^ Pfft! LOL!

Is that 'cos you'll have to push the fooker everywhere when the dodgy electrics cause it to break down?

I've owned a few Suzukis and IME they tend to be more sensitive to winter salt than others (Yammy for example). Especially when ridden year-round. Check the rear subframe, specifically around the footrest hangers, for alloy 'furring'.

Bolts seem to be made of cheese too! Maybe just on older bikes?

 

Surely you should get "A" bike before commenting

 

848 for me!

but seriously have to say though i really cant fault my rather boring 600f.

has been unridden, standing in the pissing rain and freesing cold for nearly a month and started straight up this morning. in fact in 3 winters outside i've yet to have any problem at all. and its a 51 plate.

and on that basis would really need a lot of pursusion to swap it with anything other than a bigger honda

 

I have no problems with the build quality of my GSXR 1000 K4 only slight dulling of the paint work where my leathers rub on the sides of the tank, taken care of with a judicious bout of polishing!

Keep on top of the cleaning after using it in the wet or on salty roads and it will last as well as any other jap bike.

As for an easy introduction to the 1000's i would reckon a Blade would be your best bet as plenty fast enough but not as mental as a GSXR or ZX10, the R1 is a bit weak in the midrange (similar to R6 really) and sits somewhere between the Gixxer and Fireblade.

 

I have had 2 mate , both scramblers

Ducatis are the best bikes apparently

 

Shows that you know feck all about bikes.

 

Well I am informed they are the top and what everyone aims for, I don't know much about bikes but I am pretty sure a Duke is better than your average Jap stuff

 

See my post above.

I had a Ducati a while back, I would be very unlikely to buy another.

 

Most people I know who HAVE owned one would feel the same as eSeM.

They look pretty, are expensive (to buy and when they go wrong) and are very fragile (nice way of saying they're a reliability nightmare!).

Jap stuff is cheaper, faster and IMO better looking with very few reliability problems.

My friends old '99 R1 gets ridden daily, is left outside regardless of the weather, is barely serviced (only gets what it needs!) and is washed so infrequently that you can barely make out the colour! YET when summer arrives and it gets a wash, it still looks cracking! Oh, and it still goes like stink too!

If you tried that for a year with a Duke, it would die.

Another friend of mine bought a 749 a few years back and that died from an electrical fault on the way home from the dealer. On the day of purchase!

 

I was always fun of Japanese motorbikes especially Honda (my latest one is a hornet 900). The reliability of the Japanese motorbikes is far beter than the Italian ones like Ducati. Honda motorbikes i believe are more reliable than all the others and more superiour quality. But all Japanese modern superbikes mechanically have outstanding quality. So if your heart is set on Gixxer1000 go for it. As long as you keep it clean and garaged you won't realize any difference in build quality