Super bike Factory - would you buy without seeing?

[Supermofo]

Whereabouts in Suffolk is the Fireblade and where in Kent do you want it?
Do you know what's wrong with it?

I’m currently sat in Burger King copdock. My dad can get it back to his house on the outskirts of Ipswich and I’ll AA back down to my house in Kent. Might take a look around the area while I’m hear to see if there’s any good bikes for sale.

Watch out for dodgy geezers on Honda CB1000R's in the Ipswich area

Hope the bike isn't anything too serious.

[Ben17484]

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[Ben17484]

I noticed the finance rate when I was in there. You'd have to be nuts or desperate to get finance from them. I think around the same time I'd got a loan from Tesco for about 7%

Didn’t even look at the loan rate. I don’t like loans. I buy thinks outright or don’t buy them (therefore only ever owning bikes and cars at the newest of 5 or 6 years old). The only thing I have a loan on is my house mortgage.

[Ben17484]

I might be wrong, but I think there should be a bushing in there?

4780FAD7-41F4-478A-80DD-C3D0B51F79D1.jpeg (585.99 KiB) Viewed 610 times

[KungFooBob]

Wheel bearings are shot.

Easy/cheap fix, no need for a whole new bike

[Ben17484]

Yeah, I think it’s a pretty cheap and easy ish fix. I was after a new bike anyway (hence the thread) and this has sped that up a bit. I need two forms of transport (one for my wife, one for me) asap, so think I’ll try and find a new bike and then fix this one up, get it a new MoT and sell.

[mboy]

Thanks for the tip, but I get absolutely nowhere near the potential of the FireBlade with my skill level, so I’m happy to step down a bit. I’ve had a few bikes around the 100bhp area and all been plenty enough for me. I do like the look of the GSXS1000, but they do seem to be a bit outside my price range still.

In that case, and if it's a super reliable commuter and general all round transport that you require, then take a look at VFR800's too... More fun than they look to ride, absolutely bulletproof (they are massively over engineered, the 5th gen the most so but even the 6th and 8th are still bombproof) and because they aren't especially in vogue, they don't tend to fetch much money either... Pretty cheap to run too and super comfy, 200 mile range, performance to embarrass plenty more serious machinery as required too...

That or a Blackbird... Seriously! They're a bit thirstier, but not massively so, 24L tank means they'll still do over 200 miles on a tank anyway. Just as with the VFR it's from a time when Honda massively over-engineered absolutely everything. Fast as F*** too, great for touring on, commuting, 2 up, even trackdays with a decent rider on board... Prices for good ones are on the rise too, so it's pretty much cast iron depreciation proof.

[Ben17484]

Thanks for the tip, but I get absolutely nowhere near the potential of the FireBlade with my skill level, so I’m happy to step down a bit. I’ve had a few bikes around the 100bhp area and all been plenty enough for me. I do like the look of the GSXS1000, but they do seem to be a bit outside my price range still.

In that case, and if it's a super reliable commuter and general all round transport that you require, then take a look at VFR800's too... More fun than they look to ride, absolutely bulletproof (they are massively over engineered, the 5th gen the most so but even the 6th and 8th are still bombproof) and because they aren't especially in vogue, they don't tend to fetch much money either... Pretty cheap to run too and super comfy, 200 mile range, performance to embarrass plenty more serious machinery as required too...

That or a Blackbird... Seriously! They're a bit thirstier, but not massively so, 24L tank means they'll still do over 200 miles on a tank anyway. Just as with the VFR it's from a time when Honda massively over-engineered absolutely everything. Fast as F*** too, great for touring on, commuting, 2 up, even trackdays with a decent rider on board... Prices for good ones are on the rise too, so it's pretty much cast iron depreciation proof.

I keep coming back to VFRs as a possibility because they do look good value for money and I’ve read they are good commuters. My worry with them is that they still look like you’d ride them a little too far forwards. One of the big reasons I’m getting rid of the FireBlade is that I’m not keen on the leaning forward position for around town (where most of my riding is) as it’s too heavy on the wrists. I’ll try and find one to to have a sit on and test ride though to see how it’d feel for me to ride.

[mangocrazy]

In that case, and if it's a super reliable commuter and general all round transport that you require, then take a look at VFR800's too... More fun than they look to ride, absolutely bulletproof (they are massively over engineered, the 5th gen the most so but even the 6th and 8th are still bombproof) and because they aren't especially in vogue, they don't tend to fetch much money either...

I've owned VFRs since the late '80s and I'd say that for overall build quality and bulletproof reliability the first (RC24) series with the conventional swingarm are the best. Honda really had a point to prove after the chocolate cams of the VF750 and threw the kitchen sink at the first VFRs. Quality was still high for the following RC36 models and also for RC46, but when they went VTEC and dropped the gear driven cams they were never as good.

On a side note, I really don't get this 'gen' thing on VFRs. It's essentially meaningless as everyone has a different way of deciding what models are which generation. The Yanks often refer to the VF750 as the first gen of VFRs, FFS... Use Honda's model designation (RCxx) or the model year-specific letter/numbers (i.e. a 1989 VFR is an FK, a 1997 VFR is an FV etc.)

[Mr. Dazzle]

I used to commute on a 75k VFR750 RC36a (no idea what made it an 'a'). TBF it had been treated to a bit of a rebuild by some previous owners, but even with that it was impressively well put together! With 75k on it it still ran like my 30k Triumph

Blackbirds are something else though right? I saw an S reg one the other day, honestly couldn't believe it was nearly 30 years old.

[mangocrazy]

I used to commute on a 75k VFR750 RC36a (no idea what made it an 'a').

The RC36 model designation ran for 8 years - 1990 to 1997, but half way through the run it received some fairly substantial updates (frame, swingarm, bodywork) to put it on a diet and shed some weight. So the 1990-93 models (FL/FM/FN/FP) were known as RC36a and the 1994-97 models (FR/FS/FT/FV) were known as RC36b.

Yours was the lardiest of all the VFR750s, you'll be pleased to know...

[Mr. Dazzle]

Yeah but I bucked the trend of being a fat piss smelling knacker with a sam browne belt and a top box, so overall it probably evened out.

It was N reg though, so 1995 and must've actually been a 'b'. Htting the trend of being a forgetful old fart there.

[Druid]

Yeah but I bucked the trend of being a fat piss smelling knacker with a sam browne belt and a top box, so overall it probably evened out.

It was N reg though, so 1995 and must've actually been a 'b'. Htting the trend of being a forgetful old fart there.

I think that particular bike actively repelled fat piss smelling knackers with sam browne belts and a top boxes

[Ben17484]

It’s not the Fazer 8 I was looking for, but it is an FZ8 with a givi rack, so close enough:

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I bought it this morning from a Yamaha dealership in Colchester. I don’t think I got it for a bargain price, but I’m happy with what I paid for the cleanliness and service history of the bike and that it came from a reputable Yamaha dealer.

The FireBlade will go in my dads workshop for the winter where it’ll get fixed and cleaned and sold in the spring.

[Supermofo]

For a 2012 that looks very clean. Top work

[Bigyin]

Looks shiny, hopefully it’s just as good inside

[Skub]

I bought both my current bikes unseen.

One was new from a dealer,so there was a warranty anyway,but the other was a judgement call from talking to the owner and looking at pics.

Buying a used bike unseen,is a bit of a gamble and I haven't done it before.

[Dickyboy]

If buying from a dealer distance selling apply, so you get 14days to reject it if unhappy, 30 day full money back if it develops a fault in the first month.

[Yorick]

If buying from a dealer distance selling apply, so you get 14days to reject it if unhappy, 30 day full money back if it develops a fault in the first month.

14 days for free. There's a plan

[Dickyboy]

14 days for free. There's a plan

Except I think you'd need to pay return delivery charges