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The best bikes for commuting are comfortable, efficient, and easy to live with. A nice price also helps.
The best bikes for commuting are comfortable, efficient, and easy to live with. A nice price also helps. (Vung Nguyen @Pexels/)

While it’s often said that any motorcycle makes a good commuter, some bikes are just better equipped to handle the daily grind. Desirable daily riders offer compact footprints, the ability to thread through crowded streets, and excellent fuel efficiency, but it also depends where and for how long you’re traveling. Longer-distance rides add features like better seat padding, panniers, and windshields, while urban-focused rigs adhere to the time-tested formula of less is more. Where applicable, we offer our own as-tested mileage figures as well as those from crowdsourced sites, which offer aggregated data from multiple users.

Our list of bikes proves that commuting capability can be had without breaking the bank, even taking weight, maneuverability, and comfort into account.

Suzuki’s V-Strom makes a compelling case as a road-biased, low-cost commuter, with good road manners, good mpg, and great comfort.
Suzuki’s V-Strom makes a compelling case as a road-biased, low-cost commuter, with good road manners, good mpg, and great comfort. (Suzuki/)

2024 Suzuki V-Strom 650 | 57 mpg (claimed) | $9,199

Suzuki’s V-Strom comes in a variety of trim levels, but we think the 650 base model strikes the right balance between affordability and capability, and better targets the commuting mission. Powered by the familiar 645cc liquid-cooled 90-degree V-twin derived from the SV650, the Strom 650 delivers a nice combo of reliability, efficiency, and comfort, and there’s no arguing with its sub-$10K price tag.

That well-mannered Vee gets high marks for its smooth delivery, churning out a claimed 70 hp (65.2 hp on our dyno) while the Strom’s slim chassis and relatively low 470-pound weight make things controllable at low speeds or in adverse conditions. The standard V-Strom 650 doesn’t boast a ton of gizmos, though dual disc front brakes, ABS, traction control, and ride-by-wire throttle are welcome features here. The bike rolls on 19/17-inch street-biased wheels and carries a robust 5.3-gallon tank; owners report between 50 and 60 mpg, making for a relatively solid 260 miles between gas stops, a boon for commuting or touring.

With a new parallel-twin-powered model waiting in the wings, the “V” in V-Strom might not be around much longer, but for now it’s still a bike that hits all the right notes.

Practical to a fault, Honda’s NC750X is well equipped for either urban or longer-haul commutes thanks to handy amenities and excellent fuel efficiency.
Practical to a fault, Honda’s NC750X is well equipped for either urban or longer-haul commutes thanks to handy amenities and excellent fuel efficiency. (Honda/)

2023 Honda NC750X | 53 mpg (tested) | $9,399

Honda’s not-exactly-exciting but incredibly capable NC750X regularly makes top commuter bike lists, and on paper, it’s hard to argue with the specs. There’s a hella smooth, fuel-sipping 745cc parallel-twin engine good for a claimed 67 mpg, throttle-by-wire, a slipper clutch, ABS, traction control, and an automatic DCT transmission with three riding modes—and the NC still rings in at under $10,000.

Another feature that makes the Honda supremely suited to urban stints is a handy, lockable “frunk,” aka a 23-liter compartment big enough to conveniently swallow a full-face helmet and assorted groceries.

That eight-valve parallel-twin engine provides tractorlike off-idle acceleration that easily chugs through the midrange, and while power delivery isn’t exactly sporty, it is smooth. In top gear the NC spins at around 4,500 rpm, which partly explains that superb fuel economy; we recorded an average of 53 mpg during our testing, while Fuelly.com users reportedly averaged over 60 mpg from the 3.8-gallon underseat fuel tank.

Although the 750X clocks in at a 493 pounds wet, we still think the simplicity of the automatic transmission and the practicality of its creature comforts make it one of motorcycling’s better all-rounders.

Related: 2021 Honda NC750X DCT MC Commute Review

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By: Andrew Cherney
Title: Top 5 Commuter Motorcycles 2023
Sourced From: www.motorcyclistonline.com/news/top-5-commuter-motorcycles/
Published Date: Mon, 11 Sep 2023 16:27:55 +0000

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Speed Read: A custom Kawasaki ER-6N from the future and more

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The latest motorcycle news, customs and classics
The first two bikes on our list this week prove that there’s customization potential in every motorcycle. A custom Kawasaki ER-6N from Indonesia leads the charge, followed by a custom Buell XB12X Ulysses from Italy. Moto Borgotaro teases us with a stunning 1983 Ducati 600 TT2, and Tamarit proves their mastery of Triumph motorcycles with a menacing Triumph Bobber.

Custom Kawasaki ER-6N by Katros Garage
Kawasaki ER-6N by Katros Garage A quick scroll through Katros Garage’s social media channels yields impressive results. Andi Akbar, the workshop’s founder and proprietor, and his team have been pumping out all manner of custom bikes for some years. From choppers to café racers and everything in between, the Indonesian outfit is one of Southeast Asia’s best.

For this custom Kawasaki ER-6N project, Katros Garage teamed up with Ziko, a fellow Indonesian and professional drift racer. Ziko is partial to a nice motorcycle, but this is his first custom bike, so he wanted it to be as easy to ride as possible. With the brief calling for upright ergonomics, chunky rubber, and futuristic style, the group decided on a street tracker build.

Custom Kawasaki ER-6N by Katros GarageRead More

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By: Ben Pilatti
Title: Speed Read: A custom Kawasaki ER-6N from the future and more
Sourced From: www.bikeexif.com/custom-motorcycle-news-december-10-2023
Published Date: Sun, 10 Dec 2023 18:04:24 +0000

Did you miss our previous article…
https://mansbrand.com/master-stroke-purpose-built-motos-svelte-yamaha-xs650-chopper/

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Master Stroke: Purpose Built Moto’s svelte Yamaha XS650 chopper

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Yamaha XS650 chopper by Purpose Built Moto
They say that perfect is the enemy of good. But when it comes to high-end custom motorcycles, shouldn’t perfection be the goal? Having never built a custom motorcycle in this style before, that’s the standard that Purpose Built Moto set for themselves with this Yamaha XS650 chopper.

Delays with parts and other builds meant this project took the Australian workshop more than 18 months to complete. The silver lining was that this extensive time frame meant they could pore over every detail in the pursuit of perfection.

Yamaha XS650 chopper by Purpose Built Moto

“There are plenty of Yamaha XS650 chopper builds out there,” says the workshop’s founder, Tom Gilroy, “but there are very few that look well laid out and finished right. Generally, kit frames make the bike look too long and punch the steering angle out too much. We wanted a fast-handling, performance chopper.”

Purpose Built Moto started by stripping the bike down, lopping the rear half of the frame off, and setting the headstock in a jig with a rake of 27 degrees. Then the real work began.

Yamaha XS650 chopper by Purpose Built MotoRead More

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By: Ben Pilatti
Title: Master Stroke: Purpose Built Moto’s svelte Yamaha XS650 chopper
Sourced From: www.bikeexif.com/yamaha-xs650-chopper
Published Date: Tue, 05 Dec 2023 17:19:56 +0000

Did you miss our previous article…
https://mansbrand.com/exif-picks-favorites-from-bonhams-december-2023-sale/

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EXIF Picks: Favorites from Bonhams December 2023 Sale

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Bonhams December Sale 2023

Bonhams certainly knows how to pick ’em, and there’s some exceptional iron hiding in the 2023 December Sale. It’s an online-only auction with lots closing as soon as December 11th, boasting exceptional classics, landmark sportbikes, parts and memorabilia. The apple of our eye has to be Lot 128, a sweetheart of a 1974 Ducati 750 GT, but we’ll let you be the judge.

Bonhams December Sale 2023
1990 Norton 588 cc F1 Amid tough financial times in the 1980s, Norton was clinging to utilitarian rotary-powered roadsters like the Interpol 2, the Classic and the Commander to weather the coming years. There was a surprising amount of potential hidden in the humble 588 cc twin-rotor Wankel, though, and the engine would eventually form the basis of the British F1-winning RCW588. Never one to waste an opportunity, Norton debuted a street-legal version of RCW in 1989 dubbed the F1.

1990 Norton F1Read More

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By: Dean Larson
Title: EXIF Picks: Favorites from Bonhams December 2023 Sale
Sourced From: www.bikeexif.com/bonhams-december-2023-sale
Published Date: Wed, 06 Dec 2023 19:32:15 +0000

Did you miss our previous article…
https://mansbrand.com/special-report-42-photos-from-the-2023-mooneyes-show/

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