Motorcycle.com Best of 2010 Awards

[bagha]

I would like to see a best commuter category ...

- Small/Light/Not super expensive
- Enough power to get out of the way of freeway traffic
- Narrow/Easy to lane split(No side cases)
- Top-box option or luggage for a laptop/lunch that doesn't hang on the sides.

[Geko]

Kymco Downtown 300i. Where did you get it. Where can the rest of us get one WITHOUT WAITING A YEAR OR MORE? (Remember the Xciting 500 which came out about 2 YEARS AFTER it was announced?).

[Kenneth_Moore]

Originally Posted by pushrod

KD,

Image admin, or handling of images on the forum has been pretty much an impossibility since v2.0 rolled out.

Well, sort of.

Images appear with no trouble at all on my home system, running Windows 7. They also appear on my 3G phone. My work system with XP SP3 cannot show images.

[sarnali2]

AHHHHH, Now I see what you guys mean..(wink wink nudge nudge)....Anyway The R1200 RT is a fine machine, no doubt about it. Wouldn't mind having one myself when I get tired of being one of the Faithful, history repeating itself as it were.....

But a Goldwing?.....well I suppose you know more than I about them, the last one I had was an 1100 Interstate that was not overly impressive. They've probably changed a little since then

[Kevin_Duke]

Originally Posted by pushrod

KD,

Image admin, or handling of images on the forum has been pretty much an impossibility since v2.0 rolled out.

Anyone wishing to provide imagery must post it to imageshack or similar, then provide a link, as the engine provided in this forum no-workee.

And then there is the irritating warning at the top of the page, that doesn't appear to affect anything. It's been there for a couple of moths now. It reads:

faultCode0faultStringWarning:Call-time pass-by-reference has been deprecated in /usr/sites/motorcycle.com/www/forum/search.php(192 : eval()'d code on line 103

(the smiley face is actually a "eight)")

But again, this thread is a nice 'Winner's Circle.' An amazing collection of technology!

Checking into it...

[Kevin_Duke]

Originally Posted by bagha

I would like to see a best commuter category ...

- Small/Light/Not super expensive
- Enough power to get out of the way of freeway traffic
- Narrow/Easy to lane split(No side cases)
- Top-box option or luggage for a laptop/lunch that doesn't hang on the sides.

That's an idea worth considering. The potential problem is that there are many definitions of what commuting is. If you don't live in Cali, lane-splitting abilities aren't as valuable. And is a factory top box necessary to qualify, or can an aftermarket one be fitted? And how fast does the freeway flow in your neighborhood? I could make a case for the TU250 or WR250X being good commuters, but I'm sure others would disagree.

[Kevin_Duke]

Originally Posted by Geko

Kymco Downtown 300i. Where did you get it. Where can the rest of us get one WITHOUT WAITING A YEAR OR MORE? (Remember the Xciting 500 which came out about 2 YEARS AFTER it was announced?).

I wasn't aware of Kymco's supply problems. I'll try to dig up more info.

[Kevin_Duke]

Originally Posted by sarnali2

AHHHHH, Now I see what you guys mean..(wink wink nudge nudge)....Anyway The R1200 RT is a fine machine, no doubt about it. Wouldn't mind having one myself when I get tired of being one of the Faithful, history repeating itself as it were.....

But a Goldwing?.....well I suppose you know more than I about them, the last one I had was an 1100 Interstate that was not overly impressive. They've probably changed a little since then

Yeah, the RT is underappreciated except by those who own them. It's a great touring bike, doing so with relatively low weight. As for the Gold Wing, yes, they have changed quite a bit in the 30 years since the GL1100!

[Jeff Cobb]

Originally Posted by bagha

I would like to see a best commuter category ...

- Small/Light/Not super expensive
- Enough power to get out of the way of freeway traffic
- Narrow/Easy to lane split(No side cases)
- Top-box option or luggage for a laptop/lunch that doesn't hang on the sides.

Great point. Commuting is a distinct advantage for motorbikes that the OEMs ought to more creatively target to help revive their sales.

I would add to your list of needed attributes sufficient amperage from the charging system to support electric gear for cooler/cold weather and to power other gadgets. But this is such a subjective topic. This question could just as easily be answered by an "Oddball Commuter Shootout" where we compare PTWs targeted at commuters vs. [insert favorite bike] and use the aftermarket to make our own "best" commuter for our needs.

[seruzawa]

Originally Posted by Kevin_Duke

Yeah, the RT is underappreciated except by those who own them. It's a great touring bike, doing so with relatively low weight. As for the Gold Wing, yes, they have changed quite a bit in the 30 years since the GL1100!

Not by me. If I were to get a full tourer the RT twins are the first on the list. They are the lightest of the full fairing tourers and are good with trailers as well. The RT was third on my new bike list after the Tiger and DL1000. They are light enough to serve commuter duty. Lighter than most sport tourers.

Not much to dislike about the RT.