GPZ 305 - Any Good For A Commmuter?

dabigginger · Crazy Courier Joined: 28 Oct 2006 Karma :

In my search for a cheap commuter bike, one of my mates has a friend who's selling a GPZ 305. He's asking for around £300 for it with no MOT. Does this sound like a reasonable buy? I think it's an H-reg or thereabouts, so about 1990. I don't have much more info on it right now - he's going to try and get some more details for me.

I hear it's actually a belt drive - is there any maintenance involved in these? Does anyone know how long the belts last? I hear replacements aren't cheap...

Are there any things that I should be aware of when I go to look at this? If anyone has other opinions or comments on them, I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks in advance!

spnorm · Crazy Courier Joined: 18 Aug 2007 Karma :

They are an absolute dog - the engines self-destruct at relatively low mileage and they rot badly.

Nice bike to ride, but not worth the hassle (I used to have one Sad

)

TheShaggyDA · Repost Police Joined: 14 Jun 2004 Karma :

I liked them, but I doubt there's any nice examples out there now. For £300 I'd want an MOT.

https://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220171121255
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Current: CB500 Previous: CB100N, CB250RS, XJ900F, GT550, GPZ750R/1000RX, AJS M16, R100RT, Enfield Bullet

[i:6e3bfc7581]But still I fear and still I dare not laugh at the madman...[/i:6e3bfc7581]

stinkwheel · Bovine Proctologist Joined: 12 Jul 2004 Karma :

They are fantastic little bikes to ride but unfortunately they have a very weak engine. My mates one blew itself up in a very final way at about 15,000miles and had been dealer serviced all its life. (big ends collapsed, piston hit halve, bent conrod, ripped pin out of piston and wore groove through liner before seizing solid at 80mph.

If it wasn't for the engine, they would be a perfect commuter. The belt drive is virtually maintainance free, they are lightweight, confidence inspiring and frugal on fuel with enough of a turn of speed to put a smile on your face. Don't buy one, the top-end is made of cheese*.

*Not even cheddar. The crumbly stuff that you can't slice properly.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

crazymotorbik... · Nearly there... Joined: 05 Mar 2006 Karma :

Hey,

As has been said many times they are a cracking bike. However the engines are made of some kind of soft cheese. I fear the camshaft is stilton?!?

I love mine so much however that i have just bought a new camshaft Confused

More money than sense possibly.

My L reg model with 30K on the clocks and tax and MOT cost £325. So i feel your friend is asking a tiny bit too much. (The camshaft went at 40k so i got nice 10K mile out of it first!)

If its just for winter hack/commuter and you can get it cheaper, or with MOT and Tax i'd say go for it. You will love it i promise. Until it self destructs!

Shaun.

Blau Zedong · Banned Joined: 26 Jun 2006 Karma :

Kawasaki deceided to tune the Z250 Scorpian (which wasn't reliable to start with)......nice concept spoilt by short engine life as above.
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18:54:59 Rob Fzs: unless its their clothes/ hair/ golden teeth

dabigginger · Crazy Courier Joined: 28 Oct 2006 Karma :

Hmmm... I'm not feeling too keen on the thought of one of these, now. I'm thinking if I hold on a bit and up my £500 budget a bit more, I might be able to get something like an ER5 or CB500 which would probably be a lot better and hopefully last a lot longer.

Thanks for the input, guys!