Team-BHP - Advice on purchasing my 1st Sportsbike

a 1993 bike might seem old, but given how the Indian import bike scene works, I would chose a bike based on the condition of the bike and its paperwork rather than the age of the bike. it doesn't require an expert to analyse the condition of any bike for that matter.

the CBR600f is a fantastic bike any is an awesome bike to begin with, regarding Vtwins vs Inline 4, it is a love it or hate it with a twin, most love it only after riding one, many hate a V without ever riding one. the difference between the two is not just sound alone the power delivery and feel of a twin is completely different to an inline4 and v twin with after market exhausts sounds good too, but an inline 4 sounds nice too. It all comes down to personal preference ride the bike and then decide. I have owned an inline four and my last two bikes have been liter V twins and they are awesome. V-four is a good mix of both.

For the record, there is no VFR1000, only a VTR1000, there is the VFR800 which is another great bike.

and please avoid the 400cc bikes, parts are a pain to get, get any bike which was sold in the USA this will ensure that you will get any parts you require, also keep aside 25-30k atleast for any unforseen expenses which may crop up with an old bike.

One of the most fun bikes I've ever ridden. If I ever see such a bike in good condition, wouldn't even think twice of picking it up. Newbie-friendly, very manageable in the city and Rtech's bike had a superb sounding exhaust. You'd get it dirt cheap too. Here's what he had to say about it:

Quote:

Kawasaki ZZR400E.
The bike is a Japan only model, and still in production today. The 400 shares 98% of its parts with its larger hearted brother, the zzr600 which was sold unchanged worldwide till 2002 or so. The chassis components, bodywork, wheels, tyres – everything, is common to the 600. What this means is that unlike other 400cc bikes, where parts are only available in a few countries in the far east, for the Z, you can (and I have) bought all my parts from the US and Europe, and off ebay. And there are a lot of them out there for real cheap.

The bottom end of the engine is shared with the 600 as well, so are the clutch plates and filters etc.

The bike runs perfectly, as it should considering it is my daily transport. She never overheats even in the worst of traffic jams in a Mumbai summer. The riding position is perfect without placing weight on your wrists. You can ride this all day and not feel tired. As it shares its chassis with the 600, the large size makes it really stable on our terrible roads. Hell, lets not kid ourselves, it also looks like a proper bike because of that, and not like a toy bike like a CBR400rr.

The bike is as reliable as you can get, and I don’t think twice about jumping on it at a moments notice for a long ride anywhere. A classic Japanese vehicle in that sense. At the risk of sounding arrogant, I can safely say that it is the best 400 I have come across in all my years of bike hunting.

Advice on purchasing my 1st Sportsbike-teambhp-46.jpg

Quote:

Originally Posted by pvinod_p (Post 2766993)

Hey Folks,

Am new to Team-bhp, just joined a week back as member, although have used the community for reading reviews and inputs for a while now.

I'm looking at purchasing a used 400-600cc bike in Mumbai. Budget being 2-3 lacs (3.5 being a stretch). I used to own a yamaha rx100 and yamaha ybx 6 years back, but sold both and have been riding a tvs star for the past 2 years. I was considering a ninja 250/650 but really have an urge to get my hands on an in-line 4 machine. But not sure on how to evaluate the trade off of getting a newer, Indian invoiced 2-cyl bike, vs. an older, imported (with risk of paper issues) in-line 4. Would be great to get your thoughts on which model would suit well, and contacts of dealers in Mumbai/sellers. I personally would love to get my hands on a yamaha r6 (or honda cbr600rr or suzuki-gsxr-600) - but would be great to get some more experienced advice on what are reasonable prices to pay, and any deals the folks on the forum are personally aware of.

PS: I had gone to bachoo motors, central garage, maharashtra motors and guddu motors near mumbai central and the options they had for sale currently are

1. Honda CBR600 99 model with yoshi exhaust and 25000kms for 4.6 lacs.
2. Yamaha R6 2003 model with 20000kms for 6 lacs
3. Yamaha R6 2003 models with 25000kms for 5.5 lacs
4. Honda CBR600 97 model (not sure of extra fittings) for 3.2 lacs
5. Honda CBR400 NC29, 98 model 31000kms for 3 lacs

Also saw a couple of posts on the team-bhp classifieds.

Thanks,
Vinod

Welcome to tbhp Carmey :D

As I suggested earlier, go for an Indian Invoiced bike unless you have the time and energy to
1 Find a clean bike at the right price
2 Find reliable mechanics and spares

With a locally sold bike, you have the peace of mind of paperwork. You can also check service history with the A$$ and insurance claims.

Risks of a getting a crashed bike is very high given the nature of big bikes.

Dealers: There is no way you should rely on them. Do all due diligence yourself.

Put in effort, I believe it is possible to get a good deal on sparingly used big bikes ( quite a few buy them because they have the money and eventually realise they don't want it and merely eating into their parking space)

My suggestion: Get a used N650 or wait for the Daytona and kindly ensure I get a "long" test drive once you get anything.

Regards,
Chulli

Hi Vinod, good to see you're looking for an inline four. I've been in your shoes in the past, and considering how niche this sbk community is, there is a good chance one of us from the local sbk scene may just know the bikes you're looking at. Post pictures of the bikes that you're looking at, and somebody here should definitely know a thing or two.
The key to bringing home a well kept clean papers bike is being patient. I took exactly two full years to find my first biggie and I couldn't have worn a broader smile in the two years I had it for :)

FYI, from what I know, there isn't a single 98-99 CBR 400 RR in the city, the newest examples you would find here are say 1995 at tops. Look at rubber hoses, inside wheel arches, etc to check part codes which would indicate the exact year of the motorcycle.

Also, fellow member Straight6 had listed his Suzuki GSXR 600 up for sale in the classifieds section on here which from personal experience I'd recommend you should pay a visit to.

Quote:

Originally Posted by manson (Post 2769790)

Hi Vinod, good to see you're looking for an inline four. Also, fellow member Straight6 had listed his Suzuki GSXR 600 up for sale in the classifieds section on here which from personal experience I'd recommend you should pay a visit to.

Thanks a lot manson, I will post the pics of these. There is a cbr400, that the seller says is a 98 model registered in 2001. But he said it is an MP registered bike, that immediately set alarm bells in my mind given the DRI issues with imported bikes that have not come through legal channels. But I'm still going to check it out nonetheless, the quote is 2.95lacs, but the seller says negotiable. His name is Farhan, lives in Mira Road. Will update on the visit.

Taking your advice, this is a short video of a CBR900rr 1997 model that is for sale (in team-bhp) classifieds - i'm planning to go see the machine this saturday. But any tips of how it looks would be great!

VID 00005-20120118-1742.3GP - YouTube

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Please go through the rules in the announcements section.

As a rule of thumb, always look for a bike which was launched in the US for many years. Its easier to get parts shipped here if required. The UK isn't too good for that plus its a little more expensive. The FZR 250 and 400 are Japan only just like the CBR and CB 400 so its extremely difficult to get parts.

If you can get the FZR 600 or the F3, go for it. Both were launched in the US market. The GPZ too but its quite old so even the US may not have too many parts now. It was Tom Cruises's ride in Top Gun :D.

Quote:

Originally Posted by straight6 (Post 2855616)

Very well said. The US is a better parts/accessory supply source (including salvage parts). Besides, they are cheaper than UK and customer service is lot better. Also many times they have better deals with fedex & USPS etc for shipping.

Quote:

Originally Posted by straight6 (Post 2855616)

Straight6, what is your opnion about kawasaki ZX12R? year 2000 unrestricted model. Was it in use in US for long time?

Quote:

Originally Posted by pgsagar (Post 2856721)

Straight6, what is your opnion about kawasaki ZX12R? year 2000 unrestricted model. Was it in use in US for long time?

This bike was sold in the US and bike mags did direct comparos between this & the first gen Busa. I dont know how long or how widely it was sold, but this is an absolutely wonderful bike and I am sure parts should not be a problem. Brutally powerful and very well handling. If you are getting a clean bike within your budget, its worth a go. BTW, most owners who have cared well for this bike may rarely let go of it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by pgsagar (Post 2856721)

Straight6, what is your opnion about kawasaki ZX12R? year 2000 unrestricted model. Was it in use in US for long time?

Yes, the 12R was sold in the US till the end. I've ridden one and its quite wild with its brutal and abrupt power delivery (typical of Kawasaki). I'd pick a Blackbird over it any day.

Kawasaki released a de-tuned version when they finally launched in 2000 because of lots of pressure from EU countries thinking of banning it. Even though it may be unrestricted, its not what they had initially tested and planned before the launch.

Quote:

Originally Posted by pvinod_p (Post 2770552)

The CBR 400 MP registered you talking about seems to be a jhol scene to me! This guy has some attitude or some kinda psycho issue. This bike has been rolling from mouth to mouth since couple of months. Its full white in color, i have the pics with me!
Also, this fellow had a PB reg F4 or something. His way of talking is like he is selling a Hell Cat!