How do I get a crap first big bike?

[Rhino]

Well, as the title says, I'm going to be getting my first 600 soon, and was wondering what people on here thought about my idea to get a cosmetically damaged CBR 600 as a first bike. Seeing as it will be used to commute into London, where other bikes part along yours, I know the fairings going to get scratched at some point.

The cosmetic's would also hopefully put off the chav kids on my estate from approaching it. Has anyone got any advice on where I should look for a bike of this description in London? I think Tgabber got a damaged bike from Docklands, are there many places like this I could check out?

A smart cash saving move, or the act of a tramp - you decide.

[TheShaggyDA]

Smart move IMHO. You get to build experience on a 600, whilst not having the "shit, someone scratched my baby" feeling hanging over your head.

However, I don't think it will make a difference to the thieving scum fraternity. If the little pricks want to nick it, they will - only a couple of decent locks will deter that.
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Current: CB500 Previous: CB100N, CB250RS, XJ900F, GT550, GPZ750R/1000RX, AJS M16, R100RT, Enfield Bullet

[i:6e3bfc7581]But still I fear and still I dare not laugh at the madman...[/i:6e3bfc7581]

[Bendy]

Makes perfect sense, and is quite refreshing to hear someone taking the logical step rather than the tarty one.

Loot, eBay, BikeTrader, Yellow Pages. Look, look and look some more - BikeTrader can be good for finding dealer sites that might have other bikes they haven't listed.

Just make sure the damage is only cosmetic - if it's been down a road you want to make sure nothing important's been bent.

[TheShaggyDA]

You could also, depending on your budget, buy a decent condition bike and find a cheapo set of damaged plastic to replace the good stuff with. That way, when you come to sell the bike (or decide that you want it looking good for yourself) you've got a nice set to swap it with.

The cheap set could then be brought out for winter commuting, too.
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Current: CB500 Previous: CB100N, CB250RS, XJ900F, GT550, GPZ750R/1000RX, AJS M16, R100RT, Enfield Bullet

[i:6e3bfc7581]But still I fear and still I dare not laugh at the madman...[/i:6e3bfc7581]

[Ste]

Very little point in having a cheap set and a nice set of fairings and changing between the two dependant on weather, and other stuff. Sods law will mean you'll at least drop it with the nice set on, either have the bike and use it, or keep it for showing off.

Is a good idea to get something which is not expensive as the first big bike because as you say it's quite likely to get scratched a bit. A scratched bike will work just as well and be just as much fun without the thought in the back of your mind about how bad it will be if it gets scratched at all. Sadly chavs will nick anything if they want to, Laura's CBR which was a 1987 bike, nicely finished but not a flashy new bike and they still nicked it and burnt it out so take all preventive steps you can do.

Ad Trader is good for finding bikes in your area which aren't too expensive. eBay is good to keep an eye on, well as are all the sites and places Bendy mentioned. Make sure you do an HPI check on it when buying a bike with mild damage just to check it's not been worse and repaired a bit to sell it. Well it's a good idea to always do an HPI check when buying a bike, but more so when buying a slightly damaged bike.

Happy bike shopping.

[MarJay]

Excellent move sir!

Perhaps I could point you towards this: ( I Think its still available)

https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=31204

Sorry about the plug, but Kev would have done it anyway!
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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.