cbf 600 vs bandit 600

Xios

Hey guys, friend of mine is lookin to buy a new bike, he's currently on a ybr 125 and it's in bits, like dangerously rideable. Anyway, he's looking to get a bigger bike.

The thing is, he wants to buy it brand new from a dealer, now i'm saying he could save a good bit by buying a second hand bike with a couple of miles on it, but he doesn't want a bike that has a few problems on it. But i say the costs of the problems are covered by the savings on the cheaper used bike.

So question to ya lads.
Which of the two are better, as commuters and sometimes a bit of weekend fun, mainly the commuter part.
Which is better bought brand new, and which is better bought used?
Are there other bikes in this range? (like the fazer 600, sv 650) Can ya argue for these bikes?

I'm gonna send him on this link so he can read it himself, he's got nearly 4 years riding experience on a moped and the ybr125, just not buying experience.

KamiKazi

Gotta be the bandit.

Wossack

new bandits are 650 now

tonnes of bikes in that bracket though, hornet 600, sv 650 (think this is now replaced with the gladius?), fazer 600, xj6, street triple, z750, ducati monsters, gsr600, er6...

great craic deciding..!

EGOSHEA

How about an MT-03 - does your friend like bikes that are very much 'on-road' but have a slight motocross look too?

Personally (as someone who wouldn't know much about doing my own repairs/maintenance), I'd go for a second-hand bike with low mileage (less than 15/20K km) from a dealer. That way, the price could be about 1-2K less than a new one but he'd still have a (probably 3-month) warranty and would be getting a bike that would just have been serviced. Cheaper than brand new but less of a risk than a private dealer. Just my two cents.

P.C.

Xios wrote: »

he's got nearly 4 years riding experience on a moped and the ybr125, just not buying experience.

I am going to assume that he has a Full Unrestricted A licence.

The CBF gets my vote - it is a great commuter, and very reliable (it is a Honda).

But - he should also consider the Suzuki GSXF 650, the Yamaha XJ series.

Zascar

CBR600?

EGOSHEA

Actually, can I join in on this in asking what 600-750cc restricted bike people would recommend. Thinking of moving up from a 125 myself. Which ones would be best at 33bhp factory-restricted? I like sports and naked models but not really into custom or off-road.

Xios

sorry, he's got a prov licence, sitting his test now in a couple months, there's no rush for him to ge the bike as he's gonna borrow my bigger bike so he can get his full A licence.

But yeah, i'm passing this thread on to him, so he can broaden his mind to other bikes and possibly buying a used bike.

Del2005

Xios wrote: »

sorry, he's got a prov licence, sitting his test now in a couple months, there's no rush for him to ge the bike as he's gonna borrow my bigger bike so he can get his full A licence.

But yeah, i'm passing this thread on to him, so he can broaden his mind to other bikes and possibly buying a used bike.

Is your bike restricted to 33bhp for the test?

Xios

Del2005 wrote: »

Is your bike restricted to 33bhp for the test?

yeah, still got 17 months till my licence restriction is lifted

Pique

Zascar wrote: »

CBR600?

Dude, did ya not read the OP ?

A 600cc sportsbike is not on the menu.

honeybadger

xt660x maybe

Wossack

Pique wrote: »

Dude, did ya not read the OP ?

A 600cc sportsbike is not on the menu.

a cbr600f is just as sporty as a fazer

Zascar

CBR600 is hardly a full on sports bike. It's generally regarded as an excellent all rounder.

The SV650 is more sporty than the 600f imo

hobochris

I have a restricted bandit 6 and Its a great bike, fun and reliable, but there are someday's I wish I had a cbf or other bike(Sv650 even though I'm not mad on the single header exhaust, Maybe an Er6).

I occasionally head out on spins with P.C (who has a restricted cbf) and his top ended speed (restricted is higher then mine).. mine tops out at 160-170kph his goes a bit higher(possibly 200kph not sure)... on private roads of course

things to consider:

-Bandit has a bullet proof work horse of an engine, rarely, if ever goes wrong, but parts are cheap and easy to get.

-Bandit has carbs,cbf uses injectors big plus for the cbf in response and performance(not that the bandits disadvantage here is any real hindrance 95% of the time).

- bandit top speed restricted is about 160kph, cbf's restricted top speed is 200kph(I think).

- bandit is more customisable(if your into that type of thing).

-bandit is a heavier then most bikes in its class.

Zascar

One thing to note also is fairing. Bandit's are naked bikes - like my duc monster. Once you get up to high speeds the wind blast is considerable. If you had e.g a CBR600 or similar with decent fairing at the front, its a huge amount more comfortable to ride at higher speeds.

hobochris

Zascar wrote: »

One thing to note also is fairing. Bandit's are naked bikes - like my duc monster. Once you get up to high speeds the wind blast is considerable. If you had e.g a CBR600 or similar with decent fairing at the front, its a huge amount more comfortable to ride at higher speeds.

Bandit comes in both faired and un-faired, un-faired is just more popular.

KamiKazi

hobochris wrote: »

Bandit comes in both faired and un-faired, un-faired is just more popular.

The faired version of the newer ones look really nice IMO.

RosieJoe

KamiKazi wrote: »

The faired version of the newer ones look really nice IMO.

I think so too!

Wossack

RosieJoe wrote: »

I think so too!

'part from the frankly ridiculus exhaust..!

RosieJoe

Wossack wrote: »

'part from the frankly ridiculus exhaust..!

Yeah, shame they didn't revisit the design of the exhaust. Especially as it is unchanged for several years.

hobochris

RosieJoe wrote: »

Yeah, shame they didn't revisit the design of the exhaust. Especially as it is unchanged for several years.

An after market can fixes that nicely though.

Xios

Thanks for the replies guys, he found a nice cbf600 from a dealer he'd like to buy brand new, factory restricted. Gonna pick it up on saturday and begin to break in the engine with a nice trip round the mountains.

P.C.

Xios wrote: »

Thanks for the replies guys, he found a nice cbf600 from a dealer he'd like to buy brand new, factory restricted. Gonna pick it up on saturday and begin to break in the engine with a nice trip round the mountains.

Would that be the Honda dealer in the M50 Business Park?
Was he there yesterday - about 4:30pm?