the best 400cc going

[lordswood army]

i will soon be 17 and am wondering what the best 400cc i can buy:
kawasaki
honda
yamaha
suzuki

i need an expert! wot to choose?
wot about insurance?

[DoodleBug]

ehem, zzr400 definately.

cough, cough.

[Juvenilerider]

this WILL cause arugments :D

[winjaninja]

i will soon be 17 and am wondering what the best 400cc i can buy:

Depends what sort of thing you want to do and your average mileage on it. How tall are you for starters as this has an effect. Do you want performance, sensible transport and what's your budget

wot about insurance?

Again, the faster/higher performance the bike, the more expensive the insurance. Best thing to do is to phone around for some theoretical quotes and see what you can afford, however, 17 years old on a performance bike will not be cheap

[DoodleBug]

this WILL cause arugments :D

Hands off, I saw him first :wink:

[Juvenilerider]

:D imstaying out of this, this will be a bloodbath lol

[Jims]

...17... presume that you are doing your test straight away...? Otherwise you'll be looking at 125's.

As for 400's... I didn't go for one once I passed my test because I felt that the performance of a 400 would be ridiculous with 33bhp restrictors in. However, I can't comment from first hand experience as I haven't ridden one.... but I just went by the fact that they would be being restricted more and also be heavier than a smaller capacity bike. Not to mention insurance.

So I went for what I have now (ZXR250) and was very very happy with it and actually managed to keep my restrictors in up until recently, when I finished my 2 years. I'd recommend them (and similar bikes like the fzr250) to any under 21 that just passed.

Of course, if you plan on just getting your certificate and then taking the restrictors out then what the heck! Go for a ZXR400!!! They seem to be very good in the 400 classes. Don't get a VFR, they are just rubbish! Not to mention ugly with those frog eye headlights! :lol: this should get them going... :wink:

By the way, if any of you are old skool, then you'll know that I always wind VFR riders up, because I'm not keen... I particularly banter with Jay about it! But my points are well made, just ask vfr riders how "easy" they are to work on!

Although, on a serious point I do know of a Bandit 400 for sale if you are more interested in that sort of thing...?

[r6paul]

Hit the search button, this has been a heated debate for some time and has come up in half the posts.

[EverSoSlightlyFasterThanU]

vfr

[Lateshift]

ahem ZXR :D

[Juvenilerider]

VFR!!! :( **cowers** Sir

[Biker Dude]

i'd say cbr400 nc29.... but as im bias get a vfr :lol:

[RaceMeNSee]

Id have to say that the main 2 to look at would be the VFR and the ZXR! they both are brilliant at diffrent things, and great at most of the same things. You get Honda reliability with the VFR constant V4 power through the rev range, where as with the zxr you get a Massive power spike at 9 and a small one at 4.the zxr is a little bit more powerfull however its engines do like to go pop. ive ridden both, and id have to say they are both TOP bikes, although because i owned the zxr i would be biased towards it.

[gixer400]

ive ridden the fzr, zxr, and both gsxrs. and a cbr for a short bit so i should be listened too :D

the zxr is fastest accelerating, more fun and best looking.
cbr is best built, very solid and quite small and light.
the gsxr has a good top end, is small and very light.
the fzr is ok i suppose. has a good solid engine, but im not sure about looks. abit crazy.

ive never ridden a vfr, so i cant say about the riding. but im not too sure about the single swinger, looks good one side, messy and dirty the other side. and i dont like the bolt at the front (same as the cbr)


i would personally say zxr, not just because ive got one but because its best performing, looks best with usd forks and wide rear tyre, green spring and other good bits, its also quite chep. my second choice would be the cbr, but the let down on that one is standard forks dont look as good and its quite expensive.

[superstacker]

TO be honest mate, after passing your test you cant go wrong with most of the 400's,

However the 400's are getting older now and a lot of them have been thrashed. Be carefull when buying one if you dont know your bikes, get someone to check it over fully.

Lowish insurance, cheapish running costs and the ability to step up to a 600 in a few years! Some of the 400's are faster then others, some look better, but its far more important to find a good quality one then look for a particular brand!

[gixer400]

good idea. a well looked afetr crap nike is better than a badly looked after good bike.
they are all very similar, and most being so old its difficult to get a perfect one. i still stand by zxr though, they were made until 2000 so you can still get pretty new ones.

[lordswood army]

cheers lads.thats was a nice clean fight. im 6ft1 and want a bike for hammering through the summer. i suppose being young i want the 1 that looks best. Tell me more about 250s

[Jims]

What kind of 250 you after? Racey bike, trially, road, what? Being as tall as you are, you will have no problems with any style.

250 full fairing bikes are fairly rare (for a four-stroke one... I'm asuming that yoiu won't want a 250 two-stroke for the road) but if you can get one then the top two I reckon are the Yamaha FZR250 and the Kawasaki ZXR250 (naturally) but this is just going on specs and looks. The CBR 250 isn't bad either I don't think, but looks tiny in comparison to the zxr and fzr (they look a lot more like their bigger brothers). Just google them if you want to see them or go to www.bikepics.com and do a model search.

Off road bikes there are millions of good ones. Road bikes... not sure... never looked!!! There are probably quite a few

[gixer400]

the only 250 ive ridden was a tzr250, that thing was a wheely machine. the only bike i could ever wheely was that tzr, and it was so easy. fast accelerating, but poor top end.
it is also quite small so might not suit you being 6'1''.

[Spider]

Chris u trator GSXR all the way! ive ridden ALL 400s sports bikes the GSXR the FZR the ZXR the VFR and even a CBR the best looking is a toss up between the ZXR and GSXR (many arguments a jon haha) the fastest is def the ZXR yes i admit it! the best handling is the VFR the best built the CBR and well FZR erm no comment! but where the VFR gains on handling it loses out on power! and where the GSXR loses on top end with the ZXR it gains on the handling! very sporty position (GK76A model) so depending on what u prefer there are u options they are all good options but id stay away form the FZR unless ur looking for a cheap hack

[lordswood army]

that tzr sounds invitin. do u lot know much about the dual sport bikes?

[Spider]

My TZR hehe and its even more of a wheely machine since i put new exhaust gaskets onj new chain and sprockets now the exhausts done move haha

[RaceMeNSee]

the ZXr out handles the gsxr!!! lol hahahah
Ohhh dual sport....id most very def recomend getting the Suzuki Drz 400!

[krobinson1960@tiscali.co.]

I think the ZZR 400 will be a terrific choice for you it will give most 600 sports a dam good run and **** them right up

[gixer400]

the ZXr out handles the gsxr!!!
i do agree with that. the gsxr falls into corners too quickly, and can skip off the rear tyre when leaning too far. the zxr feels well stuck to the road.

[harriebird]

i like cbr400rrs, especially black and silver nc29s

hahahahahahahahahhahahahahahhahahahahhha

[WebTone]

I think a nice steady xs400 twin would be ideal. I might even know someone who has one suitably restored...

[lordswood army]

The drz looks lush. I still cant decide.

Sports bike - it would have to be the zx4r
Dual sport - the dzr looks lush

Or i could always get a gilera runner 200

[EverSoSlightlyFasterThanU]

if you get a runna get the 180 2 stroke its a better bike

[lordswood army]

i work in london and live in chatham,kent so i want a bike in april when im 17 for the summer. Depending on the bike, i will drive it 2 work from time to time. the runner for driving to the station when it gets a bit colder.

[Biker Dude]

Sports bike - it would have to be the zx4r


No No No No No........ never, ever call it that.

It's a zxr400... makes you sound like you know nothing when you say zx4r lol ;)

[Lateshift]

Its a Ninja 400 ffs! :D

At least make it sound quick! :D

[WebTone]

400 ninjas?????

Where are they?

Let me set the kids on 'em. LOL:)

[lordswood army]

Blame the parents. my dad calls it a zx4r - i just call it my baby

[RaceMeNSee]

ohhh, so did you get the 400?

[lordswood army]

im waitin for my 17th, after iv passed all the tests. i just want a good idea of wot is the best. maybe if i find the right offer i may get 1 to sit in the garage for a few months. im sure my dad wont let her stay in there on the weekends.

[DoodleBug]

cough, cough zzr, zzr

cough

[lordswood army]

sorry but i cant find a zzr 400

[RaceMeNSee]

I say ZXR 400 AND DZR 400! owned one and PDI'ed the other, both beautiful at what they do! and if you can find one the VFR is def worth a look in!

[RaceMeNSee]

oh dude, that bloke that coughed actually has a zzr for sale, and at a modest price to!

[EverSoSlightlyFasterThanU]

No No No No No........ never, ever call it that.

It's a zxr400... makes you sound like you know nothing when you say zx4r lol ;)

it dosent matter un less your a di*k

[RaceMeNSee]

My dear god dude, what is it with you always thinking about D*cks!??!?

[Biker Dude]

he must be lonely


:offtopic: