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| john24ssj |
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john24ssj
Trackday Trickster
Joined: 08 Aug 2014
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 Posted: 21:26 - 31 Oct 2015  Post subject: Kawasaki ER6 old vs new ones |
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Hi guys,
After a great year of riding my ER5 I would like to start looking for a replacement and ER6 seems to be the bike that I would like to have next.
The only issue that I got is the choice of old ones (2005 - 2008) vs the new ones ( 2009 - 2012).
I like how the old ones looks like and their fairly cheap I've seen quite a few with 13,000 - 15,000 miles on the clock for around £1600 but I heard they got a bit of a lumpy engine.
Now the newer ones I don't know as much about but their obliviously more expensive.
Is there a big difference between the old and the new ER6? Just want something good for commuting and a good handling weekend bike.
Thank you 
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Bikes: Honda CBR600Fi, Kawasaki ER5 |
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| Carvel |
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Carvel
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| john24ssj |
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john24ssj
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| RhynoCZ |
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RhynoCZ
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| Posted: 22:26 - 31 Oct 2015 Post subject: Re: Kawasaki ER6 old vs new ones |
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| john24ssj wrote: |
CBR600 is tempting but they are pricey for a low mileage bike and 4 insurance groups above ER6 |
£1600 could buy you a nice CBR600F4 but definitely not with only 13,000 to 15,000 miles on the clock. I wouldn't worry much about mileage. If the motorcycle is clean, the engine smooth and the gearbox working properly, then there's no need to walk away just because it's got 30k+ on the clock. Crashed bikes and lemons are bikes you should just walk away from. There were people who wouldn't listen and bought lemons, then came back here and cried about it.
Stuff like brake pads, clutch, tyres and so on are cheap and easy to replace and also a great leverage when bargaining the price. 
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'87 Honda XBR 500, '96 Kawasaki ZX7R P1, '90 Honda CB-1, '88 Kawasaki GPz550, MZ 150 ETZ
'95 Mercedes-Benz w202 C200 CGI, '98 Mercedes-Benz w210 E200 Kompressor |
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| Rogerborg |
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Rogerborg
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| john24ssj |
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john24ssj
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Joined: 08 Aug 2014
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| Posted: 23:10 - 31 Oct 2015 Post subject: |
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RhynoCZ - How does one know that the bike is a lemon? 
Rogerborg - Cracking frames? oh wow that sounds quite bad
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Bikes: Honda CBR600Fi, Kawasaki ER5 |
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| RhynoCZ |
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RhynoCZ
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Posted: 23:59 - 31 Oct 2015  Post subject: |
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| john24ssj wrote: | RhynoCZ - How does one know that the bike is a lemon? |
A Lemon, as I understand your language, is something that looks alright at first but then it breaks the moment you get home (very shortly after the purchase).
How does one know you ask, well it is all about experience, perception and knowledge of the particular model of the motorcycle you are looking at.
The first two are considered to be a general skill.
The third one goes down with your own research of the model (asking here what to look for, perhaps).
The general stuff to look for:
1) Wet and greasy spots on the motorcycle (engine, front and rear suspension, radiators if equipped with) = something is leaking (some leaks are easy and cheap to fix, some are not)
2) Cracks, dents and other damage of the frame, front forks (tubes must be shiny clean and smooth for instance) and the swingarm + wheels. Check the fork tubes properly, no pitting, no rust, no dents etc. Those tubes are not cheap and if the front end doesn't leak yet it will and soon (new fork tube + seal).
ELECTRICS = check all the switches, bring a multimeter with, check the charging is working properly (above 12v when running, less than 14.5v (might be more, no more than 15v I'd say) at any revs. A motorcycle with no charging can do 60 miles easily and also an overcharging motorcycle can do the mileage as well, and even more, before the battery is useless. Honda's tend to have problems with Reg/Rec (cheap to replace). If it's not charging the battery, find 3 yellow wires and check AC voltage there with the engine running (should be somewhere around 40v-60v), this way you will find out if the stator is alright or the culprit. The stator is cheap as well, but it is a bit dirty work and requires a bit of skill.
3) Tell the seller to start the engine from cold. Check the engine runs on all the cylinders it has. If you can't hear it, check the headers are all warming up. Check it runs on all cylinders when hot as well (do not touch the pipes, just spray a little amount of water (can even spit) on them, it should immediately boil away).
4) Let it warm up = a) if liquid cooled then up to point when the fan kicks in; b) if aircooled just so it runs smooth with out the choke and reacts to the throttle movement well.
Check the stuff going out of the exhaust system: Blue smoke = burning oil. White smoke = ''burning'' water. Black smoke = too rich. DO NOT misjudge white smoke with condensation. Exhaust condensation is completely normal especially in this weather.
5) Turn it off, and try to start it again (should start at flick of the button with no clutch or hesitation) Check for leaks once again.
6) TEST RIDE: Check the suspension, check the motorcycle can go straight on its own (make sure you're on a flat road, roads that are sloping are gonna affect the test). Try each gear from 1 to 6, check you can easily find neutral. IF you can, try to go flat out in some gears just to check it doesn't jump into neutral. ALSO you can check the clutch is not slipping, ride at 30-35mph, in the top (6th) gear and give it full throttle. If the engine will have tendency to stall and going rough it's OK, if it slips, well.
ALSO pull over somewhere, take off your lid, rev the bike a few times, up to the top, listen to the engine. Grinding sound, when releasing the throttle from high revs for instance, would mean the timing chain is loose (if Honda, then it could be just the tensioner - can be reseted, easy stuff. If not, then replaced (not expensive).
7) Get back to the seller, let the bike sit a while, chat with the owner about stuff. After a while check the bike again, just have a look. Check the oil level + it's colour through the glass. If there's water in the oil you'll see emulsion there.
8) Do not be afraid to ask questions, some stuff you're gonna have to just take the word for it, like valve clearances check, timing chain replacement, spark plugs (you are not going to pull the plugs there, are you?) etc.
IF you buy it, the first thing you should always do is to drain the oil, and pour in fresh one with the new oil filter. People lie about oil changes.
____________________
'87 Honda XBR 500, '96 Kawasaki ZX7R P1, '90 Honda CB-1, '88 Kawasaki GPz550, MZ 150 ETZ
'95 Mercedes-Benz w202 C200 CGI, '98 Mercedes-Benz w210 E200 Kompressor |
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| john24ssj |
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john24ssj
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| Posted: 00:14 - 01 Nov 2015 Post subject: |
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thanks RhynoCZ
Why I am looking at ER6 is I like my ER5 but the handling is not the best. ER6 seems like a better version of an ER6.
And CBR600 seems quite big and heavy for my liking as well I want something small and nimble
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| RhynoCZ |
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RhynoCZ
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| Posted: 00:35 - 01 Nov 2015 Post subject: |
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CBR-F4 is not that big, nor fat (168Kg dry). Also, we are talking about 110hp, 160mph motorcycle here. The ER-6 (174kg dry) has got about 72hp going 125mph, at the same torque of 65-66Nm. If taken the wet weight (incl. oil and stuff) CBR-F4 is 3Kg lighter than the ER-6 + the CBR is equiped with better brakes and suspension. The frame of the CBR also seems superior to the ER-6 but I've never had a go on a ER-6 so can't really tell.
I had tube frames (twisty and wobbly) and I had alloy frames (rock solid at any circumstance given). I checked the fuelly.com and both motorcycles, the CBR and ER-6, have basicaly the same MPG.
Also, and I know not all people feel the same, the in-line four cylinder engine is far superior to the in-line twin cylinder. At the same MPG, the four cylinder can deliver 1.53 times more horsepower, being very smooth with a very ear pleasing sound of the exhaust system.
EDIT: The CBR is smaller and has got shorter wheelbase (quicker to change direction, better handling in my book)
CBR600F4
Wheelbase - 1386 mm
Dimensions - Length 2060mm; Width 685mm; Height 1135mm
ER-6n
Wheelbase - 1405 mm
Dimensions - Length 2100mm; Width 760mm; Height1095 mm
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'87 Honda XBR 500, '96 Kawasaki ZX7R P1, '90 Honda CB-1, '88 Kawasaki GPz550, MZ 150 ETZ
'95 Mercedes-Benz w202 C200 CGI, '98 Mercedes-Benz w210 E200 Kompressor |
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| barrkel |
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barrkel
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| Posted: 02:13 - 01 Nov 2015 Post subject: |
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CBR600 F4 / F4i on the market now will all be old, which has a different set of downsides. Bikes will probably have been dropped, some may have been crashed and repaired, and depending on maintenance anything from brakes to suspension may perform below expectations. Almost nothing is at immediate risk of wearing out on a new bike apart from consumables; on an old bike, something is always wearing out.
You should go to some shops and sit on examples of each. If you're short or struggle at all, ER6 has a much narrower seat and is lower to the ground.
ER6 is a good commuting bike and a fine choice as a first big bike, especially if you're not interested in the unknowns of an older higher mileage bike. As a second or subsequent big bike, I'm not so sure; it would be a utilitarian choice with some specific use in mind.
CBR600F4 is a sports bike that isn't too scary or uncomfortable, with somewhat dated looks. But it's fundamentally a different type of machine, targeted at a different audience and a different price band when it was designed. The CBR600RR didn't exist when it first came out - it was Honda's 600cc sports bike.
The best bike depends on what you want to do with it. I couldn't really compare a faired bike with a naked as the two fall into very different categories in my mind: naked is better for shorter weekend blasts or commuting, faired is better for long distance touring or racing. And that's just one variable out of many.
After a year on an ER5 you ought to have a better idea about what you want out of bikes, such that ER6 vs CBR600F4 would be a simpler decision.
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Bikes: S1000R, SH350; Exes: Vity 125, PS125, YBR125, ER6f, VFR800, Brutale 920, CB600F, SH300x4
Best road ever ridden: www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2MhNxUEYtQ |
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| grr666 |
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grr666
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| Posted: 08:16 - 01 Nov 2015 Post subject: |
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You're only in Cardiff, buy mine  . 2013 Mint 3500 miles from new plus colour matched hard luggage.
You're welcome to come over for a nose if it will help you decide, even if you don't want to buy mine.
Im on my hols at the mo but will be home in a week so by all means drop me a Pm if you want to take
me up on my offer. 
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Ste wrote: Avatars are fine, it's signatures that need turning off. |
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| instigator. |
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instigator.
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| Posted: 09:22 - 01 Nov 2015 Post subject: |
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| grr666 wrote: | You're only in Cardiff, buy mine . 2013 Mint 3500 miles from new plus colour matched hard luggage.
You're welcome to come over for a nose if it will help you decide, even if you don't want to buy mine.
Im on my hols at the mo but will be home in a week so by all means drop me a Pm if you want to take
me up on my offer. |
How much? |
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Polarbear
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| Rogerborg |
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Rogerborg
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| bikertomm |
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bikertomm
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Posted: 11:24 - 02 Nov 2015  Post subject: |
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People honestly still look at insurance groups?
Mate, it's a lottery. Get quoting with a load of different bikes. You'll more than likely be suprised!
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john24ssj
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| Matt B |
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Matt B
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john24ssj
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Rogerborg
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john24ssj
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| Posted: 22:06 - 02 Nov 2015 Post subject: |
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At first when you first mentioned it guys I wasn't too sure about it but after looking at plenty of videos and reviews it seems like a great bike.
Need to start saving then
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Old Thread Alert!
The last post was made 10 years, 332 days ago. Instead of replying here, would creating a new thread be more useful? |
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