Yay, it's another 'What Bike?' thread......

[mistergixer]

As part of a cost-cutting exercise, i'm thinking of flogging my car and going back to bikes - all i want is a bit of cheap and cheerful fun for the commute to work and the odd blast out.
As i am unable to control my silliness on larger capacity bikes, i've set myself a capacity limit of around 400cc - in reality, something that runs out of puff at around the 120(-ish)mph mark.
I think a 125 will be a bit lacking in puff, so i'm looking really at 250 2-T and 400 4-T.
Commute is 5 - 10 miles, mostly on country roads.
Budget is around £1K, although there is some flexibility. Cosmetic condition is unimportant, mechanical condition is - whilst i'm handy with the spanners, i don't want a 'project', i just want cheap transport.
So, esteemed BCF members, your opinions please - pros/cons of NSR/RS/RGV/TZR/RDLC vs NC30/CBR400....or any other 'wildcards' which might fit the bill (TDRs, supermotos etc).
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[T0MMY]

Depends what you mean by cheap but none of the bikes you've listed will be particularly cheap as they're all desirable to some extent. By cheap I mean well under a grand to buy but I also reckon the running costs of all those bikes will be comparable to or higher than a boring car.
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ZX6R + CBR600RR

[Blau Zedong]

None of the strokers are cheap to run if you are using them everyday, and some (LC's / NSR especially) are expensive to buy. Unless it's a minter you need to factor in at least a top end investigation / rebuild. The TZR and RD LC / YPVS are the easiest to work on and cheap / plentiful spares. A YPVS is probably the best option on the 2T front, being a good blend of mad and practical and also not yet having the "classic" cachet of it's predecessors. £1000 should get you a good un. 4T 400's are ok but there are so many horrid ones about and a serious mechanical problem isn't usually worth fixing. Also lacking in Lulz compared to a 2T.
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18:54:48 Rob Fzs: jews don't give away stuff for free

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[Charlie]

Try getting a Honda Hornet 250, great fun and pretty cheap to maintain. There isn't loads of information out there for them but I manage and it has been pretty easy to maintain.
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Past: Honda x8rs, Honda City fly, Honda Hornet 250, Honda VFR750, Yamaha xt600e.
Current: Honda CBR929RR & Yamaha XT660Z Tenere

[twotakt]

I wouldn't even consider a 250cc "sports" stroker if you're on a budget, they go for a lot of £££ nowdays. Also the IL4 250cc 4t's can be a right bastard to get parts for. But you can get all sorts of the sports 400s for relatively cheap, loads of cheap parts available as well, especially the following:

NC23
NC24
NC30
ZXR400

I will have my ZXR400 L for sale soon actually, not looking for a lot for it (~£800-£900ish). I also recently did Head Gasket, Cam Chain, Tensioner and Clearances (~<3000 miles ago). Got all of the receipts for the parts as well.

NC35 and NC29 will be outside of your budget and the GSXR400 is wank IMHO.
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R.I.P. Tareree Shiimi, 1985-2008

[MarJay]

None of the above. The 400 sports bikes are all old and knackered by now. If they aren't old and knackered then they will be big bucks.

If you want a max of 120mph-ish then there is really only one choice: SV650.

Its newer, slightly more powerful, larger and more comfortable and more practical than a 400cc sportsbike. It also handles better than a knackered 400 and can be made to handle as well as a good 400 with a bit of effort.

250 2t will blow up if you try to commute on it, 125's are too slow, 600's are too fast hence you're looking at an SV.

Or maybe a Hornet...?
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British beauty: Triumph Street Triple R; Loony stroker: KR1S; Track fun: GSXR750 L1; Commuter Missile: GSX-S1000F; Cheap project: CBR900RR FireBlade
Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another.

[Blau Zedong]

[mistergixer]

[G]

[27cows]

I'd go for a DRZ400 myself. Won't go 120 but who actually needs to go that fast with cameras round every corner?
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[Howling TerrorOutOfOffice]