{"id":2414,"date":"2019-08-19T09:00:47","date_gmt":"2019-08-19T09:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.co.uk\/magazine\/?p=2414"},"modified":"2024-09-12T10:24:03","modified_gmt":"2024-09-12T09:24:03","slug":"five-awesome-bikes-for-under-5000","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.carandclassic.com\/magazine\/five-awesome-bikes-for-under-5000\/","title":{"rendered":"Five Awesome Bikes for Under \u00a35,000"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s high time we get some features about motorbikes here on Car & Classic<\/a>. We would have done it sooner, but our Editor can’t ride a bike and as such, he knows very little about them. Worry not though, as we have drafted in Chris Vardon, a seasoned rider who knows the good from bad. And for his first piece, we tasked him with finding five great bikes from the listings on Car & Classic<\/a> – the only catch being a firm five grand budget. Chris, over to you…<\/em><\/p>\n

You\u2019ve got \u00a35k to throw about and you want to relive your younger years by picking up a classic sports bike (though quite possibly dodging the admirable, albeit also lamentable, madness that was the \u201880s trend of bolting turbochargers onto mid to higher displacement bikes with skinny tyres). Ok, so add on another 5K and I\u2019d have the GPZ 750 Turbo that\u2019s currently listed quicker than you could say \u2018Oh god why did people think this was a good idea, this is wildly unpredictable!\u2019.<\/p>\n

For me that idea brings up a lot of love for the mid \u201880s to mid \u201890s bikes that I grew up around, but a few other things sneak in that I think I\u2019d have to strongly consider.<\/p>\n

Triumph Tiger T100<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n

\"classic<\/a><\/p>\n

Anybody who has read \u2018Jupiter\u2019s Travels\u2019 by Ted Simon will understand why the T100 fits on the list despite my claim above that most of this list would be \u201880s\/\u201990s machinery. From 1963 to 1967, Simon travelled through 45 countries on a T100, hilariously overloaded at every possible point.<\/p>\n

Sure, if I were actually embarking upon a round the world trip now I\u2019d be on a Tiger 1200, but there\u2019s a large part of me that would love to make a trip like that on a T100 to know what it was like for Simon, and that makes more sense too with my standover-height challenged stature. That and I\u2019d feel somewhat more legendary making an around the world trip on something without ABS and TC.<\/p>\n

Kawasaki GPZ900R<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n

\"classic<\/a><\/p>\n

Possibly the height of the Katana-esque \u201880s machines, certainly in terms of looks if you ask me. This one is very much a personal one, as my older brother\u2019s GPZ750 Turbo was one of the bikes that really stuck in my memory. The 900R – with a somewhat more predictable power curve than the mad turbocharged 750 \u2013 was shorter, lighter, thinner and sharper than pretty well anything it was competing with. It was better to ride in general than the competition; it was the bike to choose then and I think is still not a bad choice now.<\/p>\n

This one needs some minor work like a service, and also the final bit of paperwork given it\u2019s fresh off the boat, but I think a GPZ900R in the garage is a solid move, as long as the suspension is all shifting and wiggling as it should, as it tended to seize if sat for a while. Also check the side-stand switch, which was used as an earth and can cause poor or non-running if faulty.<\/p>\n

BMW K1<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n

\"classic<\/a><\/p>\n

Looking like it could\u2019ve been a large part of the inspiration for Dredd\u2019s Lawmaster bike, it\u2019s as eye-catching now as it was back in \u201988, as well as being redder and rarer than I like my steak, which is going some. The K1 is an intriguing machine, sitting as a perfect long distance\/touring machine after the wind tunnel time that went into the fairing designs; creating a remarkably aerodynamic shape.<\/p>\n

That shape does unfortunately have a habit of trapping heat possibly too much, though being a year-round rider I\u2019m unconvinced that\u2019d be a horrible thing a lot of the time in the UK – especially coupled with the factory heated grips. Not really a bike to get remarkably spirited on, but superb if you like doing miles upon miles.<\/p>\n

Kawasaki ZXR750<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n

\"classic<\/a><\/p>\n

Pitted against the achingly beautiful Ducati 888 and the phenomenal RC30 VFR750, the ZXR750 shouldn\u2019t have succeeded, either on track or on the road, yet it did with Scott Russell astride it, winning the 1993 WSB. Unlike <\/em>the 888 and RC30, you can pick up a ZXR750 H1\/H2 (H2 possibly as the preferable choice, as they did some tweaking with the rear suspension and made it slightly less bone-fragmenting) for less than \u00a35,000, instead of the \u00a315,000 the 888s command, or the frankly berserk \u00a340,000+ the RC30s are fetching.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not as beautiful as either, though in my opinion it\u2019s a damn good-looking bike and those ludicrous, completely redundant, yet totally cool hoover pipes into the tank just add to the cool factor on top of the twin headlights and sleek fairings. The ZXR750 really is <\/em>a bike to get spirited on, begging you to just try to outdo it at every opportunity. Thoroughly thrilling, rewarding and fully worth buying.<\/p>\n

Ducati 900 SS<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n

\"classic<\/a><\/p>\n

Speaking of Ducatis, you cannot pick up an 888 for less than \u00a35k. You can have something nearly as achingly beautiful though, namely the 900 Supersport. This example has the rare white frame option picking the beautiful tubular frame out against the smooth, slab-sided sweeping single-piece fairings, with the white wheels setting it off beautifully. Maybe it\u2019s not aged as well as some bikes, but dressed up like this, it\u2019s still got it somehow.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t expect to spend just<\/em> the \u00a35k on it. If you do plunge into the cheaper end of Ducati ownership with a 1st<\/sup> gen 900 SS, as they don\u2019t completely shirk Ducati\u2019s reputation for problems, with snapped head studs and bent chain guides reportedly being a not uncommon concern. Terrifying. Still would.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It’s high time we get some features about motorbikes here on Car & Classic. We would have done it sooner, but our Editor can’t ride a bike and as such,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":21659,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0},"categories":[792],"tags":[12,13,793,795,303,796,794,797,158],"yoast_head":"\nFive Awesome Bikes for Under \u00a35,000 - Car & Classic Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Got five grand to buy a bike, but not sure what to go for? 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