AS opinion required. Bikeshite

[warren t claim]

Looking for suggestions about what motorcycle would be up to replacing my current car fleet. The bike needs to be capable of regular motorway commutes of 50 miles and start first prod of the button.

 

Here's a few Scumtree hopefuls...

 

T&T. £500

http://www.gumtree.com/p/cars-vans-moto ... /100113320

 

GPZ500 Short T&T

http://www.gumtree.com/p/cars-vans-moto ... /100251434

 

No T&T Offers GPZ305.

http://www.gumtree.com/p/cars-vans-moto ... c/99935005

 

The daddy of the above. 250cc of raw power. £600

http://www.gumtree.com/p/cars-vans-moto ... /100204263

[skattrd]

CB500, GT550 .... what are couriers using nowadays?

[warren t claim]

CB500, GT550 .... what are couriers using nowadays?

No Kawa GT550/750's please.

[Albert Ross]

Aren't some of those Kwaks "Belt drive?" If so, then Ubershite.

[John F]

Yep Albert, the GPz 305 is belt drive (as was the z250 Scorpion, which the last one supposedly is although I can't see a belt on it in the pics). I've never ridden a belt-drive Kwak so can't comment on how they ride though.

 

I used to have a z250... the cams run directly in the head & have a tendency to munch the journals - best avoided, especially since the bike's quite heavy and slow anyway.

 

I hired a GPZ500 for a few days about a decade or so ago, it was a rocketship considering it's only a 500cc twin, and I quite liked it.

 

I've heard good things about the GPX600R but don't have 1st hand experience... how are the valves adjusted?? My old z650 had shims under buckets, the cams had to come out to alter the clearances. A real pain, this.

[CreepingJesus]

The GPX engine's a pig to work on; all the plastics need to come off, and the cam cover's rammed up to the frame. Ignition gives trouble, 16" front wheel isn't for everyone either. Good bike tho' but I reckon the 500's your best bet.

I'd want a non t+t Scorpion for free...

[Pete-M]

My mate Loz, who I believe lurks around here sometimes.... is the master of Bikeshite.

 

He's on a Kwak GT550 at the moment I believe. It's epic. In all the right shite ways.

[wuvvum]

Only the last Z250s were belt drive; all the earlier ones were chain.

 

Out of that little lot my personal preference would be the GPZ500S. I've had two and they're great little bikes - very light & manoeuvrable and quite nippy if you cane them - they do need revving though and don't have a great deal of low-down torque. Other than that they're pretty reliable if looked after although alternators can be an (expensive) issue, and the last one I had used to get hot in traffic - don't know if that's a common problem with them.

[Pete-M]

If you're gonna have shite, do it right.

 

[warren t claim]

The problem with the GPZ 500 is that it uses the ER5 engine. The W.T. Claim school of motorcycling used to run them and they're not exactly dependable.

[Cavcraft]

Only ever heard good things about the GPZ500 to be honest and they seem a decent old bus. Despite being a Kwacker fan I'd steer clear of the Z250 though, they were shit when they were new and won't have improved with age.

How about a ZZR600? They don't hang about and the few I've seen for sale seem cheap for such a quick bike, they also have the advantage of not having a seat which is made out of hardboard with a .5mm thick bit of nylon as a seat.

[purplebargeken]

Had loads of these, comfy, mile munching and tend to be more cossetted nowadays. Watch for those reg/rec probs. Shafty happiness!!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HONDA-CX-500- ... 2a1c09796a

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Honda-CX500-p ... 3374a61ca0

 

Typical UJM but a worthy commuter, no frills stuff.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Yamaha-XJ600- ... 3cc4cfa83d

 

The 400 is a gem, very well made and nippy.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HONDA-CB-1-40 ... 1e6d0a3c54

 

Top bike in the day.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Classic-Honda ... 4d0016a9f8

[garethj]

I've only heard good things about the GPZ too.

 

The Kawasaki 550 is an awesome machine, but getting on a bit now. In a similar manner, how about a Honda Bros? Much nicer than the similar Deuville IMHO

 

A CB500 is a good old shed and a bit newer

[Timewaster]

I too can vouch for the Gpz500. I once rode mine 16 miles with no water in it after a hose popped off away from home. No ill effects whatsoever once I had reattached the hose (properly this time!) and refilled it.

[wuvvum]

Typical UJM but a worthy commuter, no frills stuff.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Yamaha-XJ600- ... 3cc4cfa83d

 

 

These aren't a bad old thing - bit soft, bit lardy and not particularly exciting, but for a bike that's mainly going to be used for commuting they're not a bad bet. They're smoother and torquier than a GPZ500s, being a four-pot, and they're air-cooled so one less thing to worry about. Possibly not the best build quality out there, but mine's done 87K and still running OK so they can last well.

 

What you really need, though, is one of these.

 

[Station]

I sure can picture him hunched over one of those pedalling frantically in the rain up Borough Road with a bright green pvc rain coverall.

[Barry Cade]

BMW K1100 LT, like mine. 50 MPG, bloody fast, and you can smoke a roll up using the built in fag lighter, whilst listening to the tape player at 80. Based on a Peugeot 104 engine y'know s

 

Lives outside and commutes 60 miles a day. and ou can get one for 600 quid.

 

 

 

Another vote for the ZZR600 from me too, brilliant bikes- just sold my 93 "e" and it was brilliant, my 2nd ZZR. they don't like living outside much though. Picked it up for 400 quid.

 

My XJ600, cost a fortune to get sorted out, but was a good bike in the end..

 

[Des]

The choice of bikes is far too vast for it to be easy to work out the one that is 'right'. Luckily, I have the formula, you only need to decide if your preference is biased toward economy or performance, toss a coin if you need to, then if you chose economy, CD175, for performance, CD185 Benly.

[ashmicro]

FWIW, I never had a Kwak that didn't leak fuel, from an ancient KH100 all the way to a ZZ-R 6.

[sporty-shite]

 

My XJ600, cost a fortune to get sorted out, but was a good bike in the end..

 

 

I took my test on an XJ, and found it a really easy bike to ride, comfortable and torquey. However, my knowledge of bikes is pretty limited, so they might be crap!

[warren t claim]

I really shouldn't like this.

http://www.gumtree.com/p/cars-vans-moto ... /100450856

[Cavcraft]

You should like the bike, but not the seller:

 

'Being registered in 1979 I believe the bike is now exempt from road tax'

[hairnet]

 

only kidding

 

gpx6 gpz6 - gpz 500 are good for some reason teh er5 that came later using this engine suffers electrical problems

gsx1100 if youre an old man

suzuki gs500 - friend bought one for using as a trackday tool and it wasnt exactly mint - it not croaked yet

 

but for a commute like that your looking at fazer 6 hornet 6 cb500

 

but bandit 600 - strong and dont break just watch the finish - done 80k on hornets in 9 years and never killed one

 

friend bought one from new and put 120k on it in 6 years (still has it)

 

dont touch gpz305 engines and belts lots of stress for you you dont want

 

burgman 400

[John F]

[/img]

 

gsx1100 if youre an old man

 

Oi, fuckoff!

[michael1703]

I've owned and ridden all of the bikes mentioned and economy wise the gpz305/500 or cb500 are the best options.

 

but...I had a belt snap on my 305 and that was £185 for a new one,I also wore the pulleys out and it munched through £30 of front pads very quickly even with nice new discs

 

Cx500's only get about 100-115 miles to a tank, the generator goes wrong which is a full engine out and costly repair and the wiring is crap and I've lost splines off driveshafts

 

I've owned 8 gt550's and they were all shit, heavy clattery things

 

4 cylinder shite will be pricey to maintain, cam chains,coils,misfires,air leaks etc

 

the twins win on economy but arent great for motorway speeds for any length of time

 

 

(confessions of a former motorcycle courier)

[Cavcraft]

There's only one REAL contender, and here it is:

 

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/suzuki-gt750- ... 35bad3efd5

[John F]

There's only one REAL contender, and here it is:

 

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/suzuki-gt750- ... 35bad3efd5

 

 

Ferk me...! Have you seen how much people are asking for Kettles nowadays? I thought the one Billy found was overpriced but then I found this:

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1972-SUZUKI-G ... 1e6bedbefb

 

14 grand for a lumbering old Kettle, when you can have a ZX10 for 500 quid or less! Nostalgia's a fine thing, but they're having a whole herd of giraffe at that price.

[Cavcraft]

Without looking I bet that blue on is in London and something stupid like £12,000?

The red one I posted is, as you say, relatively cheap as they're making mental money.

[John F]

Without looking I bet that blue on is in London and something stupid like £12,000?

The red one I posted is, as you say, relatively cheap as they're making mental money.

 

Middlesex and £14,000, so you were close.

 

But why??? Kettles weren't particularly highly regarded back in the day. And it can't be rarity 'cos you can have a clean RE5 for about 4 grand...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SUZUKI-RE5-RO ... 256c0215b8

[Cavcraft]

Nostalgia I suppose. I'd love a KH250 or GT380 but they're just stupidly overpriced as fat middle aged blokes like me want to relive their misspent youth.

Have a look at RD350LCs when you have a few spare minutes, it's incredible the money the fetch. I remember watching an auction on eBay a few yaers back for a brand new, boxed LC petrol tank and it went over £500.

 

It seems a lot of stuff that was virtually worthless back in the hady days of the seventies/early eighties is making a strong comeback, hence me not finding a nice cheap Italian Lambretta for anywhere near sensible money.