Someone above mentioned the Ninja EX250.
70mpg
far faster than anything else in its class or smaller
(top speed of 110, 0-60 in under 6 seconds)
If you actually spend a tank accelerating like that, riding hills with passengers, the worst you will get is 55mpg.
And used ones on craigslist in excellent condition can be found for $1-2000 (especially now that the 08 redesign is out)
6 speed transmission, 14,000 red line, comfortable upright position (even though the fenders make it look like a sport bike), very customizable.
They say it is a good "beginner" bike, but 7 years and 30,000 miles later I haven't outgrown it.
www.ninja250.com

OK, I found a bike that I am really considering getting. It is a 1969 Honda CD175. Has a little over 15K and just had a top end rebuild. The guy that is selling it is the original owner and has all of the maintenance receipts. It does need new tires. All of the tins are in perfect shape except for one small ding on the tank. It has a fair bit of power for its age and size... It is also really fun to ride...

The downside is, it will be next to impossible to find new parts for. I can find used parts on ebay.

The price is $2000. That's about normal for one of these. I saw some on Ebay for as much a $5000 that were in worse condition.

Whatcha think?

Too much money for a 30+ years old machine.. not likely to be a dependable commuter if you require it be capable of highway speed..

My Chinese scooter was $1699 shipped to my driveway.. I put over 7600 miles on it in one year without machanical issues nor need for replacement parts.

They are nice bikes and VERY dependable. If it's in excellent shape than you can't just look at the fact that it's 30 years old. don't try to run it 70+ all the time and it will run fine.
You can get new parts for them, you just have to search for them.

Jim T.

See, I don't care about highway speeds. The highest the speed limit gets on my way to work is 45. People usually go 35 though. The only highway riding I would be doing, is if I went to St. Augustine. Even then, the speed limit only goes up to 55.

I'm going to keep looking around. I may find something that I just can't say no to. Right now, I am just saving up the money to take a safety course to get my motorcycle endorsement.

Have you thought about an Aprillia 50 cc scooter? It has direct fuel injection and it should be great on gas.

If I do go with a scooter, it will be a Honda Ruckus. It's a name I know and it is a few hundred dollars cheaper. I go in for my safety class to get my endorsement on the 4th and 5th...

That's a good idea, if you have not been exposed to stupidity of drivers on a two-wheeled vehicle, operting a 50cc scoot without proper endorcement or rider training is rather dangerous.

Near me, when posted speed limit is at 35 mph, people travel 45 mph, highways with 55 mph speed limit, people driver up to 65-70 mph easily. I get flashed and honked at when I travel the speed limit on my area roads. One day soon, I can see myself getting rear ended by some wreckless driver.

Hi,

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Hate to burst your bubble, but EFI (at least in Harleys) is no panacea for mileage. EFI'd Harleys are actually reputed to get worse mileage than their carb'd predecessors while requiring premium fuel instead of regular. The Blast would no doubt follow suit if they EFI'd it.

Then again I'm biased and love carbs. When my warrantee is up, I'm ripping the EFI off of my Nightster for some carb action. Even if I didn't mind EFI so much, I've always wondered why you have to come to a complete stop for it to idle down and (presumably) go to closed loop...had this problem on my Focus, my Harley, and my Mom's Mazda...and when I added some mods to my Harley, why the hell did I have have to add a tuner if EFI's so smart?! I could re-jet a carb for a fraction of the price in my own driveway, thank you.