need winter hack

[Zeus]

so i need a commuter bike for the winter. this bandit caught my eye.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Suzuki-GSF-600-SY-PX-To-Clear-Bargain-MOT-May2015-/171576390568?pt=UK_Motorcycles&hash=item27f2bff3a8

also another bandit nearby

https://www.gumtree.com/p/suzuki-motorbikes/suzuki-bandit-600cc/1090862709

opinions? comments? anything i should look out for?

cheers.
mike

[Beehive Bedlam]

I wouldn't be looking at anything more than £500 if I wanted a 'hack' even then I would work on getting the price down further.

[Andy9934]

I would be looking to pay the going rate for a well maintained (safer and more reliable) bike.

Personally I would be inclined to go for the private sale and haggle down a bit but really I think the usual rules apply for buying a second hand bike. Go have a look, take a friend, ideally one of you should have some mechanical competence.
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Surrey
Honda Varadero XL125

[c_dug]

There's a tidy looking ntv600 on eBay for near half that price.

I know which one I'd choose.
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I am a bellend, I am a man of constant sorrow, I am a gummy bear, I am a rock.

[Snod Blatter]

I watched a guy run a Mk1 Bandit 600N through a winter, it looked incredibly tatty afterwards considering the clock only read around 16K miles. He also had trouble with the exhaust rotting through. I would find something made of real metal instead..

[stevo as b4]

Will the winter hack just be a scabby nail to get you through this winter and until such time as your regular bike can come out again?
Or is the idea of buying a winter hack to you to get something useful and practical, that providing it proves to be reliable and doesn't suffer serious accident damage, something that you could keep for a few years as a decent and useful second/spare bike to your main machine.

If you buy a good winter bike and look after it, maybe tarting up the cosmetics on the cheap after getting it mechanically sound, then surely it would be worth more than £500 to you for it's usefulness and ability to be a back up option to your main vehicle?

With this in mind I might not be so worried about trying to spend just a few £££ max on something that might do the job, if spending a bit more and a bit of money on said bike, to give you more in terms of a reliable and useful all year round second bike.

[UK-Badger]

I've got an sv650s as a hack and was out on it yesterday. The predictable low down torque is very useful for making safe progress on slippery roads.
It was scruffy when I got it a couple of years ago but hasnt got any worse. The standard stainless steel exhaust is a plus. I also do all my own maintenance so can't be too difficult. ☺
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Triumph Street Triple & Suzuki SV650S

[iooi]

Get something with 4 wheels
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Just because my bike was A DIVVY, does not mean i am......

[Pete.]

[stonesie]

Another vote against a bandit, a cheap one anyway. A friend bought a £500 one as a winter hack and rode it every day, it ran fine and did the job but the collector was knackered by spring and while trying to get the headers off we noticed the frame under the engine was rotten.

If you get one, get a good one and acf the hell out of it.

[27cows]

PX to clear=pile of shite we're desperate to get shot of.

GPZ500 is an IMHO cracking winter hack. Prices still low, no sign of classic mania taking hold as yet.
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The RXS100: vehicle of choice for Chuck Norris

[Zeus]

thanks for the feedback guys. you've put me off getting the bandit. what i really wanted was a bike i could use all year round, and something i could turn into a cafe racer at some future point. not much going in the south wales area right now, but did find a cx500 nearby. looks ok but does have 65000 miles on the clock which worries my a little. what you think?

https://www.gumtree.com/p/honda-motorbikes/1980-honda-cx500-new-mot-and-service/1091616754

[Pete.]

£895 for that pile of junk, I think "Hell no!"
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a.k.a 'Geri'

132.9mph off and walked away. Gear is good, gear is good, gear is very very good

[stevo as b4]

If a 65'000m CX500 was all I could find in soggy south Wales, I'd be hopping over the border ASAP to look at some more hopeful bikes.

[WD Forte]

[Zeus]

i do like that NTV600, especially for stated price. was going it serious consideration when this cb1/400 popped up on my radar.

https://www.preloved.co.uk/adverts/show/111680722/cb1400.html

i always had soft spot for um. £800 seems a little high compared to other ones i've looked at on ebay.

[Carvel]

I payed 500 quid for my winter hack.

https://i979.photobucket.com/albums/ae271/RxsOllie/13_zps58fd4b29.jpg~original

Stop looking at gay middleweights and get a B12.
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2002 Aprilia RSV1000R, Cbr600Fs, Mk1 B12, Vfr400 NC30...

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

[.Bishbash.]

[Carvel]

The noise it produces offends people so I'm happy with it.
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2002 Aprilia RSV1000R, Cbr600Fs, Mk1 B12, Vfr400 NC30...

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

[.Bishbash.]

Good man
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Current bike - GSX-R1000 k8