Time for a new bike ... a commuter bike

So, it's been a while since I've posted. Only check in to TWT every now and again. But, I guess that's because I haven't been putting on the long mileage trips these days.

My main bike is a 2011 BMW GSA. It's a great, no awesome bike. It's given me zero problems since I've owned it. But, it is a bit large to use as an everyday commuter and since I now work at one end of Austin and live on the other end, I have to be like the rest of Austin and muscle that bike through the stop-and-go traffic of downtown on my way to the stop-and-go traffic of either MoPac or I-35 (depends on my route). Wanting a smaller bike, and having a the ability to purchase a second bike for commuting, I went to my local crack dealer... erm, motorcycle dealer.

A few months back, I tested the Triumph Speed Triple, Street Triple, and BMW S1000R. Loved the BMW, hands down the best of the three. But I walked away from that test ride without buying anything. Thinking did I really want a super fast bike to sit in traffic?

I've always loved the styling on the Triumph Scrambler and thought that would be a great bike. Small, lighter than the GSA, and nearly hit every checkbox. So I scheduled a test ride to test out the Triumph Scrambler, Yamaha SCR950 scrambler, and Triumph Street Twin. The Street twin was sold the day I was going to test ride it, so on a whim I tossed in the truxton into the mix.

After riding the Yamaha, I thought the ergos were all wrong for me. The engine was great, but the setup for me just didn't cut it. The Triumph scrambler was a much better bike ergonomic wise... We went out on a two mile loop with another rider who was testing another bike. The scrambler was great, the temperature was around 80, low humidity. Perfect riding weather. About a mile into the ride, the heat from the high pipe wasn't too bad... then we had to stop at a light, and another... the heat from that pipe was extremely noticeable. I'm not sold... Traded out the Scrambler for the Thruxton. WOW... what a hoot to ride. It was nearly perfect.

I took out the scrambler again when the other rider wanted to test another bike. I liked it, I wanted to like it... but now it had stiff competition from the Thruxton, and it just couldn't live up to it, and that heat issue was still there. So, after riding the Thruxton again, I was sold. It had it all... looks, a great engine, smooth riding, and it put a nice smile on my face.

We made the deal and the Thruxton joined the GSA at my house. After nearly a week of riding in traffic and commuting, I still love it. It's the perfect bike for my commute. I can open it up at times, and when stuck in traffic, it's a very manageable bike.

I'm still a bit sad that the Scrambler didn't live up to my expectations, I really wanted to like that bike, and to be honest I'm shocked that I liked the Thruxton so much. It was really a wild card in the bunch. But it's an amazing ride. It's not a touring bike, and I couldn't see doing more than 200 miles a day on it, but then I have the perfect bike for those longer rides around the state and country.

Congrats on the new bike. My co-worker has had a Thruxton for a very long time and still loves it.

Nice, sounds like a fun time shopping. I'd have been tempted toward the Street Triple given what you say. It's not a super duper fast bike, but it's light and flickable and easy to maneuver. Having access to the local twisty roads you do would probably have been the pushover. Still, you found the bike that makes you happy and that's what counts. This is especially true if it can make you happy in Austin traffic, because I'm not sure there is a bike made that could do that for me. And I'm someone who commutes in Dallas.

It's a tough one... commuting in Austin (or Dallas) traffic. There's no easy answer. I did like the speed and street triple, but that new engine on the Thruxton is amazing!

Congrats on the new bike! I'm in the same commuting situation. I've been looking around at different options for a commuter bike and haven't narrowed it down yet.

You should have bought the scambler. Then you'd know for certain you could always outrun a velocirapter on a dirt trail if called upon to do so.

Devientartist said:

Congrats on the new bike! I'm in the same commuting situation. I've been looking around at different options for a commuter bike and haven't narrowed it down yet.

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The new 2017 SV650 Suzuki is getting great reviews. May be my next, next year. 75 hp claimed and less than 7K.

tshelfer said:

You should have bought the scambler. Then you'd know for certain you could always outrun a velocirapter on a dirt trail if called upon to do so.

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This is one of those times when I kick myself for not being more witty. Brilliant!

Windmill said:

The new 2017 SV650 Suzuki is getting great reviews. May be my next, next year. 75 hp claimed and less than 7K.

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That's a great option! I wish they still made the katana, I have great memories on those!

I like tall bikes for commuting because of the ability to see and be seen, but that pretty much means dual sports for the most part. I can see why many folks would NOT like tall bikes though for stop and go stuff. I am just lucky to have a long inseam so it is not an issue for me. I loved my old 1150 GS for heavy traffic riding. I could always see people doing double takes in their mirrors when they saw me because they weren't sure what they were looking at I also liked that it was good at handling any pavement irregularities, great brakes, and plenty of low end grunt for getting out of the way in a hurry. It would run 70-90mph without issue when things opened up and started moving and it didn't overheat when things were crawling (like my VFR 800 would do). Still, I can see how the weight might get old for some folks. Have you ridden a 1200GS (any year)? The weight difference really is amazing.

So, you know the rule... No pics, never happened I don't see any Thruxton pics in this thread...

Tourmeister said:

So, you know the rule... No pics, never happened I don't see any Thruxton pics in this thread...

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nope... never happened.

Oops! I didn't see that you already have a 1200 GSA, which is heavier (and slightly taller?) than the regular 1200 GS. I thought you had an older 1150 GS, not sure why though...

That's a good looking bike! Classy. So comfy for the knees and wrists? I've never sat on one.

I just went through getting a new bike, but not for the sole purpose of being a commuter. Being commuter friendly was kept in mind though as I wanted something that was smoother and had more wind protection at 80+. At those speeds the Tenere put my hands to sleep in a hurry. (That phenomenon seemed to bother me more than it used to, but that's a different topic)

Funny that the word commuter bike can mean different things to different people. I sit in some traffic on my 34 mile commute but about half of my commute is 2 lane roads, and the other half highways and interstate. Luckily I-30 into Dallas has an HOV lane that covers nearly the entire length I'm on it, about 15 miles.

I ended up with a K1600GT for the high speed comfort and larger wind fairing. Its big and heavy and probably the opposite of what you were looking for in a "commuter". It works great for my nearly all highway speed commute, and is very 2-up friendly which was another factor in deciding my next bike.

"Commute" to me means survival... adventure... near death experiences... unpredictable conditions... being treated as if I were invisible and/or unworthy of occupying space on the road...

TallGears said:

Funny that the word commuter bike can mean different things to different people. I sit in some traffic on my 34 mile commute but about half of my commute is 2 lane roads, and the other half highways and interstate. Luckily I-30 into Dallas has an HOV lane that covers nearly the entire length I'm on it, about 15 miles.

I ended up with a K1600GT for the high speed comfort and larger wind fairing. Its big and heavy and probably the opposite of what you were looking for in a "commuter". It works great for my nearly all highway speed commute, and is very 2-up friendly which was another factor in deciding my next bike.

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Same here, I also travel from out of town across the metroplex. I have about 10 miles of high speed open highway on I20 before I get to the craziness of 635. Then it's around to north Irving via HOV lanes and doing everything I can to keep the FJR at optimum cruising speed. For my about 70-100 mile round trip (depending on route and traffic) I'd go batty trying to do that on a Thruxton. But I can totally understand, as I've had different kinds of commutes over the years and the FJR would not have been optimum for some of them.

Tourmeister said:

"Commute" to me means survival... adventure... near death experiences... unpredictable conditions... being treated as if I were invisible and/or unworthy of occupying space on the road...

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It is! And you want the biggest baddest bike on the planet....something with big bags to be seen, and with power to boost out of situations. A KLR might be battle worthy for the Marines, but this Marine needs a different tool for the combat situation he faces every day.