hey up chaps,
Not locost related but I know a fair few of you ride bikes so thought i would get your opinion on something.

I am looking at buying a motorbike, I passed my test a year ago this month so still have another year to go restricted to 33bhp. I will have 3 yrs no claims next feb and am looking to get a midrange bike on a budget of about 1200 - 1500,

The bikes I have been considering are:
Suzuki sv650
Suzuki gs500
Suzuki Bandit 600
and to a lesser extent the kawasaki er500

I understand these bikes all handle ok restricted to 33 bhp, anyway i hear these restrictor kits have a habit of falling off.
Does anyone have any experience of these bikes, my dad used to have a sv650s (now has a busa) and it was a lovely bike, easy to ride but i dont know too much about the others

also does anyone have any experience insuring a bike restricted to 33 bhp? I am 18 and have been getting quotes online for about £400-£500 but there is no option to say its been restricted... if i bought a policy online would i be ok seeing as my age and licence would determine that the bike must be restricted?

Im fairly confident in my ability as a rider, got rid of my 125 to buy a car but getting the urge to get back on 2 wheels, I have a lot of experience riding bikes so think i should manage ok with the ones im listed, the bandit possibly being the baddest bike of the lot.

would appreciate your views, would i be better off getting a 250 or 400? these seem to be a bit thin on the ground these days and no doubt i would want an upgrade fairly quickly.

cheers
Ben

I would either go ccm r30 Supermoto
real single piston power

or a zxr400 good bike about a grand

i've got a gp100 in the shed and i'll pay you £5 to take it away lol

gs500 = Old Pants
Bandit 600 = Cheap built to a price pants
er500 = Learner pants

SV650 is not too bad, runs out of revs too quick...small bore twin, the 1000 is a completely different bike.

Used to have a VFR400, awesome little machine, corner speed is enough to keep a grin on your face, in unrestricted form its good for 130mph and 14500rpm and the V4 is very sweet, zxr400 as metioned is a great bike too. If you are interested in 400's get over to 400GreyBike and take a look

For insurance you need to get the restrictor fitted and get a document to prove it....you can try to blag it with fake docs if you want, but the police are not stupid, if they catch you they will take a ride up the road, impound and tear the engine down, ive seen it happen!!!! The restrictor is usualy on the intake to restrict airflow and smaller jets, some bikes are more complicated though, usualy more modern engines.

Hope that helps a little!

QUOTE "I would either go ccm r30 Supermoto" very true Cant beat a big bore single around town, head above the cars....torque monstersI use an old XR400 as a winter hack....love to p*** off the ducati's etc round town where they cant open it up Depends what you want the bike for????????

[Edited on 9/11/06 by Sacal]

My bro is in a similar position and has just bought a honda hornet. There is a restricted one on ebay at the moment for about £1300 but ive lost the link. I believe he chose it over the bandit coz of looks and performance although i cant be more specific than that. Its a 600cc and insurance is 650 tpft with 4 years no claims (from his car).

i used to have a gsxr 400 which i thought was a great little bike,

Nice to see some ex 400 riders on here

I wouldn't buy anything if it's got to be restricted. I've ridden a couple of restricted 600's and they are awful, especially if you have any hills near you. My old DT125R was more fun than that. The SV650 is the nicest of the bunch you have there but for your budget you'll be getting an older machine but I actually prefer the older frame design.

[Edited on 9/11/06 by Peteff]

In my opinion the best bike in this class is a Honda CB500...

Had mine for 5 years and just clocked up my 63k miles with 2 cam chain tensioners and a set of downpipes...

Handle very nicely and the swifter of the commuter twins.

Really do go on forever...

Apart from that, if you're looking bigger then a Fazer 600, Hornet 600 (if you don't mind the poo tank range) or the SV650 are all great bikes.

Chris.

quick question but for the older ex biker is there any restrictions on getting back on a bike, did my test ages ago with no restrictions then.

THUNDERCAT NEED I SAY MORE TOP BIKE.
as for a 250cc the rgv 250r its a track bike for the road .i had one for years and races evrything i could find on the road on it ,,bring on the bends lol..ride it like you stole it lol.i also made a local well known r1 rider look very bad on my rgv ,he didnt come to a club night for around 6 weeks lol .

[Edited on 9/11/06 by thunderace]

quote:

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Originally posted by Sacal
gs500 = Old Pants
Bandit 600 = Cheap built to a price pants
er500 = Learner pants

SV650 is not too bad, runs out of revs too quick...small bore twin, the 1000 is a completely different bike.

[Edited on 9/11/06 by Sacal]

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quote:

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Originally posted by graememk
i've got a gp100 in the shed and i'll pay you £5 to take it away lol

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can only repeat what has already been posted.

The bikes you mention fall into 2 different catagories. The ER and GS are in the commuter sector while the SV and Bandit are bonafide all rounders.

Really depends what floats ya boat, if they were my choices I'd go for the SV. stylish and capable bike but think you may struggle to find a good one within your price range.
If you want to be a B lane scratcher then consider a CBR, YZF, GSX ZXR 600's, get to know the bike then pull the cork out.

If you want the most grins per mile then, as already said, big single... and chuck in some 17" rims. A supermoto will embarrass most sportsbike riders in the twisties. I have an XR650R running race wets and have mixed it up with R1's Gixer 1000's and blades at Cadwell. I prefer riding it to my Blackbird.

The 400 multies are great but most are imports and you may pay a premium on insurance.

Also got a GPZ 500S for sale, same as ER but with a decent fairing, ex GF's you can have it for a grand. Looks like this but without the rack.

John
Rescued attachment enji1.jpg

I had a lot of fun on my old GS500 - you feel like a good rider very quickly since you can pretty much roll the throttle in to the stop in most situations and it handles ok - in a commuter bike type way.

In many ways I would try and pick up something cheap and scratch around on it learning to turn a bike - a good friend used to ride a VFR400 through uni and would ride it all over the country - used to rate it very highly and it amusingly would blow smoke rings out the exhaust on cold days!

His was the nc24 version and I guess you could pick them up pretty cheap now.

Geoff

quote:

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Nice to see some ex 400 riders on here

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Me again

Hi just read through what everybody has to say about this and i have to agree with the guy suggesting the hornet. The Hornet is a really good bike with loads of power, i used to have a restricted one and it was great. My advice would be to stay well away from the bikes you suggested as most of them will probably have been crashed by learners and you will get bored of them very quickly. The SV is a good bike but it does run a bit short of power top end. If you decide to go for a Hornet you wont be dissapointed and iv got a restrictor kit here if you want it. It includes 4 inlet pipes and an ECU.

I would pick the SV out of your options (including the Hornet). Lots of torque, user friendly though surprisingly fit once you rev it over 8k (though I don't know what effect a restrictor kit would have).

Avoid the 400's except the NC30 as they'll send you to sleep, as would a 600 Bandit and probably a Hornet too.... <awaits the flak >

Restricting an RGV or any other two-stroke 250 will cut its plums off - I really wouldn't go down that route.

A CB500 might not be a bad option though - a good friend of mine bought one last year as a second bike to do the Yorkshire Hillclimb and Twisty Sprint Championship on (his normal bike is an old Triumph Bonneville - I do it on a '94 TZ250 and a '72 Yamaha XS650) and he's had a great laugh on it! You can pick 'em up for peanuts and they just keep on going! Bits are cheap, you can get decent tyres for them (Bridgestone BT090's) and they clearly do handle - just try to find a round of the CB500 Cup and have a watch!

Other options - Husqvarna 610SMS, XR650, a CCM as already mentioned. What about trying to find a nice Kawasaki KMX200 or a Yamaha DT200R - they'll already be under 33bhp and so won't need restricting? Both would be great fun and just as quick as a restricted larger bike, though a damn sight lighter!

Hornet Handles miles better than an SV.

Just to upset the NC30 brigade - I thought it was a great bike on track, but crap on the road, imho of course

Friend was following me on hers, I was on my K100 LT loaded up (with tents/sleeping bags etc etc) for the BMF thingy. Going round a roundabout, she very nearly came off as back stepped out!!

ATB

Simon

How the hell did the back step out?

I low sided my NC30 on the road going round a left hander. I just pushed it way too far. Unless the exhaust, side stand etc ground out you are always going to loose the front before the back.

quote:

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Originally posted by Mad Dave
How the hell did the back step out?

I low sided my NC30 on the road going round a left hander. I just pushed it way too far. Unless the exhaust, side stand etc ground out you are always going to loose the front before the back.

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quote:

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Depends on throttle position

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Don't know why it stepped out - do know that it couldn't keep up with my fully loaded BMW on a roundabout

She's small - like 5' 4" and about 7 stone, could be suspension hadn't been changed from a fat bloke previous owner.

ATB

Simon

Took my test in March this year on an unrestricted GS500,horrible and no guts,not smooth.
Id go for Hornet or SV650twin in that order,same as some of the others have said.

I've just bought an old CBR1000F,heavy but lovely and smooth but too fast for seeing my pension.
Last owner was a bike instructor and reckoned he had 172mph on a trackday!!
I think I need a restrictor on mine even though I have full A class!!!!!!!!!