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So what if you don’t want to join the mass ranks of the Japanese sports 600 riders and want to plough a slighly different furrow?
The Triumph Daytona would be a sound choice, fast and with distinctive looks. The Union Jack graphics looks fantastic on the Yellow one. The earlier TT600 received mixed reviews in the press but the people I have spoken to have owned them have rated them highly especially for cornering capability. The TT600 can be picked from around £2000
Triumph TT600Other choices could be Italian such as the sporty Laverda 650 and 688 parallel twins. Nothing like as quick as the Japanese 600s but again great handling and good looking too.
https://668tech.laverda-nz.org/
https://www.ciao.co.uk/Laverda_650_Sport__81725
Laverda 650Ducati could be another option; for example the M600 Monster is a massive amount of fun on shorter runs and tight back lanes. Like the Laverda it lacks the outright go of Japanese four cylinder 60, but is loads of fun to ride. A friend has a Monster and rates it very highly. I have ridden it too and can confirm it puts a smile on your face.
Ducati M600There are also faired 600 Ducatis and these are good bikes too. Electrics can be iffy, but the real thing to ensure that the belt in he engine that turns the camshafts and operates the valves (the cambelt) has been changed at the correct time and that the valve gear has been serviced correctly too.
Just how cool do you want to look?https://www.dooyoo.co.uk/motorcycle/d…600ss/reviews/
Even the Japanese factories offer some good alternatives themselves such as the excellent SV650 Suzuki. This bikes carries off the clever trick of capturing the character of the Italian and British 600cc bikes and adds a dash of Japanese practicality. Swift, reliable and great handling by repute. I prefer the earlier more rounded looking model.
There is a Korean copy of the SV, the Hyosung Comet,
Hyosung Comet
BIKE magazine are running one as part of their long term test fleet and it will be interesting to see how it gets on.
Then of course there is the 600cc naked bikes such as the Fazer, Hornet and Bandit to consider, all are excellent machines. I have ridden the Hornet 600 and it was loads of fun, but I think the 1995-9 Bandit is a classic already and a very cost effective way to have an awful lot of fun. The aftermarket range of bits for making your Bandit a bit different is bewildering too.
The Japanese sports 600s are of course superb, they are hughley popular because by and large they are very, very good bikes.
The modern generation machines such as the Honda CBR600RR, Yamaha R6 are absolutely stunning. But even older generation machines such as my 1998 Yamaha Thundercat are impressive bikes, 150 mph, fast acceleration, great brakes and handling. Hard to go wrong. It is amusing to think that you can pick up post 1995 bikes from around £1400 from most the jap factories. That is quite a lot of bang for your buck!
Early generation stuff such as the GPz600 Kawasaki or my FZ600 are a little dated now, but can provide budget fun if you lower your expectations a little.
So all in there is another way!
Good stuff. That Hyosung looks nice, they only need to change the name to market it better in English speaking countries.
noooooo!!
TT600s are the pantsest things ever. i have been doing a job on a TT600 and its all just crappy, the standard breakline unions have gone rusty!
if a triumph is on the list spend a bit more and get 675!
dont crash it though, the headstocks disintergrate. saw way too many of them at the salvage yard i worked at. they look the nuts thoughI had a look on the Hyosung stand yesterday at the NEC and was quite impressed. They seem to get noticably better every year.
The GT650R EFI (£4,458 OTR)
and its naked brother the GT650 EFI (£3,968 OTR)
don’t look bad at all.
My local bike shop is a Hyosung dealer and the bikes do look quite decent. I think the GT250R could be a good alrounder for the commuter/enthusiast owner who needs a practical or fun bike. The 650 ran by BIKE got mixed reviews to be honest, but then so have loads of great ‘real world’ bikes over the years.
Sad to read Benji’s comments on Triumph parts quality, I will take a look at few
it might not be all of them but the one i been working on is a right dog..2001 model, silver and red.
doesnt look bad before you get close if you like that sort of thing. the guy that owns it ran the keys and alarm fobs over the other day then got stopped for speeding..haha moron.
you cant lose with the daytona 650s i believe.
when i was just a lad (haha!!) that was the bike that made me want to ride bikes. the yellow ones with the union jack on the front..amazing machine..got slated by just about every bike mag out there though i will have one ot play with one day im suresorry radar ive realised ive just described exactly what you did..hehe ahh well, just hitting it home
quote:
Originally posted by benji_zx10rsorry radar ive realised ive just described exactly what you did..hehe ahh well, just hitting it home
No worries bud
Why not also consider some of the older generation Japanese 600’s..???
The CBR600F is recognised as a superb all-rounder whilst not being totally “race” styled. Likewise the G/J model ZX6R’s are very comfy all-rounders with very good engines.
If I had the choice of a(nother) Bandit or a Fazer.. I’d plump for the Fazer. Lighter, better engine, less cheap suspension!.. just my addition!!
The point here is that many bikers, myself very much included, tend only think in terms of the Japanese factories when it comes to sporty biking on 600cc bikes, when some interesting alternatives are out there and worthy of consideration.
i will have one ot play with one day im sure
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