Used Guide: the Editor's Choices

Fairly large numbers of letters keep dropping through the letter box demanding to know just which bikes editorial money would be spent upon. So here's a thoroughly biased and opinionated (so what's new?) good bike guide.

Up to 125cc, the Suzuki GS125 (with drums and spoked wheels, please) has an unbeatable combination of style, performance and economy. If that's too new and expensive for you, try one of the similar Honda CB125 singles from the early seventies. Up to 250cc, another OHC single wins - Kawasaki's Z200, again, an unbeatable combination of attributes.

An early CD175 (pre 1970) is also a good bet for those with no money and the CB200 twin is Honda's best small twin. The Kawa 250 twin is also worth a look. In the 250 to 500cc range, Honda's sixties CB450 stands out as the ultimate twin, although good ones are very rare. The Honda CB500/4 can be picked up for a few hundred notes, has classic looks and a nice blend of go and handling. Suzuki has two 400cc contenders, the GS400 twin and GSX400 four. Both can get a bit unreliable when thrashed and neglected, but there are still some nice cheap ones around.

Kawasaki's GPz305 stands out as a straightforward design that delivers surprising performance and is only spoilt by the large number of owners who insist on thrashing and neglecting them. Yamaha's LC350 has all the attributes and problems of highly tuned two strokes, but is lots of fun. Their RD400 can be surprisingly reliable. But the best big two stroke comes from Suzuki with their GT500 (and earlier T500) - still around for as little as a hundred notes.

Of the large numbers of 550 fours go for the Suzuki GS for sheer toughness and the Kawa GPz for performance and reliability. Some Yam XJ550s can also be tough old beasts but some decay rapidly. The Suzuki GSX550 is also worth considering if you can take the twitchy handling and it hasn't been neglected.

Again, Suzuki and Kawasaki 750s are ahead of the pack, although Honda's CBX750 is much underrated. Yamaha's XS650 twin is tough but handles strangely. Unless you can afford something very new, the bikes over 750cc aren't really worth the hassle.

To narrow that lot down, I'd start with a GS125 (there are some that have been neglected and can be bought for less than £200), then a Kawa GPz305, move on to a Suzi GS550 Katana and then buy a cheap, low mileage CBX750. Of course, if I had 2 1/2 grand to spare I'd buy a nearly new Honda CBR600 and hope Honda had got back to the levels of reliability they had in the sixties.

Bill Fowler