[pvinod_p]

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

[djay99]

All the model listed above are over 8 years old. What about reliability and spare parts? You never how well the previous owners took care of them.

I would suggest you to buy a Ninja 250 or 650 if you can stretch little more for sheer peace of mind as you are getting brand new bike, genuine papers, full spares and support.

[YaeJay]

How about starting off with an old pulsar180/200/220 or ZMA? ride it a bit then move on to CBR 250 or Ninja 250? Go slow. Always, good for health

[akshayasok]

Originally Posted by djay99

All the model listed above are over 8 years old. What about reliability and spare parts? You never how well the previous owners took care of them.

I would suggest you to buy a Ninja 250 or 650 if you can stretch little more for sheer peace of mind as you are getting brand new bike, genuine papers, full spares and support.

+1, motrocycles need a lot of care and attention to run reliably, Japanese ones less than italians but still. I wouldn't risk that much money going for a risky import. Dont jump into any deals , take your time and check out all your options.

[ak916]

+1 to the above points. A used superbike with no service history and zero spares support will dampen your biking spirits permanantly. Get a N250R. While it seems like only a puny 250, once you get on top of it, it will keep you busy and entertained for a long long time. I have been riding bikes for 10+ years and know 100s of average joe bikers who will never be able to challenge the N250R's limits... forget challenge.. get close to 50% of its limits.

[bigron]

If you ask me , there is a miss match between your budget and the bike you desire. You will not get a reliable and clean bike in that price . Your only legal 600cc options are the kawa and the hyusong. or the cbr and the kawa in the 250 cc category. i suggest either increase your budget and get a new kawa or decrease your displacement and get a cbr. If you must have an inline 4 start searching and maybe you can get a clean piece from somewhere . ( highly doubtful )

[ba$h]

Originally Posted by djay99

I would suggest you to buy a Ninja 250 or 650 if you can stretch little more for sheer peace of mind as you are getting brand new bike, genuine papers, full spares and support.

Suggestion made by djay99 is quite good. I have a Ninja250 and its perfect for city commuting and occasional weekend rides. Just pop into one of these Bajaj Probiking (guess they are called something else now) showrooms and check it out. Keep us posted.

[pgsagar]

Pvinod! If your mind is stuck on inline-4s. Just go for it. Yes, I would suggest you to look for one with clean mechanicals and papers. It is not impossible to find one. Hard, may be. But not impossible. There are many such bikes in use in our country. If your mind is on inline-4s and if you buy a 2-cylinder bike, trust me, you will put that up for sale within 6 months and will loose heavily, as showroom-bought bikes depreciate heavily. Surf the net. You will see many 3/4 month old bikes up for sale. Also, inline-4 bikes are on a different planet altogether. There is just no comparison with 2-cylinder bikes. Also, Jap inline-4s are very very reliable and nothing generally goes wrong, unless you abuse the bike. You buy a 2-cyl and every time an inline-4 rides past you, you will curse yourself why you bought it. In other words, listen to your heart.

In fact, even 600cc is something which you will outgrow soon. Wonder if that is the reason why Japanese majors skipped this segment altogether in India and went straight for litre class. My advice, buy a litre class and be on top of the heap. It is interesting to see how those who bought small bikes try to impose their purchases on you.

Disclaimer. I do not own a litre bike.

[ak916]

Another thing - money should not be the overriding criteria to buy a buy. Skill and ability should also be there otherwise an i-4 was well within my budget. I chose the N250 for other practical reasons and not for lack of funds.

Good luck deciding!

[speedy]

The first thing you need to check is not milage of the 600 cc bikes but Custom papers as below a 1000cc were not allowed and many made their way through wrong channels. I would check history of the bikes to see that they were not accidental and also what work has been done on them. The spares some you can get locally or then u import parts and this sometimes turns expensive. If its a sports bike that you desire i would say wait for Honda to bring in the Cbr 600f or then buy yourself a Ninja 650. The other option that can be considered is the Triumph Daytona 675. Finance is available with these bikes and also a full service back up.

[pvinod_p]

Mod Note : Please use the EDIT or MULTI-QUOTE buttons instead of typing one post after another!

Originally Posted by pgsagar

Pvinod! If your mind is stuck on inline-4s. Just go for it. Yes, I would suggest you to look for one with clean mechanicals and papers. It is not impossible to find one. Hard, may be. But not impossible. There are many such bikes in use in our country. If your mind is on inline-4s and if you buy a 2-cylinder bike, trust me, you will put that up for sale within 6 months and will loose heavily, as showroom-bought bikes depreciate heavily. Surf the net. You will see many 3/4 month old bikes up for sale. Also, inline-4 bikes are on a different planet altogether. There is just no comparison with 2-cylinder bikes. Also, Jap inline-4s are very very reliable and nothing generally goes wrong, unless you abuse the bike. You buy a 2-cyl and every time an inline-4 rides past you, you will curse yourself why you bought it. In other words, listen to your heart.

In fact, even 600cc is something which you will outgrow soon. Wonder if that is the reason why Japanese majors skipped this segment altogether in India and went straight for litre class. My advice, buy a litre class and be on top of the heap. It is interesting to see how those who bought small bikes try to impose their purchases on you.

Disclaimer. I do not own a litre bike.

thanks a lot sagar, i am searching for a good i-4, as i mentioned in the first post, have found a few options, but not sure as to how feasible it is to maintain these bikes (given that they are a few years old and hence OEMs may have reduced/stopped making spares). i dont think a liter bike would come below 3lacs, at least not one that is post 1998. Also, just graduating into sbikes, i'm not sure if i will be able to handle a liter bike, perhaps a better idea to learn riding a 400-600cc and then move up (if i can manage to save enough in another 2 years!!).

Could you shed some light on how a v-twin would be different from an i-4 engine, in terms of performance, torque range, upkeep etc ... or are they just parallel technologies, one used more commonly by the japs and the other by the europeans?

Originally Posted by speedy

The first thing you need to check is not milage of the 600 cc bikes but Custom papers as below a 1000cc were not allowed and many made their way through wrong channels. I would check history of the bikes to see that they were not accidental and also what work has been done on them. The spares some you can get locally or then u import parts and this sometimes turns expensive. If its a sports bike that you desire i would say wait for Honda to bring in the Cbr 600f or then buy yourself a Ninja 650. The other option that can be considered is the Triumph Daytona 675. Finance is available with these bikes and also a full service back up.

thanks speedy. i did think about the newer models (cbr 600f when it comes out and the daytone which is set to come in october i think). but from the initial indications, the pricing for both will be in the 6 lacs+ range, and in mumbai on-road will end up 7lacs+ ... that's one of the reasons why i am looking for a used bike, which is a few years older, only way i can get a bike that is within my budget .. the other option is a ninja250 (new is 3.2lacs and used ones come in the 2.1+ range), i am just testing the market and seeing what is available, if there is nothing that really comes across as a good deal, then i will def go in for the ninja 250 or even the KTM duke 200 (quite a spunky bike)

[speedy]

Originally Posted by pvinod_p

thanks speedy. i did think about the newer models (cbr 600f when it comes out and the daytone which is set to come in october i think). but from the initial indications, the pricing for both will be in the 6 lacs+ range, and in mumbai on-road will end up 7lacs+ ... that's one of the reasons why i am looking for a used bike, which is a few years older, only way i can get a bike that is within my budget .. the other option is a ninja250 (new is 3.2lacs and used ones come in the 2.1+ range), i am just testing the market and seeing what is available, if there is nothing that really comes across as a good deal, then i will def go in for the ninja 250 or even the KTM duke 200 (quite a spunky bike)

A good and clean 2001-2002 Honda VFR (hope i got the model right) 1000 got sold for 3.5 Lakhs. I guess it was due to its being more a tourer than a sports bike. If you look around via superbike owners you can get good deals directly from owners rather than dealers putting up their margins and selling. As per your worry of parts goes..they are plenty available internationally and that should not be of concern. If you hold on Ktm is said to bring in the 350 and 690 cc bikes soon at a VFM price brancket.

[pgsagar]

pvinodp, I believe life is about taking risks. Taking the untrodden path. I am surprised to see even Teambhpians who are supposed to be enthusiasts taking the proven and safe way out. Come on. We are car and bike nuts. We are not like average joe who uses car or bike to travel from point A to point B. If so, then we might as well buy an Alto and a Splendor.

I get very irritated when my friends in Vizag walk up to me and say you own an import ( i owned a Honda CBX 750 for 3 years which i sold 3 months back and am on look-out for a litre bike myself )! What will happen if it breaks down, worry my friends. More than I do. They talk as though if the bike breaks down my lungs will collapse and I will die, too. It is a bike for heavens sake! So what if it breaks down? It's not the end of the world. Also, A, Jap i-4s do not break down at the drop of a hat as is feared by most and B, even if it does, as Speedy put it, every part is available online. When a guy like me living in small-town Vizag is not worried, it amuses me to see the enthusiast Metro guys fearing break-downs and availability of mechanics. I tell my friends that if the worst comes worst, I will toss the bike in Bay of Bengal and move on. It's not like I will be doomed or something. I am not saying i am rich but loss of couple of lakhs do not break any one's back these days.

I hope I can arouse the latent passion among bike enthusiasts who settle for tiny puny bikes. I say this. There are lot of things in our lives which we are not able to do. But those which are within our means, we should grab with both the hands and live it. In other words, we should live our dreams where we can. What is the fun of compromising everywhere? Life is short. Ennnjoy!

I liked GTO's thread about buying pre-worshipped cars. I would say do the same for SBKs. Trust me, if you buy a near-mint condition pre-owned SBK wisely, then you can use it for one year and sell it for nearly same price. Same cannot be said about a showroom bike which starts depreciating the minute it leaves the ramp.

[pvinod_p]

Originally Posted by pgsagar

pvinodp, I believe life is about taking risks. Taking the untrodden path. I am surprised to see even Teambhpians who are supposed to be enthusiasts taking the proven and safe way out. Come on. We are car and bike nuts. We are not like average joe who uses car or bike to travel from point A to point B. If so, then we might as well buy an Alto and a Splendor.

I get very irritated when my friends in Vizag walk up to me and say you own an import ( i owned a Honda CBX 750 for 3 years which i sold 3 months back and am on look-out for a litre bike myself )! What will happen if it breaks down, worry my friends. More than I do. They talk as though if the bike breaks down my lungs will collapse and I will die, too. It is a bike for heavens sake! So what if it breaks down? It's not the end of the world. Also, A, Jap i-4s do not break down at the drop of a hat as is feared by most and B, even if it does, as Speedy put it, every part is available online. When a guy like me living in small-town Vizag is not worried, it amuses me to see the enthusiast Metro guys fearing break-downs and availability of mechanics. I tell my friends that if the worst comes worst, I will toss the bike in Bay of Bengal and move on. It's not like I will be doomed or something. I am not saying i am rich but loss of couple of lakhs do not break any one's back these days.

I hope I can arouse the latent passion among bike enthusiasts who settle for tiny puny bikes. I say this. There are lot of things in our lives which we are not able to do. But those which are within our means, we should grab with both the hands and live it. In other words, we should live our dreams where we can. What is the fun of compromising everywhere? Life is short. Ennnjoy!

I liked GTO's thread about buying pre-worshipped cars. I would say do the same for SBKs. Trust me, if you buy a near-mint condition pre-owned SBK wisely, then you can use it for one year and sell it for nearly same price. Same cannot be said about a showroom bike which starts depreciating the minute it leaves the ramp.

hey sagar, thanks for that encouraging message! yeh, even i am concerned with repairs and maintenance for an older bike, but when one hears the roar of one of those machines, the heart takes over ... had checked out a cbr600 f2 recently, it is owned by a fellow team-bhp'ian ... though, being a 93 model it is a tad older than i would prefer ... am hoping to see a vfr1000 tomorrow ...

what are the parameters on which one should evaluate an inline-4 vs a v-twin?

[pgsagar]

Originally Posted by pvinod_p

... though, being a 93 model it is a tad older than i would prefer ... am hoping to see a vfr1000 tomorrow ...

what are the parameters on which one should evaluate an inline-4 vs a v-twin?

Yes, '93 is very old. Look for one upwards of Y2K. Now, that is not to mean 1993 bikes will be falling apart. I heard of one 1954 AJS ( I'm sure you must have heard of this famed UK bike ) in Chennai which still looks like it just came out of showroom.

About IL-4 vs twins vs v-4s, I am the wrong guy to answer your queiry because I'm so badly hung up on inline-4s, nothing else appeals to me and hence you know what my answer would be. There are guys who are perfectly happy with twins and v-4s sounds. So, every one of us has a different taste. I'm not sure what's yours. Whatever it is, go for it. BTW, V-4s sound closer to twins. In my opnion, all the difference lies in sound alone. Performance-wise there is not much difference between them. V-twins and V-4s have high launch torque while IL-4s rev dizzyingly. May be experts here can throw some light here.