Yamaha XT225
Oh, it's a mad old world in the motorcycle game. Yamaha should be churning out millions of XT's via their third world subsidiaries (which are increasingly coming under pressure to dump their noisy and polluting strokers, which are churned out by the millions in the 50 to 150cc, and £800 to £1500 new, range) and sell them by the boatload to the West. The XT turns up in places like NZ and Oz in reasonable quantities but the poor old UK's burdened with relatively expensive imports of recent models or well worn, often ruined by off-road work, examples of the older stuff.
The latter ain't quite such a wild device as the newer, post 1989, bikes (the sad old UK press acted as if the 1994 model was new...). Lacking somewhat the blend of power, civility and frugality that makes the later XT such a fun machine; just enough guts to take on any number of roles and not merely appeal as a trail bike, though that's something it does very well.
So well, in fact, that a lot of the older stuff ends up rather thrashed. Paint, alloy and exhaust rot being the most annoying signs of such a stressed life. Not that the engine escaped from the consequences of high mileages and/or neglect. The top end being the weakest element, or perhaps the clutch if a gorilla hand's employed unwisely. Camchain rattle is at least ominous before breakage goes down but it can go bang pretty rapidly - once the tension's gone out of the chain's run get it fixed PDQ!
Mutilated exhaust valves are also a hassle but usually down to lack of regular maintenance sessions, though at a mere 20 horses the 225cc thumper ain't exactly tuned beyond hope. As with most Jap engines of this type, regular oil changes (with quality lubricant) are a prerequisite for good longevity. Up to 20,000 miles they are pretty solid devices, after that it's down to how well or badly they've been treated.
Later bikes have both a tougher engine and a better finish, and most that made it to the UK are in excellent fettle, reflected in dealers demanding over £2000 for them, some brand new ones on offer for nearly four grand in 1995 (it's doubtful that any punters actually pay that kind of money for them but these people live in hope).
Earlier versions come much cheaper, even dealers don't ask much more than a grand for them - but they often don't look like they are worth even that amount of money. Some on the private market go for even less, a reflection of them being on their last legs after being junked during trail adventures. Given the scarcity of used parts it's better to go for a recent model and bargain hard on the price.
Why bother? Well the 20 horses are ably assisted by the thumper torque and there's so little mass (230lbs) that, solo, the Yam goes better than you might expect. For trawling through overloaded cities with ruined road surfaces that wouldn't be out of place in Bosnia, few devices can stay with a hard ridden XT225. Homicidal cagers usually end up in a blind rage when they find the Yam's so easy to flick out of harm's way that even trying their hardest they can't kill off XT mounted riders. Far safer than a step-thru or scooter, which are just slow moving accidents looking for somewhere to happen.
Not only is the XT fun, it's also - shock, horror - almost as frugal as those old British thumpers without any of the intrinsic nastiness so beloved of companies like BSA! 75mpg requires no real compassion on the throttle and tyres have been known to last for more than 15000 miles. Even more if you can take the horrors of some Far Eastern rubber.
Whilst the bike really shines in that modern obstacle course known as city traffic, it's not that lost out of town, though a mere 80mph top speed (which needs a convoluted riding stance that looks like it's an arrestable offence) means motorways turn into a slow lane crawl, the bike just waiting to be back-ended by some dozy cager. Given flat bars and repositioned pegs it might manage a little more velocity, certainly a more comfortable ride for the out of town fun and games.
But that would detract from the sheer buzz and thrill of city riding, although given an excess of town trawling the engine does eventually overheat, turning the gearbox as truculent as a 50,000 mile CD175 (which, in case you're innocent of such devices, is BAD) and the clutch prone to drag. That takes a couple of hours and pretty hard riding; shouldn't be evident in a test ride, though the gearbox is never the slickest in the whole world. Not exactly aided by a slightly loose feel to the rear cush-drive.
Vibration is muted most of the time, only thrashing the engine to the limit brings out some tingles to the bars or pegs. Persistence will eventually have it blitzing the seat as well, one of more uncomfortable items known to modern man but not that difficult to replace with a trip to the nearest breaker - the rest of the bike's so good that a bit of effort's worthwhile. Buy one if they come up at a reasonable price but the silly money can buy something much more powerful; the expensive stuff only of interest to off-road fanatics.
Honda GB250
No nonsense, retro single with a cleverly developed DOHC, four valve mill, that has only been bettered in Yamaha's latest TTR250 (an excellent albeit stupidly priced trailster with an amusing combination of power and mass). Just sufficient performance (95mph top end, 80mph cruising) with good frugality and reasonably low maintenance, make it worth consideration.
Suspension does go off with age, but the tubular frame has splendid geometry and a basically well balanced feel...a pair of decent shocks and uprated springs in the forks give an almost British character to the lightweight thumper. Its lack of mass (290lbs) give it a harder edge and better acceleration than might be expected from its old if evocative styling.
The riding position's equally splendid, that rare of blend of tolerable town work and high(ish) cruising comfort. Only old BMW's have better ergonomics! The only intrusion on comfort's switches that go vague after 20,000 miles and nasty 10,000 miles later... electrical demise can be much more of a killer than mere chassis rot on high milers, as likely from wiring that falls apart as a burnt out alternator - check for bodges around the battery area and rectifier.
Engine and some chassis spares will swap with the earlier, equally rare CBX250, for whatever that's worth. There are still plenty of low mileage, nearly new examples in Japan whilst harder used bikes are available in Oz, NZ and many South East Asian countries like Thailand. Some have done the regeneration shuffle (after about 50,000 miles...), been clocked and tidied up by the shadier side of the import scene.
Usually evidenced in a rough running motor, though it's never so smooth as to be remote even when just run in. A peculiarity of the GB's that a blocked up air-filter combined with a rotted exhaust (don't expect much more than three or four years on the latter, but universal silencers work without jet changes) results in an engine that runs really badly below 5000 revs. This isn't necessarily a sign of high miles, though, merely of owner ignorance and/or neglect.
Much more reflective of hard riding or high miles is a front disc that has gone wafer thin (easily recognized by a desperate ringing noise whenever it's employed). Caliper corrosion during British winters is, alas, almost unavoidable, but those who've graduated from the Superdream school of bodging will find it relatively easy to tear apart. A plausible rear drum that works well in the wet and modicum of engine braking are useful back-ups.
One example in a back street dealers was described as immaculate but had a bent top frame that had kinked when some gorilla mechanic tried to straighten it - the dealer reckoned it was nothing to worry about and got a bit stroppy when we showed him where the mileometer had been tampered with!
Decent examples in the UK are available for £1500 - expect something jolly good for this kind of dosh. Older ones, already used in the UK, go for under a grand but both engine condition and chassis finish can be somewhat variable. A thousand notes plus taxes and shipping will buy something good with less than 15,000 real miles on the clock in Japan. The bikes in other markets are cheap (less than £750) but in too poor a condition to warrant the hassle of importing them. Overall, one of the most serious bikes on the market (for practical, fun filled motorcycling) and much underestimated. Worth taking the effort to find one in the UK!
Yamaha SRX250
The Yam's not dissimilar to the Honda but in a slightly more modern idiom, with a harsher feel in its interpretation of modern thumper technology. Performance's similar but the Yam's slightly faster turning and more likely to shake its head in disgust at wrecked British roads or large pot-holes.
This despite the relative sophistication of a mono-shock rear end, whose bearings are quickly wrecked by the joys of a British winter. The brakes are slightly longer lived than the GB's, an accomplishment that ain't difficult but consumables, especially the drive chain (which also eats its sprockets), don't last so well. Swings and roundabouts, but the Honda maybe wins out insofar that any high miler will doubtless benefit from a newer front end.
The SRX has a disturbing tendency to break its camchain at high mileages without any of the usual warning rattles. Best to replace it every 30,000 miles or so. It's not an engine that takes happily to major rebuilds, a large degree of skill and care needed in its proper reassembly - happily, this makes bodged examples all too obvious in their poor running, harsh vibration and general lack of zip. The latter easily tested by opening the throttle from low revs in top gear - if it gasps violently, vibrates harshly and shudders badly it's a goner.
The SRX runs quite happily on a rotted through exhaust but the probable beating from enraged ped's and mad police officers means a fast pace through town becomes obligatory. Here the nimbleness of the chassis makes for happy times! The exhaust is usually the first component to go down from the dreaded rot (don't even bother trying to buy a new one from a Yamaha dealer), but the rest of the chassis can follow suit at an alarming rate. A mere 20,000 miles often defines rat status!
This is good and bad news. Good because it's hard to disguise a high mileage dog. Bad because a year's riding can leave a bike looking like a wrecked twenty year old. Good because massive chassis rot can happily coexist with a decent engine, which means a potential bargain. Bad because the chassis bits aren't readily available cheap in breakers, or even new...
On the other hand, it's such a rare bike that no-one's going to know if you bodge on components off other models. Lack of cheap spare parts is the main limitation on enjoyment of the SRX. Simple as that, though some of the importers will go out of their way to get stuff quickly all the way from Japan.
They come quite reasonably priced, though, £1000 to £1200 buying something with around 15000 miles on the clock and therefore plenty of potential life left. Half that buys something approaching a rat in the UK and a half reasonable runner in OZ or NZ. Nice ones in Japan are becoming hard to find and can be quite expensive, even as much as £2000 for the low mileage stuff, which is silly.
Overall, it lacks the compulsive wholeness and sheer usefulness of the GB250 but is much more interesting than its custom siblings like the awful GN and SR250, which both have sublime depreciation. Both the GB and SRX thumpers are lost opportunities on the UK market where, reasonably priced, they would have sold by the boatload even as new machines. The GB250, with the ability to order CBX250 engine parts from Honda or the breaker, and its more refined character, is the better buy all other things being equal.
Kawasaki Estrella
Whereas the Honda and Yamaha singles reaffirm the benefits of orthodox motorcycle design combined with modern engine technology, the Estrella goes further back in motorcycle history for its inspiration and styling. Taking hints from both old British motorcycles and ancient Harley vee twins, the whole result rather ruined by disc brakes at each end and an ugly pair of saddles that had manufacturers of pile remedies rubbing their greedy hands in glee.
However, there are plenty of examples in Japan that have had a dual seat fitted (and the 1995 version comes with one fitted as stock) and the disc brakes are better than most such devices, can survive a couple of British winters without corroding. The same goes for the finish, which is better than many a Kawasaki, perhaps because it's trying to sell itself as a mini-custom.
The basic thumper engine's about as mild as it can get without becoming terminally constipated (with the major benefit of good longevity, the valves or cam lobes going first). 20 horses from 250cc's was something even BSA could've achieved in the fifties, though the Estrella was entirely lacking in either exploding gearboxes or disintegrating crankshafts, not to mention oil leaks. That's not to say it was entirely lacking in character, low rev work was packed full of torque and the engine had a certain intimation that there was a combustion process going on down below, though without any of the barely controlled violence of a big Harley.
Taken to extremes, revving the motor hard produced vibration that would have a BSA addict grinning in anticipation of a roadside repair and power doing a runner. On reflection, it just wasn't worth the effort of thrashing it until the valves floated. Just relax, get laid back and enjoy! Ideal if you can't handle the sheer excesses of a Harley.
If top speed was a mere 80mph, and motorway cruising limited to a perilous 70mph, handling lacked any major traumas, although the upright riding position was useful for developing arm muscles and the suspension reacted in an almost vintage manner to large bumps taken at flat out speeds (ie there was sod all and the rider was left wobbling in the seat, wondering if he'd ever be able to have sex again). Suspension compliance does a runner after about 15000 miles of abuse, not exactly defining the quality option but about par for the course for the cheaper Jap stuff.
In town, however, it was a whole different, much more relaxed, story. Despite looking quite hefty, the Kawasaki but barely breaks through the 300lb barrier on the scales, combined with its churning torque makes for a fast pace through even the most traumatic traffic.
The gearbox lacked the ultimate precision of the better Jap's but worked okay with a little care and sympathy. A sensible owner would immediately fit narrower bars to reflect the sheer superiority of its narrowness; a lazy one would just enjoy leaving a trail of car mirrors in his wake.
Kawasaki never imported the Estrella because it was just too expensive for what it offered - style combined with sod all performance. Even in Japan, used ones are expensive, reflected in UK prices that only occasionally go below £2000. The cheaper Honda and Yamaha thumpers offer much more practical motorcycling, a symphony of fun and frugality. With a dual seat, the Estrella has great pose value and is practical, fun and economical by today's pathetic standards (70mpg) in town. It's just a question of finding one for reasonable money.
Yamaha SRV250
So big is the retro game in Japan, that they will do almost anything to take the market by storm. The SRV has a chassis that wouldn't have troubled Norton in their heyday, having defined good handling in the sixties and then thrown it away with the rubbery Commando, and a vee-twin engine cloned from their custom bruiser, which puts out a little more power whilst sharing the majority of engine parts.
The overall effect would probably have the people at Morini spewing up their pasta in disgust if not envy, but the reality of such a small vee-twin engine is a lack of zap, even compared with the better Jap thumpers, a capacity at which the single cylinder idiom really excels as there's minimal vibration to absorb by the balancer. 250cc is about right for optimum engine efficiency for a single, with a vee-twin there are too many frictional losses.
Torque the SRV motor has, it even claims 27 horses, but doesn't seem to move as well as a similarly powered 1970 Honda CB250K3! I had the impression that the motor was churning through an excess of friction, that the oil was turning to treacle and that it lacked the kind of sweetness exemplified by a Morini 350 Sport when on the cam, a design ruined more by modern emission and noise regulations than any intrinsic engineering faults.
Finesse and quality had done a runner in favour of style over substance. This initial impression faded after a couple of days, for 20,000 miles had left the mill a touch vibratory and it took that long for the buzz to fade into the background. A newer model proved much more stimulating, almost had me waxing lyrical as the suspension was a lot firmer and the handling an order of magnitude improved in its precision and accuracy.
Neither did the finish of the older one inspire - rotted alloy, peeling chrome and scarred paint. This on an eighteen month old example that had been thrashed all its life, reflected in a £1500 price in Tokyo. The immaculate ones fetch closer to £2500, which means rather silly money in the UK, where they are still, unfortunately, rare.
As a practical hack, price aside, low mileage examples would make the grade and they would certainly have the old codgers going all nostalgic. The high mileage ones probably aren't worth the effort, so a careful eye has to be kept for clocked examples in the UK, an all too pervasive manoeuvre in the good old motorcycle trade.
Suzuki GSX250S Kat
Weird, radical style inspired by the old 1100 Katana, hides the fact that the chassis weighs a mere 360lbs and that the frame and geometry are miles ahead of those old bruisers. The thoroughly modern DOHC watercooled four cylinder motor sings along in its rev happy, torque deficient way and it's typically Suzuki tough without any of the immediate electrical horrors of the old GSX and GS series.
The riding position, whilst not as uncomfortable as the original, can give some torture to the groin area and isn't too relaxed in town. Combined with much throttle madness to get anywhere fast, not to mention gearbox action (if it's anything other than slick, mileage's probably very high), makes for a tiresome hustle in town unless you've just graduated from some wild and wacky stroker. However, time does allow the harshness of the riding stance to be accommodated and 100 miles in one sitting isn't impossible. Just don't blame me if the resulting funny walk gets you some compliments from the wrong quarters.
Whilst not devastating in its top end performance, it's possible to string along at around the ton for a couple of hours - the engine should be smooth with an inspiring rasp from the exhaust. The latter goes into quick rot mode when subjected to the joys of a British winter and the motor can become very constipated at the top end if run on nonstandard cans. Overall paint quality's inspired by the conspicuous consumption of its home market rather than trying to impress the desperate in the UK with its longevity.
Derestricted examples of the motor aren't unknown, good for an extra 10mph on the top end, which becomes a touch frantic though it could never be said to actually soil its image with vibration. The bike hasn't been around long enough to test its durability and longevity but other Suzuki watercooled 250 fours, on which most of its mechanicals are based, regularly break through the 50,000 mark even when neglected and abused.
Flat out riding ain't exactly recommended on stock suspension (set up for lightweight Jap riders to pose in town). Whilst the frame's a strong enough tubular trellis that Suzuki perfected in things like the GS550 and the geometry ain't bad, high speed weaves indicate it's time to pass the sick bucket, though the days of easy kicks from speed wobbles are long since past unless a tyre blows or the steering head bearings start breaking up. The latter can be surprisingly short-lived but easily sussed by bars that try to wrestle their way out of the rider's hand even at moderate velocities.
Combine the handling with a lack of startling acceleration above the ton to leave the bike a sitting duck for the plod or miscreants on minor sportsters like the GPZ 500S. Of course, Suzuki make other models more able to hack it as a sportster and it's only the Katana's association with past glories that suggest it should be thrashed along at highly illegal speeds. Its appearance does mean that Joe Cager in his GTi will try it on and maybe succeed if the road's long and clear. In town, he'd just end up back-ending other cages that get in his way.
In its favour, the Kat averages 60mpg and gives consumables an easy time (due to the smoothness of its power output). The style will appeal to those who were too young or broke to buy the original version - second time around they can have all the visual kicks with none of the traumas of massive high speed wobbles, even if it's at the price of relatively mild performance.
They are pretty rare and expensive in the UK (£2500 up) and scarce on the ground outside of Japan, where you'd be very lucky to find a nice one for less than 2000 notes. They should become more available over the next couple of years and certainly worth a look over (the genuine low milers have retained their immaculate finish, the hard used ones look on the way out with rust seeping out of the paint).
Honda 250 Jade
When Honda gets things right it's hard to beat them. Why on earth they don't do a 600 version for the UK market is beyond comprehension. Naked, neat and even nefarious, the Jade defines where modern motorcycles are going to end up. Hugely sophisticated in its watercooling, four cylinders, two camshafts and sixteen valves; sublimely willing to rev to five-figure extremes and weighing in at a nymph like 330lbs, the Jade simply screams excessive kicks without ever reducing the rider to the usual replica neurosis and hysteria!
Okay, having to wade through the gearbox and manhandle the throttle all the time might be considered tiresome, but the overall ease with which the bike can be handled more than compensates. And - race replica owners eat your heart out - it's also marvellously comfortable, defining how good ergonomics can add to the whole motorcycle adventure rather than leave the rider enervated and in agony, though those with larger backsides might find the seat on the skimpy side.
The only point in having four tiny pistons in the 250cc genre's if they are going to scream at 15000 revs all the time. Torque? Forget it, though such is the build quality and precision that the mill will turn over at minimal revs in the taller gears without causing the drive chain to leap off its sprockets. When the throttle's twirled open from such revs it just turns into a fifty-a-day gasper.
It's easy to become lost in the gearbox when trying to find a cog that brings in the high rev power punch, though the box itself is miles ahead of some of the junk Honda has inflicted on the UK, though those who grew up on sixties Honda will mourn the passing of that invaluable anti-theft device, which leaves would-be thieves screaming in frustration and rage.
But it's fun when the power hits and some peculiarity of the torque production means it'll run along more or less flat out even in adverse conditions, defying its lack of cubes and bettering rivals for the ease with which it can be relentlessly abused. 100-110mph cruising with a BMW-esque comfort on a naked bike of such minimal capacity ain't bad going, even in these days of high tech exotica.
Suspension might be a touch soft for extra large louts but nothing more disturbing than a querulous feel results at speed. Unfortunately, or at least more expensively, the front end's weaker than the back, perhaps exaggerated by a forward weight bias, although both ends lose their touch with reality after 25000 miles. Anything involved in a mild shunt will, anyway, be running a nonstandard front end as Jade spares are as rare as honest pension plan salesmen.
The brakes, alas, don't age well and are quite likely to result in a broken and bashed bike unless kept in good repair. Something to look out for in the backstreet importers - the forks are more likely to bend or snap than the frame. Mild bashes induce hairline cracks in the cast wheels which often go unnoticed; death city when least expected.
Imports in the UK can be a bit finicky on the carburation, what was a smooth if mild sub 10,000rpm flow of power in Tokyo can turn into a large, empty vacuum in the UK. Either down to wear in the carbs, corrosion in the exhaust or changes in atmospheric conditions. An indication of how finely balanced is the motor's combustion process. Still, it makes for all the more kicks when the power finally bites and the thing speeds off up the road.
Prices vary according to condition rather than age, which is all down to mileage. Anything with a finicky gearbox, bodged electrics (short-lived batteries are a nasty expense) or rattling top end should be given a wide berth. Anything with more than 30,000 miles should be avoided, as it's one of those bikes that are permanently thrashed. Engine spares are too expensive to make a rebuild viable. Around £2750 will buy a rather nice, low mileage example in the UK. Crashed ones go for under a grand in Japan but decent examples are hard to find, as riders tend to hold on to them for a long time in a most un-Japanese fashion.
Yamaha 250 Zeal
Yamaha excel in making tough engines that work better than most in the real, bad world. In the Zeal - a similar concept to the Jade (you can tell everyone's running out of name tags...) - they haven't lost their touch. Almost uniquely for this kind of bike, the styling extends to the sensible provision of twin rear shocks (though their springing could be better for heavier Europeans) but doesn't quite equal the classical nuances of the Jade. Mostly down to the exaggerated lines of the radiator cowl, which in style conscious Japan is often discarded or replaced with better designed plastic.
Yamaha's dislocation from the real world of practical motorcycling is a tad less excessive than rivals, with a power that peaks out at lower revs and provision of a modicum of torque below 8000 revs. Interestingly, the strictures of engine design are less finely honed on the Zeal, having none of the carburation problems experienced by the Jade when placed in our damp and cold climate.
Though we have heard of one that blew its igniter unit, an expensive indignity that seems to result from an imbalance in the electrical circuit, the small and expensive battery having a penchant for losing its acid at a rapid rate when the bike's thrashed along on major trips. Beware, also, of lazy owners who put a screwdriver through the airfilter rather than replacing it, the lean mixture causing burnt out pistons and valves.
The Yam's user friendly nature runs through to the chassis, which is at once both sporty and comfortable, though this semblance of sanity's ruined in the wet when the tank's shape results in a groin full of water. Those over six feet tall will find the bike on the small side and a bit cramped. Though the suspension's on the weak side, and not particularly resistant to high mileage degradation, the handling remains stable, secure and precise. Much like the FZR600 only easier turning due to the relative lack of mass.
The Yam's becomes a little edgy above the ton, more down to the way road shocks jolt the suspension than any weakness in the frame, but a 320lb bike is never going to sit on the road with the docility of a Gold Wing. Scratchers will delight in its flickability until something digs in when the suspension's overstressed.
Then, it's quite easy to lose the plot, especially if the bike's run in the UK on the OE Jap rubber, which seems as ill-matched to high speeds on wet roads as Nippon condoms are to the relatively large girth of Westerners. Perhaps explaining the natives' ferocious fear of outsiders. Japanese women, by contrast, are wonderful and are crazy for foreigners!
Er, where were we...There are some examples in Tokyo that have been totalled, usually ending up with the front wheel melted into the top of the engine, the frame buckling rather than breaking. Written off bikes in Japan aren't allowed back on the road, so they end up being exported to the west, mostly the UK, where bodgers abound who will hit and weld them straight. On a bike with a 120mph top end, good news this is not. Rip the petrol tank off to check the frame tubes for kinks.
As the Zeal's only been around for a couple of years, most are low mileage and therefore, electrics and crash damage aside, don't represent a high risk strategy. Similar engines in the FZR250 have run for more than 50,000 miles before the clutch or gearbox have started to fall apart. The brakes, rear chain and exhaust are areas most likely to need attention on used examples but easily sussed.
The only downside's their prices, which hover around the £3000 mark for the recent stuff. The cheaper ones are usually both old and high mileage, so somewhat dubious.
Kawasaki 250 Balius
Whilst the Kawasaki is on the pace compared to its rivals, unfortunately those that turn up in the UK don't survive terrible British winters at all well. Rust seeps out of the tubular frame, the cast wheels go white with corrosion (not very reassuring), the bolts are scarred with rust and the disc brakes all too readily seize and crumble.
They do polish up okay but it's amazing how quickly a superb looking machine can turn into a rust bucket when subjected to our British acid rain (one jolly good reason to wear a helmet, if it does that to metal think what it'd do to your hair). Perhaps best to give a miss if you plan on year round commuting, unless you enjoy daily cleaning sessions.
Engine life varies greatly, depending on regularity of oil/filter changes, maintenance sessions and the way it's been used and abused. As the motor has little power below 10,000 revs it's often thrashed into the ground. Top speed's around 115mph but above the ton it needs some excessive gearbox footsie; reflected in economy diving to around 40mpg compared with a more usual 50 to 60mpg.
Rusted out exhausts have an inhibiting effect on power delivery, as in it doing a runner below ten grand, and trying to run the mill on nonstandard silencers ruins the top end urge and puts holes in the pistons. Jet kits matched with a race exhaust have a galvanising effect on top end performance but do little for reliability. Needless to say, stock exhaust systems are expensive and hard to find, jetting work needed for the non-standard stuff.
We've seen some motors that sounded like they were on their last legs with less than 30,000 miles on the clock (a dead tensioner and lack of valve sessions) but there's one still running in London with 52 thou on the clock. Strangely, given these constraints, low mileage examples do demand serious money in the UK, as much as three grand and few dealers will let them out of their showrooms for less than £2500. In Tokyo, older, somewhat ratty examples (but with less than fifteen thou on the clock) can be had for less than £1500. A good buy at the latter price, but the Balius doesn't have the same kind of class as the similarly priced Jade and Zeal.
The Kawasaki lacks some of the finesse and feel of quality of both the Honda and Yamaha, particularly in its suspension (on examples with more than 10k on the clock - the only ones experienced) which is on the cheap and nasty side. We've been quoted over £300 for a nonstandard replacement rear shock; better to try to match and mix at the breakers.
Though at best described as loose, the 320lb chassis stuck to its line, only the back tyre going walkies and the front end shaking its head momentarily on rough back roads showing where things were likely to fall apart. Compared to a Superdream it was paradise, compared to the Jade it felt pretty mediocre.
Don't expect the slickest of clutch or gearbox, nothing really wrong with the stuff on the Balius, just that it takes a little time to assimilate and overcome the feeling that the back wheel's cush-drive was breaking up. More evident when opening the throttle in a tall gear than when going for it at high revs.
I did clock a few bikes with chains dragging along the ground, a reflection of the less than smooth transmission, but crashed examples were rare in Japan - perhaps the riders behaved themselves on this kind of cycle. This was a touch odd as the front tyre seemed to be made out of plastic and wouldn't last for more than five minutes on a wet London road surface.
The layout of the naked chassis does mean it's easy to check for crash damage, pertinent as there are a few on sale in the private market in the UK (the kind of place where angels fear to tread). With the Balius, it all comes down to price and finding that elusive good deal.
Yamaha FZ250
Back in 1986 Yamaha made a first stab at the 250 four market with the FZ250, a somewhat more radical device than our own FZ600, as it borrowed the slanted forward cylinder concept from the excellent FZ750, though sharing a similar chassis to the 600. The result was 45 horses at 15000 revs, an almost complete absence of torque below eight grand and an overall nerviness that equated to a fox about to be taken by a pack of hounds. Despite lacking the outright sophistication of the TZR250's Deltabox chassis, it was the same kind of all or nothing trip.
Not only was there a lot of high rev power, but the FZ250 weighed in at a mere 310lbs, the dynamics of its chassis devoted to quick turning madness that could get rapidly out of hand on a typical English country lane. Straight line stability, at say 16000 revs in top on the motorway ( a rather glorious snarl on open pipes) was a touch queasy on decent suspension and vague to the point of danger on worn out stuff whilst the bump and grind shuffle kept the rider from relaxing. Bad enough to shake off bungee cords.
Further insanity was added by a set of twin discs out front that had an aversion to wet weather and did the usual dance with corrosion on our salted roads. Short-lived was an understatement. Expect most front ends to be upgraded with something a touch more modern and look at the square section, wraparound frame for signs of dents or filler. Most by now having experienced the tarmac blues, its unique half fairing often ending up cracked, split and scarred (look underneath and inside for signs of GRP bodging as the fairing's irreplaceable).
Some of these bikes ended up very rough, not many nice ones left, these days. As well as paint that disappears overnight if left out in our acid rain, the top end of the mill eventually succumbs to valve and cam demise (from 30,000 miles onwards) whilst the gearbox can actually break up on higher mileage examples.
The electronic ignition and battery are quite susceptible to an increase in vibration from worn out engines - a quick check for a decent FZ250's that it should be uncannily smooth, have a slick gearchange and rustle gently at tickover.
The styling's relatively modern, the mixture of performance and frugality's enticing enough to put it in the serious rather than frivolous category (120mph and 60mpg), the comfort's better than most such devices (though not perfect), they go really well in heavy traffic because of the lack of mass, and their prices are low in the UK (£1000 to £2000). Thus must the positive be weighed against the negative, they are certainly worth a look and a quick test ride.
Honda CBR250
Whilst the UK market was amused by the VT250 in 1986, the Jap's also had the option of screaming around on a 45hp, 330lb, 250cc straight four. The chassis layout avoided the insidious race replica idiom, which was left to the stroker NSR250 until the CBR250R turned up in 1988, in favour of comfort and a passable stab at protection from its half fairing.
Sensible and practical it might appear, but any engine that peaks at 14500rpm and needs ten grand before it begins to sing, can't ever be described as bland. Like the FZ250, it has a useful mixture of heady fun and street practicality. Also, the same somewhat variable aspect to its engine longevity, which makes tracking down a good one difficult. Rattles, knocks, vibration and ruined carburation are signs of an CBR250 engine on the way out, noises helpfully amplified by the plastic.
They are pretty rare on the import circuit, decent ones in the £1500 to £2000 range in the UK, though in Japan they go for well under £1000, being old, off the pace and lacking both hi-tech style and retro finesse. Overall competence, however, fits in well with the mixed riding environment in the UK and they shouldn't be dismissed out of hand. Check for signs of clocking as they are getting on in years.
Suzuki 350 Goose
Only in Asia would they give such an odd name to a motorcycle which to Western eyes seems all too apt in its out of it, weird styling. Only past Italian designs have matched its oddness. The DR350 inspired motor has some of the beastliness of old Ducati singles, a hint that it's going to be a bit rough and ready, something it never really lives down to.
One of the keys to extracting good performance from such a small, mildly tuned single lays in compactness and light weight. Alas, the Goose weighs in at 325lbs rather than 250lbs (like the DR350), which comes in part from its overspecified suspension, brakes and wheels. This concentration of mass in its unsprung components translates into an edgy feel on British roads, not unlike those old Ducati singles which got their chassis integrity, in part, from using the engine as a stressed member. Though both bikes rumble over rough roads, neither blew its grip on the tarmac in a big way and quite a lot of fun could be had. It's just that it could be so much better if the Goose's chassis was properly designed with regards to minimising its mass, both overall and unsprung.
The engine ain't exactly the most smooth in the universe, losing out to the sophistication of the GB250 in that respect, but it does churn out a useful amount of torque above 5000 revs, peaking early and threatening a blitz of vibration if the throttle's kept open rather than hitting on the gearbox. The latter, typically Suzuki, an object lesson in fluidity and smoothness. Mr Honda please note!
The effect of the front disc threatened to break balls on the back of the tank, whose interface with the marginal seat would, under long term acquaintance, help to keep down the world's population (yet more shades of those old Ducati singles). After a couple of days of use, the overall feel was one of moderate sophistication and general ease of use...as long as you didn't venture too far when the lack of comfort would intrude.
The shape of the frame doesn't inspire confidence but it's amazing how easily a bit of bracing can make up for mediocre design, few qualms about riding flat out at 90 to 100mph. The upside-down forks never impressed with their suppleness, seemed a touch weak in the springing, but were undoubtedly rigid, almost to the point of causing momentary lockups when the sliders stuttered slightly in their action.
The styling was so awful that it made one yearn for an old Brit petrol tank, but I suppose Kawasaki got there first with the Estrella. Despite having an extra three horses over the DR, the Goose was some way off the trail bike's pace and it would seem a more viable option to convert the latter to road spec than go for one of the relatively expensive Goose's (decent ones at a hefty £2500). DR350 engines being pretty tough devices but rust does have its wicked way with the chassis (especially when used off-road), thus perfectly usable but rough looking stuff can be picked up for around £1500.
One point in the Goose's favour, there are plenty of cheap DR350 engine bits in breakers that can be fitted without too much bodging. The Goose, too, lacks a durable finish when subjected to a British winter, and chassis parts are not readily available.
It's worth noting that some assiduous chaps have fitted DR engines to old British singles (25 years old, no tax and classic insurance, see) and the Goose's slightly more powerful motor might have a useful role in such retro refurbishments. The odd cheap one (around £1500) turns up on the private market, but for that kind of money it's likely to be close to a rolling wreck.
Yamaha SRX400
The UK market didn't take too kindly to the SRX600, which high mileage turned rather vibratory and ankle snapping in its reluctance to start on a cold, wet morning (its ignition circuit evidently designed by the same chap who did (in) the XS650).
The SRX400, except in its displacement, is very similar in design to the 600, both inspired by the old XT550, but in harsh reality the lack of cubes left it a much sweeter running mill. Not that it was overendowed with power, no better than the high tech 250 thumpers, at a mere 31 horses. A top speed of 100mph had even 400 Superdream owners laughing (until their balancers' chain snapped...).
The SRX400's been around since 1986 and is still, amazingly, made in Japan. A decade's model life has left a great variety of machines on offer, from cheapo rats (£500 up) to nearly new, immaculate examples (at a rather silly £3000).
The engine's quite tough if left stock, good for over 40,000 miles before the top end begins to complain. The gentle thrum of its vibration becomes much more fierce as the motor wears out and the gearbox goes all vague. Worn carb and/or a rusted out exhaust turn the carburation as nasty as some fifties big, bad British single - who mentioned the infamous BSA Goldstar?
The valves need regular checking and the oil's susceptible to an excess of slow town riding, though the agility and narrowness of the SRX means it can fly through traffic gaps better than most. Weighing in at less than 350lbs, the bike's always easy to handle, though some will find the riding position a bit extreme and lacking in comfort for low speed work. Steering accuracy's good, the suspension better wearing than most Japanese offerings, but the front wheel needs a decent depth of tyre tread and quality of rubber to avoid going all twitchy and loose.
With disc brakes at each end, braking's adequate without really impressing in its sophistication... older models are pretty naff by now but SRX600 bits will helpfully fit on the older stuff. Survival in minor shunts is pretty good, as most things are well tucked in, but rat examples run on balding tyres are likely to have gone down the road an excessive number of times...the 400 engine can be popped into the 600's frame when the going gets desperate!
It is possible to pick up a two or three year old example for around £2000 in the UK, which is a reasonable amount of bike for the money but the real kicks in the thumper genre comes from devices like the GB250 and SRX250; singles work much better at this capacity.
Even more incredible than the survival of the SRX400 is the fact that the SR400 thumper, with drum brakes all round, is still going strong. Similar to our own much maligned and little loved SR500, the 400 offers less vibration and even more miserly performance without any of the expected fuel economy benefits.
The SR's been around since 1978, quite a few beat up and rotted examples in Yippon - a few hundred quid will secure, though they will need a complete rebuild. The good ones - and they are popular with the retro crowd - go for as much as £2500 (stop laughing out there), often with a host of performance goodies and extra loud exhaust system. The reputation of the SR500 means that few of the 400's have made it to the UK. The market works!
Suzuki GSX400 Impulse
Suzuki have had loads of trouble making an impression in the 400 market. The GSX400F Bandit should have made some kind of mark but carburation problems plagued its far from subtle early incarnations, though it arguably had more style and sophistication than the Impulse. Reliability was often on a par with the old and somewhat infamous GSX400. The engine worked much better in 250 form (and if you wanted to be perverse you could salvage a Bandit by fitting the smaller engine) but such is the reputation of the bigger bike that few made it to the UK.
The Impulse is an order of magnitude better than the GSF but still doesn't exactly inspire. Not helped along by its retro styling, which whilst authentic in its lines is a touch too bland in its realism of an era when motorcycles had yet to evolve to a very dynamic state. The redoubtable 600 Bandit being a much more obvious and exciting choice in the UK for highway kicks, especially with the option of getting the mill bored out to 900cc!
Second time around, for the 400, there's a little bit of guts, especially when the four cylinder motor's tuned to 55/60hp, although the chassis weighs in at a far from feather-light 385lbs. Suspension's adequate (and shouldn't have gone floppy yet) and the geometry's relatively fast turning, though lacking the useful stability of old bruisers like the GS550, which if you backed off the throttle in corners would helpfully tighten up its line rather than try to shake you out of the saddle. If the Impulse never inspires neither does it frighten.
Comfort's, via an upright riding position, adequate, which just about sums up the rest of the machine. Although top speed can be as high as 125mph, the degree of torque backing up such velocities always seems a bit miserly, as if the engine never manages to find a sweet spot where torque and power miraculously combine to offer more than the sum of their mere parts.
Vibration isn't so much intrusive as annoying, just the slightest tingle but never disappearing for a wide enough range of revs to let the engine settle down to a usefully smooth beat. The manic exhaust crackle at high revs tending to emphasize the edgy feel of the four cylinder motor.
The bike's only been around for two years, few have done more than 15,000 miles, but there's nothing so far to suggest that engine reliability, or indeed electrical fidelity, is anything other than what you'd expect from a modern Japanese motorcycle - ie still light years ahead of the Wop stuff and pretty damn good in general. The top end of this motor should be particularly quiet and rattle free, though it's doubtful that anyone will bother with something tedious like checking the valve clearances.
Finish, though, suffers after a good old British winter - both the calipers and exhaust decaying first, but paint doing a runner from the frame and the wheels going a fervent shade of white are also items to check out. The cast alloy front wheel can take minor shunts without shattering into a million pieces but may develop hairline cracks, which under the corrosion is close to impossible to check!
Water seems to sneak into all the nooks and crannies, as well as corrosion, the odd misfire may turn up - nothing that a can of WD40 won't sort rather than the chronic death dance of a CB750F. That said, it's quite easy to get the bike back to its former glory, so a mass of corrosion's a good bargaining point.
Unfortunately, they are something of a cult bike in Japan, therefore unlikely to turn up cheap on the import circuit. Something really nice in a dealers will go for close to three grand in the UK; one already thrashed through a British winter and looking a bit tired for around two grand on the private market.
Not really brilliant buys but still useful tackle on a good day. Don't pay over the odds for one, because with the 600 Bandit ruling the cheap middleweight market in the UK it's unlikely the Impulse will become a cult bike on our shores.
Yamaha XJR400
Like the Suzuki Impulse the shape of the XJR has echoes from way back - mostly in the monstrous and thoroughly mad XS1100 four. It's somewhat more evocative than the Suzuki, though both bikes weigh the same and have similar power outputs. In many ways you could change the tanks over on these bikes and not notice much difference in their character.
On the road kicks are not dissimilar, though the Yam has a tad more feel from the tyres and a touch less intrusive motor. Both bikes can run rings around old stagers like the CB400F and GSX400, for whatever that's worth, both in terms of handling and performance, though neither can rest easy on an excessive output of torque.
Reliability problems aren't known yet, as the XJR ain't been around long enough to suffer any of usual mechanical horrors that afflict high mileage, thrashed Japs. Prices are similar to the Suzuki, which doesn't exactly make them bargains of the century when there are an excess of cheap 600's and jolly nice devices like the Kawasaki GPZ500S.
The XJR will have a limited appeal to those who want a straightforward steed with some of the seventies style and find things like Kawasaki Zephyrs tending towards boredom city (there's also a 400 Zephyr that occasionally turns up on the import market, though the excess of cheap 550 Zephyrs limit its chances of making a mark - all down to how cheap they turn up).
Another possibility in the import market's the Yamaha XJ400, similar to our XJ550, which has all the retro credentials you could possibly want as well as 45 horses and 385lbs of mass. There are still some relatively low mileage examples for around a grand in Tokyo. Under 20,000 miles being quite reasonable as the motors often run up to 60k.
An even stranger trip's the XJ400Z, a similar bike to the XJ400 but with a more powerful, 55hp, watercooled motor (both bikes weigh the same). This is a rev happy device that often turns up in Oz but is rare in Japan. The mill becomes a bit marginal after 40,000 miles but they have potential as a cheap hustle.
Honda CB-1
The CB-1 looks even better in the flesh than it does in photo's, even though it's a watercooled 400cc four that makes no concessions to the retro game. No fake cylinder fins or trying to look like a 1969 Honda CB750 (thank the lord).
What puts it firmly in the serious rather than frivolous camp's the lack of silly plastic and splendidly comfortable perch, Honda as always pursuing their perfection of modern motorcycle ergonomics. A motorcycle can be forgiven a lot if after a couple of hundred miles the rider can step off without resembling someone who's just had a near death experience. Pity those poor souls who think it's cool to suffer on a race replica.
Not that there's all that much to forgive on the Honda. Even the finish will last a couple of winters, though perhaps not the disc front brake which seizes, squeals and screams in protest at the decimated state of UK roads during our splendidly invigorating winters (rather like the riders). Spares are not that plentiful but the state of the calipers or discs are easy enough to suss.
The front end should, anyway, be viewed with suspicion as quite a few CB-1's have been dropped at high speed and survived the tarmac rash with only minor bruises. On the surface, at least, cast alloy wheels easily subsume minor cracks until they suddenly go bang in a big way and mildly twisted front forks bite back next time the going gets fast. Some back street merchants take a perverse delight in doing an amateur straightening job on the forks, covering the damage with gaiters.
The OE front tyre may, when worn down to the limit, cause severe slides in the wet; far better to dump it in favour of Metzeler rubber at the first chance. In the long run it'll work out cheaper and less painful. The crashes may just be down to the exuberant way the CB-1's thrashed along, having inherited all of the excitement and verve of the race replica CBR400, on which its engine's based.
Comfort, handling and performance all seem better than the straight retros, though on paper there ain't that much difference. Plenty of CB-1's have been derestricted to over 65 horses (Jap market ones are limited to 53hp by licensing restrictions, though like most UK 125's they are often tuned up illegally) and fly along very well. Loud 4-1 pipes are also popular with the younger owners but definitely need a jet change to avoid low rev stutters, so lean burning is the motor.
Though lacking the top end of the harder charging 600's, the smaller Honda feels much faster turning and generally easier to ride, though the lack of low end torque won't win any fans from the vintage fanatics who are hoping for a serious set of wheels on which to relive their youth. More likely to end up in heart attack mode when the power vividly charges in.
The need to use as many revs as possible for most of the time (though that doesn't mean that bad carburation should be excused as that's usually a sign of very high miles) means the poor old gearbox and clutch take a hammering. The latter, at least, is very civilised, rattles or slip a sign of some mad wheelie merchant, which often turns the rear wheel's cush-drive to dust. Perhaps contributing to the rapid demise of cheaper drive chains, though decent O-ring stuff will go for over 10,000 miles; par for the course for these kind of multi's.
The gearbox's another matter. A nasty change doesn't necessarily reflect a thrashed and neglected engine. It may indicate a lack of regular oil changes, or just that one is due. Some engines have relatively slick boxes that hardly ever intrude, others were on a par with seventies' Honda fours, which means that they needed an educated and somewhat talented foot to avoid the dreaded false neutrals.
Engine longevity's good for at least 50,000 miles, unless the oil has never been changed and the valves never checked. A lot of low rev town work can cause the oil to go off rapidly, losing a lot of its efficiency with nasty consequences on the internal engine surfaces. The engine will survive 5000 mile oil change intervals but half that's a better bet.
Blown oil pumps, burnt out alternators and ruined head gaskets are other items we've heard of, but such complaints are more a sign that they've been around a while, done very high mileages, than that the bikes are a bit naff. One that has survived 80,000 miles of abuse, mostly on original components, is a sign that given a chance ownership can be long and happy.
The CB-1's one of the few bikes that are being imported from both Japan and the USA. There are still low mileage, immaculate examples on offer for around £2000 in the UK, which makes them something of a bargain buy (running costs are a lot lower than for the 600's; 60mpg and 12000 miles from a set of tyres, not unknown).
You might pick the odd rough one up for $1000 in the States, usually chassis rot more of a hassle than engine demise. There are plenty going for about £1000 in Tokyo, with around 10,000 miles on the clock and in generally nice nick. They seem priced about right in the UK, given their good condition and general usefulness, so it's hardly worth the effort of doing a private import.
The CB-1 was replaced by the more conventional and retro CB400 Super Four, bikes that are both rare and expensive in the UK (at the moment). Whilst lacking the sheer joy of the CB-1, it's a worthy enough device, likely to be reliable and long lasting. Wait a while for their prices to fall to lower levels on a par with the excellent CB-1.
Kawasaki ZRX400
Kawasaki's Zephyr's range (which includes a 45hp 400 in Japan) won some friends for its styling but didn't impress with its lack of performance and indecently poor frugality. Where the Zephyr was at least elegant without going completely retro, the ZRX, like the Suzuki and Yamaha alternatives, goes the whole, rather silly, way. At a quick glance it could pass for some smart seventies hack.
This disguises the fact that it's in reality a high tech, 16 valve, watercooled four cylinder motor with all the usual necessary accessories...too many carbs, an excess of disc brakes, minimal front mudguard, etc. True, it does have conventional twin shocks without the usual quick decaying set of suspension linkages and outrageously expensive mono-shock, but they aren't of astonishing quality and the bike has to carry an excessive 410lbs of metal (plus fuel, oil and coolant).
The motor does have an urgent feel, the handling's nicely neutral and the gearbox's slicker than most Kawasaki efforts, even if the clutch's a bit brutal in its take-up and prone to slip under heavy abuse. Drive chain whiplash, when playing with the throttle at low revs in taller gears, ain't completely unknown. Comfort's reasonable for those under 5'10'' but a bit cramped for taller riders but both begin to suffer after a 100 miles, or so, with chaffed inner thighs from the shape of the tank and various pains in tensed muscles.
Maybe just from the frenetic nature of the mill than any particular failing in the ergonomics. A feeling emphasized in some Tokyo examples, which run revised ignition units, loud (and illegal) pipes, clip-ons and a flash paint job - the extra power (65hp plus) just shows up the suspension and disc brakes, though miles ahead of the seventies bikes, as being close to mediocre; not that it matters in Tokyo as bikes are more of a pose than pure speed tools. The local hoodlums wear flares with turn-ups and think Suzuki GN250's are cool custom cycles!
The ZRX can take something like a 550 Zephyr but is a bit lost against a GPZ500S, its excess of high technology not adding up to all that much even when the motor's derestricted. 400cc's and four cylinders need some radical engineering in the relationship between bore and stroke to exploit their benefits; the ability to run along at 15000 revs being the most pertinent (the ZRX peaks at 11000 revs). When it's done right it's close to miraculous but silly power restrictions limit innovation in the Japanese home market, more style than substance and all kinds of weird shit going down to keep the sales going.
The ZRXs's a relatively recent bolide, thus nearly new, immaculate examples cost around £3000 in Japan; hard going to find something for less than £2500 unless it's been crashed and bashed - you definitely need to take the petrol tank off to check the upper frame for bent or straightened tubes.
Crashed ones in the UK usually run non-standard front ends and wheels. UK prices are heavy for nice ones, around £3500 - silly money! Anything cheaper in a dealer's likely to be crashed and straightened. It certainly ain't inspiring enough to merit such high prices.
Kawasaki 400 Xanthus
Kawasaki make an excellent and relatively cheap middleweight in the GPZ500S, especially the later model with the 17'' front wheel (which doesn't lose its front end so easily on greasy roads). Thus they are hard pressed to better it by producing a 400cc watercooled four, though it had the same kind of pleasant ergonomics but lacks the GPZ's handy half fairing which provides an aerodynamic boost at high speed (despite lacking proper hand protection and having a small screen).
The urge at the ton being somewhat minor in the naked Xanthus. There's also a 50hp GPZ400S (EX-4) available in Japan but it lacks the zap of the 500 version; sometimes turns up in the UK at a reasonable £2000. They weigh pretty much the same (around 380lbs) which only goes to prove how underdeveloped is the bigger twin, as the four is merely par for the course in this highly competitive capacity in Japan. The 400 Xanthus exhibits a touch more stability and reassurance than the sometimes flighty GPZ but remains usefully agile. Alas, a couple of years of abuse does in the integrity of both bikes' suspension, leaving them akin to high speed pogo-sticks, a failing emphasized when ridden hard two-up with extra large louts on board.
The engine doesn't have the sheer smoothness of the Honda 400 four, though it never really turns rough, just the odd pulse of vibration through the bars or pegs. Certainly more sophisticated in feel than the air cooled 550 Zephyr. The gearbox becomes a bit grouchy with age, but any actual false neutrals should be viewed with horror, more than likely a sign of high mileages. Neutral's usually elusive at a standstill. A really nasty gearchange may just be dead oil.
We've heard of one that blew its igniter box and another that had carb icing problems in our brutal British winters. The former ended up blowing its alternator and some electrical components, wasn't rated at all highly by its owner who faced near bankruptcy due to the cost of importing the bits. As carb icing can cause the engine to cut out in the middle of fast moving traffic, it's worth checking the chassis over for crash damage. The massive, wraparound frame's unusually tough, bent forks, cracked wheels and smashed exhaust system the most likely trouble spots.
The calipers are susceptible to corrosion but that's true of most imports and they are shared with numerous other Kawasaki models, easily available if not particularly cheaply (due to the demand, see) in breakers. The styling's odd enough to make it something of a slow seller, so silly offers are possible. In Japan, anything decent costs over £2000, which explains prices in the UK in the £3000 to £3500 range in dealers. The odd, rather bruised and battered, example turns up in the private market at around £2200 but it's usually more trouble than it's worth. Unless the looks blow your mind away, they simply ain't worth this kind of dosh!
Yamaha FZ400
Back in 1984, Yamaha were amusing the Japanese market with a 400cc watercooled, DOHC, four that managed 60 horses at 12000 revs. It wasn't as radical as the FZR series (lacking the five valves per cylinder and slanted forward top end) but some way ahead of our own aircooled FZ600, Yamaha's really serious 400 four wouldn't turn up until 1986 in the form of the FZR400 race replica.
Weighing in at 370lbs with a commendable compactness and willing mono-track back end, the FZ400 was, in its day, pretty damn hot. Willing, with slightly modded pipes, to put 120mph on the clock and not flutter all over the place until the suspension had suffered more than 25,000 miles of wear. The overall feel's not that dissimilar to the FZ600, insofar that the chassis might feel a little edgy when the road surface degenerates but the line is held with an almost religious fidelity.
There are still a few left, even after ten years of abuse, tearing around Tokyo and they occasionally end up in the back street importers for around £1500, which is good value for money given the level of kicks. Their age does mean that mileage's higher than most imports, in the 20,000 to 30,000 mile range, which is when things begin to go wrong and some devastating expenses can unexpectedly turn up.
For some reason - maybe just the kind of rider they attract - they quite often turn up crashed and bashed in Japan. The forks are on the spindly side, can even break in a head-on collision (which at least means they probably haven't been straightened!). The square section frame usually buckles, inconveniently, under the half fairing, which doesn't so much as crack but splinter when it hits the tarmac (hence some turn up as naked bikes; some come naked stock). The rest of the bike, the usual ancillaries apart, is well tucked in.
Dumping the front end ain't that bad an idea, as the calipers go all nasty with age, wet weather braking's breathtaking and British road debris can turn the fork seals very short-lived (as in 5000 miles and they are buggers to fit properly). Make sure that the bike's fitted with decent rubber for UK work, some of the Jap stuff's dire on the FZ in the wet, due to its fast turning nature.
Most engines of this type are thrashed hard (max torque's at ten grand...), the FZ able to rattle its camchain in as little as 25,000 miles. The sixteen valve head ain't as long-lived or willing to be neglected as later 20 valvers but usually survives to at least 30,000 miles - neglect of oil changes and servicing can have an effect at half that mileage.
Carburation can be finicky in the UK but easily sussed during the test ride. The small-ends are also susceptible and broken con-rods turn up on really thrashed/high mileage examples. As spares are rare it pays to make sure that the engine's in good fettle. Electrics can also be pretty dire.
There are also some fairly obvious failings in the chassis, mostly down to corrosion and quick wear bearings in the mono-shock back end. The latter can end up so corroded that the only way to get the bushes out is to destroy the whole damn thing! A half-yearly lubrication sessions's essential.
Having said all that, we saw a very nice one going for £1400 and a would-be dog for £1900; both in dealers, the private market obviously that bit cheaper - buyer beware, as always, and perhaps not a bike for the novice.
Honda CBR400
Whilst the UK enjoyed the charms of the CBR600, Japan had their own kicks from the 400 version, which was launched in 1986 and lasted until 1990 when the race replica RR took over.
The early model looks identical to our 600F1 but is scaled down a touch, weighing in at a mere 365lbs but having only 60 horses at 12500 revs. If you thought the 600 lacked low rev torque you should try the 400 version, though it was never less than smooth and sophisticated, giving off a feeling of wholeness that Honda do so well.
The riding position's commendably easy on tired muscles, though the tiny screen means the rider's still drenched through when assaulted by inclement British weather. Finish is better than most Japanese offerings but the plastic cracks easily when it's replaced after servicing and the exhaust begins to rot after a few years.
Handling's let down by an inadequate rear shock (which should, by now, have been replaced) and forks that go off after 20,000 miles of abuse, but general stability's close to excellent and it can be flicked about even more easily than the CBR600. The discs are the usual quick rot junk but powerful, with good feedback, when in fine fettle.
130mph and 50mpg in stock tune isn't quite the stuff of dreams but extra power is easily available from the motor and doesn't harm the economy - many were illegally modded in Japan, sporting loud exhaust systems. Even when tuned the engine's pretty tough.
Things to look for include dying camshaft lobes, burnt out alternator (and bodged black boxes or wrecked batteries), rattling clutch and a gearbox past its sell-by date.
Stock engines can happily do over 50,000 miles. Most of the imports on offer in dealers have done 15000 to 20,000 miles, so plenty of life left in them. Good ones can be found for around £1500 but go up to £2500 in the more up-market dealers. They haven't attracted the back street bodgers to any great extent and there are some great buys out there. Really nice ones turn up in Japan in the £1000 to £1500 price range; crash damaged stuff for less than £750. As long as you don't mind a bit of gearbox action, a good buy.
Another possibility's the earlier (1984 to 1987) CBR400F, which was available both naked and with a half or full fairing - the naked one looks very butch! Unfortunately, this model had a similar aircooled mill to the infamous CBX550, suffered similar camchain hassles and it was caned even heavier, making 60 horses at 12,500rpm. Not many of these made it into the nineties (or the UK) intact, but they are very cheap and have some potential at around the grand mark.
For those who want to get really desperate in the cheap and nasty arena there was an even earlier (1981-3) CBX400F which looked too identical for comfort to the 550...
Honda GB500TT
Honda's FT500 started off their big single range (there was also an FT400 in Japan). Whilst its flat track styling was passable, engine reliability and handling were pretty dire. It died a rapid death in the UK market. Its replacement, the XBR500, had more success but a combination of vibration, quick demise disc front brake and lack of low speed comfort somewhat limited its appeal. It ended up mostly in the hands of OAP's who hoped it would some day make it as a classic.
Little did they realise that such ambitions would be shattered by the presence of the GB500, basically an XBR with a retro set of clothes. Strangely, they never made it as official imports.
The good point about the GB's that its engine has had many minor design updates, making the top end much more robust than the earlier XBR's, which could ruin its cam lobes if oil changes were neglected and/or high miles were done.
GB500 engines regularly run for more than 50,000 miles, even if it develops the same power and torque as the earlier thumper. Given that the vast majority of imports have done less than 20,000 miles this makes them good buys, along with the fact that many XBR bits are common.
Vibration is never entirely subsumed by the balancer system but doesn't graunch until the engine's in the red, by which time all the power has done a runner and only a fool wouldn't hit on a taller gear. After about 40,000 miles the selectors get a bit worn, false neutrals not unknown, the resulting trillion revs a bit eyeball popping. Something with a slick(ish) gearbox has undoubtedly been well looked after.
More likely to find a mass of corrosion than any engine hassles. Though newish ones maintain their finish, a few British winters has the alloy far gone, the paint doing a runner from the frame and the cycle parts looking faded and tatty. Nothing bead-blasting, painting and polishing won't sort out.
More serious is exhaust, caliper and electrical rot, which ranges between expensive and inflammatory, though the low tune of the engine means it'll run quite well with cheap universal cans.
Poor running more likely to come from dirt inside the tank or ancient spark plugs that have corroded into the head and therefore can't easily be replaced. Spark plugs can be quite short-lived, making starting awkward in the traditional style of British big thumpers, soon sorting the men from the boys.
Electrical rot can hit anywhere in the wiring on early models that have done over 40,000 miles. The results are usually found in a battery with the dreaded white rot on its plates, though blowing fuses or lights are also likely contenders for highway irritation. The generator also burns out. A fully charged battery can last for a couple of hours running just the engine, so test with the lights on and use the horn and indicators a few times.
At least one example of the GB500's running an NX650 engine, itself a tough old bugger with an interesting excess of torque (power isn't any greater). The owner complained of white-fingers but judging by the wheelie he pulled, it didn't diminish his enjoyment. The stock GB500 really has to be caned hard to do such stunts, down to its very conservative steering geometry.
Overall ride and handling are something a refugee from a seventies Triumph twin would appreciate, as long as his bones hadn't got so old he couldn't take the odd rattle and roll on decrepit country roads. Suspension's well developed and long lived at the front but the usual fade away junk at the back after a few years of abuse.
The front end screams out for a nice big drum but has, in nasty reality, a disc that never overwhelms and lasts better than the dreadful tackle on the XBR.
Performance is just about on the pace with a 400 Superdream, frugality isn't terrible at 60mpg; running costs reasonable with the honourable exception of the rear chain where the thumper power pulses finally make themselves felt - the cheap pattern stuff goes down in less than 5000 miles! Used as a despatch hack, for instance, takes the finer edges off the Honda, leaving it in rat city after a year or so.
Prices vary enormously, depending on the state of the bike and the gullibility of the purchaser. Some dealers do a quick tidy over and clocking of the higher mileage examples, turning a £500 purchase into a £2000 rip-off - they'll tell you that the vile vibration from the shagged engine is par for the course on a big Honda thumper. Kick 'em between the legs.
Under a thousand notes might just pick up a rat example on the private market, £1500 should buy something jolly nice and, if you know what you're doing two grand will find an excellent example in dealers. They are cheaper but higher mileage in Oz or NZ, maybe worth doing an import if you're on holiday down-under.
There's also the GB400 version, similar engine and retro clothes in an equally useful package, though the GB250, with its superior engine technology, stands out as the best of the trio of Honda thumpers. Prices and availability are similar to the GB500.
Suzuki GSX750S Kat
A few 750 Kat's made it into the UK at the time of their launch in 1984, but they made much greater inroads into other markets, the UK perhaps being disillusioned by the excessive mass and frightening speed wobbles of the 1100 version.
Even the 750 wasn't a lightweight at 470lbs dry but it improved on the geometry and suspension of the 1100, as well as having a sleeker silhouette (and cute pop-up headlamp) and coming in a startlingly bright white, rather than a metallic grey that merged with the tarmac and encouraged cagers to run right over it!
With a mere 80 horses at 9000 revs, the aircooled four cylinder motor was relatively mild by the 1100's standards, which undoubtedly gave the chassis an easier time, though the pilot was still strained by the riding position and the interface between tank and seat. A hundred miles more than enough, though the mill could turn in a reasonable 50mpg and the huge tank allowed a range far in excess of the comfort.
The square section frame was plenty strong enough, the rear mono-shock arrangement adequate until its bushes or shock wore out and the front end flighty but flutter free. A chassis in good fettle refrained from the 1100's impression of a dying camel but a worn out chassis didn't have any inherent stability to fall back upon and could end up waltzing across several lanes of traffic. Such degenerative chassis components made them easy to crash, so check over carefully.
Alas, the 750 Kat had all the same sorry electrical hassles as the rest of the range. These bikes can keep running with two out of three alternator coils burnt out but bulbs blow and the battery discharges itself overnight. Look for bodged rectifiers and wiring, nails or 50 amp fuses in the fuse-box (which may end up as a charred mess) and evidence of the battery being disconnected from the rectifier (a burnt coil fries the rectifier, or is it the other way around?).
Whilst most of the engine's pretty tough (the clutch is the weakest area) and there's plenty of torque so no need to thrash them everywhere, corrosion does afflict the chassis, calipers and exhaust but nothing so serious that a bit of bodging and raid on the breakers can't cheaply sort out.
The dealers only sell prime meat but the private market has a few rats for as little as a grand a throw, needing more effort than dosh to tidy up as the engine usually holds together for more than 60,000 miles (and spares from other GSX750 motors will, anyway, swap). Can be a very good buy.