CBR600, ZX6R or Thundercat?? Help!

[jonnyboy]

hi, ive sold my current bike and im looking to get another in next few weeks. budget is only £1400 max and bike is to be used year round for 30 mile round trip commute. reliability and running costs are main priority with not too many miles with a decent history. following some great advice on here and research on the net ive narrowed it down to: cbr600, zx6r or a thundercat. ive never ridden any of them so any thoughts / opinions / advice much appreciated, cheers

[Benson_JV]

CBR600F
That is all.
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Willson - "If you go out on that CBR600 in the winter, you're going to do more miles on your side than on your wheels."
Riding: CBR600FW Driving: Audi A6
Previous Bikes: '96 Bandit 600, '96 GPz305

[JP7]

[instigator]

CBR600F are boring.

Thundercats are old hat.

ZX-6R G1 would be within your budget, get one on eBay. Silky smooth engine, great mpg if you want and reliable as fuck. More than I can say for the thundercats gearbox.

[The Tot]

I'd go with what Instigator says! ZX6R G/J's in particular can be had for that sort of price. Avoid the F models (like the one I used to have) because parts aren't interchangable.

Why I would vouch for the Ninja? Simple.

Honda CBR600 - they hold their prices really well because it's a honda! BUT Honda build quality and electrics should not be mentioned in the same sentence. Irrespective of what model CBR you have, the regulator rectifier WILL go! It went on my 01 Blade last year. '97-98 CBR6's fetch a 2-400 quid premium over the equivalent ninja.

Thundercat - nothing really wrong with it but steel frame and steel swingarm can hide a lot of rust. That's just me being subjective. It's like a fazer, but better and ran virtually unchanged from 96 to 2003 so spares aplenty. Can be had for the same price as a ninja. RIDE magazine did an issue about used thundercats and echoed issues relating gearboxes and rusting swingarms.

Ninja - The airbox... just listen to it when you get over 7k rpm. Brakes are a bit pants in terms of maintenance! The tokico 6 pot brakes are notorious for siezing. Other than that, great comfort, great size, good economy and plenty of spares.

My ZX6R-F never had anything go wrong mechanically or electrically in my 2 years of ownership... The same can't be said about my Honda Fireblade! Who ever said hondas were reliable and durable must have got a nice brown envelope when the bike left the showroom!

For me, if you want value for money pick a thundercat or a 98 ninja.
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The Tot 2019 Z1000SX - 2007 R1
Never argue with autism

[Rowey]

Triumph TT600. Fuel injection, better brakes and chassis, and more power than that lot. Also a little cheaper due to the bad press they got when released.

Only bad point is low down fueling isn't as smooth as the others. But the fun you get from riding it in anger more than makes up for that.

Reliability wise. Mines approaching 50k. I commute all year round and ride it hard in the summer and it's still going strong. Other than service items, I've only had to replace a coil and a seal here and there.

See if you can get a test ride on one.
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ZX6R C6F.
Never argue with an idiot. They'll only bring you down to their level, and beat you with experience.

[jonnyboy]

thanks for info so far. i would have a tt600 but cant find one within budget close enough to me.

[Handsome]

A mate's got a Thundercat, doesn't shut up about how good it is, if he could get it up the stairs he'd put it in his bed...

It's an R reg I think, 40,000+ miles on it, starts on the button, doesn't miss a beat and takes off pretty quick, apart from a chain eating the arse end incident ( laugh, I nearly pissed myself ) last year and the bodywork looking a little tired ( needs a respray ) it's still a good all rounder, takes all the abuse you can give it and keeps on going, if they weren't so ugly I'd have concidered one myself...
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Previous Bikes...Honda NSR 125 RR...Kawasaki Zephyr 550...Suzuki SV 1000 S...Yamaha FZ8...Current Bike...Suzuki GSX-R 750...

[0l0dom0l0]

They are all great bikes, and which ever you go for you won't be disappointed.

For me I would be happy with any.

In terms of gearbox issues with the early thundercats, it was the second gear that went. Basically the dogs wore out on the shaft and meant that under hard load, they would come out of their places.

If you do get a chance to test ride one, then open it up HARD in second. If it pops out of gear walk away, if it doesn't then it should be fine. They only normally suffered from it if they had been raced or un cared for.

The brakes are nothing short of fantastic. Came off the R1 so really do stop you well. I had a fazer which is very simular underneath, with same engine and brakes. The engines are great, mine was so smooth, you couldn't feel a rattle at 12krpm.

Just get which ever one you prefer. I wasn't a massive fan of the styling of the early bikes anyways.

Any one you get, just make sure it has a decent service history, and the owner looks decent. Old bikes can get VERY expensive to run if things start going wrong so just remember that.

Hope it helps

[jonnyboy]

Great advice, much appreciated. im fairly new to biking so learning loads from this site. despite the title of my thread im now inclined to waiting to see if a decent tt600 comes up within budget and distance. but i'll prob change my mind again so could still go for cbr, zxr or yzfr! it's doing my nut in!

[The Tot]

Take out an insurance quote mate. I don't know about you but in my case, the ninja was about 10% cheaper than the CBR for some reason! Well, it's now a case of finding one that's in the right condition for the right budget. If the bike's done 20k miles, ask when the valve check/adjustments were done.

Oh, due to the age of the bikes, any of these upgrades/mods is a welcome bonus:

Replacement/refurbished rear shock. I sold my bike with a new Hagon on the back because I don't have the hear to sell lemons to people. 10 year old bike with plenty of miles will inevitably result in a tired chassis. If it hasn't had this done, along with the fork oil, then budget about £500 to get the suspension renewed and set up for your weight.

Stainless steel headers. I'm not sure about the ZX6R-G/J, but all the other bikes have mild steel headers. Chances are they're rusting heavily by the collector box. If it's not holed already, it WILL. You can find full systems on ebay for cheap enough. If not, motad do replacement headers for any bike for about £250 odd.

Brake disks & braided hoses. If your discs aren't warped, then you've either got a well looked after bike or it hasn't warped yet. In the case of the ZX6R's, due to the sticking pistons in the brakes, they tended to warp the discs. £300 for a set of discs.

Oh if you've got a CBR600, then budget £80 for a new regulator/rectifier!

So, when you're looking for a used bike, make sure that you've had a look at the equipment spec. I'd much prefer to look for a slightly higher milage bike which has had all these bits and pieces put on. If not, you can try to budget for when they will need replacing.

Good hunting
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The Tot 2019 Z1000SX - 2007 R1
Never argue with autism

[CaNsA]

CBR600F,

Solid, comfy, loadsa parts if you need them.

[multijoy]

Thundercat's not great if you're short in the arm (like me!), CBR600f is better.

Wife's got a 'cat and is well impressed, I've just bought a CBR600f 'cause I missed the one that got written off.

Either or, really. ZX6R may be the sportier end of the selection.

I don't think you'll regret getting any of them- there's not going to be more than a few quid either way and it'll all end up being down to preference.
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'11 CBF1000A, '99 C90, '98 CB500
silky666: He rode amazingly well considering his bike is the weight of a small van and had slicks on.

[CaNsA]

[weasley]

Thundercat is cruelly under-rated and unknown. Yes the CBR600 is the standard choice but the Cat will keep up all day long. In the end it really comes down to personal preference, fit and brand allegiance.

I notice you don't mention the other usual bike in this category - the ZZR 600. Not that I'm recommending it because I'd have the Cat again and again given the choice, but it's there to be thought about.

I've had my Cat for 8 years and it has never missed a beat, on tours, commuting, evening blasts or on the track. The gearbox is also still working perfectly (but it's true that they can suffer issues with 2nd gear).

MCN recently voted it the most comfortable 600 sports bike - that's of all that are out there, not just in its era/class.

It was also pretty handy in Supersport classes back in the day - steel chassis didn't get in the way then.
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Yamaha XJ600 | Yamaha YZF600R Thundercat | KTM 990 SMT | BMW F900XR TE

[CaNsA]

Has the OP not had a gander at a zx7r.......?

possibly one of the sexiest bikes evar!!!!

[jonnyboy]

yep been watching a few zx7s on ebay. will have a look at zzr600s too out of interest

[CaNsA]

Om noms noms

https://www.totalmotorcycle.com/photos/2002models/2002-Kawasaki-NinjaZX-7Rc.jpg

https://www.sportbikez.net/bikepics/111/medium/1115146829.jpg

[N cee thirty]

does the thundercat share the r6 gearbox ? they had the same problems with the dogsin 2nd i think
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'00 Aprilia RS50 > '92 Honda CG > '99 Yamaha Fazer > '91 Yamaha RXS > '79 Suzuki X5 > 01' Honda Cg > 07' Honda Cg > 82' Kawasaki Z200 > suzuki gsxr 400 gk73a > honda vfr 400 NC30 Mod 2 Passed 09/06/2011

Jewlio Iglesias wrote: I actually did vote BNP once

[swiftb]

Go for a J model ZX6R. Youll struggle to find an all round better bike for the price you can pick them up for. Good looking for the year, more power than you need, handle nice - lighter than you would expect, reliable (apart from the front brakes) and just all round general awesomeness. Couldn't reccomend one more for a first big bike. Cracking bikes. Defiently get a J over a G, its worth the couple hundred quid more. Dont be put off by high mileage either. Mine had a around 26k on and sold it with around 34k on - no problems as long as they have a good service history.

[jonnyboy]

not seen any zx6r J's for £1400 but will keep looking. any good places to look apart from ebay, MCN, biketrader??

[swiftb]

[instigator]

^^Since when does a price war start at spring? People are more desperate to sell at this time and since there is not so much demand, prices drop. That's the way it goes.

As for J series under £1400, its possible but hard to find. Get a G, they're the same bike, just a different front fairing.

You'd get this for £1350 if not £1300 - https://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1999-KAWASAKI-ZX600-G2-GREEN-/170593497289?pt=UK_Motorcycles&hash=item27b82a30c9

https://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1998-KAWASAKI-ZX-600-ZX6R-G1-BLACK-/180615778644?pt=UK_Motorcycles&hash=item2a0d8a1154

https://cgi.ebay.co.uk/mint-kawasaki-zx6r-ninja-15k-miles-/260725592925?pt=UK_Motorcycles&hash=item3cb474d35d

Or just get a 7R instead, plenty about under £1400.

[swiftb]

[UKRedwing]

I've had 2 Zx6r's, F series so can vouch for them (wrote off the first), well within your budget, strong engines. Never had any problems but as has already been said you could even get a newer G model with that budget. Doubt you'd find a nice J model for that much.