Parker’s used price range £935-3,720
Engine size 748cc
Power 123bhp
Top speed 165mph
Insurance group 16

The Kawasaki ZX-7R is proof that a motorcycle doesn’t have to be the latest, lightest and most powerful to be popular. The Kawasaki ZX-7R was no match for Suzuki’s GSX-R750 when launched in 1996 and was never updated significantly until it was deleted in 2003. But people love them and bought the Kawasaki ZX-7R because it looked great and they’re a decent road bike if not a match for the competition on the track.

Engine: Kawasaki ZX-7R’s liquid-cooled inline four is pretty unremarkable but a genuine 110bhp at the rear wheel means it’s still a rapid motorcycle. Carburettors on the Kawasaki ZX-7R equals three things. First a nice, smooth delivery, second, possible stalling as they can ice in cold, damp conditions and third, neglected or high mile Kawasaki ZX-7Rs may suffer problems which can be complex to fix.

Ride And Handling: The Kawasaki ZX-7R is very heavy compared to its rivals, but it’s stable and works nicely on the road. The Kawasaki ZX-7R’s front end is incredibly precise and communicative - you wouldn’t know what the wheel was doing any better if you were gripping the spindle. Raising the rear ride height and fitting tyres with sharp profiles will speed up the Kawasaki ZX-7R’s otherwise slow steering. Brakes strong unless neglected.

Equipment: No frills anywhere on the Kawasaki ZX-7R. The riding position’s pretty old-school sports - head down, arse up and a thin seat. Some people find the Kawasaki ZX-7R comfortable, most don’t. The pillion grab handles look generous but there’s little space of leg room for a passenger. Cluttered clocks, mediocre mirrors and the headlight doesn’t work as well as it looks.

Quality And Reliability: Reliability is good - you’re not likely to get stuck at the side of the road with a stationary Kawasaki ZX-7R. But build quality’s less impressive. Down pipes rust, wheel and brake caliper paint drops off, chassis bearings fail as few were greased when the Kawasaki ZX-7R was sold and suspension wears fast.

Value: A mixed bag. There are some bargain Kawasaki ZX-7Rs out there but there’s also a few dealers asking massively OTT prices. Value your Kawasaki ZX-7R on condition, mileage and service history as well as age. Older Kawasaki ZX-7Rs can be bought cheap and barely depreciate these days. GSX-R750s are better if you fancy the odd track day, FireBlades if you’d like to tour.

Model History: 1996: Kawasaki ZX-7R launched.
2003: Kawasaki ZX-7R discontinued.

Other Versions: 1996: Kawasaki ZX-7RR . Limited edition race homologation version of the Kawasaki ZX-7R. Stiffer frame, flatside carbs, close ratio gearbox, single seat.

This article was taken from: Motorcycle News

Kawasaki’s new-for-2000 ZX-6R got a new swingarm, a revised rear shock and engine internals and a facelift - not good enough to compete with Yamaha’s stunning R6 on the track nor Honda’s new ally-framed CBR600 on the road. In 2002 it got a beefier 636cc motor, which made it a much improved road tool.

Engine: The Kawasaki ZX-6R’s carb-fed, 16v four cylinder motor still sounds mega, with the gruff airbox roar that makes caning these Kawasakis so addictive. It’s fast, too, ripping to over 160mph out of the box. But the icing on the cake is its flexibility - it’s hard to believe it’s packing just 599cc. The gearbox should behave itself - if it’s less than slick and positive try another bike. In 2002 essentially the same bike was released with a 636cc motor bringing even more road-friendly performance.

Ride And Handling: Thankfully Kawasaki introduced suspension grease nipples on the J-series ZX-6Rs, so the shock has a better chance of retaining some of its performance than previous efforts. The revised geometry makes for improved cornering and the machine feels considerably lighter than before.

Equipment: The fuel tap (hard to find and hard to operate on the move), screen brace, and analogue clocks date the Kawasaki ZX-6R Js. On a positive note the mirrors are excellent, the pillion seat works for about 60 miles and the lights are bright.

Quality And Reliability: Corrosion is the Kawasaki ZX-6R’s biggest bugbear. If the bike you’re looking at’s been garaged and pampered it should be fine. If left to the elements the finish quickly dulls, the paint on the brake calipers can flake off and the shock’s performance suffers as it gets shotblasted by road crud without a hugger.

Value: No, it’s not great value. The J-series Kawasakis cost the same as their CBR and R6 rivals and yet offer a less satisfying ride and much lower spec technology..

Model History: 2000: Kawasaki ZX-6R introduced.
2000: Supercedes G-series ZX-6R with a new singarm, revised shock, engine and gearbox improvements.
2002: Model essentially re-released with a bog-bore 636cc motor. It claimed 116bhp and 52ft lb of torque.

Parker’s used price range £780-2,195
Engine size 599cc
Power 109bhp
Top speed 163mph
Insurance group 14

This article was taken from: Motorcycle News

The Honda SP1 and Honda SP2 were built to prove a point; that the world’s number one bike maker could beat Ducati on the track, using a V-twin. Sadly, that makes the Honda SP1/2 less satisfying, because it has an on/off fuelling set up, too much power for the chassis and a cramped riding position. On the upside, the Honda SP1/2 is beautifully made, sounds awesome and makes 90% of riders look faster than they really are.

Engine: A truly great motor, ruined by a glitchy fuel injection system, especially on the Honda SP1 which is sometimes unpredictable at low rpm. With 133bhp at 10,000rpm the Honda SP2 is 4bhp up on the Honda SP1, but the later model feels easier to ride, thanks to bigger throttle bodies and a better 12 point injector system feeding it.

Ride and Handling: Like most V-twins, the Honda SP1/2 series need a bit more rider input than the average four when cornering hard. The ride is harsh on both motorcycles, with a massive twin spar frame as the backbone of the motorcycle and firm suspension. The Honda SP1/2 really needs a racetrack to appreciate the abilities of the chassis, as it just seems too hard and unforgiving on many normal roads.

Equipment: The Honda SP1/2 oozes class. There’s little doubt that Honda lost money on each one of them, even at ten grand a pop. Beautiful machined alloy parts, an exquisite swingarm on the Honda SP2, top notch Showa suspension, stunning brakes - the Honda SP series bikes are a techie’s delight to look at - and the dashboard looks like it came straight off a Suzuka endurance racer. Spartan but sexy.

Quality And Reliability: The Honda SP1/2 feels like it was made in the HRC race shop, not an anonymous factory. Every detail fits together just right, the Honda SP1/2 has an aura of engineering excellence and durability than many other Honda machines sadly lack. Apart from chinning fuel at 30mpg, the Honda SP1/2 has no real faults and if you were some kind of sick masochist, you could probably despatch on it.

Value: The Honda SP1 enjoyed respectable UK sales, but was soon discounted as dealers realised people wouldn’t pay vast sums for what was perceived (wrongly) as a jazzed up Firestorm. The Honda SP2 struggled to hold its 10K list price too, dropping to about 8K new in late 2002. All of which makes the Honda SP 1/2 series V-twins true bargains on the used market - you get a top class WSB race rep for very little money and undoubtedly the later Honda SP2 model, in its Castrol colours, is the one to have. Find Honda SP 1/2 motorcycles for sale.

Model History: 2000: VTR1000 Honda SP1 launched.
2002: VTR1000 Honda SP2 launched; new swingarm, fuelling system, ECU map, longer wheelbase, subframe, 6kg weight reduction and Castrol Honda team colours amongst the key changes. Top end work squeezes another 4bhp from the motor.

New price £9,399
Parker’s used price range £2,325-3,620
Engine size 999cc
Power 133bhp
Top speed 170mph
Insurance group 17

This article was taken from: Motorcycle News

Forget the dinosaur CB1000 of the early nineties, or the now defunct 900 Hornet, the CB1000R is a whole new bag for Honda, designed with Europe, using a retuned version of the 2007 FireBlade engine and with 2008 FireBlade forks and brakes, a beautiful single-sided swingarm and fabbo styling. In fact the only thing the CB1000R lacks is a bit of soul and the noise you get from a Brutale or Speed Triple. But for ninety-nine per cent of the time it’s a better bike in every respect.

Engine: The Honda CB1000R uses a 2007 FireBlade unit that has been retuned for maximum torque and midrange. It’s similar to the CBF1000 engine but gives stronger performance. As such, 130bhp is plenty but it’s more about the torque and the way the power is delivered that impresses. It comes on clean and fat to the point where sixth gear will pull 30mph with no shakes just clean drive. That said it doesn’t howl or really get you excited. It has the looks of something really aggressive but it never really wants to kick off. In comparison to the Speed Triple it’s not quite as raw, but that makes it easier to ride than all its rivals.

Ride And Handling: The Honda CB1000R’s suspension is softer than, say, the Triumph Speed Triple’s, but, for many give the perfect blend of feel and comfort. Most don’t want a bike that’s rock hard, just one that lets you know what the wheels are doing and one that doesn’t pitch around under power or braking. The Honda gets it bang on. It may lag behind rivals on track, but in the real world, where cops are hiding in trailers with speed guns, the roads get ever busier and the surface isn’t racetrack smooth the Honda CB1000R is a brilliant unfaired bike.

Equipment: The Honda CB1000R is a top quality bit of kit in every respect. The forks are taken from the 2008 FireBlade but feature different internals. Brakes are taken from the 2008 Blade, too, but use smaller 310mm discs, different master cylinder and brake lines. Flashy LCD clocks are, Honda claim, the most sophistated and expensive to produce they’re ever made and then there’s that stylish and clever single-side Pro-Arm rear end…

Quality And Relaibility: Like with the equipment, the Honda CB1000R’s quality, like most Honda’s truth be told, is right up there with the best. Paint is thick and creamy, metal finishes excellent and the only slight doubt regards reliability, simply because the bike’s so new and proven.

Value: At £6950 (£7450 with ABS) the Honda CB1000R is impressive value, especially considering its spec and the Honda badge, in the naked litre-bike category, undercutting the more basic Speed Triple and Tuono comfortably.

Model History: 2008: Honda CB1000R launched.

New price £6,950
Engine size 998cc
Power 130bhp
Top speed 150mph
Insurance group 15

This article was taken from: Motorcycle News

Many people simply cannot afford a new motorbike, so they turn to the secondhand motorbike market, but are second hand bikes safe?

New bikes vs. Secondhand motorbikes

New bikes obviously have the advantages of being mechanically sound, having warranties, and generally being in a much better condition. However, the moment you ride a bike out of the showroom, you loose value on the machines.

On the other hand, although second hand bikes don’t drop in value the moment you take them out on the road, can you ever be sure that they are safe to ride?

Second Hand Motorcycle Dealers

One solution may be to buy a used motorcycle from a reputable dealer. Many used motorcycle dealers have some great machines on offer, and often with warranty too!

Some used bike dealers offer a better service than others though, and its important not to go to any cowboys. One of the good guys is www.wheeltorque.com.

Wheel Torque are based in Bristol, in the south west of England. It’s a family run business that has been going since 1990, so you get the benefit of a well established company, yet you can count on the high level of customer support that comes with a family run enterprise. These guys are fanatical about bikes, and are always happy to give in depth advice about anything that has two wheels and an engine!

Used Kawasaki, Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha, plus Lots more!

Wheel Torque do great deals on all the above mentioned bikes and many more.

This article was taken from: Kingpin-seo

When the Honda CBR600F got fuel injection, it also had its personality split. From this point on, two Honda CBR600s would run concurrently: the Honda CBR600F and the Honda CBR600FS (now superseded by the Honda CBR600RR). One a sporty all-rounder, the other, a full-on sportsbike. The Honda CBR600F was, and remains, a brilliant motorcycle with real power and excitement but with the added practicalities to make it a contender for just about anyone’s garage.

Engine: Some reckon the Honda CBR600F’s engine is very slightly lacking in midrange but, for the average rider, there’s a lot of very useable power. The fuel injection can make for juddery starts on cold mornings but, once up to temperature, it’s as smooth as a baby’s bum. To coin a massively-used but highly appropriate (in this instance) cliché: it’s bullet-proof.

Ride And Handling: Fully adjustable suspension means customising the ride to your needs is a doddle. As it is, the Honda CBR600F handles beautifully. It lacks the razor sharp edginess of the Honda CBR600RR or other rivals but it’s still an absolute corker. Loads of power, plenty of torque but forgiving of the odd wrong gear or rider hiccup: it’s a ball to ride. The brakes are ok but may be a bit spongy on older models.

Equipment: Dual seat, grab rail, centre stand… It sounds like a roll call for a big, dull tourer but the Honda CBR600F has them all, running alongside its sportier credentials. The dash is clear and clean with a fuel gauge, clock and digital speedo. Mirrors are good and there’s enough room under the seat for some waterproofs. Extras available include luggage and heated grips.

Quality And Reliability: Great finish and legendary reliability mean Honda CBR600F owners spend more time riding their motorcycles and less time covered in oil in their garages, trying to fix the bloody things. Even older models, well kept, look pretty spotless and the engines just keep on going.

Value: There’s no shortage of Honda CBR600Fs around, in all their guises, but they last and last well. They also hold their value fairly well, which is pretty unusual for a ubiquitous machine. The Honda CBR600F is a lot cheaper than rival 600s and, although it lacks their utterly balls-out performance, its everyday usability works in its favour for many buyers.

Model History: 1987: First Honda CBR600 introduced. Numerous subsequent changes.
1991: Major overhaul of Honda CBR600 with new chassis and updated engine.
1994: Update including addition of ram air and larger carbs to provide more low down power.
1996: New ignition set up and updated ram air system plus numerous bodywork mods. The Honda CBR600F is now claimed to have a top speed of over 160mph.
1998: Complete model update. Changes include new aluminium frame to replace steel one to reduce weight, new aggressive styling and bodywork.
2000: Honda CBR600F and CBR600FS launched with fuel injection and minor frame modifications.
2003: Honda CBR600FS model superseded by RR model. Honda CBR600F continues with colour changes only.

Other Versions: Honda CBR600FS: Introduced at the same time as the CBR600F version, with fuel injection, it was the sportier model which had a two-piece seat, no centre stand plus engine and suspension modifications.
Honda CBR600RR: All new model launched in 2003 with new frame, engine, styling and an underseat exhaust.

Engine size 599cc
Power 108bhp
Top speed 155mph
Insurance group 14

This srticle was taken from: Motorcycle News

With top spot on the sales chart being dominated by the YZFR125 for two months in row since it’s release in May, it was of no surprise to learn that Yamaha’s class leading learner legal sports bike has once again stormed the charts and come in at #1 for the third month in row.

No sooner have dealers around the country taken delivery of the YZFR125, than they are flying straight out the door again as teenage and mature riders alike rush to get their hands on one.

In second spot for July, right behind the YZFR125, lies Yamaha’s extremely capable and economic YBR125 which continues to be the preferred choice when it comes to cost effective transport. Geoff Selvidge, Yamaha’s Divisional Manager for Motorcycles stated, Once again the figures show that the YBR125 is the motorcycle to have for riders wanting to beat congestion and reduce the cost of commuting.

With the phenomenal success of the YZFR125, coupled with Yamaha’s Free Subsidised insurance campaign covering the YBR125 and great range of scooters, next months sales figures could very well remain in Yamaha’s favour.

For more information, visit yamahamotor.co.uk

This article was taken from: Easier Motoring