What cheap commuter bike? FZ6 Fazer or CB600 Hornet?
Discussion
Currently riding a 1999 Suzuki 1200 Bandit, which I picked up last summer in beautiful condition and I love, however most of the miles that I'm doing currently are commuter miles (35 miles each way) and I miss the usability of my old bike (Kawasaki Z400).
The Bandit is a little thirsty as a day-to-day commuter (not much better on fuel than my mk7 Golf) and a little temperamental when cold/at low speeds probably partly to do with the carbs but it also feels quite heavy and the clutch is quite heavy for urban riding and the engine produces some serious heat! It's a cool-looking thing though, feels like an "event" to ride, rides beautifully and is very comfortable out on the open road, only compromised slightly by the lack of a 6th gear and no wind protection.
I'm reluctant to get rid of the Bandit right now but am considering adding an additional "cheap" bike to the fleet. I really want to maintain a similar power level to the Bandit but something a bit more modern with fuel injection and a lighter clutch, better on fuel and a bit easier to ride in an urban environment. My Z400 was great in this respect if a little buzzy/easily deflected by bumps out on the open road. I have been looking at mid-2000s FZ6 Fazers/Honda CB600 Hornets. I have had a brief ride on a Fazer before I got the Bandit and it rode really well but it was priced a bit more than I wanted to pay and the Bandit was "on the money" and more of a "heart" purchase. I don't have much experience with Honda bikes but fancy trying a Yamaha/Honda, as I've already owned a Kawasaki/Suzuki. Budget is around 2k but might stretch that a little higher if I had to (but definitely less than 3k).
Which would be the one to go for or is there anything else in budget that I haven't considered?
The Bandit is a little thirsty as a day-to-day commuter (not much better on fuel than my mk7 Golf) and a little temperamental when cold/at low speeds probably partly to do with the carbs but it also feels quite heavy and the clutch is quite heavy for urban riding and the engine produces some serious heat! It's a cool-looking thing though, feels like an "event" to ride, rides beautifully and is very comfortable out on the open road, only compromised slightly by the lack of a 6th gear and no wind protection.
I'm reluctant to get rid of the Bandit right now but am considering adding an additional "cheap" bike to the fleet. I really want to maintain a similar power level to the Bandit but something a bit more modern with fuel injection and a lighter clutch, better on fuel and a bit easier to ride in an urban environment. My Z400 was great in this respect if a little buzzy/easily deflected by bumps out on the open road. I have been looking at mid-2000s FZ6 Fazers/Honda CB600 Hornets. I have had a brief ride on a Fazer before I got the Bandit and it rode really well but it was priced a bit more than I wanted to pay and the Bandit was "on the money" and more of a "heart" purchase. I don't have much experience with Honda bikes but fancy trying a Yamaha/Honda, as I've already owned a Kawasaki/Suzuki. Budget is around 2k but might stretch that a little higher if I had to (but definitely less than 3k).
Which would be the one to go for or is there anything else in budget that I haven't considered?
Both are good bikes and will be a little more economical of fuel, perhaps 55mpg vs 45mpg, but if you want real fuel economy on the commute your looking at a 300cc scooter. Sorry but that's the way it is.
Good call on keeping the Bandit, there is something special about that generation of big Suzukis.
Good call on keeping the Bandit, there is something special about that generation of big Suzukis.
I had three Honda CB600's over the years, loved them, absolutely cracking bikes to ride. I never really took to the FZS600, yet my last big bike I owned was a FZS1000.
Both tend to be bulletproof so I really don't think you'll go far wrong with either. They will be an improvement over the bandit, but not a huge one.
For commuting, the hornet will probably have better build quality than the yamaha.
Both tend to be bulletproof so I really don't think you'll go far wrong with either. They will be an improvement over the bandit, but not a huge one.
For commuting, the hornet will probably have better build quality than the yamaha.
My first big bike was an FZS600, you could get a decent "Foxeye" within your budget, I thought it had a perkier engine than the FZ6 which felt a bit bland lower down.
Given the remit, two obvious alternative choices are CB500 and SV650. Both are easier on fuel than the fours you've mentioned, although the Suzi will cost a bit more to tax.
What about something like this:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/bike-details/20240425...
Given the remit, two obvious alternative choices are CB500 and SV650. Both are easier on fuel than the fours you've mentioned, although the Suzi will cost a bit more to tax.
What about something like this:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/bike-details/20240425...
FZ6 is likely to be much better on fuel than the Hornet, and if you get an S2 you'll get R1 calipers, which are epic. I owned one but be aware corrosion will be an issue at this stage. I took mine apart to change swingarm bearings and rear shock - the inside of the subframe and swing arm were gone.
Surprising amount of midrange for a 600 and handled well. Depending on your use case if you have a fun bike I'd be getting a super scooter or CBF500 instead.
Surprising amount of midrange for a 600 and handled well. Depending on your use case if you have a fun bike I'd be getting a super scooter or CBF500 instead.
I don't think you'll get a decent 600 Hornet with fuel injection for £2000. If you step up to £3000 you could reach to a decent Hornet 900 (all fuel injected), only downside is higher insurance cost? I don't know anything about the Yamaha's but the Hornets really do have the rumoured Honda build quality. Other than rec/recs and cam chain tensioners on the Hornet 600 (change straight to a MOSFET?) there isn't much that goes wrong other than wear and tear and old age (oil cooler o-rings can go leading to head gasket failure symptoms). The engine paint might peel a little, but there's plenty out there with 75,000+ on them. The 900 is even more reliable as long as they've been used (fuel pump and fuel regulator issues on bikes that have stood for long periods - better off going for a 30k mile bike than a 6k mile one). I've got a 900 Hornet and love it, have ridden 600s and they're fun. For commuting the extra torque of the 900 makes life easier and the extra size makes them more comfortable.
SV650 for me. I'm on my 3rd, my commute is about 30 miles each way into the city so don't get a chance for bum ache. I have not had any issues beyond normal service bits with any of them, current one on 28k now. I service / oil change them every 5k and they are boringly reliable things to commute on with just a little character from the v twin.
Biker9090 said:
The F800 is potentially a good choice if you avoid the silver engine versions.
Why not the CB/CBF500 series? They'll give much better mpg than the blandit. Totally bulletproof and a huge amount of parts available.
Wirh the F800 and CBF you also get the option of ABS
You make a good point but I looked at a CB500 along with a Yamaha MT-03 and a Kawasaki Z400 as my first bike and the Honda, although a decent bike was easily my least favourite. In an ideal world, I would have kept my Z400 for commuting and run it alongside my Bandit as my classic/fun bike but due to redundancy and being out of work for 5 months, the Kawaski had to go (I bought the Bandit later). With a bigger budget, I’d get something more modern in the vein of the Bandit as I love a big naked bike that would perform a dual role of commuter/fun bike.Why not the CB/CBF500 series? They'll give much better mpg than the blandit. Totally bulletproof and a huge amount of parts available.
Wirh the F800 and CBF you also get the option of ABS
F800 looks quite bulky but there are other more expensive BMW bikes that I like the look of (rnineT etc).
SV650 is an interesting suggestion. I’m relatively new to bikes and not that knowledgeable about them (particularly older ones), so fancy trying a different brand (Honda/Yamaha) to widen my knowledge/experience base but I did actually consider an SV650 as my first bike and went to see an older (2005?) one but it was not at all what I expected. Clip-ons, full fairing and a very leant forward riding position, which isn’t to my taste at all. I thought that the SV650 (the modern one at least) was a more “classic’-looking naked bike with conventional bars and a more upright riding position, so when did it switch? Having owned a parallel twin (Z400), it was very economical and easy to ride, you could just knock it into 6th around 30mph and it would just pull fairly hard from low revs but it was somewhat lacking in character, so I don’t feel the need to own another parallel twin any time soon. SV650 is a V-twin though, which certainly has more appeal.
Amused2death said:
I'm currently bimbling around on. BMW F800 ST, and over the last 1000+miles it's returned 70mpg, belt drive too so no chain to adjust. Maybe something to consider?
Are you constantly riding downhill with the clutch in and a tailwind? BMW don't claim anywhere near that mpg for that bike and neither do any real world users.
https://www.fuelly.com/motorcycle/bmw/f800st/2008
PurpleTurtle said:
Amused2death said:
I'm currently bimbling around on. BMW F800 ST, and over the last 1000+miles it's returned 70mpg, belt drive too so no chain to adjust. Maybe something to consider?
Are you constantly riding downhill with the clutch in and a tailwind? BMW don't claim anywhere near that mpg for that bike and neither do any real world users.
https://www.fuelly.com/motorcycle/bmw/f800st/2008
I am a real world user.
ETA.....the link you've posted is US gallons, not UK. Change it to UK measurements and you'll see I'm not alone with the MPG
Edited by Amused2death on Tuesday 6th August 18:21
I commuted from Mid Kent to the City on a 1200N Bandit for 3 years back in the day. Never let me down. Made great friends at my local Shell filling up every morning, with a 100 mile range I could just make it home. Please keep her running, old school rarity these days and we need to look after them.
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