Can't afford bike, very annoyed..

[TheArchitect]

I've been on the hunt for a CBR for a while with a budget of £3.5k. I'm also in the process of buying a flat at the moment. As luck would have it a few extra costs have arisen related to the flat so I have to sacrifice the bike.

Anyway, my revised budget is £2k, ideally want to wrap insurance into that figure as well if I can.

Any ideas on a decent bike that won't die on me after a few miles? I ride to work everyday so I need something reliable and requires minimum maintenance.

A few I've come across are as follows:

ER6n - did my das on this. not sure I like the engine, very jerky at low speed. Are the older ones any good reliability-wise?

XJ6n - Love the look of this bike but the cheapest I've seen so far is £2.5k. Going to see it on Saturday.

SV650 - Not sure I like the look but everyone seems to go for these as first bikes. Is the hype really justified?

Hornet - Seen loads that look in decent condition and within budget. Are they liable to break? Are there any common issues associated to age?

You thoughts?
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GSXR 600 K6 - Stolen
GSXR 600 K6 - Stolen
MT09 - Almost stolen

[J4mes]

Rode my thundercat to work every other week for 3 years including through the winter and all I've paid out for so far is a choke cable.
Cost me £1200 on 19k three years ago.


So I'd buy a £1k bike on condition, not limit it to any model in particular.

[Robster]

wow 2k? that should see you with something really decent.

my budget is gonna be as far south of 1 grand as I can manage! i'm thinking a ratty NTV/SV/CB500 or the like

i've ridden the newer XJ6, in fact, gonna do my Mod 2 reattempt on it, and compared to the only other big bike i've spent any amount of time on, which is the ER6 N, it was much nicer, smoother, and the engine braking wasn't as fierce as the Kwak.

VFR750 is in your price range too, has more faring, sound awesome and will do anything you want a bike to do really
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Up the bum no babies.

[MaybeGuy]

Why can't you get a CBR for 2k??

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HONDA-CBR-600RR-03-REG-22-588-MILES-OWNERS-HAND-BOOK-SERVICE-BOOK-1-YEARS-MOT-/321426160432?pt=UK_Motorcycles&hash=item4ad67dfb30
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Blue_SV650S wrote: it was a sh1te wheelie, but it proves that he can get it up in 3rd and can do angles. In summery, mattsprattuk is a gobby little sh1tebag, dopehead tw4t, but sadly for all of us, he probably isn't THAT full of sh1te!!
Kickstart wrote: Hi I tend to agree with Matt. All the best Keith

[Ste]

For 2k there's plenty of bikes to choose from. Late 90's or early 00's sports bikes... pretty much take your pick.

As an example, here's 945 ZX6R's, R6's, CBR's or GSXR's that went for less than 2k.

[TheArchitect]

[TheArchitect]

[MaybeGuy]

I don't think I ever bought a bike that cost me over 1500 in the UK, and never had any problems. My last one was a 2005 ZX6r that cost that much.

Just do it, the less bikes bought from dealers the better. Jap bikes don't die without a lot of warning. ie: if you go to view it and it sounds like it's being raped, then it might die. if not, it won't.
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Blue_SV650S wrote: it was a sh1te wheelie, but it proves that he can get it up in 3rd and can do angles. In summery, mattsprattuk is a gobby little sh1tebag, dopehead tw4t, but sadly for all of us, he probably isn't THAT full of sh1te!!
Kickstart wrote: Hi I tend to agree with Matt. All the best Keith

[Hokum]

[_Troy_]

If you're worried about not being mechanically minded, why not stick to a £1500 budget to allow for anything that crops up?

FWIW, £1500 will get you a hell of a lot of bike these days. I haven't paid more than that for any bike ever.
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Current bike: ZX6R J1
Previous bikes: CLR 125 | GS500 | ZX6R G2 | SV650

[Carvel]

As mentioned you can get a variety of clean 600's or less than 2k.

I did
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2002 Aprilia RSV1000R, Cbr600Fs, Mk1 B12, Vfr400 NC30...

Matt B: I can deal with crushed nuts to beat Ollie.

[TheArchitect]

Cheers guys, feel a lot more positive about it now. Will look into the 1-1.5k range tonight and see what's there.

I think I've gone beyond the looks phase now, just want something that will run well rain or shine and be fun to ride.
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GSXR 600 K6 - Stolen
GSXR 600 K6 - Stolen
MT09 - Almost stolen

[Robster]

If you're not handy with spanners it might be a good time to learn, its cheaper in the long run plus the more you do it the more fun it is

Can get a later pointy injected SV for that money in good nic I reckon
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Up the bum no babies.

[Dalemac]

As others mentioned you should be able to get a decent bike for less than £1500. When looking at the bikes, also get some reference insurance quotes from www.thebikeinsurer.co.uk or similar.
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YBR125 -> GPZ500S -> SL1000

[djrikki]

Your list ...

Er6 - snatchy like you said
Sv650s - like the er6 but doesnt seem as powerful
Xj6 - third big bike i rode and ended up buying. Smooth and decent pace for a noob like me

Just MHO
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CBF125 (Rusty Bin) -> CBR125R (WeeBR) -> Yamaha XJ6 Diversion F -> Suzuki GSXR750 L1 -> Suzuki GSXR750 L1 (Mark2)
CBT: 01/11/13 - Theory : 01/05/14 - Mod 1 : 11/05/14 - Mod 2 : 14/05/14 - Yam Div F : 16/05/14 - Gixxer : 02/04/2015-15/07/2015 RIP - GixxerMk2 : 16/08/2015

[Itchy]

All of them except the hornet are
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Spain 2008France 2007Big one 2009 We all die. The goal isn't to live forever, the goal is to create something that will. In the end, your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it is worth watching.

[chickenstrip]

You could get a pretty tidy FZS600 Fazer for 2 gs or under.
Reliable, fun, 95bhp (quoted), a proper do-it-all bike. They have an enthusiastic following for good reason.

[Mario_Kempes]

Fazer or Hornet.

early '00s. Done.

[Biker101]

Fazer.

Out of all the bikes I've owned, this is my favourite. The quality, and engine, and pretty much everything else is far better than my er6 ever was and I prefer it over my CBR as a machine I can use for long rides effortlessly.

The only bad thing I can say about it is the suspension is basic, and coming from the CBR you really can tell. Apparently a new uprated rear shock helps, I'm yet to try one out.
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Past: 06 Runner SP50 >>> 01 Varadero XL125 >>> 08 Kwak ER-6f >>> 05 CBR600rr
Present: 99 FZS600 Fazer

[johnnyarctic]

as others have said get a list of a few to look for a pick the best condition one you see. i bought a vfr750

you can get loads of bike for 1500.
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Current Ride: VFR750

[Doomsnite]

[arry]

With respect - just buy a bike god damn it

I started out with a 700 quid gpz because it got me on the road and I traded up later. This is 3 months ish? You're wasting valuable summer months

[Slacker24seve...]

[G]

A CBR600FX/FY/F4i is probably a better specced bike than one you'd get for £3500.
As above, put a bit asside for any work that might need to be done and you're in a better position than chunking three and a half grand down and still not guaranteeing that you're getting any better bike.

[Amber Phoenix]

Yep, definitely a Fazer 600. That's exactly what I did just over 1.5years ago after my DAS and still enjoying it after 13k miles. Hasn't missed a beat commuting into London every day.

Look at the 2002/2003 FZS600 models - after the facelift, look better, have headlights you can use, bigger tank and better mirrors. A tidy example with 20K miles odd should be easy to find for £1500-2000 odd.

Great all round bike, good solid, reliable commuter bike, it's happy two up and loaded with luggage for touring, but it's got plenty of beans and nimble to be tonnes of fun round the twisty country roads. Cheap to insure as well.

The R6 blue spot brakes on front give you loads of confidence, I get about 50mpg in London, chain/sprocket seem to last forever. Parts are cheap (New fairing £180 brand new painted, motad stainless pipes+can £240, etc). Only downer has been rear caliper, often seizes, so everyone hunts down Fazer 1000 blue spot rear brakes to swap on (but they're rare).
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Beginner Biker Adventures Blog
Yamaha FZ6 S2 2007