Buying an older CBR600 or ZX9r

[mudcow007]

A mate of mine is itching to buy a new bike, has £1200 from the sale of his Bandit an is desperate for something faster.

He has seen a (2002) CBR600 but i aint got a clue about them.

There is also a ZX9r (1999) that's local but again i havent a clue about them...?

anything to watch out for etc?

ta

[DrDonnyBrago]

I've had a 2001 CBR6f for 8 years.

It's a good bike, it's also from Honda at a time when that meant exceptional build quality. Mine is "well used" and still tidies up nicely.

things to look out for are the presence of a mild steel exhaust system, although by now I imagine most will have been changed. They are really particular about the design of aftermarket downpipes and will run like dogshit on the cheaper brands - you'll spot a dead spot at about 5k rpm if it isn't running great. Motads run spot on.

I've needed a new VSS (speedo on my bike stopped working) and they get through CCTs every 16k or so. Rattling around 5k suggests a new CCT is on the cards. If the clutch is rattly, don't let it put you off, the baskets get notched and they all do it - doesn't make a difference to the bike. The bike itself has been solid requiring only the bits listed and consumables. You'll read about reg/recs burning up but mine is on the original still with no issues.

The front forks are a bit undersprung unless you are a featherweight.

They were a common first bike, so check for crash damage and tacky mods.

[arry]

As above, the CBR is pretty solid. Enjoyed mine - especially when you get an opportunity to ping it up over 10k RPM where it becomes a whole lot more alive.

As with any old bike, it'll have old suspension unless something's been done about it. Rears seem to go soggy and a rebuild / replacement makes quite a lot of difference.

My only other issue was a bit of rough running when it got warm, which was fixed with a bit of carb balancing.

[CaNsA]

[P.]

Yah, C model 98 onwards, eat dat box.

[CaNsA]

There is a thread on here somewhere about a z1000 box getting put in a zx9r.

[mudcow007]

thanks boyo's

ZX is the "C" model, an weirdly has no fairings so guessing its been crashed an repaired, nothing has come up on a hpi etc.

updates to follow...

[johnsmith222]

[mudcow007]

Just had a message, he is going to look at a 1200 Bandit from work.....

[Musketeer]

ZX6R J1/J2 would be a decent bike for the money. I had no issues with mine except front calipers needed attention. I replaced mine with Nissin calipers.
J1/J2 is not slow.. faster than old CBR600 surely.
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Current Bike: Yamaha XSR900 Previous bikes: Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade, Kawasaki ZX-6R Ninja, Aprilia RS125 2-stroke