Advice for what bike to buy

[CarlW12]

Hi All,

I’m after some advice from those more experienced than me. I currently hold an A2 Licence and I’m looking to buy another bike.

- Maximum budget of £1000
- Not fussed about displacement or speed. Mainly just something to pot about on as a bit of fun and enjoy the country lanes/ride into the local town
- Reliable
- Ideally something that wouldn’t need restricting
- Classic, sports or naked styling is fine. Not so keen on off-road or adventure styled bikes

I know the budget is fairly tight and it means I may have to get the spanners and manual out at some point… but it’s all I currently have to work with

Thanks for your help

Carl
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Carl
A2 Licence Holder
Current bike: Kawasaki Ninja 250R

[A100man]

Looks like you're in 20+ year old (for price) up to 500cc twin territory.

so I'm thinking ER5, CB500x or heaven forbid GS500, Alternatively an old Fazer or Bandit with restrictors might work.

For classic you could maybe find a ratty 400/4 or nicer superdream 400 or Yamaha XS etc.. the more popular classics like a CB350K tend to fetch more than your 1k..

Set yourself up an ebay search.. Interestingly I note that you don't have to carry any kind of A2 proof certificate - so its up to plod to prove the power exceeds 48 HP if they suspect...
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Now: A100, GT250A, XJ598, FZ750

Then: Fizz, RS200, KL250, XJ550, Laverda Alpina, XJ600, FZS600

[ThunderGuts]

£1k is really not a lot of money at all. If you're handy with mechanics and have the time to learn as necessary, you could get yourself a cosmetic write-off for under £1k (I got a fairly low mileage ER5 in that state for just under £800), or you might be lucky and some local old boy might be selling his runabout cheap.

Realistically though, most bikes at that price point are either going to need immediate maintenance, or maintenance in the very near future.
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TG.

[BRUN]

prices have gone up a lot the last few years, £1k wont get you much at all, very likely to need more spending on it as soon as you get it, can you stretch to anymore ?

you could be lucky to get a good condition 125 for £1k these days

an example below of a possible ?

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/bike-details/202207318326321

[PotatoHead202...]

Older 56hp CB500 is easily within budget and maybe the later ABS equipped CBF.
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Honda VFR1200F, Honda CBF500 ABS, CZ125 now CZ175

[struan80]

It's difficult to buy a decent bike for 1k, can you stretch to £1500? Gives you a lot more options. Mind don't ask me I'm not the best at buying bikes. It's a pity older 400 sportsbikes weren't so expensive.

[trevor saxe-coburg-gotha]

grand = nowt

basically

false economy - you'll get something for that, but it will want e.g. tyres, chain and sprockets, etc.
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"Life is a sexually transmitted disease and the mortality rate is one hundred percent."

Mobylette Type 50 ---> Raleigh Grifter ---> Neval Minsk 125

[CarlW12]

Thanks for all the replies guys

I could possibly stretch it slightly further, but it would take a while to save up more. I have had a GPZ500S so maybe an ER5 is a good option..

Ever since I’ve been driving for two years the back to biking bug has bitten me harder recently as it’s summer seeing other bikers about. Even a 125 would be better than nothing at this point

I’ll try shopping around for your suggestions
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Carl
A2 Licence Holder
Current bike: Kawasaki Ninja 250R

[Zen Dog]

With that budget, you're basically looking at something ratty, or something broken. That's the reality. So it's really going to be down to your ability to spot a bike that looks crap but has solid mechanicals, or one which is broken but you're reasonably sure is an easy fix you can do. How confident a mechanic are you, and how good do you reckon you are at spotting a good 'un?

It's a genuine question. People do get bargains. I know a guy who got a non-starting Honda Blackbird for £500. The fix was the starter relay or something equally daft, cost about £10, and he now has a bike worth £1500+.

But you're probably going to have to spend a load of time trawling gumtree and facebook marketplace and looking at vaguely motorcycle shaped objects. If all that sounds like more trouble than it's worth, save another £500 and you'll be able to start looking at bikes you can reasonably expect to be able to ride home. At that sort of price (say £1250-1500), you've actually got quite a lot of potential choices, because it's at the bottom of the depreciation curve for lots of still viable bikes.
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Current - '94 VFR750FR, '00 VFR800FI Previous - '10 Street Triple R, '92 MZ ETZ301, '05 TTR250, NSR125R, KMX125, "Honda" Win (chinese copy of an old Honda design with a C90 engine)
My bike trip around S.E. Asia 2010/2011

[CarlW12]

I’m reasonably good at spotting decent bikes from bad ones. My mechanical skills are very amateur, although I’m willing to learn and get stuck in, I’d find it quite fun. I do have a couple of people I know who are good with bike mechanics which helps

I’m guessing it’s just a case of looking hard on eBay etc for when something crop up that’s half decent and atleast in somewhat working order…
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Carl
A2 Licence Holder
Current bike: Kawasaki Ninja 250R

[ThunderGuts]

The key to landing a bargain in your price bracket is finding something the seller thinks is hopeless or beyond repair, but actually is an easy fix. Might be hard to diagnose online . . .
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TG.

[CarlW12]

I’ve spotted one or two Honda CB250’s online within budget, anyone got any experience with these?

They seem to crop up in reasonable condition and within price range
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Carl
A2 Licence Holder
Current bike: Kawasaki Ninja 250R

[A100man]

There's 100s of bike on ebay for a grand or less.. most of them are runners too. BUT as pointed out you will need to allow for service parts and consumables such as tyres chains etc..
..part of the fun for me is getting wreck road worthy for minimum expense.. much frowned on here but I've even fitted part worn tyres in a pinch. Hell, I even bought a complete GPZ900 wheel for 20 quid cos it have a nearly new BT45 on it that would fit my FZ750..

.. if your pathelogically mean (like me) you'll find a way.

PS GPZ900 wheel with disks still for sale if anyone's interested
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Now: A100, GT250A, XJ598, FZ750

Then: Fizz, RS200, KL250, XJ550, Laverda Alpina, XJ600, FZS600