Thread: After some opinions on first road bike

I’ve got a Royal Enfield Interceptor 650, LAMS approved.

Not a road rocket but would be ideal for commuting and gets about 65+ mpg (in the old fashioned way of figuring out fuel economy)

If it's for pure city ridding I'd go Super Motard for sure.
On the open road having a faired bike is much more plesant on long rides but in the city the agility and added height of a supermoto would be an advtanage.
I had a DR650 for a while which was a nice bike, not a power house but comfortable enough for shorter rides (all day on the open road not so comfortable), and would be great for your intended use.

Personally I'd lean towards the more offroad/eduro style of bikes with a loud obnixious exauhst so car drivers can't miss you.
Something like a DR650 or a DRZ400 would be a cheaper option to start out with.
I'd be tempted do get a road legal 2 stroke bike, purely for the plumes of blue smoke on start up to offset the telsa/leaf drivers in the city.

A guy at work had a KTM Duke 200, reckoned he was getting between 2-3 L/100km.

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I had a 250cc hyosung and that was very zippy. I only weighed 69kg at the time tho. I got 3.5 L to 100km from it. 350 odd km from a 12L tank. mix of motorway and suburban traffic.

If you are only going to be riding to and from work then a larger engine bike is not very useful unless you are not able to fit on a 250 comfortably.. some 600's i looked at getting used 6-7L to 100km and will suffer depreciation and wear and tear excessively compared to a 250.

the new 300 twins that the japs make are very good. get a naked version as there is no fairings to damage and normally a lot more upright riding position.

the money saved could go to heated grips

buy a harley, it will be broken down so much you wont have to go to work

I had a 390 duke lams for a while, was cheap to run and did more then the speed limit but not by much, just enough to get passed a car with out sitting in the killzone for 30 seconds. Small bike but was smooth on the bad country roads, best bit was finding a road that ran out of tarmac and onto gravel. im sure if it was a sports bike i would have gone down hard but was too small for my frame for longer then 30minute rides.

Originally Posted by 199p

I had a 390 duke lams for a while, was cheap to run and did more then the speed limit but not by much, just enough to get passed a car with out sitting in the killzone for 30 seconds. Small bike but was smooth on the bad country roads, best bit was finding a road that ran out of tarmac and onto gravel. im sure if it was a sports bike i would have gone down hard but was too small for my frame for longer then 30minute rides.

Yeah I'm 6'1" and 95kg so not sure if I'll be too big for the 390s or not.

Planning on taking the KTM Duke, Yamaha MT03-07, Kawasaki Verseys for a ride if I can find some to try.

Originally Posted by Savage1

Yeah I'm 6'1" and 95kg so not sure if I'll be too big for the 390s or not.

Planning on taking the KTM Duke, Yamaha MT03-07, Kawasaki Verseys for a ride if I can find some to try.

Go the mt07 man way more leg room then the 03 and the duke. i am the same dimensions found my hips cramped up. and bake brake was a no go but you might be bit more flexible then myself

Mate, I reckon the electrics are nearly there…

Been looking at these…little pricey still but watch some of the YouTube reviews

https://www.blacksheeptrading.co.nz/...nduro-version/

520nm of torque and 100km range, stonkingly fast and can play off road on the weekends

Chuck some motard wheels on for the week and switch to the dirt wheels for a play.


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Been looking at these too….

https://www.cfmoto.co.nz/model/700cl-x-sport-nz

Been getting awesome reviews, yes Chinese made but built in partnership with KTM and have all the good bits (Brembo brakes etc.)


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Originally Posted by Spudattack

Been looking at these too….

https://www.cfmoto.co.nz/model/700cl-x-sport-nz

Been getting awesome reviews, yes Chinese made but built in partnership with KTM and have all the good bits (Brembo brakes etc.)


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Yeah. I had a look at one in Hamilton a few weeks back and was quite impressed.

@Savage1 I will offer you the same suggestions that I have given so many other riders when starting. Dont worry about the flash or expensive bikes for what you are doing. Look at the likes of road user trail bikes like the DR range, Possibly the RE Himalayan, or the various othr trail based bikes.

This is for several reasons. The upright seating position wont be fast in the twisties, but it will give you a good riding position to get used to being amongst traffic - Good vision all around, wide handle bars for better control, simple power delivery, and relatively cheap to fix when the are knocked around.- Almost designed to handle falling over as that happens off road. Throw a set of road / universal tyres for better on road control... They are also the more economical rides. I loved the Himalayan that I had, and in some ways regret passing it on, but I like what I replaced it with. If you were highway hauling with longer distances on the road, trailies will get uncomfortable and the extra power of a 600cc engine means a more relaxed ride.

The royal enfields make a nice range and from memory almost all of them are Lams bikes.


Do you have kids / family? Think abotu what sort of push bike they would find easier to ride....Mountain bike, bmx or road cycle.

Have some fun on the way to and from work.

I wouldn't do it, auckland drivers are absolutely fucking shocking. Are you going to be based out West?

I never saw a motard beat a sportsbike around the cemetery circuit and the 1000cc sports bikes were in first gear a lot of the time. A few motards did qualify for the open race at the end of the day though.