You love riding, but you don't want to ruin your pride and joy. So I've put together five bikes for under £1000 that cost peanuts to run, both in terms of fuel, maintenance and insurance. So here's your excuse to squeeze another bike in the garage, clock up the miles, find an excuse to ride in the rain and cut through the traffic while keeping your pride and joy in pristine condition.
2001 Suzuki SV650S
I found this SV650S for £995. They're solid bikes with a really reliable characterful engine. The naked version is amazingly good at wheelies, but the faired version cuts it when you're clocking up miles or taking on bad weather. This model's got just 30,000 miles on the clock and with them being so popular for so long, spares are easy to come by and cheap too. What more could you ask for?
1996 Yamaha TDM850
This TDM850 sold for £865. Sure, it's not a showroom minter, with signs of corrosion, a couple of scuffs and a small dent to the tank but with just 31,000 miles on the clock, the torquey, parallel-twin engine's good for plenty more. The last owner has clocked up half this bike's miles over his two-year ownership. Keep it for a year and you'll probably get back what you paid for it.
1986 BMW K100RS
Now I know this bike has been plastered on precisely no young lad's bedroom wall but if you want a bike that won't depreciate, will clock up the miles in comfort and keep the weather off, then you could do worse. This old but well loved model is up for £850, has done 71,000 miles and the best bit is the fact that the current owner has had it since 1998. Totally standard, complete with panniers. It's got 6 months MOT and a year's tax. Get your (longitudinal four) motor runnin' and bash out miles in comfort.
1994 Honda CB500
The CB500 is a firm favourite of London couriers. This one's up for £950. Sure you can get newer models for similar money but this 1994 model is a good one; owned by the same guy for the last 9 years, it's got just 33,000 miles on the clock, has 12 months MOT and 6 months tax, a flyscreen and topbox. Packed with about as much technology as a sundial, but with reliability to match - the motor's good for dual-carriageway cruising or cutting a dash through town. Perfect for the daily commute.
1992 Yamaha XTZ660 Tenere
If you're after the adventure style, Yamaha's Tenere is a great choice. Super capable, it's got a torquey old-school reliable engine and comfortable riding position. Cheap to insure too. This one's clocked up 32,000 miles and is in good, but not perfect condition. It went for £970 but there are loads of similar options. The taller seat, wide bars and bash guards make it perfect for commuting through traffic. Go and dust-up a few GSs happy in the knowledge your steed cost a tenth what theirs did. Bring it on!
