Suzuki GSX600F

Damn - Pipped at the post.

 

Cerberus let forth with a mighty belch and uttered :

Assuming the newer ones are similar to mine in all except the body work.

In their favour.

Cheap
Comfy
Excellent fairing for distance riding
Mechanically sound
Brakes on the older models are quite good if fettled
Quick enough for a commuter
Handling OK for a commuter
Good on fuel
Excellent gearbox
Simple to fix

Bad points

Fairing is easily scratched and cracks when it falls off the sidestand. And
it will
Electrically suspect
Rots
Rots
Rots
Rots
Handling slow and not up to it when red mist descends
Brakes rot and seize just to **** you off
Although simple to fix, it can be pain fixing it coz of the fairing
Ugly

Seriously, I have never had a bike that has looked so tatty so quickly or
rotted in so many interesting ways. The fairing is a pain in the arse as it
has to be dismantled to do all but an oil change.

I used mine to commute 100 miles a day with occaisional trips to other
offices around the country. It used to boil the battery at random, blow
tail lights on a weekly basis, the brakes were a nightmare in that they'd
be fine for months, then a piston would seize overnight. The valves would
stay in adjustment for 12,000 miles, then the next check they'd be all over
the place. Carbs would stay in adjustment then an adjuster would vibrate
loose. Camchain tensioner often didn't, and it is a pain to get to.

I got between 18,000 and 24,000 miles from a chain, 3,000 to 4,000 from a
rear tyre, 6,000 to 8,000 from a front tyre and about 10,000 miles from the
speedo cable. After the third one failed, I gave up on having a speedo and
velcroed a cycle speedo on.

In short, if you got one cheap enough, they don't make a bad shite old bike
for kicking about on, but swap a Fazer for one?, nah. Don't do it. Just
don't. The Fazer would kick its arse in every way except perhaps riding
long distances at which the GSXF is really rather good. Dull but good.

 

Mine doesn't, but then it had the 'mod' done shortly after the problem
was discovered.

 

Too much of a princely sum for a bike they didn't build pauperly.

 

Depends on the pillion...

Pah. I reckon all the whinging about carb icing is just another sign
of the pathetic nature of modern bikers. On the odd occasion when my
9R suffered it was jolly good fun - a bit of coughing and misfiring
and then *bang* the power comes in as it goes onto the main jets.
Lovely fun in the wet.

Dunno what's the marra wiv yer.

 

I get carb icing on my Suzuki, well ignition soaking which is excellent
fun, not. Doesn't put me off and it happens a darn sight more than I
used to get carb icing on the Kawasaki.

I have to admit that when I was looking at possible bikes to trade up to
I was sorely tempted by a couple of ZX-9's I saw on Auto Trader. I've
always heard good things about them in a sort of "not the ultimate but a
damn good bike" way.

 

Dont do it. I had the old version and rode a brand new one at the
weekend - the years have been very unkind and they havent changed much
in those years. They havent changed and you will be *sorely*
dissappointed - in terms of handling, performance, build quality, and
resale values. There are far better bikes out there to choose from -
you`d be better off updating the fazer - trust me on that.

 

Mine dont

 

I`ve put many miles on the GSX and its really not up to modern bike
standards. Forgetting sports bikes, there are *far* better bikes out
there.

 

I assume that you gave them a stern talking to eh?

Isn't the power of sheer terror amazing!

Phil

--
Phil Launchbury, Network & Infrastructure PHB
Triumph Tiger 955i
"I'm training the bats who live in my cubicle
to juggle mushrooms"
Remove sick person to email me

 

they wouldn't fucking dare.

Anyway they are maintained at a climate controlled 42 degrees in your
fully equipped ZX9 "home from home" garage

 

JP secured a place in history by writing:

I'm not disagreeing. But they're cheap and if you want to cover miles at
high speed,particularly with passenger, they're a better bet than the
Fazer. In every other respect I'd have the Fazer.

 

Sean secured a place in history by writing:

That's pretty much where I am on it. But one of us has had extreme luck on
the reliability front - I never had a single issue with it over 30k save
the front caliper seizing once after I left it out in shite weather for two
weeks.

 

Neither do mine.

I've seen the white frost crystals over the carb body. However, that was
probably more to do with the fuel leak.