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Post by HRHpenfold on Jan 14, 2015 11:15:05 GMT
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Post by chris900divvy on Nov 26, 2015 16:33:05 GMT
I like the way a magazine like Performance Bikes could appreciate the Diversion! Remember reading that first time round. Never seen a Diversion being wheelied like that nor have I!
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Post by HRHpenfold on Nov 26, 2015 17:51:51 GMT
I like the way a magazine like Performance Bikes could appreciate the Diversion! Remember reading that first time round. Never seen a Diversion being wheelied like that nor have I! Really? I thought it was the only way to check the collector box for rust!  |
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Post by m40man on Nov 26, 2015 17:59:32 GMT
That's a more positive review that the one in Bike, January 1995!
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Post by chris900divvy on Nov 27, 2015 23:00:43 GMT
That's a more positive review that the one in Bike, January 1995! Don't remember anything negative in that one but recalled them offering a win a Diversion 900 competition must have been around the same time. Funny to think it was 20 years ago now when I was reading these mags still at school! |
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Post by m40man on Nov 27, 2015 23:55:17 GMT
....Don't remember anything negative in that one ... Here's a bit of it .....  Funny to think it was 20 years ago now when I was reading these mags still at school! Erm, yeah ..... me too  . |
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Post by chris900divvy on Nov 28, 2015 1:48:04 GMT
....Don't remember anything negative in that one ... Here's a bit of it ..... Funny to think it was 20 years ago now when I was reading these mags still at school! Erm, yeah ..... me too . Sounds like a load of bollocks to me! Typical journo's appraisal that completely misses the point of the bike (although he does seem to acknowledge that), a GSX750F would be a good alternative? Seriously!? |
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Post by cam7777 on Nov 28, 2015 9:53:43 GMT
The GSX750F was a decent bike, it was lighter, faster and just as cheap to run. The shaft drive on the D9 is the main attraction for me.
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Post by chris900divvy on Nov 28, 2015 13:24:09 GMT
Possibly but don't seem to see half as many high mileage GSX750Fs knocking about, I think for me though give or take a few mph the shaft drive, reliability tank range and general unfussiness and practicality of the Diversion means it wins hands down! Journalists only see bikes through a really narrow prism of their road tests it seems to me with very little regard to what a bike is actually like to live with... That said its funny how Bike magazine could call the Divvy bland and gutless while sportsbike obsessed Performance Bikes said it was anything but that! 'The square mirrors are tacky' - probably the best mirrors I've come across on any bike that actually work what a meaningless comment...!
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Post by HRHpenfold on Nov 28, 2015 14:13:16 GMT
He is right in the article,
I see it as honest, rather than negative,
It's no sports bike, it's heavy and the weight is carried further up, and it was cheaply made,
Fantastic bike, but no match for the Suzuki, which are just as reliable
Fantastic bikes though
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Post by bev on Dec 2, 2015 8:36:03 GMT
The GSXF handled so much better than the Divvy. I'd have another D9 but I wouldn't have a GSXF (other than the one I have  ) |
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Post by chris900divvy on Dec 2, 2015 11:32:49 GMT
I see the Divvy as being a more robust bike personally and the shaft drive adds an awful lot. More torque and midrange go than the GSX, a less revvy engine is one of the big things I like about it for mile munching its ideal. What puts me off is the abundance of plastic on the GSX. Faster isn't necessarily better as far as I'm concerned! Besides the Diversion handles better than you'd think it could once you drop the forks an inch through the yokes. I could count on one hand the number of GSXF's I've seen being ridden by dispatchers, the Diversion is way more common and everyone seems to put big mileages on them with not much fuss. That to me says something about the bike's worth - and, to me; makes it the better bike  |
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Post by bev on Dec 2, 2015 11:50:46 GMT
Yep, having ridden a D9 for several years with the forks dropped it was OK, brakes are a bit wooden and forks are too soft. I'm sure most on here would be in agreement. The GSX750F handles so much better from standard. It doesn't have such a comfortable sitting position as the D9 and needs to be ridden with respect to being in the right gear but it depends what you like. The D9 is very forgiving for those who are a bit lazy with gear changes. As I said I'd have another D9 if I got one cheap enough but I wouldn't buy a GSX750F. On the other hand my GSX1250FA is much much better to ride than the D9, but in fairness it is much newer.  |
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Post by chris900divvy on Dec 2, 2015 15:15:32 GMT
My girlfriend is hellbent on a Bandit 600 after her test, will be interesting to ride one seeing as it shares the same oil cooled motor as the GSX the absence of a radiator is a useful bit I think! I think for me less plastic is better though am not averse to a good half fairing! I just think the 900 divvy as a budget mile muncher is great really, I can live with its more basic suspension and brakes in return for the overall reliability and feeling of unbreakableness! I have a ZRX1200 which is much faster and has better brakes, suspension but for reliability, practicality and build I think the 900 wins hands down over the Kawasaki.
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Post by bev on Dec 2, 2015 15:42:49 GMT
My girlfriend is hellbent on a Bandit 600 after her test, will be interesting to ride one seeing as it shares the same oil cooled motor as the GSX the absence of a radiator is a useful bit I think! I think for me less plastic is better though am not averse to a good half fairing! I just think the 900 divvy as a budget mile muncher is great really, I can live with its more basic suspension and brakes in return for the overall reliability and feeling of unbreakableness! I have a ZRX1200 which is much faster and has better brakes, suspension but for reliability, practicality and build I think the 900 wins hands down over the Kawasaki. Bandit 600 is an easy bike to ride but a bit underpowered for a FB like me. Should be perfect for a new rider though. IMO. I did look for one for winter riding this year but haven't found a cheap one close enough to home.
I prefer the 1200. Since I got rid of it for the 1250 I can safely say I miss it, although the 1250 is not really much different to sit on (though the seat is harder) and has better brakes and suspension. Something about the 1200 just suited me, was a PITA for the carbs gumming up if left sitting though. Don't get me wrong the 1250 is a nice bike but it isn't my 1200.
I guess most of us have a bike we wish we'd kept.
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Post by HRHpenfold on Dec 2, 2015 20:09:53 GMT
I can't understand anyone buying a bandit 600,
It's just like a 1200 with one of the spark plug caps removed, it may look more trendy, but a D6 is far better,
I liked my Bandit 1200, apart from the carbs giving problems if left for a few weeks, and the wooden scary abs brakes, and the build quality,
I can imagine the later model bandit 1250 to be a decent bike!
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Post by chris900divvy on Dec 2, 2015 22:00:14 GMT
I can't understand anyone buying a bandit 600, It's just like a 1200 with one of the spark plug caps removed, it may look more trendy, but a D6 is far better, I liked my Bandit 1200, apart from the carbs giving problems if left for a few weeks, and the wooden scary abs brakes, and the build quality, I can imagine the later model bandit 1250 to be a decent bike! I think the Bandit 600 has a fair bit more power than the Diversion 600, seems to me its more on a par with the 900 performance-wise but for less torque and more revs - my girlfriend just loves the look of them and as her current bike is a GS125 it would be a big step-up! I may have had a bad D600 but I wasn't really impressed with my one, it was so much trouble I got rid of it after just a few weeks - I much preferred the GPZ500 I had before that a really whizzy twin that was good fun and economical but for the crappy Kawasaki build quality! The 900 was like a godsend for me as a courier! |
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Post by bev on Dec 3, 2015 13:19:57 GMT
I can't understand anyone buying a bandit 600, It would be a decent commuter for the winter, so I would. I'd also have an XJ600. I haven't seen any decent ones close enough and cheap enough this year. |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 18, 2015 8:49:25 GMT
I can't understand anyone buying a bandit 600, It's just like a 1200 with one of the spark plug caps removed, it may look more trendy, but a D6 is far better, I liked my Bandit 1200, apart from the carbs giving problems if left for a few weeks, and the wooden scary abs brakes, and the build quality, I can imagine the later model bandit 1250 to be a decent bike! I would go for a mk1 Fazer 600 before the Bandit, and certainly ahead of the D6! In fact I would even have one of the later but less desirable fuel injected Fazers before the Bandit or D6. |
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Post by HRHpenfold on Dec 18, 2015 9:29:39 GMT
I can't understand anyone buying a bandit 600, It's just like a 1200 with one of the spark plug caps removed, it may look more trendy, but a D6 is far better, I liked my Bandit 1200, apart from the carbs giving problems if left for a few weeks, and the wooden scary abs brakes, and the build quality, I can imagine the later model bandit 1250 to be a decent bike! I would go for a mk1 Fazer 600 before the Bandit, and certainly ahead of the D6! In fact I would even have one of the later but less desirable fuel injected Fazers before the Bandit or D6. well having had all three, I would say that the carb engined fazer was the best to ride, the fuel injected one was the best built, the D6 was well built budget machine, as for the bandit, the 1200 I had was real budget built, paint was awful, it was torquey, it didn't like to sit for more than a week unused, the luggage rack was badly designed, I had to modify that so the wife could sit on the back, but I sold it rather than the FZ6 which lacked the torque, but was superior in every other way, and ended up buying a superior fazer 1000!  |
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Post by bev on Dec 20, 2015 9:16:18 GMT
There's no doubting the Fazer is a better bike than the Bandit or the D6,prices generally reflect that.
For my 22 mile commute it would make little difference.
Decided just to use the 1250 through winter and wash it a lot. The GS850 could be put on the road easily but at 30 ish to the gallon I'll probably sell it next year.
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Post by HRHpenfold on Dec 20, 2015 9:57:30 GMT
There's no doubting the Fazer is a better bike than the Bandit or the D6,prices generally reflect that. For my 22 mile commute it would make little difference. Decided just to use the 1250 through winter and wash it a lot. The GS850 could be put on the road easily but at 30 ish to the gallon I'll probably sell it next year. If I was doing the same thing, I would mix some grease and white spirit, then use a paint brush to paint the mixture everywhere, , That's what I did in the 80's, seemed much tougher than acf50, as its thicker, then I would touch up the grease white spirit mix where it wears off and then only using a hose to wash the salt off, It will look grubby throughout winter, but in the spring, a morning spent with some degreaser and a hose will reveal a mint bike again! |
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Post by bev on Dec 20, 2015 16:51:03 GMT
It has been sprayed but I might give that a go.
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Post by cam7777 on Dec 20, 2015 19:59:34 GMT
I just wash mine every week, seems to hold rust at bay
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