CB500 or GS500 ?

Both of these crotch rockets will depreciate massively the moment they are
taken off the dealer's forecourts. Try something more humdrum like a Ducati
999 or GSXR1000K6[1]

[1] Next years model with lighter stickers.

 

A friend of mine is looking for a cheap bike to commute on during the coming
winter, something I'm also thinking about as my insurance renewal for my SOV
is way OTT.

Anyway he only wants small twin and has narrowed it down to the above models
but can't make his mind up as both seems to be in the right price range.

I know the Honda is more modern etc, but the GS is air cooled so one less
thing to worry about.

So what's the pro's & con's etc?

 

It would be if water cooled bikes were inherently unreliable compared to pig
iron like the GS

The GS needs valve clearances done every 4k, IIRC - been a long time since I
had mine, and didn't keep it long enough to find out.

I'd go for the CB every time - much more fun to ride, and less likely to
give any aggro - you'll find more couriers riding CB500s, than you will
riding GS500s, if you want any more proof.

That, or how about a Fazer 600 - the finish isn't as good as the CB once
they've seen a few wet days, but in terms of the smile factor... well I miss
mine, anyway.

 

That's why when purchaing a UJM "used" is the only consideration, let some
one else pay the VAT and loose the value

I'm sure if he wanted to get shagged up the rear a weekend in Brighton would
be the cheaper alternative.

;-)

 

Thanks, but could we get a good Fazer for the same price (800ish) as a
CB500, and what's the mpg like?

 

MPG is very good if you don't thrash it - 45-50 easy - but finding a
*good* one for 800 ish - I don't think there's any chance.

--

jeremy
'02 Fazer 600 in blue
_______________________________________
jeremy at hireserve dot com

 

I paid a grand for my last one.

S reg, had slight fairing damage, but was otherwise good, and didn't give me
any aggro at all in the relatively short time I had it.

Was a bit of a bargain really, given it had decent tyres / after market can
etc.

MPG wasn't its strong point, that is, if you caned the tits off it
everywhere - low 30s.

Ridden sensibly they're supposed to return good MPG... I just never rode
mine sensibly. ;-)

The guy I bought it off reckoned he used to get figures which compared to my
own, were nearly double what I was getting out of it, at its worst.

The insurance was very cheap given the performance you got for your money.

 

I sold a Fazer for a grand last year and it had 120k on the clock with discs
like paper and a nasty rattle. (It's still going though - as a courier bike)

So, er, no. They're not old enough to be sub-£1000 fun yet.

Mpg is reasonable, but slightly worse than the CB. Please go for the CB over
the GS - I found the CB's riding experience to be almost 2stroke like -
really rev happy. The engine has a very light feel to it and doesn't feel
laboured as you push toward the red line. The GS is an ugly, clattery mess
in comparison.

Neil

 

Thanks for all the replies, I'll pass the info on as I'm sticking to my van
as I've found much cheaper insurance NU online for it.

 

Nope, never been to Brighton.

I guess Eastbourne is the closest I've been and that was a flying visit,
only there for an hour or so.

 

I used to have a CB500, my fiancee used to have a GS500. I loved my CB -
cheap to buy, easy to service, excellent fun to ride, extremely reliable. I
sold it for £650 a couple of months back (L reg, 47k miles), still in good
working order. The GS500 is all these things *except* being fun to ride.
Sally's got sold before she'd done 1000 miles on it.

 

If you can add another 400 quid to that budget, you'll get a much bigger
range of bikes to choose from, and probably make that £400 back in reduced
servicing costs in the first couple of years, if you pick wisely.

 

says...

You've never had a modern sports bike either, so just about all you
post is ill-informed bullshit.

 

This is utter, utter bollocks, you know.

 

You're saying the GS500 is the pinnacle of reliability compared to water
cooled stuff then?

 

No, you're absolutely right - I read it the wrong way round, IYSWIM.
Apologies.

 

" "

;-)

 

Tell me that that was an in-joke. Please. Anyone?

Neil

 

Why don't you stand on your feet and give your arse a rest because as usual
you're spurting excrement!

 

Not really, he's just a numpty that doesn't engage brain before mouth.