‘They are bulletproof and there are no reliability issues’
‘If we get any used models they soon fly out of the door. They’re bulletproof’
“They are pretty bullet proof, actually. They are quite a basic bike – in modern terms – and there are not a lot of frills on it. All you’ve got is fuel injection on this model and no other modifications. A good service history is still always important though. “If it’s a spoked model, you need to check for corrosion on the spokes and literally nothing else! They are bulletproof and have shaft drive and never really need attention. They have nothing in the way of reliability issues – they really are that good. “They are very simple and lovely to ride and need very little maintenance. As long as they are regularly serviced, then they are fine. They do come into the shop and they sell very quickly. They are very popular new, but on the used market, they simply fly out of the door. “They are generally well looked after. It’s also a favourite for people who want to customise their bikes. They are favourites for that and people do spend money on them and do like to look after them. “Noisy pipes and aftermarket paint are both popular and people like to change the seats, as well as chop the tail off. They also like to change the mudguards at the front and rear. These are often replaced with smaller ones, to help give it a café racer style and things like that. “There was a very recent ABS recall on the latest models and before that there were no recalls and no other issues. “These bikes do need their valve clearance checking at every service and the oil in the gearbox, engine and shaft drive will also need changing regularly. If these things have not been done, then you might be buying a bag of rubbish. “They should be serviced yearly, or every 6000 miles. The early models have intervals of 4500 miles, or a year – depending on how much you ride. “From around 2011-12 onwards the bikes changed to 6000mile service intervals. The way to tell which model you’ve got is by checking the colour of the cylinder head. If it’s black it’s a later model, if it’s chrome then it has the smaller service interval.”