Downsizing - cheapest bikes for insurance

[Easy-X]

Previously I had the XSR700. The CP2 is a great engine and I have fond memories of whizzing around the moors of Cornwall and Devon. I think I paid ~£250 for insurance. Currently I have my "Commuter Special" Vitpilen 401, tuned and geared perfectly for 0~60 suburban traffic. I'm paying ~£340 for insurance, eeek! (BTW a Duke 390 would be a hundred quid more.) Work-wise I'm going out less and less and I'm all about "what do you actually need?"

tl;dr I'm considering downsizing again.

Minimum requirements: more power than a 125, not a ghey scooter, realistic price, easy to source parts, must be either classic (1984 or older) or EFI (post-2007) for ULEZ. Nice to have: less than 200kg and 33" seat height for my petite pisky physicality

I've run some example quotes with the meerkats, a Royal Enfield Meteor 350 or Interceptor, the Triumph 400 series all come out at £180 for me so probably the best price I can expect for 650cc and under. The Honda Rebel I previously had and a random pick of a 2008 Honda Hornet both ~£220. The best random pick I've found so far is a 2012 RE Classic 500 EFI at £130. That's heading towards vintage bike insurance prices!

I could throw makes and models in from now to the end of time, any suggestions?

<edit>

This has to be one of the better photos I've seen to sell a bike

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/nTQAAOSwxeBnZWZw/s-l640.webp
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Husqvarna Vitpilen 401, Yamaha XSR700, Honda Rebel, Yamaha DT175, Suzuki SV650 (loan) Fazer 600, Keeway Superlight 125, 50cc turd scooter

[doggone]

Smaller engines alone don't mean much my crf250 is considered nickable I suppose and is £60 whereas XSR700 is only £55
(TPFT) - XSR has proper immobiliser as standard and it would take more than two people to lift it in a van

[to v or not to v]

i love the sound the 500 bullets make.
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current bike Yamaha Thunderace.
its old and fat, but its a damned good ride. the bikes not bad either.

[Easy-X]

Mmm... your prices highlight I'm probably paying an extra £100 or more for living so close to London

I did look at the stats for stolen bikes. 125's - both scooters and bikes - dominate the numbers. Royal Enfield are pretty low down versus other manufacturers with the Meteor 350 and Interceptor being the most commonly stolen so the low prices for Classic 350/500 insurance make sense.

I'm thinking middle of winter is the best time to buy. Stash the Vitpilen and wait till the spring to sell it.
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Husqvarna Vitpilen 401, Yamaha XSR700, Honda Rebel, Yamaha DT175, Suzuki SV650 (loan) Fazer 600, Keeway Superlight 125, 50cc turd scooter

[stinkwheel]

Most carbed bikes will pass the ULEZ test. It's measuring nitrogen oxide emissions, not carbon dioxide or hydrocarbons which are a product of lean-burn fuel injection systems. Late model carbed bikes tend to be set up on the rich side, if there's no excess oxygen in the combustion mix, it's not going to produce nitorgen oxide until it's burned up all the fuel. Which puts mid to late 90's bikes on the menu.

80's 2-strokes have almost zero NOx emissions and pass the ulez test. Despite doing 16mpg and emitting a pall of blue smoke at all times.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[Easy-X]

[stinkwheel]

I think you should get a Honda Bros.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[Easy-X]

[blurredman]

I pay £128 a year for all my bikes.
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CBT: 12/06/10, Theory: 22/09/10, Module 1: 09/11/10, Module 2: 19/01/11
Past: 1991 Honda CG125BR-J, 1992 (1980) Honda XL125S, 1996 Kawasaki GPZ500S, 1979 MZ TS150.
Current: 1973 MZ ES250/2 - 17k, 1979 Suzuki TS185ER - 10k, 1981 Honda CX500B - 91k, 1987 MZ ETZ250 (295cc) - 38k, 1989 MZ ETZ251 - 50k.

[to v or not to v]

[Robby]

If it's really about trying to save money, my advice would be to do nothing. If you have a bike in good condition, the £100 a year you might save in insurance will be quickly offset by fixing something, or just doing some basic maintenance on the new bike.

If you really want to change bikes and want something that costs pennies to run but isn't a 125, then something like a CB250 nighthawk would probably fit the bill. It will also handle London traffic better than something designed in the 1930s.

[Nobby the Bastard]

Insurance on mine fully comp is £128 this year.
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trevor saxe-coburg-gotha:"Remember this simple rule - scooters are for men who like to feel the breeze on their huge, flapping cunt lips."
Triumph Sprint ST 1050

[Easy-X]

[to v or not to v]

the new Honda CB350s is an alternative to the Enfields. think its around 4k new
____________________
current bike Yamaha Thunderace.
its old and fat, but its a damned good ride. the bikes not bad either.

[Easy-X]

[to v or not to v]

theres also the Himalayan 411. then youd have the option of some off road riding.
____________________
current bike Yamaha Thunderace.
its old and fat, but its a damned good ride. the bikes not bad either.

[PotatoHead202...]

Why not an old 500? CBF or CB will fit all of that.

I know from personal experience the CBF is ULEZ compliant with an exemption certificate.

My CBF costs me £130 per year to insure TPFT with business use and a shit load of modifications declared in an urban aouth east area and ungaraged.....
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Suzuki V Strom 1050XT, Honda CBF500 ABS,

[Easy-X]

I'm hitting a bit of a wall I think due to my postcode. It feels like - with regards to insurance prices - I'm being quoted a baseline ~£200 for all sorts of "standard" bikes. For example, 2006 Honda CBF500:

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/qn8AAOSwtSpnWYgd/s-l400.webp

I actually quite like the look of these for some reason. It's sort of a "classic modern" look given the transformers, robots in disguise of say the MT07. Maybe go a bit older, how about a 1999 Honda CB500S:

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/YXcAAOSw2VVnVCEI/s-l400.webp

Wow! That's cool... and yet pretty much the same insurance quote

Therefore the fork in the road for me is admit I just fancy a change of bike, lean into it and just avoid bikes with stupid insurance prices like my Vitpilen.

https://i.imgflip.com/9ggxhj.jpg

- OR - enter the cheat code I've stumbled across with the Classic/Bullet 500 and get vintage bike insurance quotes for a ULEZ compliant "modern" bike
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Husqvarna Vitpilen 401, Yamaha XSR700, Honda Rebel, Yamaha DT175, Suzuki SV650 (loan) Fazer 600, Keeway Superlight 125, 50cc turd scooter

[stinkwheel]

Just watch the sting in the tail. Most classic/vintage hybrid insurance policies do NOT give NCB so you have to start from zero if you later get a normal policy. I lost 16 years NCB that way.
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[Easy-X]

[stinkwheel]

I mean, if we're talking RE and I was in the market for a newer but still slightly oddball one, I'd have a long look at a continental GT535. Very unique and a halfway house between the classic REs and the modern ones. They put a lot of effort into them as a factory special so the fit and finish is a step above the early unit construction bullets they were doing at the time but still has that 1950s idiom.

Not sure how they'd do with the emissions testing though as they are FI engines and probably quite lean burn.

That also said, Hitchcocks do an Amal mk2 concentric carburettor conversion for them. Which probably tells you a lot about Enfield owners.

I bet there are loads of low mileage ones kicking about in that London. Hipsters bought them like they were small batch real ales, rode them to the coffee shop once then got their man-bun in a knot because it doesn't ride like a Japanese bike and requires them occasionally getting their hands dirty.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[A100man]

[Easy-X]

[Easy-X]

Wow... I had a peek at Hitchcocks and certainly there's a lot of scope with a GT 535. Be hard to run out of things to do with it from a workshop perspective!

Less power but more torque than the Vitpilen which would suit me. Proper Brembo brakes, Harris Performance frame. About the only detraction is an extra 30 kilos of weight @ 185kg. Still well under my preferred 200kg limit though.

I've found one on eBay that already has the carb conversion:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/146272163387

Unfortunately they've fucked with the handlebars and I'm not sure about the seat. Least fucked-with and cheap is from our old friends at Superbike Factory:

https://superbikefactory.co.uk/2014-royal-enfield-continental-gt-red-with-3765-miles/

Looks to have some scratches and a ding on the tank but otherwise low mileage like the rest
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Husqvarna Vitpilen 401, Yamaha XSR700, Honda Rebel, Yamaha DT175, Suzuki SV650 (loan) Fazer 600, Keeway Superlight 125, 50cc turd scooter

[A100man]