93 Triumph Trophy 900 or 93 CBR1000F

[headmonkey]

Hello
I'm a newbie hear on the forums but I've been riding for about 15 years though I haven't had a bike for about 9 months.
I now looking at a couple of bikes within my price range and would like to have some input if possible.
Basically I am looking at either a 93 CBR1000F, 40500 miles at £999.00. Or a 93 Triumph Trophy 900 at 75000 miles also at £999.00.
Both are from dealers, both have some service history, both have a 6 month warranty. The Honda has a naff custom paint job but is otherwise a clean bike. The Triumph is completely standard and includes a topbox.

Which would you choose and why. And what should I look for when viewing them.

Thanks in advance.
Rick

[GSTEEL32]

Trophy for me, assuming dealer can assure you the sprag clutch is in good order.

For me, its just a better bike, character-wise.

If a grands where you at, try an FJ or even a cbr600.....

[headmonkey]

Thanks the reply.
Would the 75000 miles on the Triumph worry you?

[chris-red]

Offer a grand on this instead

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Triumph-Trophy-900-1996-/131653129247?hash=item1ea723541f:g:YpEAAOSw9mFWGmQe
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[Hahadumball]

As above the sprag clutch, problem with 75k miles its probably had someone try and start it multiple times with a flat battery.. maybe not so you wont know.
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360 Deg... Five 1/4 turns. :- Teflon-Mike 18 Jan 2015

[bamt]

The paint job on that Honda is, erm, interesting. That'd count me out - unless you happen to love it.

https://images.mcn.bauercdn.com/classifieds/dealer/3340018/1791696796/740x555/0.jpg

[stevo as b4]

Id want the best bike I could get for my £1000 irrespective of make or model or even capacity. Condition would be king, and I would on a very limited budget be prepared to search far and wide to get a good bike for my cash.

Buying a shoddy and poorly modified old CBR or a really high miles Triumph just because that's all you have the choice of in this weeks local paper would be a silly move IMO.

[Hahadumball]

to be fair at £1k that cbr is pretty worth it, theyre getting "rare" source: ive found it near impossible to find a good condition one anywhere for a decent amount.
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Fin: no matter how much I look at It I can't understand what was going through my head, all I remember is going about 80 and redlining it to stop it seizing.
360 Deg... Five 1/4 turns. :- Teflon-Mike 18 Jan 2015

[headmonkey]

Thanks for all your replies.
The reason I'm looking for a bike right now is because I've just been offered a new job and need to get a vehicle for the commute.
The job starts on the 14th December so I have a limited window and a limited budget.
The car is already in use for my wifes commute and for the school run.
I don't want to get a 2nd car and as I'm quite used to commuting on a bike through the winter I think a bike is the way to go. I'm quite happy to spend less than a grand but I cant spend any more.
I don't particularly like the paint job on the CBR and I am wondering if that's the reason its not going for more.
Of course the paint job could be there to cover up other nasty's but if those nasty's are merely cosmetic I don't mind so much.
The Triumph seems to have a lot of fans. There riders on the interweb saying that they've ridden their Trophy's up to 150000 miles without missing a beat. It definitely seems to be a classier machine.
The reason I'm looking at dealers over private sales is simply that I'm getting a warranty that covers the engine and gearbox.
I'm going to go and test ride them both next week and hopefully that will help me make a decision.

[Beehive Bedlam]

Out of the two I would get the Triumph.

[bamt]

Maybe obvious, but check the consumables (tyres, brake disks & pads, chain & sprockets, clutch, suspension etc.) carefully. Both bikes are at a point where some of these will have potentially worn out several times; it is quite possible that the previous owner will have scrimped on keeping on top of them when they knew they were going to change the bike. This stuff could easily cost hundreds to sort out. Are fasteners generally rusted and/or rounded or in good order? That could make servicing easy or a pain. Condition for a 20+ year old bike that you are using as a daily rider is more important than aesthetics.

Also, what are the terms for the warranty and is it really worth anything other than showing the bike not to be DOA? My Divvy came with a three month warranty - but limited to 1,000 miles. That meant a two week warranty in reality (which I knew when I bought it). How long will the warranty actually be for your mileage, what are the terms behind it (if you need to pay for regular servicing rather than DIY it could be cheaper just to ignore the warranty and suck up the cost of repairs if they happen).

[stevo as b4]

I also wouldn't want to run a 135bhp, 220kg bike on a shoe string budget. Big powerful and heavy bikes feel nasty and horrible at best when tyres/brakes/bearings/suspension and chain& sprockets are all worn out, and bloody dangerous at worst.

[headmonkey]

@bamt @stevo as b4
Thanks for the input. Do you think it might be wiser to look for a smaller simpler machine, like a ER500 or similar, at this budget.

[bamt]

How much mileage will be you be doing on your commute, and what else do you want from the bike? A common-as-muck boring commuter will likely have more choice available than bikes that have a bit of a reputation and following, so get a better bike for the money. But if you are doing long motorway miles, the Trophy will eat them up better than an ER-5 or CB500. If you're spending a couple of hours a day riding the thing it's a different proposition to if you are doing a ten minute commute.

You may also want to consider what your maintenance budget will be like; being able to spend a few hundred here or there when you are in a job to keep a bike you like on the road may be easier than finding cash to buy the bike before you've started (if you see what I mean).

[Oldie]

The answer is always Deauville.

[Buddo]

Tbh, I'd go with the CBF.
On a couple of grounds.
One is that it will probably be more reliable, and you want it as a commuter.
Secondly, although the Trophy is a beast when running well, it's built from solid iron, and weighs a ton. No problem on the move, or handling wise, but if you have to move it around by hand ever, you will be getting a heavy duty work out.

Maintenance costs are also an issue with the Trophy, as changing the plugs on it, is an absolute pain in the rear. The outside two are fine, but the middle one is right under part of the frame, and appears to need lots of stuff removed to even begin to get at it, and then some bizarre combination of u-joints, to actually get the plug out.

I had a Trophy for a few years after first passing my terst, and although I loved it when it was running well, it gradually became too much like hard work to keep it running well. It didn't help that my driveway into the garage is fairly vertical, and the weight of the beggar made for a lot of hard work.

[Polarbear]

[Buddo]

They were 'over engineered', but they can still have problems, one of which is getting them set up sweetly, although any proper triumph dealer should have someone who can do that.

Service history and also what things have been replaced/renewed would be quite important to me, if I ever thought of getting another one.

The CBF is just going to be a lot easier to maintain, imho, and if it's to be used as a daily commuter, that's the way I'd go.

If it was 'just for fun', then I'd be all over the Trophy, but it isn't, as I understand it, and I'd get the CBF under those circumstances.

[G]

[Alex A]

I'd choose neither. An older ZX-9R, high mileage 90s Fireblade, or VFR800Fi shouldn't cost much more. All more modern designs. In the case of the first, two, they're also simpler, lighter and easier to maintain. Although running costs with any of the bikes you mention will be high.

[headmonkey]

Thanks for all the replies. You've all given me plenty to think about.
I finally got to check both bikes over and to be honest both were in a pretty shoddy state. The CBR was especially bad. The dash had obviously been removed at some point and I'm pretty sure that the clocks had been replaced and that the mileage is bogus. In fact I would say that it was the worst experience on a bike that I have ever had.
The Trophy was a nicer ride and all original but still felt as though it had been neglected for quite a while and that maintaining it would be an uphill battle. I also discovered that that it had been written off at some point.
So the answer to my original question is neither.
Thanks again for all the input.