What's the best used bike to own...

[Kris]

..if you are limited to just one bike for all your biking needs?

Criteria:

[edit] Looking to replace a Bandit600 with something a tad sportier..

16000 miles per year commuting (All types of road)
4000 miles per year back lane blasts with mates
1 or 2 trackdays per year
Min. 150 mile tank range
Reliability
Good headlights
Good parts availability
Price ceiling £2800



I was thinking circa 2000 CBR600 but I'm not sure I could do it to myself....

Thoughts?
____________________
NSR125RR - ZXR750H1 - ZX9R E1 - GSF600S - GSF600SK3 - VFR400-NC30 - SV1000N - ST1100-R - CBR900RR-R - GSF1200SK5 - GSF600SK1 - VFR1200FA - GSXR1000K2 - ZZR1400 D8F
www.prisonplanet.com

[DrDonnyBrago]

[Kris]

[Alex A]

VFR750 or VFR800Fi
____________________
Current: Ducati Panigale R / Ducati Streetfighter S / Suzuki GSX-R1000 L5

[Teflon-Mike]

If you have a garage and a decent multi-bike policy, and pick your bikes 'right', the ecconomics of two bikes can actually justify themselves very easily..... So what aspects of multi-biking is giving you grief? Space? Nearest-Dearest-Ear-ache?

I mean, CBR6 is the defacto do-all motorcycle. The original jack-of-all-trades.

But, something like an ER5, boring as it be, is a useful commuter, cheaper to tax, insure and fuel, and up to the odd longer haul for a weekend away or whatever.

Then stick a full power Mito in the garage; £15 a year tax, possible 'free' insurance on the bigger bike policy, as its smaller capacity and hopefully lower value, light use only when you want to go hoon or do a track day, shouldn't cost an arm and a leg to maintain.

Plenty of perms you can run on the idea.

Substitute a Dulsville for the ER5, or an old shaftie, GS850 or GT750, maybe a Pan, or a BMW boxer. anything goes really.

Substitute an old Yam RD-LC or valve, a Kwak KR1, Zook RGV, or Prillia RS250, or a sport 400.

OR even flip it about; and go for something like a Suzuki TL1000 as the hooner, and maybe something daft like a motard for the commuter.

Possibilities are endless, really, but the 'one-bike does all' is a hard remit to meet, and cramming so many compromises into one bike makes for a lot of compromise all in one place.

If you HAVE to though, then the starting point for the Jack-of-all-Trades has to be the CBR6F or the venerable old VFR. Maybe a Hornet?
____________________
My Webby'Tef's-tQ, loads of stuff about my bikes, my Land-Rovers, and the stuff I do with them!
Current Bikes:'Honda VF1000F' ;'CB750F2N' ;'CB125TD ( 6 3 of em!)'; 'Montesa Cota 248'. Learner FAQ's:= 'U want to Ride a Motorbike! Where Do U start?'

[evoboy]

Earlier ZX6r?

Mine used to be able to get 140ish miles to a tank ( before i stuck MX bars on it).

I find that the headlights are very good.

Copes trackdays no problem.

Mines done over 50k miles now and not had any problems with the engine, bar one of the coils failing. ( I purchased it with 29k on it 2 years ago)

Parts are no problem.

Can be had for sub £2k easily.

Altho this is only my personal experience, it would depend what kind of bike your looking at? More like the Bandit, just sportier? Or more Sportsbike style?
____________________
Suzuki GT250 x7------- Fazer 600------CB250RS------Aprilia Rally 70----- Bandit 600

APT Motorcycles

[hmmmnz]

bandit 12

ktm superduke
____________________
the humans are dead
I kick arse for the lord
Wiring Diagrams BIDNIP it bitches

[Kickstart]

Hi

Think the CBR might be a good choice, but also maybe a ZX6R or even a ZX9R (ie, sporty but not extreme).

Or not much different to what you have now, how about a 1200 Bandit?

All the best

Keith
____________________
Traxpics, track day and racing photographs - Bimota Forum - Bike performance / thrust graphs for choosing gearing

[Kris]

[hmmmnz]

hornet 900
____________________
the humans are dead
I kick arse for the lord
Wiring Diagrams BIDNIP it bitches

[Kickstart]

[Kris]

[Alex A]

[Kickstart]

[Pie-Roe]

Best bike I owned that ticked all your boxes was an rf600, but they are all old and fucked now.

Could you get a zr750 for that money?

Pyro
____________________
Previous: GSF600, FZR600 x2, ZXR750, XT600 Tenere, CB125, CZ125, ETZ 250, ER5, CCM R30, DRZ400, RF600x4, RF900x2, GS500, VTR1000F, 640 SMC, CB250 NIGHTHAWK, GT550x3, GPX750 TE610, CB500, X11x2, SV650, ZING 125, TL1000R,CB250 Superdream, CBR1100XX

[Irezumi aka Reuben]

Have a go on a VFR (and a CBR) before you buy one. The most boring bikes I've ever ridden bar none.

Very capable and good, although the VFR is cumbersome around town. But for the love of all the kittens in the world they bore the shit out of me. I'd rather walk than ride another VFR.
____________________
Pictorgraphicalfantastical

[Kris]

[Teflon-Mike]

[Kris]

Bandit 1 years commuting:

16000 miles = approx £1920 on fuel at present. £1920
2 x front tyres, 3 x rears. £560
Basic service every 6k = £60 £160
Valve check every 12k = £30 £40
Pads approx 10k = £35 £56
Insurance = £110
Tax = £48
MOT = £30

= £2924

[edit] Very happy - just seen that a train season ticket is £3808 (only a 2 hour journey each way.. ) or £3096 for a 2.5 hour journey each way...

My bike takes me 50 mins.
____________________
NSR125RR - ZXR750H1 - ZX9R E1 - GSF600S - GSF600SK3 - VFR400-NC30 - SV1000N - ST1100-R - CBR900RR-R - GSF1200SK5 - GSF600SK1 - VFR1200FA - GSXR1000K2 - ZZR1400 D8F
www.prisonplanet.com

[G]

With that budget, also consider an early GSXR1000 - like a ZX9, but more so in most ways. (Or a GSXR750 )

Two bikes do also offer the advantage that you can have one off the road for a while and not worry too much if maintenance/repairs take longer than expected.

I don't like big bikes for 'fun' road riding, but for everything else, very happy my GSXR.

[DrDonnyBrago]

[Teflon-Mike]

[gmanxiii]

[DrDonnyBrago]

[evoboy]

Fuel range on my zx6r '00 model was 170+ miles to a tank on motorways cruising at 85mph-ish, without hitting reserve.

In town and hooning around, it does around 130-140miles to a tank.
____________________
Suzuki GT250 x7------- Fazer 600------CB250RS------Aprilia Rally 70----- Bandit 600

APT Motorcycles