Hi guys (& gals) newbie looking for advice

[Andy_SW20]

Hi all

Been having a good read of this and wanted to say what a great forum!

My name is Andy, and im totally new to bikes. Been a massive fan and wanted one for so long, but my money always ended up elsewhere.

Now the time has come... Im done with cars (had jap cars for the last five years or so, ranging from RX7s, Supras etc etc) and what with looking at moving from Surrey (easy commute to London) to Kent (expensive commute to London!), Ive decided to get my full licence and getmyself a ZXR! Im 25, and was pleasantly suprised at insurance quotes.

Car will be up for sale at the weekend (Im painting it Saturday morning), and then comes the trawl of looking for a cleanish ZXR for around the £1500 budget.

Will this buy me something half decent? Most importantly... is there anything major I should be looking out for? Im okay with a car engine, but bikes are new to me, so would be grateful for any advice anybody can give. Ive had a quick look with the search tool, but grateful nonetheless.

Thanks in advance for any help any of you can offer me. Im so excited. Bring on the speed rush!!!!

Andy

[Gemini]

hi mate and welcome

there was an L9 (latest zxr) for sale on here last week, £1500 would have got u that, may still be available - this was the thread http://zxrworld.co.uk/zxr400oc/viewtopi ... =39&t=3901

i cant really comment on how easy a bike is to work on in comparison to a car as baz (owner of this site) does the work on my bikes! but i have done some things and unless u r a complete twonk then u can figure it out, if u can work on cars then im sure u can work on bikes

gem

[gubbs]

£1500 is bang on the money for a nice tidy mid to late L model.

[Andy_SW20]

Thanks, guys. Really reassuring to hear I will be able to get myself a new pride and joy for that sort of money.

Im being realistic and planning on spending this much on the bike so I can make sure I get a decent lid, jacket etc etc. So excited! Think Im more excited about this swap from car to bike than I am about the swap from my flat to a house (much to the girlfriend's disaspproval!)....!

Soon as the car has gone (which im really hoping will be soon... planning to paint it Saturday, flat and polish it Sunday morning, then stick it on Ebay for a 7 day auction!) Im straight on the hunt!

Andy

[superman]

Well all i could say is dont be put off by earlier models mine is 1992 an works bang on this means if you get it cheaper you have more budget to customise it or stick that money to one side for when you wana upgrade to a bigger bike.

[rene]

age is not a big factor with bikes compaired with cars. plus the bikes hardly changed at all over the years, apart from the odd colour changes

dont be put off by 91, or younger bikes! if its a nice example then she'll do just as well as the 2001 zxr's!

You'll love working on it after working on a car as well, everying is smaller, lighter and you can get all the way around it in a second!

[masterofinsanity]

welcome mate, i would rather work on a bike than a car sooo much easier to access stuff, there's a nice L4 i think it was on ebay at the mo for £1399 buy it now.

[Jamz]

My step-dad's been mechanicing on all sorts of cars for road and track for around 50 years, and says it's a hell of a lot easier to work on a bike!

He'd never touched one before I got one, and you can tell he quite enjoys it! Which is bloody good for me, because we've had my bikes (especially the ZXR) in a million pieces!

I think most stuff is the same as a car - but it's much easier to get at it to do the work!

[RedexRobB]

heya mate and welcome, where abouts in kent you moving too? Im good for technical support if ya need it Or there is this forum to ask questions of course!

[Andy_SW20]

Hello (presumably) fellow Kent'er!

Looking at possibly the Sittingbourne area. Want somewhere a bit quieter than Croydon (!) for the lad and my girlfriend where I wouldnt be so frightened to let them out after dark!

Great to here they seem relatively simple to work on. Im a massive massive car modifier, so really looking at turning my hands to a different kind of Jap beast!

Hope to get the car sprayed tonight, flat and polish it tomorrow, and job done!

Andy

[RedexRobB]

Fellow Kenter indeed, or as I would have been known in the olden day cos im from the Gillingham side of the river a 'man of Kent' or if you were from the Rochester side, a 'Kentish man', i know which i prefer if someone misread it

Sittingbourne is ok, i used to be a postman there. Its like most places it has its nice parts and its shitty parts. Beware of the speed cameras tho, theres 3 or 4 of the buggers on the A2 round sittingbourne alone. Keep to the Borden side of Sittingbourne and you cant go much wrong, i think thats about the nicest part of Sittingbourne. Milton Regis isnt too bad, there's some very recent houses built there so i expect thats going to be a reasonable area Plus its right by a big roundabout where me and me mates have a play sometimes as it goes underneath the motorway and is a mini tunnel so the bike sounds proper nice as your going round it!

[BANJO]

Hello mate I sold my car to get my bike three week ago to be precise it' a 1995 L5 nearly 20k on clocks it looks nice. It's not the best but i only payed £1200 for her and it's the best £1200 i've ever spent.

The power to weight ratio is phenomenal compared to that of a car you will not be dissapointed. I would say that the zxr400 will out accelerate and perform most turbo cars
And like has been said it's so easy to work on

[diesel]

hi there . i got me an 89 H1sp. cost me a grand. i dont think it matters too much what it costs cos all u end up doin is stripping it and making it your own lol. good luck and enjoy the times .

[Gemini]

too true