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John |
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John World Chat Champion
Joined: 27 Apr 2003 Karma :
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Scotty |
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Scotty Scooter Boi
Joined: 31 Jul 2002 Karma :
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Posted: 23:06 - 04 Dec 2003 Post subject: |
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You just answered your own question son ____________________ Regards
Scott |
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Sparks! |
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Sparks! Sir Tart-a-lot
Joined: 30 Aug 2003 Karma :
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Posted: 23:18 - 04 Dec 2003 Post subject: |
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Only the ZXR400 is the best 400 going ____________________ Current Toys: 06 Yamaha WR250F | Nissan 350Z GT | Tech 4 Homes |
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Sparks! |
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Sparks! Sir Tart-a-lot
Joined: 30 Aug 2003 Karma :
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Robby |
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Robby Dirty Old Man
Joined: 16 May 2002 Karma :
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Scotty |
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Scotty Scooter Boi
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Robby |
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Robby Dirty Old Man
Joined: 16 May 2002 Karma :
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TiN |
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TiN Pocket Tin
Joined: 14 Feb 2002 Karma :
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Dusty |
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Dusty King of the Rim
Joined: 25 Mar 2003 Karma :
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John |
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John World Chat Champion
Joined: 27 Apr 2003 Karma :
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Posted: 01:17 - 05 Dec 2003 Post subject: |
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Thanks for that.
Time to get a loan. |
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The BeefMeister |
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The BeefMeister Crazy Courier
Joined: 20 Jun 2003 Karma :
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John |
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John World Chat Champion
Joined: 27 Apr 2003 Karma :
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Robby |
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Robby Dirty Old Man
Joined: 16 May 2002 Karma :
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Posted: 01:50 - 05 Dec 2003 Post subject: |
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All round bad design. Some parts are superior to NC30, like rear wheel removal. 4 bolts, car style, where i believe the NC30 uses a circlip or summat. Chain adjustment is easier too because you don't need a special tool.
But otherwise the NC24 is very uncomfortable, just a nasty position to be in and a crap seat. You need to rev the balls off it to get anywhere, because its a 400. Handling can be twitchy, particularly on worn or old tyres, due to the 16inch front wheel. Handling feels a bit strange, because the front of the bike turns very fast (16 inch) and the rear turns/tips in very slow (18 inch).
The front forks are very soft and rather crude, and of course they have that lovely grey import trick of all the rubber hoses and seals being perished, so your fuel line splits (as i believe has also happened on gooseys bros 400 and mikes cbr250) and due to the air assisted forks on the front having rubber seals, they just don't really work.
Parts are very expensive if you can find them, and honda use the old trick of a stainless exhaust can (mild steel internals mind) with mild steel (i think) downpipes and a mild steel collector box. The collector rots, and if you can get one it costs around 400 quid. You also can't remove the rear exhaust downpipes with the engine in the frame.
Servicing is a joke. Changing the front spark plugs means getting the radiator swung forward, so it means all the bodywork off. Cunt of a bike to work on. Speedo drive may be the same as on the NSR, certainly not very strong as the one on my old NC24 broke soon after I sold it at around 28k km.
A tank of fuel lasts 160km inc. reserve. Tank looks big, but its almost flat in reality. I think it holds 12 or 13 litres inc. reserve, and my one use to drink the stuff at 40mpg.
Other little bits. The tyres are too skinny - only a 130 section rear. Sounds okish on the normal can, but if you decide to get a race can you need to go chopping up the old pipework to fit a slip on. You'd then have a job selling it on to someone like me, and the joy of getting the standard can back on for MOTs if your MOT test centre cares about cans.
the electrical system is very weak as on the NC30, the reg/rec goes first and may well take out the alternator with it, and normally the battery for good measure. The tacho packed up on mine, but then the whole ignition system seemed to be giving up the ghost. In fact now I think of it I had 2 tachos, the original one packed in when i first took the bike out, and the replacement from a breakers was going when i sold it.
Derestricting them is a bit of fun too - I'm talking about 33bhp derestriction if you get them fitted by a dealer. Being a V4 with the carbs in the middle you can have a bit of fun getting the carbs back onto the rubbers, particularly when the brass screws holding the carbs onto the brass airbox base have seized, and the carb rubbers have hardened.
And the final sting in the tail, for me at least, was the white wheels. I hate white wheels normally, they belong in the mid 80s, but the NC24 ones are full of nooks and crannies and a bitch to clean. Particularly bad when your cleaning it up for sale. |
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John |
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John World Chat Champion
Joined: 27 Apr 2003 Karma :
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Posted: 02:12 - 05 Dec 2003 Post subject: |
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Not having one of them then. Unless it's free, maybe. |
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NSR125-Kid-UK |
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NSR125-Kid-UK Attention Whore
Joined: 03 May 2003 Karma :
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kev |
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kev I Hump Things
Joined: 07 Oct 2002 Karma :
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Ste |
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Ste Not Work Safe
Joined: 01 Sep 2002 Karma :
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Crash it for fun |
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Crash it for fun Spanner Monkey
Joined: 09 Jul 2003 Karma :
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TiN |
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TiN Pocket Tin
Joined: 14 Feb 2002 Karma :
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Robby |
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Robby Dirty Old Man
Joined: 16 May 2002 Karma :
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Kickstart |
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Kickstart The Oracle
Joined: 04 Feb 2002 Karma :
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Posted: 11:46 - 05 Dec 2003 Post subject: |
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TiN wrote: | Crash it for fun wrote: | Do any manufacturers still make 400s and if not, why not? |
Not road bikes AFAIK. Why not? Probably down to the accountant. |
The 400 race replicas were designed for an old Japanese licence class. The Japanese bike market for sports bikes now is virtually non existant, with a 400 race rep being about as desireable as a fart in a space suit.
They were also VERY expensive when new. VFR400 was over £6000 in the UK when a CBR600 was under £5000. The reason there are loads over here is that they are bought for peanuts 2nd hand in Japan. There is basically no market for 2nd hand bikes in Japan (and no reason for the original owners to take much care of them). Indeed Japan used to have a problem with people dumping bikes, because otherwise the owners had to pay the dealers to take their old bike off them.
robby wrote: | kev wrote: | You say all that robby but you want a harley which are worse than any jap bike. |
I know, but harleys look and sound nice. If I had one it wouldn't be for commuting, and i'd be fiddling with something on it before and after every time I took it out. Harleys are meant to break. |
They sound awful, the engineering is ancient and the performance nominal. Build quality would make your VFR400 look good. If you want an out of date bike then buy an old British bike. It will be cheaper, quicker, have cheaper spares, be easier to work on, depreciate less, be cheaper to insure and probably be more reliable.
robby wrote: | Ste wrote: | Most of that is stuff you've had wrong with your bike. Where as I reckon Kevo wwould be able to give a completly different point of view. |
Indeed, but then Kevo also ride an expensive NC35 and spends a bit on servicing to keep it in tip top. Johns looking at my end of the market. |
Any bike at the bottom end of the market is likely to have mechanical problems. Just looks at Johns AR125. However Anna did not pay much more for her first CBR400 and that was reliable.
Personally I would say he should go for one of the cheap middle weights such as a GPZ500, CB500 or GS500 to build up some experience of larger heavier bikes, which should be easy to pick up in very useable condition for around £1000. However he should buy one for reasonable money and work on the basis that he will probably upgrade it in a year. I would say (and have said) pretty much the same thing to anyone who has just passed their test.
Not being funny to John, but do people really think it is a good idea for someone with only a couple of thousand miles experience on a 125 to jump onto a 150mph 600.
All the best
Keith ____________________ Traxpics, track day and racing photographs - Bimota Forum - Bike performance / thrust graphs for choosing gearing |
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McJamweasel |
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McJamweasel BCF Junkie
Joined: 22 Mar 2002 Karma :
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Robby |
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Robby Dirty Old Man
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Kickstart |
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Kickstart The Oracle
Joined: 04 Feb 2002 Karma :
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NSR125-Kid-UK |
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NSR125-Kid-UK Attention Whore
Joined: 03 May 2003 Karma :
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Old Thread Alert!
The last post was made 20 years, 150 days ago. Instead of replying here, would creating a new thread be more useful? |
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