classes, so you'll never have a short supply of knowledge.

It was simply a suggestion. The OP can decide how much he can and should spend on his future bike.

Of course he can. But he did explicitly state that he wanted a cheap used bike that's good on gas.

$8390 isn't bad for a mid-sized new bike, especially one as cool-looking as that one! But it is a factor of 3x to 4x over what you can get a good cheap used bike for.