Best used bikes $2500-$3000, excuding the GS500

[Juan1]

My requirements are that it has to be comfortable for a 5'11" guy that occasionally does 4 hour rides, sporty, and able to get 42+ MPGs. So far my list consists of the 2007-2008 Ninja 650r and 2002-2006 YZF-600r.  What should I add to the list?

[The Buddha]

sv1000. I own one, 45 mpg highway, 40 city, blistering torque and rather gentle top end, in fact I have ridden old school GSXR750's - I mean early 90's 750's with a lot more top end.
Cool.
Buddha.

[Juan1]

Buddha,
I love everything about the SV1000 except the ergos (I like a bit of legroom) and the MPGs (most on Fuelly.com are seeing mileage in the high 30s).  I know you hate the 650r's steel frame, but their rock-like depreciation makes them a deal on the used market...provided the frame is rust and broken weld free.   

[The Buddha]

I guess that er 650 will be the GS of the next generation ... dirt cheap and fugly with rust. 
Cool.
Buddha.

[tt_four]

There's someone on the forum looking at a Z1000 for $2700, although I think they usually sell for a bit more than that. I also see 98-02 yamaha R1s and cbr900rrs in the $2500-3000 price range. Sometimes that r1s have a home paint job or something like that assisting in bringing down the asking price, but I'm sure they're just as fun as a bike with a real paint job.

[SAFE-T]

5th gen VFR 1998-2001

[yamahonkawazuki]

sv1000. I own one, 45 mpg highway, 40 city, blistering torque and rather gentle top end, in fact I have ridden old school GSXR750's - I mean early 90's 750's with a lot more top end.
Cool.
Buddha.

what about tl series bikes?, to the OP what style of bike as well, would help.

[Juan1]

I'm looking for a sport touring setup.  Something with the upright ergos, smooth suspension setup, and decent power like the FZ6 I once had, but with more toss-ability.  I really love my 1982 GPz750 for its ergos, but the 520 lb wet weight and 18 inch front wheel don't make the thing quite as maneuverable as I prefer.

[The Buddha]

Yamahon: Oh yea Tillers work good too.
Safe-T: The 5th gen VFR I do not like, I will take a VFR750 I guess 91-97 any day over the 800. In fact in 91 that VFR was made in the same color as the 89 GS's pearl white. I knew someone who had one of those, and heck I'd buy a pearl white cadillac and have 3 matched vehicles.
Cool.
Buddha.

[tt_four]

The best option for your needs on my local craigslist is probably this guy. I've never ridden one, but I've always really liked them....

http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/mcy/2850947219.html

Obviously the most common bikes are sportbikes and cruisers, so you might do better browsing forum classified instead of craigslist, but these are the options that I think could be potentially acceptable.

zx7r: heavy and underpowered for a sportbike, but known for being a GREAT street bike. You still have the clipons, but this bike has great wind protection and is amazingly stable. Won a ton of open class races against 1000cc bikes too so it's very capable. You could spend a few hundred dollars on some heli-bars(adjustable height clipon handlebars) and have a good bike.

http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/mcy/2852132242.html

Both of these again are more towards the sportbike end of things, but not like modern bikes. this was back when they still had midranges and handlebars that weren't down at the same height as your footpegs. Again both would have an option to have some taller handlebars put on them, but the yzf600r was pretty much always considered a mini standard/sport tourer, and the 600f4i was pretty much the most street-friendly sportbike ever made.

http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/mcy/2850343654.html
http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/mcy/2847763720.html

I know these aren't exactly what you're looking for, but I just looked through my local craigslist at all the listings in the price range you gave and those were probably the best options.

[ohgood]

My requirements are that it has to be comfortable for a 5'11" guy that occasionally does 4 hour rides, sporty, and able to get 42+ MPGs. So far my list consists of the 2007-2008 Ninja 650r and 2002-2006 YZF-600r.  What should I add to the list?

My fz6 gets 50+ if I baby it, nice for 4 hour rides, screams if you ring it.



Sv650, ninja  650r, or maybe a bandit ?

[Juan1]

My fz6 gets 50+ if I baby it, nice for 4 hour rides, screams if you ring it.
Sv650, ninja  650r, or maybe a bandit ?

Oh how I miss my 2007 FZ6, though not the high frequency vibrations while touring.  I had the bike three months before laying it down in the mountains and totaling it.  Too bad 2007+ FZ6s are out of my price range.  If one popped up for cheap, I'd buy it in a heartbeat!

I think my top contenders are:
1. 2007 FZ6 - Should one of these pop up for an insanely low price, it'd find its way to my garage.
2. ZRX1100 - I love my GPZ750 except for age related issues (rust, hard to find tires, low power/weight, generally outdated tech) and the ZRX corrects them.  Plus it appears all former ZRX owners regret selling them. 
3. YZF-600 - Will likely have to lower the pegs and get helibars, but since they sell for cheap, I'd have the money to fix both.  Nice bike at a cheap price, but few people seem to really regret selling theirs, and I'd likely need to split the cases to fix second gear.
4. 2007-2008 Ninja 650r - These barely fit in my price range, but other than the buzziness of the engine, they fit the bill. 

[Kijona]

Another bike you could consider would be a '95+ GPZ1100.

The only thing you'll have a hard time with is parts and knowledge. They only made a few of them because they were way ahead of their time. Nobody wanted a "sport touring" type of bike back when they were made.

http://www.motorcycle.com/manufacturer/kawasaki/road-test-1995-kawasaki-gpz1100-15075.html

I rode one once. It was okay. The guy that owned it was an idiot.

[xunedeinx]

Katanas can be had cheap.

[SAFE-T]

Katana or CBR600F4/F4i. Bandit 600/650/1200 ~ the Bandit 1250 is probably out of your price range. Also look at Kawasaki ZX-11 or ZX-6R (not 636).

[yamahonkawazuki]

Katanas can be had cheap.

very true. cannot forget the canatuna. but am still partial to the gs. BTW bikes can be had far chaper in locations where 1 riding season is longer or 2 loads more of them or 3 off season

[Kijona]

O/T: Yama your avatar reminds me of the video for Weird Al Yankovic's parody of "Money for Nothing" called "Beverly Hillbillies". 

[yamahonkawazuki]

sorry gotta include the gs. as well as the buell blast. yeah i know ill get some HD hater bias here. but every HD ive ever had has let me down LESS than the gs. but can grab alot of buells for that price range. minimal upkeep and virtually no repairs needed. and dont have to ring em out to get its rated hp