Hi guys and gals, Im reposting this in the right area haha.

Right, I need some assistance. Im looking to buy my first bike ready for when I pass my test. Found a cheap GSXR400 for sale, however ive been reading up on them a bit, and not a lot of places have kind things to say haha. Most of the trouble is engine related, specifically the carbs and such. I was just curious if any of you had any first hand knowledge or tips? Apreciate your time

Nick

my personal opinion is that all the places where you are told to avoid them like teh plague because of CDI troubles and carb O-Rings arent totally incorrect, but they are exaggerated...

cleaning and replacing the carbs O-rings will cost you maybe £30 all in.. and thats if your bike needs it. If it is needed and isnt done then your bike will run rich, feel crap, and at worst need an engine rebuild as a result... so for £30 its worth sorting if its needed.

CDI trouble.. we do get a bit of that with the gixxer 400 but they do pop up on ebay fairly often at a reasonable price... and if there aren't any suzuki units on there there are usually some derestricted ones from china available and they work very well too.

Being a Jap import comes with its part-sourcing issues but if there's anything you cant find, the people here know where to find it, or know where to find an alternative, so that isn't a massive problem

As with any new-bike purchase i would budget a couple of hundred on top for teething trouble and a quick service, (plugs, oil and filters)

Other than those few things, the gixxer 4 is a great bike and i'm chuffed to bits with mine, brings a smile to my face every time i get on it. the engine sounds great, it handles very well, and every time you exit a corner it will leave you grinning.

Hope this helps :)

Hi mate :) Thanks for that, much apreciated.

The bike in question is a 1992 model, which might be a RRSP (been told it has a SC gearbox!) Wasnt running, but its had a set of carbs, and valve clearences done and it runs very sweet now (im told) It is in totally standard trim. The bodywork has been painted in grey. It has had a new battery. It is showing 10042 klms on the clocks, (no guarentee). It also has EBC Cast Iron discs and the front callipers have had new seals main and dust. All it now needs is a new C&S set and 12mths MOT, its then ready to rumble. Says he will do the required work to get it through MOT if I pay £1200. However I need to decide by tomorrow otherwise its gonna be in bits by saturday!

I just dont want my first bike to be like my first car! I had a mini...well two infact! Modified beautifully by myself I have to say, but all it ever did was break down It wasnt even that which used to bother me, it was the fact that it was my main transport method and the money I was always throwing at it lol. So, what dya reckon, as a gixxer man, do I go for it @ £1200 or leave it and go for a VFR/ZXR?

Thanks again man

get youself a zxr, handles better, looks better, doesnt suffer from the niggles the gsxr gets (carbs etc!), and for 1200 quid at this time of the year you could pick up a beauty.

Yea been told that a lot. However, you try and fine a ZXR for £1200 lol. Its virtually impossible

The GSXR has been my first bike (with a decent sized engine) and I have had a lot of grief with it, not all mechanical errors....quite a lot were human errors made by a bad garage.

However, despite the "quirks" I love the bike.

If the one you are looking at is standard and hasn't been tampered with much it will be a great bike. The carbs may be an issue, coupled with the CDI, but as Ripzay said for a couple of quid to get them sorted it's worth it!

And don't be put off by the carbs and CDI, should they need replacing follow the guidelines on here, do it yourself and you'll learn an awful lot about the bike in short amount of time.

They are very punchy and perfect for A roads.
If you are still unsure, read this review:
http://www.korell.dk/Superbike_Magazine ... t_Test.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Best of luck. If you do buy the new toy, be sure to post some pictures and let us know how it is.

ive had a gsxr and a few zxr's. I think they are both great.
the front end on the gsxr was really nice... but the rear was just as crap as the zxr's are really. The zxr is a better motor i think.
if i could'nt have both, Id go for a zxr, there are alot more spares and tuning kit available.
heres one for your budget here.
http://www.zxrworld.co.uk/zxr400oc/view ... =68&t=8174" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Ive got both a zxr and a gk76a which im rebuilding, but pretty sure im gna sell the gsxr when done cos i love the zxr. I picked mine up for £1100 in the height of summer, and it's been fantastic, so dont think you'll have any probs finding a decent one for £1200 at this time of year, just a case of shopping around.

Thanks for the input guys Chalky, great reviews, much apreciated for that. My knowledge on bikes, is to say, crap so that helped

I think im gonna give the GSXR a miss then, seems to be a bit pushy for my liking. I need to let him know tomorrow (friday) in the morning if I want it or not. I dunno about you, but id rather see a bike before saying il buy it :S Jake, thanks for that, gonna give him a ring :) Ive been hunting around for one for about a month (I dont even turn 21 till May, so I feel that im looking a bit too early?!?) :S Again, thanks for your input guys!

Didn't realise you hadn't seen it mate.

If he's being pushy and you haven't even seen it then definately give it a wide birth, something ain't right.

Good luck with which ever bike you end up with.