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cheap but cheerfull?

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euan
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Joined: 17 Oct 2005
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PostPosted: 16:55 - 05 Oct 2006    Post subject: cheap but cheerfull? Reply with quote

Hey all,.

I've passed my DAS for about 8 months now. However I cannot save up enough cash for the bike I want. (gsxr 600 srad)

I am a full time student and this is my honours year so cant really go out to work that much.

But I really feel that I should be out riding or I'm gonna end up in trouble when I actually get a "real" job and make some money.

I know this might sound like a pretty stupid question but what kind of bike could I get for around the 500-600 mark?

I like the look of some of the big trails bikes, noticed someone with a yamaha dt on the pics page and thought it was a nice bike (at a nice price). However my knowledge of models in this field is about 0.

Anyone got any recomendations?
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mr.z
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PostPosted: 17:10 - 05 Oct 2006    Post subject: Reply with quote

Was the same for me not long ago...

had a cg which was obcenely cheap to run, but there was the very likely being stolen risk..

ended up getting a cx500, on my second one and can't see me selling it.. there rock solid relyable, will do 90 all day long if you want, comfy, cheap to buy, insure and fix, also easy as youre likely to get to work on + shaft drive.. triffic.. (extreemely rare it needs attention, most of what i do is just so i know whats been done)

GT550 is a similarsort of bike, cb500 or a bros is another good choice..
even maybe an MZ350/250? cheap and very simple, easy to work on and stinky.

Cheapness of 4stroke 250 twins is also good, as nobody wants them, but there still less dangerously slow like a cg would be Razz

Good luck Wink
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mrtEE
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PostPosted: 17:17 - 05 Oct 2006    Post subject: Reply with quote

mr.z wrote:
also easy as youre likely to get to work on


is it less complex than a CG125 then?

Wink Rolling Eyes Wink
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Hotdog
Nearly there...



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PostPosted: 17:23 - 05 Oct 2006    Post subject: Reply with quote

mr.z wrote:
ended up getting a cx500, on my second one and can't see me selling it.. there rock solid relyable, will do 90 all day long if you want, comfy, cheap to buy, insure and fix, also easy as youre likely to get to work on + shaft drive.. triffic.. (extreemely rare it needs attention, most of what i do is just so i know whats been done)


Most CXs are over 25 years old.

If yours was so great why are you on your second one ?

Water cooling, cam chains and pushrods, extreme age and a predisposition for crank failures does not make for reliabilty or make it 'easy to fix'.

They are old, weren't very good when they were new and if your handgrenade hasn't exploded yet, then that is pure luck.

Simple they aint, reliable they ain't anymore.

Hotdog.
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Brick_Top
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PostPosted: 17:25 - 05 Oct 2006    Post subject: Reply with quote

GS500 can be had for that money, but build quality is poor.

I'd be looking for a CB500 with 35-40k on the clock.
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mr.z
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PostPosted: 17:59 - 05 Oct 2006    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hotdog wrote:
Most CXs are over 25 years old.


Mine has has 28k on it majority of which ive put on.. if maintaince has been done propperly its not really relevent (appart from now honda dosn't supply allot of the parts)

Hotdog wrote:
If yours was so great why are you on your second one ?


For some sick reason i decided a transalp would be a better bike, as it turns out it was a heap of shit and completely unrelyable, not to mention an absoloute fucker to work on.

Hotdog wrote:
Water cooling, cam chains and pushrods, extreme age and a predisposition for crank failures does not make for reliabilty or make it 'easy to fix'.


I've hered of two crank failiures in 5 years, both on shit heaps.

Hotdog wrote:
Simple they aint, reliable they ain't anymore.


..do you actually know anyone who owns one? i know plenty, several of them going arround the clocks a second time. There a hell of allot simpler than a modern 4cylinder water cooled bike.

Fact is in a year and a half its had oil changes, air filters, tyres, in fact the only trouble i had was with the brakes because it had been stood for years and if it does go bang theres a £50 spare engine sitting waiting, but like any new bike you have to look carefully to find a good one.

But whatever, i was only makeing suggestions.
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gimpy limp
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PostPosted: 18:39 - 05 Oct 2006    Post subject: Reply with quote

reliability is not dependend on age/mileage it's dependent on regular service throughout its life (oil filter change when you do the oil change, correct air filter fuel/air mixture, not ragging it about etc etc). Hotdog clearly doesn't have the foggiest what hes talking about i'm afraid, those statements are completely made up and false. People have been around the world on 25 year old cx's.
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Hotdog
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PostPosted: 18:53 - 05 Oct 2006    Post subject: Reply with quote

gimpy limp wrote:
Hotdog clearly doesn't have the foggiest what hes talking about i'm afraid, those statements are completely made up and false. People have been around the world on 25 year old cx's.


Sure ok.

Reliabilty isn't a function of the initial design and materials then ?

It also isn't subject to ageing either ?

I'm not recommending a 25 year old crap heap simply because having ridden bikes since the CX was released I happen to be aware of just how many of the remaining CXs are wankered heaps.

Even 15 years ago it was hard to find a CX that wasn't on it's last legs.

If you want to recommend knackered antiquated heaps to newbies then on your head be it.

But DON'T then say that they are simple to work on FFS.

BTW 'limpgimp' it's you who doesn't have the foggiest, I'm afraid.

Hotdog.
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G
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PostPosted: 18:58 - 05 Oct 2006    Post subject: Re: cheap but cheerfull? Reply with quote

Keep an eye out and you can probably get something like a DR600 or KLR600 for that sort of price.

Need a bit of weight behind you to kickstart it, though.

Tarting about on me old DR600...
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Simple
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PostPosted: 20:17 - 05 Oct 2006    Post subject: Reply with quote

Get a GPZ500s... can get a D model for £500.

I just paid £147 to insure mine tpft at 19 with 3 claims to my name.
Tyres (bt45) last 6000miles(rear)
get 50mpg when thrashing it
still does a ton and a wee bit more (mine's 33bhp though)
Feed it some engine oil and the odd filter and it'll clatter on trouble free.

Nice bike to ride, doesn't look as commuter as the GS500 or CB500 (non sport)
Just my thoughts and what I bought until I could afford a pretty biek I didnt have to leave parked where it would attract chavs.

simple
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ram_doom
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PostPosted: 20:22 - 05 Oct 2006    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'd say cbr600. But I would... wouldnt I Rolling Eyes
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euan
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Joined: 17 Oct 2005
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PostPosted: 21:33 - 05 Oct 2006    Post subject: Reply with quote

thanks for all the suggestions, I'll look into them.

can you get a cbr 600 for that kind of money?
cheers
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Simple
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PostPosted: 21:38 - 05 Oct 2006    Post subject: Reply with quote

euan wrote:
thanks for all the suggestions, I'll look into them.

can you get a cbr 600 for that kind of money?
cheers


an older steel framed one, I'd have thought so,
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euan
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PostPosted: 21:41 - 05 Oct 2006    Post subject: Reply with quote

just checked these out on ebay, some that are quite good for the money. Just a matter of keeping an eye for a bargin really. What sort of milage are these good for ( if servicing has been relativly regular)?
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stinkwheel
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PostPosted: 21:49 - 05 Oct 2006    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nowt wrong with 250 twins in my book. A decent superdream will do 85-90mph, hardly what I'd call "dangerously slow".

I've only ever seen two bikes that have been round the clock twice. One was a harley softail, the other was a CX500.

Eastern block 2-strokes, as Mr.z says, have a lot to recommend them for the terminally skint. You'd get two good runners for £600. Dinnae expect them to be all that fast or handle well but they are cheap, simple and piss easy to fix if they break. Spare poarts are readily available and there is a huge knowledge-base out there with very active owners clubs.

I did a [url=https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=32845&highlight=eastern+block]GUIDE to eastern block 2-strokes a couple of years ago.
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mikeoldcars
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PostPosted: 22:38 - 05 Oct 2006    Post subject: Reply with quote

i picked up a 250 superdream for £300 and am well chuffed with it, i would recommend one as a cheap first (bigish) bike Wink
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veeeffarr
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PostPosted: 23:39 - 05 Oct 2006    Post subject: Reply with quote

KidKoala wrote:
GS500 can be had for that money, but build quality is poor.

I'd be looking for a CB500 with 35-40k on the clock.


I've seen a lot of mint condition GS500's...

Any bike is going to look like shit if you don't know how to take care of it...
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veeeffarr
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PostPosted: 23:59 - 05 Oct 2006    Post subject: Reply with quote

stinkwheel wrote:
Nowt wrong with 250 twins in my book. A decent superdream will do 85-90mph, hardly what I'd call "dangerously slow".

I've only ever seen two bikes that have been round the clock twice. One was a harley softail, the other was a CX500.

Eastern block 2-strokes, as Mr.z says, have a lot to recommend them for the terminally skint. You'd get two good runners for £600. Dinnae expect them to be all that fast or handle well but they are cheap, simple and piss easy to fix if they break. Spare poarts are readily available and there is a huge knowledge-base out there with very active owners clubs.

I did a [url=https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=32845&highlight=eastern+block]GUIDE to eastern block 2-strokes a couple of years ago.


Where do you get these eastern bloc 2t's from?

Can find fuck all on ebay, and probably would've bought one if I had of seen 1.
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ram_doom
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PostPosted: 00:06 - 06 Oct 2006    Post subject: Reply with quote

euan wrote:
thanks for all the suggestions, I'll look into them.

can you get a cbr 600 for that kind of money?
cheers


I got one for £500, jellymould model, very fast, killed the gearbox unfortunately... 28k genuine miles, think its just a bearing thats collapsed but sold now anyways Embarassed
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wilbur
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PostPosted: 00:16 - 06 Oct 2006    Post subject: Reply with quote

Whoo I would avoid a dream.

Bullet proof not.

Awfull camchain issues and expensive to fix. I am talking 20 years ago.

They were also souless rubbish. But each to their own.
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stinkwheel
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PostPosted: 01:26 - 06 Oct 2006    Post subject: Reply with quote

wilbur wrote:
Whoo I would avoid a dream.

Bullet proof not.

Awfull camchain issues and expensive to fix. I am talking 20 years ago.

They were also souless rubbish. But each to their own.


K-series superdreams were flying machines in their day.

Camchains were only an issue if you followed the workshop manual when adjusting them. A simple case of the spring on the 'automatic' tensioner not being strong enough. If you adjust them manually, no problems.

Toby R wrote:
Where do you get these eastern bloc 2t's from?

Can find fuck all on ebay, and probably would've bought one if I had of seen 1.


On ebay right now there is a saxon tour 250, three TS250s, two ETZ301s, a TS125 and three ETZ 251s. That makes a total of 10 MZ 2-strokes.

There is only one Jawa oilmaster.
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Brick_Top
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PostPosted: 11:07 - 06 Oct 2006    Post subject: Reply with quote

Toby R wrote:
KidKoala wrote:
GS500 can be had for that money, but build quality is poor.

I'd be looking for a CB500 with 35-40k on the clock.


I've seen a lot of mint condition GS500's...

Any bike is going to look like shit if you don't know how to take care of it...

This is obviously true as a baseline, but the Suzuki will rust faster than the Honda.

Con
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euan
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PostPosted: 15:07 - 08 Oct 2006    Post subject: Reply with quote

ram_doom wrote:
euan wrote:
thanks for all the suggestions, I'll look into them.

can you get a cbr 600 for that kind of money?
cheers


I got one for £500, jellymould model, very fast, killed the gearbox unfortunately... 28k genuine miles, think its just a bearing thats collapsed but sold now anyways Embarassed



Nice I didn't realise could pick up something like these at that price.

It would be nice to get a bike a like the look of and like the price of.

Need to keep my eyes peeled. Where did you buy yours from?
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Kickstart
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PostPosted: 15:15 - 08 Oct 2006    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi

If you are really lucky you will find a useable early CBR600 for £600. But it would be easy to land up with a piece of junk.

Superdreams seem to have got pretty rare. Haven't seen a 250 in ages. I had a 400 years ago. Speedo underread compared to any bike I clocked it against.

Personally I would say go for a GPZ500S. Should be able to find a pretty good early model one or a tatty later model one for that much without too much effort.

All the best

Keith
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