Sub 1 litre everyday bike?

[Zadkiel]

I'm going to set out some really vague guidelines but some recommendations would be good! I'm looking for a bike I can ride every day but not to mundane, riding a bike is meant to be fun after all. IL4s are all good because I don't mind revving the hell of it!

So the criteria are:

Must be less than 1L but bigger than 250cc, I don't need a bike that big just this yet. 600cc looks like the sweet spot to me
Sports or naked are my preferred types, no motards or anything like that
$6.5k is the maximum, would prefer to spend less obviously

So far I have been eyeing up the CBR600F, Speed Four, Daytona 600 and the Hornet 600/900. I like the naked style but I appreciate fairings are nice on the open road.

[sil3nt]

Going to sound like a massive wanker but an NC30 or NC35 ticks the boxes!

CBR600F would be my next choice (if you were after comfort which i might need after this NC30 kills my back :bleh:)

[Stylo]

Had a loaner Bike while mine was getting serviced last week, a Suzuki Gladius...SVF 650 ?

Never liked them much to look at but :facepalm: ...only did around 100km's on it and ...never stopped smiling ...great fun 9 points

[Hitcher]

Gladii are superb bikes. So too are the Kawasaki ER6s and the MkI Aprilia Shiver.

[schrodingers cat]

No fun! If I were going to buy a smaller bike it would be a KTM Motard. I'd ride it like a total dick and likely toast my licence.

If you want to have a pile of fun and rev the nuts out of it go 400cc
If a more sedate approach is the go go 600cc plus

CBR 600 or for excellent Kermit Style go Ninja

[Icemaestro]

Can I interest you in a VFR? i've got my eyes on an rvf..

[CRF119]

I no you said no Motard but for a fun rating for going to work its what im going to buy next. I have a CBR900RR great bike it would actually fit into what you want great and tick all boxes. But i find going to work takes only 15 min at the most and its rush hour town traffic so you can't do much on thou but on a motard you can go up foot paths across grass, Slow wheelies, slow slides the list goes on and on. All of those will get you in trouble at some point but fun things are trouble.

Just a thought. If your doing any open road stuff forget the motard again :)

[jaffaonajappa]

GSXR 1100's.

That is all folks.

[steve_t]

GSXR 1100's.

That is all folks.

:shutup::shutup:

[hayd3n]

cb600 hornet :P

[jaffaonajappa]

:shutup::shutup:

Ahhh ok. Tell me what an 11 cannot do. Noting the price constraint.

Arghhh. Edit. ok, its outside the capacity limits - strictly (stupidly) speaking.

[theseekerfinds]

all oldies but goodies:

Hornet 600

IL Monstro

Bandit 600

Kwaka Zephyr 750

Yammy Fazer

In my opinion all of them tick all the boxes and are available in your budget

[jaffaonajappa]

RF900 - for around half of your maximum budget.

[Sable]

Just about damn near anything will do so long as it can hold motorway speeds without vibrating bits off. The fun comes down to how you ride it. :tugger:

[Gremlin]

Hornet 900, every single time.

I may or may not be biased, however. :woohoo:

[sinned]

The cost of routine maintenance and servicing as recommended by the manufacturer should be considered in the selection of an everyday bike. An everyday bike should be low cost to operate.

My current Suzuki has a 6000km servicing (min oil change) cycle whereas the Triumph I had previously had a 10,000kms servicing cycle. I think this is typical for models of those brands. The hayabusa is expensive to service: 12,000kms change of spark plugs (about $40 each), 24,000kms valve clearances etc.

When I need to down grade to an everyday bike I would like to think I could buy something that cost no more to service than a Toyota Corolla. If you recommend a bike as an everyday bike, have you considered the cost of running it?

[YellowDog]

I'm going to set out some really vague guidelines but some recommendations would be good! I'm looking for a bike I can ride every day but not to mundane, riding a bike is meant to be fun after all. IL4s are all good because I don't mind revving the hell of it!

So the criteria are:

Must be less than 1L but bigger than 250cc, I don't need a bike that big just this yet. 600cc looks like the sweet spot to me
Sports or naked are my preferred types, no motards or anything like that
$6.5k is the maximum, would prefer to spend less obviously

So far I have been eyeing up the CBR600F, Speed Four, Daytona 600 and the Hornet 600/900. I like the naked style but I appreciate fairings are nice on the open road.

Presumably you'll be commuting?

If you are looking for an everyday bike, IMO your No.1 consideration needs to be comfort; though as has been said, maintainance costs is a pretty important issue too.

[Furyos J]

hi there, i just went thru this over the last while, needed a fun commuter that the missus was comfortable on the back of, but still sporty. Got a 99 cbr 600, ive only had it a week and 300kms tho, but really enjoy it so far,i feels very light and brakes very good,and the missus is happy with the comfort as a pillion. being a 600, they are quite sedate to ride under 6000rpm, which is nice while lane splitting in the morning, but get over 6000 and they take off, much more comfortable and faster then my old vfr400, and light years better then the commuter gsx250 i sold to buy the cbr. Just go bug a few dealers or private sales and ride the bikes you are looking at, i found the cbr quite comfortable for my height (a little over 6ft).

[Beren]

If I was allowed to get the same bike as the Father-in-law I'd put a VFR750 on the list. Comfortable, has a fair bit of go when you want it to and following the old man round on the Bandit it fair falls into corners.
I am already eyeing up a Bandit 1200/1250 looks like a super cruisy everyday ride with the power to really light your face up on demand. 9 1/2 months and 20,000kms to go on the 250 as a minimum though!

[tigertim20]

I'm going to set out some really vague guidelines but some recommendations would be good! I'm looking for a bike I can ride every day but not to mundane, riding a bike is meant to be fun after all. IL4s are all good because I don't mind revving the hell of it!

So the criteria are:

Must be less than 1L but bigger than 250cc, I don't need a bike that big just this yet. 600cc looks like the sweet spot to me
Sports or naked are my preferred types, no motards or anything like that
$6.5k is the maximum, would prefer to spend less obviously

So far I have been eyeing up the CBR600F, Speed Four, Daytona 600 and the Hornet 600/900. I like the naked style but I appreciate fairings are nice on the open road.

CBR 600 F4i fits your budget, looks good, goes like stink, is reliable and a great all round bike.

[Mom]

Hornet 900, every single time.

I may or may not be biased, however. :woohoo:

Ok, if your feet reach the ground :pinch:

I say GSF 650 Bandit, but I really am biased :woohoo:

[Latte]

RSV's are technically 990cc :D

[ducatilover]

RF900 - for around half of your maximum budget.
I agree, keep hearing so much good about them.
ZZR600?
CBR600F4i?
Could you manage a VFR800 for that coin? That would be my choice, fantastic bikes.

[Gubb]

675

Anyone who said anything else is gay.

[short-circuit]

675

Anyone who said anything else is gay.


The man speaks the truth

[Zadkiel]

Haha, not really seeing a clear winner here. I guess being a car fan I can see how many different options would come up in the 4 wheeled equivalent also, so can't really expect one and only one answer. It's a bit of a tricky one.

[Mom]

675

Anyone who said anything else is gay.


The man speaks the truth

God and they sound so yuuummmmmmmmmmm :drool:

[Ender EnZed]

$6.5k is the maximum, would prefer to spend less obviously


675


Are you selling? Sign me up.

[Rhys]

for around that sort of money you would get a mint RF900 :yes: good sold and very under rated, and the go hard :innocent:

[The Stranger]

I'm looking for a bike I can ride every day but not to mundane, riding a bike is meant to be fun after all.

no motards or anything like that

So far I have been eyeing up the CBR600F, Speed Four, Daytona 600 and the Hornet 600/900. I like the naked style but I appreciate fairings are nice on the open road.

Make your mind up, you don't want mundane, then you exclude motards then you list examples of mundane bikes. FFS!

[The Stranger]

Hornet 900, every single time.

I may or may not be biased, however. :woohoo:

Or a fucken fag!

[Gremlin]

I've tested the hornet more than any of you nancies. :bleh:

She had the 90k service a couple of weeks ago. I fill with 6000km of gas, then a quick half day service... 2-3 services a year.

Now and then I throw a chain and sprockets, maybe some pads her way...

oh, and some tyres. PR2 front has more than 18k on it, might have to get another in a couple of thousand?

[davebullet]

I fill with 6000km of gas

No wonder they look so ugly with such a big tank! :spanking:

[phantom67]

I believe 'Hornet' is the answer to your question, although I would love a Triumph Street Triple if I had the cha-ching.

[Ender EnZed]

OP is currently riding a GN250. Many of the bikes suggested so far would be quite a step up and also unnecessary for most commuting scenarios.

A Bandit 600 or SV650 will be cheaper to run than any of these 100hp+ bikes and still feel like a rocketship in comparison to a GN. You can get one for less than $6.5k as well.

[Ender EnZed]

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/motorbikes/motorbikes/sports/auction-378159813.htm

[tigertim20]

OP is currently riding a GN250. Many of the bikes suggested so far would be quite a step up and also unnecessary for most commuting scenarios.

A Bandit 600 or SV650 will be cheaper to run than any of these 100hp+ bikes and still feel like a rocketship in comparison to a GN. You can get one for less than $6.5k as well.

and the humble hornet 600!!
friend of mine bought one with 100k on the clock. he did have to do the head gasket, but its a great little bike for commuting, and more than enough Zip if you feel like a spirited ride. that or the bandy would give the OP plenty of room to grow for sure

[AllanB]

Hornet 900 or SV650.

[Zadkiel]

I've actually sold my GN250 now. Ridden a few other bikes, but yeah, I don't need huge power.

[Madness]

What about a tidy but older GSXR750 or ZX7R? Unless, of course you do prefer same-sex relationships, then go with the Hornetto.

[Ender EnZed]

What about a tidy but older GSXR750 or ZX7R?

They're hardly the most useful as commuters, and as a step up from a GN250 would be a complete waste. Or binned.

[rustyrobot]

Howabout a GSX600Fteapot or GSR600? Keep you under the 601cc to save some pingers on rego, and seem like fairly sensible step-up bikes with room to grow. Good for touring, weekend blats and commutes - and common enough not to have to scour the internet for spare parts.

For example:
http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/motorbikes/motorbikes/sports/auction-377739583.htm
http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showpost.php?p=1130046204
http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/motorbikes/motorbikes/sports/auction-376333594.htm

[Ender EnZed]

Howabout a GSX600Fteapot or GSR600?

If you're quick you could get an unridden Teapot for just over your budget:
http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/motorbikes/motorbikes/sports/auction-377739583.htm

GSR600s seem to be pretty good value at the moment:
http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/motorbikes/motorbikes/sports/auction-378644895.htm

The Kawasaki ER6N is always well reviewed and would be worth considering:
http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/motorbikes/motorbikes/sports/auction-376342359.htm

[Zadkiel]

Why is it called the teapot?

The ER-6N does seem to have a lot of good reviews, and the price is right.

[Ender EnZed]

Why is it called the teapot?


Because it's not a real Katana.

[rustyrobot]

Why is it called the teapot?



All shall be revealed... http://www.katanatom.co.uk/pagemaker.php?page=teapot

Really, I dunno - because it's short and stout?
239615239616
cuppa anyone?

[imdying]

Of course they are... the only person who gets to make that call is the marketing guy at Suzuki... if he says put Katana badges on it, then a real Katana it is :yes:

[pritch]

One advantage that the Hornet has over the 650s is that the ACC levy is a bit cheaper - and it is a recurring expense - and it is likely to increase again.

[jaffaonajappa]

One advantage that the Hornet has over the 650s is that the ACC levy is a bit cheaper - and it is a recurring expense - and it is likely to increase again.

Wait. is it 650cc? Thought it was 599 or 600cc?

[Zadkiel]

He's saying it has an advantage over the 650s because it is under 601cc. I certainly have thought of that. If the other bike is $500 cheaper then it would cover it for a few years though.

[jaffaonajappa]

He's saying it has an advantage over the 650s because it is under 601cc. I certainly have thought of that. If the other bike is $500 cheaper then it would cover it for a few years though.

Ahhh, yep. Your right...now I re-read his post.

Cheers.

[jasonu]

I'm going to set out some really vague guidelines but some recommendations would be good! I'm looking for a bike I can ride every day but not to mundane, riding a bike is meant to be fun after all. IL4s are all good because I don't mind revving the hell of it!

So the criteria are:

Must be less than 1L but bigger than 250cc, I don't need a bike that big just this yet. 600cc looks like the sweet spot to me
Sports or naked are my preferred types, no motards or anything like that
$6.5k is the maximum, would prefer to spend less obviously

So far I have been eyeing up the CBR600F, Speed Four, Daytona 600 and the Hornet 600/900. I like the naked style but I appreciate fairings are nice on the open road.

I reciently reentered the bike thing after 15 years off and bought a 2004 Hornet 600. Great bike to ride, right amount of power not so much you have to be careful how fast you twist the go grip and it gets 45mpg without shredding the tires, chain and sprockets every 3000 miles.

[Zadkiel]

So I have made a decision and gone for small and cheap. There are certainly some great bikes out there, but since I have some other things I need to spend money on coming up soon I have decided to go for something on the cheaper side for now and upgrade later.

Bought a 2000 Honda CB400 Super Four Hyper Vtec Spec 1! What a name. Great bike and I'm pretty happy with it. I found that with the 400 I can have some fun revving it out without winding up at 100 in a 50 zone. Bigger bikes certainly had impressive grunt, but I found myself wondering what use it would be on my mainly commuter bike.

[ducatilover]

The CB400 SF are excellent bikes, I just sold one that I put 10 or 11 thousand trouble free km on, great little thing.
Enjoy it :yes::scooter:

[Ender EnZed]

Bought a 2000 Honda CB400 Super Four Hyper Vtec Spec 1!

Good choice. If it's the one I think it is off Tardme it looked pretty tidy. I rode one when looking to upgrade from a 250 and I would've bought it if the price was right.

[chester]

:yes:
675

Anyone who said anything else is gay.




very true!

[Banditbandit]

Ok, if your feet reach the ground :pinch:

I say GSF 650 Bandit, but I really am biased :woohoo:

Me too .. I have two ... I commute 27ks one way every day on my 650 and it's fucken fun!!! Not aggressively fast like a 600 supersport ... but fucken fun anyway ...

Try this one ....

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/motorbikes/motorbikes/tourers/auction-382017788.htm

[HenryDorsetCase]

Triumph Street Triple.


You're welcome.

[short-circuit]

Triumph Street Triple.


You're welcome.



Correct - http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=381600178

[Ender EnZed]

He's already bought a bike. 2 weeks ago.

[Zadkiel]

Haha, sure have. Will be buying a Street Triple next though I think. When I can afford it.

[banditrider]

DL650 - if you can find a second hand one with less than a zillion kms (I tried and failed). Great fun, awesome around town and they are damn economical (definitely better than their big bros).

[Indiana_Jones]

I see you already got a bike, but.....early 2000's Bonnie :D

-Indy

[Monty69]

I sold my cbr600f and got a '06 SV650s for $5000. Gota be 1 of the best all rounders for that money! Not quite as quick as the cbr in a strait line but far more agile, the engine is super responsive even from very low rpm making traffic riding easy (and sounds fucking awesome!). But plenty of stonk if you need it... My mate has an '05 buell xb12r and he thought the sv650 would be too slow... much to his suprise, drag race from the lights, over the motorway he couldnt pull away from me and the sv probly had a touch more topend speed too, 220+kmh. The big 1200cc aircooled harley motor almost lost to a quad cam vtwin half the size...:laugh:

[BuzzardNZ]

I sold my cbr600f and got a '06 SV650s for $5000. Gota be 1 of the best all rounders for that money! Not quite as quick as the cbr in a strait line but far more agile, the engine is super responsive even from very low rpm making traffic riding easy (and sounds fucking awesome!). But plenty of stonk if you need it... My mate has an '05 buell xb12r and he thought the sv650 would be too slow... much to his suprise, drag race from the lights, over the motorway he couldnt pull away from me and the sv probly had a touch more topend speed too, 220+kmh. The big 1200cc aircooled harley motor almost lost to a quad cam vtwin half the size...:laugh:

interesting to know, never raced an xb12r, but have spanked many a sv650 :)

[ducatilover]

I sold my cbr600f and got a '06 SV650s for $5000. Gota be 1 of the best all rounders for that money! Not quite as quick as the cbr in a strait line but far more agile, the engine is super responsive even from very low rpm making traffic riding easy (and sounds fucking awesome!). But plenty of stonk if you need it... My mate has an '05 buell xb12r and he thought the sv650 would be too slow... much to his suprise, drag race from the lights, over the motorway he couldnt pull away from me and the sv probly had a touch more topend speed too, 220+kmh. The big 1200cc aircooled harley motor almost lost to a quad cam vtwin half the size...:laugh:
Those XB12 Buells are not very fast at all :facepalm: my tricked up Bros650 I had a few years back would walk them easily and I have no doubts that the ZZR600 will destroy one in a straight line.
I'd rather be on a Buell though :yes: If you can stop them from making that god awful noise.

[Zadkiel]

What year CBR600F was it? So you'd say the Suzi is a better bike?

[Monty69]

What year CBR600F was it? So you'd say the Suzi is a better bike?

It was a '98. Im not saying the cbr600f was a bad bike at all, it was fast and bullet proof, great sports tourer but if you do a lot of commuting like me, the sv is much better at everything... below 200kmh.

[Monty69]

Altho the sv650s gets to 215kmh ish very quickly, its just youre getting near redline in 6th gear and the midrange engine power is dying off. So i reckn if you geared it out to 240kmh ish it could pull that easy enuf... but then you would lose some of its crawling traffic abilities...

[Ender EnZed]

My mate has an '05 buell xb12r and he thought the sv650 would be too slow... much to his suprise, drag race from the lights, over the motorway he couldnt pull away from me and the sv probly had a touch more topend speed too, 220+kmh. The big 1200cc aircooled harley motor almost lost to a quad cam vtwin half the size...:laugh:


Those XB12 Buells are not very fast at all :facepalm: my tricked up Bros650 I had a few years back would walk them easily and I have no doubts that the ZZR600 will destroy one in a straight line.

XB12s seem to be good for low 11s in the 1/4 mile. That's much faster than any remotely stock 650.

[ducatilover]

XB12s seem to be good for low 11s in the 1/4 mile. That's much faster than any remotely stock 650.

Who said remotely stock :innocent: I've never seen an XB12 do that well, but, it would make sense as they get off the line rather well.

[Ender EnZed]

Who said remotely stock :innocent:

Well I needed to leave some room for outliers.


I've never seen an XB12 do that well, but, it would make sense as they get off the line rather well.

Link. (http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/bikereviews/searchresults/Bike-Reviews/Buell/Buell-XB12S-Lightning-2003-current-TC/)

I can't see why they wouldn't. 100hp and not that much more weight than a 650.

[ducatilover]

Well I needed to leave some room for outliers.



Link. (http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/bikereviews/searchresults/Bike-Reviews/Buell/Buell-XB12S-Lightning-2003-current-TC/)

I can't see why they wouldn't. 100hp and not that much more weight than a 650.
I've seen them run high 11s and low 12s, I think most people give them too many revs off the line and nearly loop the damn things. I'd say the MCN riders are a wee bit better than Joe Bloggs at getting a tricky bike out of the trap :innocent:
I'd still rather be on an XB12R than my ZZR600 (If I could make one quiet and not making those disgusting noises....)

[Ender EnZed]

I'd still rather be on an XB12R than my ZZR600


Buells are quite awesome.:yes:


(If I could make one quiet and not making those disgusting noises....)

:scratch: A quiet one? Now that's just crazy talk.

[ducatilover]

Buells are quite awesome.:yes:



:scratch: A quiet one? Now that's just crazy talk.

I am a strange one, V-twins must be 52 degrees or more :yes: otherwise they sound heinous.

[jaffaonajappa]

I am a strange one, V-twins must be 52 degrees or more :yes: otherwise they sound heinous.

Meh, the Direction is far more important than the angle.

Mind you...theere still needs to be a Vee involved, and not Horizontally opposed...so the Beemers miss out after all.

[ducatilover]

Meh, the Direction is far more important than the angle.

Mind you...theere still needs to be a Vee involved, and not Horizontally opposed...so the Beemers miss out after all.

Find me a 45 degree twin that I like the sound of then :innocent:
I only like it if it's half a century old and no-one knew better.
Yeah, the boxer twins are a bit of a beige jobbie, don't make the best noises...

[jaffaonajappa]

Find me a 45 degree twin that I like the sound of then :innocent:
I only like it if it's half a century old and no-one knew better.
Yeah, the boxer twins are a bit of a beige jobbie, don't make the best noises...

50 years old....hmmm, not easy.
Only Guzzi's I like are the Mk2 onwards....call it nearly 40 years :)
And they sound out Well.

[banditrider]

Yeah, the boxer twins are a bit of a beige jobbie, don't make the best noises...

There was a damn nice sounding boxer out playing in the mud a fortnight ago - an older air-head. The owner liked to give it the berries as he blasted past the noob on the DL too...

[jaffaonajappa]

There was a damn nice sounding boxer out playing in the mud a fortnight ago - an older air-head. The owner liked to give it the berries as he blasted past the noob on the DL too...

Ahhh agreed. Theres some farken Awesome older R Series beemers.
But the sound still falls short of some Vee Twins....in my humble opinion. And my biased opinion. lol.

[banditrider]

But the sound still falls short of some Vee Twins.....

Like my old VTR through titanium Two Bros:

mHGI0JV_ny4

[ducatilover]

There was a damn nice sounding boxer out playing in the mud a fortnight ago - an older air-head. The owner liked to give it the berries as he blasted past the noob on the DL too...
I'd be interested to hear/see that :yes: Sounds like fun!

Like my old VTR through titanium Two Bros:


I love the distinctive sound the VTR thou make :love:

[jaffaonajappa]

Same. I used to prefer the TL sound tho....till I heard this POS.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBwNG6Xrzrs&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

[ducatilover]

I'd own it :innocent:

[Monty69]

Who said remotely stock :innocent: I've never seen an XB12 do that well, but, it would make sense as they get off the line rather well.

Both the xb12r and my sv650s have full aftermarket exhaust systems. Altho the xb12r is heavier, aircooled, very narrow rev range and 5 speed, its the "cooler" bike as its much more uncommon than the svs...

[ducatilover]

Both the xb12r and my sv650s have full aftermarket exhaust systems. Altho the xb12r is heavier, aircooled, very narrow rev range and 5 speed, its the "cooler" bike as its much more uncommon than the svs...

I'd rather the XB over an SV650 any day, I'm just really not a fan of the noise :corn: My odd taste. I can't say too much, I have a stupid four cylinder http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuVVuVUHdMU :facepalm: