ER6F for first real bike, yes or death?

[Fnatic]

Haven't been on here for a while. My current bike is an Aprilia RS125 but I haven't ridden that for a little while now. Need a bigger, more reliable bike to commute from Leicester to London probably 8 times a month and to use as a general bike. Want something to keep for 3 years while I'm at University.

I've seen a few tidy examples of the <2008 models around. Low mileage and stuff for around £3000. Insurance is about £500 TPFT for a 20 year old, home address in London and 2 years NCB. Anyone know whether I should get the ABS model or not as well?

I will be riding this on an A2 so anyone got any idea what these are like under restriction but I have heard them restrictors are prone to falling out.

Talk to me.

[MarJay]

Perfect first bike IMO. Light, not too powerful. Quick enough to beat nearly all cars off of the lights, easy to ride, comfortable etc etc.

Shouldn't be too bad restricted either.
____________________
British beauty: Triumph Street Triple R; Loony stroker: KR1S; Track fun: GSXR750 L1; Commuter Missile: GSX-S1000F; Cheap project: CBR900RR FireBlade
Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another.

[mjn51]

If you get one go for ABS, I did, hopefully will not need to use it in anger, but when I do it'll be there.
IMO it's a good step up bike bike from a 125, not stupid quick but quick enough to thrill (scare) me.

Regards
Mike (unrestricted)

[dogbot]

Yeah, decent first bike, I'd say.

I wasn't a beginner when I got mine, but I can see why it'd be a good choice. It's light, easy to maneuver, good in traffic, fairly economical and plenty punchy if you get it above 6k rpm.

Mine's the ABS model and I've only really noticed it cutting in once, which was my fault anyway.

[DrDonnyBrago]

As above - friggen small though, or at least the ER6-n I sat on last week was.

[Snorty]

Did my test on one of those.

Pretty powerful, not as much as a 4 cylinder 600.

I would say similar sort of performance range as a GPZ 500 which is plenty fast for first bike.

[MarJay]

[Snorty]

[LordShaftesbu...]

I have an ER-6n, bought it 3 years ago. For 2 years rode it restricted on an A2 license. Great bike, cheap and reliable but not boring. Proper bike sized feel to it, quite substantial.

When I took the restrictor out I didn't notice much difference, the torque on it is great.

Why don't you buy a new one? The bouncy suspension and vibeyness of the old ones are supposed to be fixed now.

0% interest free finance, £99 deposit then about a hundred a month. I'm almost tempted to get a new one myself ... (but it would be ER-6f for the winter).

[MarJay]

[stonesie]

They appear to be kawasakis competitor to Suzukis SV650, when i rode one i liked it but not enough to chop the SV in against one, the SV just suits me better, looking at the specs everything is "near as makes no differance" between the 2, 4cc engine size, 1 bhp and only about 10KG of weight

It will probably be an ECU restriction rather than the old washers and throttle stoppers method, nice and easy to swap the brain yourself

[LordShaftesbu...]

The restrictor is a small screw that acts as a throttle stop.

[Rogerborg]

71bhp apparently, plenty of great reviews.

You won't find anything in that age and price range that's much more sensible. Insurance group is 10; if you want lower, you'll need an SV650 or late model CBF500, both at group 9.

It's my default choice for when my restriction runs out next year - I'll need a good reason to buy something else. The only down-sides that I can see are no fuel gauge or centre stand, and I think I can live with that.
____________________
Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[dogbot]

In fairness, I'm trying to think of a bike I had with a fuel gauge...

Nope.

It's got a light, though. I just usually fill it about 130 miles in.

[stonesie]

My sv has a 2 stage light, it flashes at about 1 gallon left and goes to being on constant at 2 litres... I have had 180+ miles before its started flashing before now, another time it was on before 130.

[dogbot]

With the ER, much depends on how I ride it. If I pootle about, it'll do 150, if I rant it, 120.

[Fnatic]

Cheers for the advice guys, looking at a 2008 model, 1000 mi on the clock for £3000. Looks like a good price. Insurance of £500 is surprisingly low too.

[stonesie]

[dogbot]

Just run in.

e2a: Mine spent the first 5 years of it's life (it's an 06) outdoors, under a cover at night. It's got a couple of tiny rust spots and bubbles on the frame, but otherwise, it's survived remarkably well. And is now garaged.

[Villers]

[Fisty]

I had one as a loan bike for 6 months and commuted from Derby to Bristol 5 times a month on it. Great little bike, plenty of power and quite fun to ride (wheelies very easily) I would love one as a second bike.

One thing to look out for is the exhausts, the split at the cat. Mine was frixed 3 times prior to goung back. Anyway they sound awesome with a can on instead!
____________________
Quietly and consistently taking the piss.
TL1000R | Hayabusa | ZXR400 | TL1000S | Bandit 400 V
Fatter and faster than Fret

[dogbot]

Mine's just had that done, as well. It's cos there's nothing supporting the weight except the joint of the downpipe and box.

An S bracket will solve that, cheaply (said the mechanic who changed my downpipe).

[sebastianw]

I like mine, I commute 30 miles each way every day on it , (it is the f), more than enough power, agile enough to keep up on the twisties etc etc etc. I changed my can to an MTC so not had the problems others have. Sounds loud as well.

I have a restrictor kit going spare. It's a throttle screw and a plug that goes in a diagnostics connection under the seat, simple to fit and simple to remove.

[LordShaftesbu...]

[bike-shack.com]

I think it'd be a great first big bike, i've even considered getting an ER6 for a trusty back-up bike I can count on!
____________________
www.bike-shack.com - Probably the best free motorcycle classifieds website in the UK...