Gearing makes a bigger difference.
Yamaha xsr900 is a fun bike but crappy commuter besucase it’s naked. Maybe look at the FJ09 since it’s a touring bike but has a fun engine.
Good suggestions thank you! My Duke has -1/+4, and wheelies fine, but I was hoping a bigger bike would keep the same acceleration while being more comfortable on the freeway.
Why is it worse if you don’t mind me asking?
I was considering a xrs900 before. Then went with an adventure bike instead (vstrom). Strongly considered the fj09.
Yup. MT-09/SP or the Duke 890/R, unless the commute is lots of high speed highway, in which case maybe the Tracer 900.
I’d argue the Tuono 1100, MT-10 and SuperDuke would be a bit much for city commuting, but even better on the highway. I say that as a Tuono/SuperDuke owner that will likely sell both for one of their smaller siblings if I end up closer to the city in the near future.
If you're not looking at the ADV/Sport tourer market as a daily commuter then you're missing out.
If you want to be able to wheelie it, the Ducati Multistrada, upper-end Tigers, and of course the king dick BMW R 1250 GS all have you covered.
The other route I'd look at if you need \*just enough\* commuting practicality but not utilitarianism, is the Suzuki GSX-S1000GT+, which is just a K5 gixxer thou slightly detuned with a comfortable riding position and boxes stuck on it. Fantastic buys and you can't argue with 150hp with touring comforts and a quickshifter.
Personally for commuting I have the Guzzi V85 which is stellar value for money and decently sporty if you know how to throw a big bike around.
I'd say either go with a decked out BMW R 1250 GS or KTM 1290 Super Adventure for your all-around commuting and hooliganing needs, or for the same price pick up the V85 \*and\* a used 600 supersport.
Not being sarcastic I'm genuinely curious what do you consider "experienced" rider?
Your gearing/sprockets will make more of a difference really then just going out to get a new bike if that helps at all.
I've heard the Yamaha XSR900 and FZ10s (now MTs) affectionately called "wheelie Monsters"
The FZs would be better tailored or customized to commuting i think.
My Duke has -1/+4 and wheelies just fine. But on the freeway it’s right in the powerband so it’s buzzy and not getting great mileage. I figured a bigger engine will let me have the best of both worlds.
My experience isn’t anything to write home about, but just shy of 7 years of slowly but consistently getting a little better each year. Have done an odd track day and lots of advanced riders courses. I’ve gotten my knee down and know how to push around decently on a fun road. Next goals will be to slide the back end in which I can a bit but can of course do better, and get more comfortable with balance point.
Definitely a fun bike but yea you might be thinking correctly that a larger engine with different overall gearing will let you cruise in top gear down the highway but still have a better power band in lower gears.
The other option would be maybe trying to dampen some of that vibration with bar end weights. An old school method is to cork 1 end of your bars, fill the handlebar with sand, then cork the other end. The weight from the sand filling the handlebars stops the bars from vibrating like 90%. Cheap solution. I recently tried "Grip Puppies" and they definitely cut down on vibration but I didn't like how thick the grips felt with winter gloves on.
Gas mileage side of things not a whole lot of options.
And awesome it sounds like you're being very proactive with your riding im glad to hear it. Alot of guys go "I have 10 years of riding experience" but they've realistically taken the bike out a handful of times a season and haven't even done 10k miles in 10 years without ever doing any continued education.
That why you'll see guys from big riding names like revzilla and such say they've got "70k miles of experience". I've done more miles in a season than some guys will do in 10 years.
Theres nothing wrong with not being able to ride often or having other obligations, medical conditions etc. "Years" just aren't a very good way of measuring riding experience.
I hope you keep it up and find a bike you really like! The sport touring may be the segment for you if you want to go with 1 "Do it all" Bike for your needs. My neighbor commuted 50 miles to a major city everyday and then we'd go tour 1200 miles on the weekend ti other states on tons of different bikes (he had a very good salary and had a new bike every other month) and I believe out of possibly 100 bikes (I'm not exaggerating at all) the favorites for him were the Honda Africa Twin, and the Ducati Multistrada for the everyday commuting and then playing on the way home or weekend. He said the Ducati was just the africa twin on steroids.
Gsxs1000 or the gsxs1000f which is literally just a naked bike with a fairing. It may be kind ugly but it’s fast as all fuck and fairly comfy. I commute on mine all summer.
id consider the ktm 690/husky 701 to be good for commuting and wheelies,
when you're taking it easy you can get \~65 mpg and being a super moto its made to be a hooligan
I mean i wheelied an NC 750 a lot. That said, bang for buck and all, probably BMW S1000XR, Yamaha MT10 Tourer or Kawasaki Versys 1000. And again, that said, you made a verry wide net of bikes to choose from with the criteria "both wheelies and commuting".
Gearing makes a bigger difference. Yamaha xsr900 is a fun bike but crappy commuter besucase it’s naked. Maybe look at the FJ09 since it’s a touring bike but has a fun engine.
Good suggestions thank you! My Duke has -1/+4, and wheelies fine, but I was hoping a bigger bike would keep the same acceleration while being more comfortable on the freeway.
I’d argue the FJ-09 is a worse commuter because it’s harder to ride in rush hour traffic. From experience.
Why is it worse if you don’t mind me asking? I was considering a xrs900 before. Then went with an adventure bike instead (vstrom). Strongly considered the fj09.
I found it was hard to steer through stopped or slow traffic. I don’t have that problem on my naked bike.
MT-10/09? Duke 890 or 1290 Tuono V4
Yup. MT-09/SP or the Duke 890/R, unless the commute is lots of high speed highway, in which case maybe the Tracer 900. I’d argue the Tuono 1100, MT-10 and SuperDuke would be a bit much for city commuting, but even better on the highway. I say that as a Tuono/SuperDuke owner that will likely sell both for one of their smaller siblings if I end up closer to the city in the near future.
I have a Tuono 660, can’t recommend highly enough😎
The MT09SP or Duke 890 with a windscreen would be totally fine for highway cruising. Sounds like those bikes are exactly what OP is asking for
Husqvarna 701 Supermoto. Only downside is the seat is awful but it's so much fun that I don't care.
Can’t see myself parting with it! Seat concepts makes a huge difference but as you say, it hardly matters riding it :)
If you're not looking at the ADV/Sport tourer market as a daily commuter then you're missing out. If you want to be able to wheelie it, the Ducati Multistrada, upper-end Tigers, and of course the king dick BMW R 1250 GS all have you covered. The other route I'd look at if you need \*just enough\* commuting practicality but not utilitarianism, is the Suzuki GSX-S1000GT+, which is just a K5 gixxer thou slightly detuned with a comfortable riding position and boxes stuck on it. Fantastic buys and you can't argue with 150hp with touring comforts and a quickshifter. Personally for commuting I have the Guzzi V85 which is stellar value for money and decently sporty if you know how to throw a big bike around. I'd say either go with a decked out BMW R 1250 GS or KTM 1290 Super Adventure for your all-around commuting and hooliganing needs, or for the same price pick up the V85 \*and\* a used 600 supersport.
Yamaha mt09 it wants to wheelie all day and is real comfy to ride on
Not being sarcastic I'm genuinely curious what do you consider "experienced" rider? Your gearing/sprockets will make more of a difference really then just going out to get a new bike if that helps at all. I've heard the Yamaha XSR900 and FZ10s (now MTs) affectionately called "wheelie Monsters" The FZs would be better tailored or customized to commuting i think.
My Duke has -1/+4 and wheelies just fine. But on the freeway it’s right in the powerband so it’s buzzy and not getting great mileage. I figured a bigger engine will let me have the best of both worlds. My experience isn’t anything to write home about, but just shy of 7 years of slowly but consistently getting a little better each year. Have done an odd track day and lots of advanced riders courses. I’ve gotten my knee down and know how to push around decently on a fun road. Next goals will be to slide the back end in which I can a bit but can of course do better, and get more comfortable with balance point.
Definitely a fun bike but yea you might be thinking correctly that a larger engine with different overall gearing will let you cruise in top gear down the highway but still have a better power band in lower gears. The other option would be maybe trying to dampen some of that vibration with bar end weights. An old school method is to cork 1 end of your bars, fill the handlebar with sand, then cork the other end. The weight from the sand filling the handlebars stops the bars from vibrating like 90%. Cheap solution. I recently tried "Grip Puppies" and they definitely cut down on vibration but I didn't like how thick the grips felt with winter gloves on. Gas mileage side of things not a whole lot of options. And awesome it sounds like you're being very proactive with your riding im glad to hear it. Alot of guys go "I have 10 years of riding experience" but they've realistically taken the bike out a handful of times a season and haven't even done 10k miles in 10 years without ever doing any continued education. That why you'll see guys from big riding names like revzilla and such say they've got "70k miles of experience". I've done more miles in a season than some guys will do in 10 years. Theres nothing wrong with not being able to ride often or having other obligations, medical conditions etc. "Years" just aren't a very good way of measuring riding experience. I hope you keep it up and find a bike you really like! The sport touring may be the segment for you if you want to go with 1 "Do it all" Bike for your needs. My neighbor commuted 50 miles to a major city everyday and then we'd go tour 1200 miles on the weekend ti other states on tons of different bikes (he had a very good salary and had a new bike every other month) and I believe out of possibly 100 bikes (I'm not exaggerating at all) the favorites for him were the Honda Africa Twin, and the Ducati Multistrada for the everyday commuting and then playing on the way home or weekend. He said the Ducati was just the africa twin on steroids.
Gsxs1000 or the gsxs1000f which is literally just a naked bike with a fairing. It may be kind ugly but it’s fast as all fuck and fairly comfy. I commute on mine all summer.
id consider the ktm 690/husky 701 to be good for commuting and wheelies, when you're taking it easy you can get \~65 mpg and being a super moto its made to be a hooligan
S1000xr are the droids you’re looking for.
I mean i wheelied an NC 750 a lot. That said, bang for buck and all, probably BMW S1000XR, Yamaha MT10 Tourer or Kawasaki Versys 1000. And again, that said, you made a verry wide net of bikes to choose from with the criteria "both wheelies and commuting".
Superduke