Which should I choose?

monuworks

Can anyone tell me about any of these bikes?

Suzuki Bandit, Honda Hornet or Yamaha Fazer (all 600cc)

Looking maybe to get one of these & has to be restricted but which one?

Would love to get some feedback please

steveone

bandit....abundant as grass...

hornet...quite rare given the abundance of the bandit..

fazer...something same but different.....

not generally my scene but the bandit appears to be a great bike..surely there's lots of parts cos most streetfighters I've seen are (or were) bandits...

not sure (as in I don't know ) about the yam but I reckon the other two are well reliable..

personally I'd be after the fazer for something different....otherwise its either or.. maybe lads with the bikes will tell you different..

meantime hope this helps...:D

calledforduty

id try a suzuki sv650.....get insured on a learner licence .....no restrictions...
great amount of them used by road racers

blu3r0ri0n

The best thing you can do is start off by sitting on them to make sure you are going to be happy with it, then a test ride if you can manage.

I tried the bandit for a week however my knees kept locking up after an hour on the bike, switched to fazer 600 and haven't looked back. It has never given me any trouble, however I do look after it with regular servicing.

Also pretty sure you need a restriction on the SV's if you are on a learner permit or if you license has restriction applied to it, you would definately need it for the bandit and fazer.

calledforduty

nearly sure the sv's has lower kw
not much of a racey bike....but some tourqe in it

head13

beware of the sv's very common that they big end goes on them (just try and find a spare engine for them).

bandit is not my cup of tae, rust rust rust?

hornets - good but no protection.

fazer - tops the list for me, only from 2002 on though as the lights on the 1st version are shocking unless you get the lights converted. the foxeye is the berries, you will not be disappointed with them, very good bike and reliable out.

all bikes can be raised or lowered!

happy hunting.

Wossack

hornets a class above the other two, but you'll pay for it

calledforduty wrote: »

id try a suzuki sv650.....get insured on a learner licence .....no restrictions...
great amount of them used by road racers

sv needs to be restricted

AgileMyth

calledforduty wrote: »

nearly sure the sv's has lower kw

Not even close!

Please Kill Me

Everyone will have their own preference. Mine is the Hornet 600. I had one for a couple of years and loved every minute of it. Honda reliability and durability! Great bike.

Mr Sheen!

SV needs to be restricted, its up around 56kw / 70+ bhp as far as I know. Much the same as the other bikes mentioned just has all that torque!

I dont think that any of the bikes mentioned would be one t stay away from. All fairly good runners, as said in previous posts go an sit on them and see which you prefer.

Best of luck!

kaimera

had a k4 sv650, restricted.

twins handle the restriction better than i4s - torque is all down low and they dont have the top end kick anyway.

loved it but on a fazer now and it just is a better bike.

seating position alone is worth getting the fzs over the sv and I find the fzs just an easier bike to ride (maybe my riding style lends itself better towards the i4)

the sv has, as with any twin, awesome engine braking which I do miss, but over all, out of those bikes, take the fzs.

and all 3 bikes would need to be restricted

BlackWizard

As said above, everyone has their own preference. So go sit on a few and see which ones feel comfortable. Then out of the ones that do, find the best one within your budget. First come first buy You can always change bike in a years time and not loose much.

I had an SV650s and thought it was a fantastic and fun drive. But not as comfortable as the Fazer but it was fun because you had a lot of power low down in the revs.

I've a 2002 600cc Fazer right now. It has a top box and modded the front lights. Very comfortable and plenty of power. It really enjoys being revved. I'd never go back to the SV. Next step, Fazer 1000!

Fazer, SV650s and Bandits are all easily restricted (carbs). Not cheap to restrict, but easily done and removed

Pique

The K3-onwards SVs have ECU restrictions.

Plug and play module easily got second-hand on the forums like SVrider or SV650.org.

robot7080

I've owned a Hornet 250/ K5 Sv650s and now a Hornet 600 so I'll give you my 2 cents on the lot.

The Hornet 250 is a smashing bike and great for potting about the city as they're nimble. I only got this as I couldn't get insured on a Hornet 600 at the time. Bullet proof reliability and quite comfortable too - had it for 2 years.

After this I got the SV650S. It was restricted and to be honest when I switched to the full power ECU the difference wasn't too noticable until going to the upper rev range. The bike looked great, sounded great but I just didn't like it over time. I thought it was quite uncomfortable and I didn't think it suited me. I commute m-friday which I thought it wasnt too practical for but I handled great on the weekends. I much prefer pokey acceleration over torque and so I only kept this for 11 months.

Then I got 99 hornet 600. It's a superb machine. Great engine, starts on the button everytime after near 40,000 miles and handles brilliantly. They also hold their value very well, particularly if they've been well maintained. Perfect for all sorts of driving BUT motorways. As was said theres not much protection as I dread if I've to go anywhere far on it! If you do get one of these change the chain and sprockets to -1/+2 as it makes great difference, although you'll lose some topend speed.

Overall, I reckon if it's city driving go for the Hornet but if you're going on motorways/long trips get the faired one or a fazer (great value these days). Bandits are donkeys though imo - don't like them at all....

terrydel

What about an er6n? I've one, very similar to those youve listed, and deffo a bit more 'different' than any of them. Mines 06 (07 reg), but the 08/09 ones are better, I think the have an aluminium frame from then on in.
Its a great bike imo.
Would consider selling mine for the right price. Its alarmed, immobiliser fitted, givi back box, loads of rizoma add-ons, powdercoated wheels etc.
Its in great nick.
Let me know!

Wonda-Boy

Out off all the bikes you have listed, they would be all good starter bikes. Again, like was said you really would have to sit on them all and narrow it down to maybe 2 and then take them for a spin. Few factors will come into play that have nothing to do with the actual bike, like your height etc. Some bikes might not physically suit you even if you love the bike. You might hate a naked bike but love the same bike with a fairing. Personally I would take the Fazer over the others (depending on the year) if its the foxeye I would take the Hornet over them all.

I have a 09 FZ6 and love it, it does exactly what it says on the tin and more. It was the perfect starter bike for me. Never had a moments bother with it but like Blu3 said about his I look after it well (service wise) and dont abuse it.

monuworks

Many thanks lads for all the info, much appreciated

Wonda-Boy

If you in the City Centre, pop around to JP Motorcycles in Pearse Street. He has a rake of bikes in stock at the moment....get a feel for them in there.