There are a lot of reasons to buy a used bike, financial being the most obvious, not to mention a huge choice, many of which will have been enhanced with after-market parts. If it has been regularly serviced and maintained, a used bike can give you a ton of fun for a fraction of the outlay for a new model, while losing very little in terms of performance.
On the other hand, a used sports bike, by its very nature, might have been thrashed to within an inch of its life, while still looking good on the outside. Also, as bikes get older, inherent problems can surface that might not have shown themselves earlier in its life span. Here are five seriously fast used bikes you can buy with an easy mind, and five you should really avoid.
10 Buy Now: 2010-2013 Ducati Monster 796
The Ducati Monster was a ground-breaking design that put the company on the path to huge success in the 21st century. Ducati has stirred the Monster pot many times, giving air-cooled V-Twin engine displacements from 400cc through to 1200cc. One of the best, however, is the 2010 Monster 796, which has all the sex-appeal of an air-cooled Ducati twin, complete with good looks, a booming soundtrack and secure and entertaining handling, coupled with lower running costs. As an urban sports bike, it’s stylish and head-turning and, as long as you service it religiously to schedule, it will give you years of pleasure.
9 Avoid: 2015-2017 Ducati 1299 Panigale
Is there anything more seductive than a red Ducati sports bike? Ever since the 916, Ducati sports bikes have got ever more sophisticated and powerful, with incredible levels of handling and performance. The 1199/1299 series of Panigale models were as beautiful as ever and incredible to ride, but they suffered from terrible reliability, so much so that owners proposed a class action lawsuit against Ducati. If that wasn’t enough, even owning a good example will cost you a fortune in maintenance and servicing because the complexity of the desmodromic engine means that DIY maintenance is simply too difficult (and too easy to get wrong). Buying used is dangerous as many owners will have skipped on regular servicing due to the costs.
8 Buy Now: 2007-2008 Honda CBR600RR
The 600cc sports bike class was hugely popular from the 1990s through to the 2010s, and it’s easy to see why: light, nimble, screaming four-cylinder engines, excellent handling, although they could be small for taller riders. Honda built some of the best 600cc sports bikes and the 2007 CBR600RR is one of Honda’s best: even lighter than previous versions and completely re-designed from the ground up. You get the advantage of the huge Honda dealer network and plenty of aftermarket parts and support. You’ll have to search for a good, unmolested example but there are so many around, not all will have been ridden into the ground.
7 Avoid: 1997-2001 Suzuki TL1000S
The half-faired Suzuki TL1000S arrived a year before the full-faired TL1000R, and it set such a low bar for safety that neither bike’s reputation ever recovered, even if Suzuki fixed many of the problems. The main issue was with the rotary rear shock absorber which not only didn’t work very well but also enabled Suzuki to keep the wheelbase short. This made the handling unpredictable and the TL1000S was soon dubbed the Widow Maker, due to its tendency to throw riders off, especially if they weren’t particularly skillful riders in the first place. You can fix much of the issue with a re-designed rear shock absorber, but why not buy a bike without the problems in the first place?
6 Buy Now: 2017-2019 Yamaha MT-09
The second-generation MT-09 fixed all the issues of the first generation and uprated the suspension (now fully adjustable) and electronic rider aids together with new styling. What didn’t change was that lovely three-cylinder engine, which is possessed of both excellent power and torque, complete with a typical triple soundtrack. Naked it may be, but it could still show a sports bike a thing or two in the right hands while the riding position makes it perfect for riding around town. You get typical Japanese reliability and engineering soundness and, if the styling isn’t to everyone’s taste, then you won’t see it from on the bike, which is where you’ll want to be all the time.
5 Avoid: Any Year Suzuki GSX-R1000
It really pains us to put this bike in here as it’s one of the best sports bikes you can buy, even if it took a long time for Suzuki to match rival manufacturers in terms of electronic sophistication. In a way, this lack of electronics made it even more attractive, especially to skilled riders who could really get the best out of it around a track. The only problem with that, coupled with its relatively low price tag, is that very rarely will they have received the maintenance attention they deserve and need, given the way in which it is likely to have been thrashed and, while Suzuki engineering is among the best out there, with supremely bulletproof engines, there is a limit for everything.
4 Buy Now: 2013-2017 Triumph Daytona 675
Remember the days when Triumph dabbled in the fully-faired sports bike market? It’s not all that long ago but a ride, however brief, on the Daytona 675 will make you wish they were still building them. Even as the 600cc class was fading away, Triumph’s reputation for building excellent handling motorcycles was maintained with the Daytona, while the three-cylinder engine gave it so much character, as well as scintillating performance. It felt as if it was hewn from a solid piece of billet aluminum, such was the quality, and every element worked together in perfect harmony. One of the truly great sports bikes, irrespective of engine size.
3 Avoid: 2016-2018 Kawasaki ZX-10R
Certainly not a bad bike in itself, but avoid like the plague the 2016 - 2018 models, which were subject to a recall for major gearbox issues: riding the bike to the extent of its not inconsiderable performance risked the gearbox exploding, locking the rear wheel and sending you down the road very fast indeed. Even though the recall wouldn’t cost the owners a single cent, not every 2016-2018 ZX-10R will have had the work carried out and, also, why buy a bike with a known defect in the first place? Especially one so serious. With so many generations of ZX-10s to choose from - and they are worth it - steer clear of anything with even a hint of a known problem.
2 Buy Now: 2011-2019 Suzuki GSX-R750
Plowing a lonely furrow in the 750cc sports bike class, the one that started it all off in the 1980s was still a force to be reckoned with in the 2010s. If it had been left behind in the electronics stakes by this time, its chassis is still perfectly balanced to not really need them, while the bulletproof engine has all the real-world power you could ever need. Surprisingly roomy riding position for a sports bike, and you’ll simply never find a corner that manages to ruffle its feathers. On track, it’s perfection: on the road, it’s not much less. As usual, any example will have been thrashed but with so many out there, you’re bound to come up with one that has been cosseted.
1 Avoid: 2017-2020 Aprilia Shiver 900
Aprilia’s reputation rides high thanks to bikes such as the RSV4, the Tuono and the new range of 660cc bikes, but people tend to forget that things weren’t always so rosy in the Aprilia garden. The Shiver 900 arrived shortly after the Piaggio take-over, so there was more than a strong whiff of design-by-committee about it, which never means a coherent design.
It didn’t look too bad, but the suspension was overly hard, the clutch unacceptably heavy and the performance just wasn’t that inspiring, which is surprising given the 90° V-twin pushing out nearly 100 horsepower. Add to that a minimal dealer network, and you’d be much better going with a Suzuki SV650: same concept, much better execution.
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