I move to North Wales with work in Aug. Commute to work will be 90 mile round trip a day - all dual carriage way if I take the shortest route. Traffic can be utter shite sometimes (I have lived and worked there before) so I have decided to consider commuting by bike most of the year round. Current stable houses a 2010 HRC Blade (took in part ex for my S1000RR, it was Villans old bike on here) which has a fair few mods, fettled by Arthur and generally, I am very happy with it. Sharing its stable, is a KTM EXCR 530 enduro bike as I like my greenlaning, despite the fact living in Oxfordshire is the worst place on earth for legal green lane availability. As a result, the KTM is hardly used but I can't bear to part with it as North Wales is a bit of a Mecca for greenlaning. I really fancy a KTM 990 Adventure for the commuting and longer journeys I'll have to make to keep in touch with mates down south. The dilemma is do I try and commute on the Blade, piling on the miles and making it look as shabby as Alblade's bike, or do I sell the Blade, buy the Adventure and spare a couple of grand for a weekend blaster sports bike (a 600 supersport of sorts). Very interested to hear your thoughts (albeit, I think I know what they might be!!)
I had a similar dilemma MOz, commuted 120 miles round trip on motorway each day for five years, used a vfr for two, a blackbird for two and a varadero for one. Whilst the big vara was the comfiest for mway use, it's a bugger trying to get through those gaps that you know you'd just whizz thru on the sports bike but you have to carefully consider if the bigger bike can do. Biggest issue on the vara and I would think on a 990 adventure is the mirrors, especially if you've got two vans beside each other in standing traffic, the bike mirrors are exactly the same height as a transit wing mirror! Unless you fit some folding ones to the 990 I think you'd have the same problem. Hence, now use the blade!
Commuting is a bitch full stop, so if I were you it would have to be the blade. At least that way you'll get a smile every now and again, and when the weather is good you take the long way home right?
Get yourself if you can afford it a second hand 600 sports to do the commute. Better MPG, cheaper insurance, tyres etc etc, and you'll also have some fun at the same time.
if it were me i,d use the blade occasionally on the really nice days but for most of the time i,d buy a cheaper hack that,ll eat up the miles. for about 1k you should be able to get something suitable. old zzr600,1100 gsx600/750f. not pretty bikes but cheaper running costs and comfy old things.
I second that. The blade is wonderful to commute on (those folding mirrors make for happy filtering too), and I always do unless it's bad weather/salt/cold/etc. A trusty old VFR takes care of that for me which is just as reliable and twice as comfy, even if it does lose out a little in the grin department. As Rocket says, there's a lot of bargains out there at the moment, and lots to take your pick from...
Put similar miles on as you will MOz, around 20K a year, its all down to preference, but the Blade is the best commuter IMO, don't wash with the old hack, better mpg etc etc. Been there, done that, bored to s**t after a couple of weeks. Mine averages around 50mpg commuting, mixture of country lanes, motorway and 15 miles of London congestion, its comfortable, perfectly balanced, massively flexible engine, as above mirrors are spot on for filtering, the only thing that does slow you down are the muppets on BMs with panniers as big as a house who insist on filtering. Its my 4th Blade for commuting in last 13 years, probably covered in excess of 250K miles, and as I say there is nothing worse than 12 months a year sitting on a bike you really don't want to be on to save a notional few quid. Lifes to short for all that crap.
I appreciate all the words of support, but........... after agonising over it all night, I've decided to put the Blade up for a very regrettable sale. Time will tell if it ends up as a commuter.
