View Full Version : May have changed my mind from a pointy.
I was going to get a pointy this week, but due to changing circumstances i will pass my test first. I am going to do the training from the 12th Feb and finish it that week (fingers crossed).
I had my heart set on a pointy, because they look better, and as far as i know they would be smoother to ride.
Are there any advantages to getting a curvy over a pointy?
Baring in mind this will be my first bike, my second thoughts are that i may drop the bike or fall off at low speed, and fixing a pointy my be pricey.
I was thinking maybe i should get a cheap curvy for my first year, then this time next year i can be on a hunt for a nice 2005+ pointy.
Can i get a decent curvy for under £1000 that won't need anything doing to it? This isn't a requirement though, as i will have about £1800 tops to spend.
(p.s i am not ready to buy a bike yet, so please no pm's about sales ;))
pencil shavings
15-01-09, 11:53 AM
you can get a K3 pointy (the best model) for just shy of £2000.
have a search for curvy vs pointy, lots of threads of pointless debate :)
There was recently a curvy going on here, for £800, but the seller openly admitted that it needed some TLC, and had no tax/MOT.
I've dropped my K6 pointy a few times. The first time I booked it into a dealership for repairs (minor stuff really - bar end, gear lever etc). Because I was getting it serviced by them at the same time, that cost me £400.
Now I do all the servicing/repairs myself, and it's not that pricey at all really.
Curvies have the advantage that if your electrics aren't the best (battery not charging for example), the engine will still run (maybe with a bump start). Pointies have the advantage they'll start whatever the weather. :)
jamesterror
15-01-09, 11:58 AM
If you look about AutoTrader there are curvy ones less than £1,400 there abouts, if you were to sell it on in a years time with no drops and not a massive gain in milage then you should stay a fair way in budget, bare in mind you can probably haggle prices quite well at the minute as "credit crunch on".
I'd say I'm in the same boat as you, I'm waiting to pass my test before I get a bike (just need to book practical), still contemplating whether to get a smaller bike before moving on a 650 bearing in mind I'm restricted to 33bhp, but its all down to your confidence at the end of the day.
I rode for the first time in 3 weeks on Monday and it got me thinking, but its just confidence. I've fell off, luckily it was only on a play ground, first time on a motorbike and the wind was mega, didn't stop me getting back on and carrying on.
Good luck with your test too.
Biker Biggles
15-01-09, 12:00 PM
Curvys start from £600 upwards and as they are essentially the same to ride you get a lot more bike for your money.All older bikes will need things doing to them, so learning a bit of basic maintenance goes with the territory.
the_lone_wolf
15-01-09, 12:15 PM
May have changed my mind from a pointy...
go see your doctor, whatever fell on your head must've been heavy...
Paul the 6th
15-01-09, 12:20 PM
I've dropped my K6 pointy a few times. The first time I booked it into a dealership for repairs (minor stuff really - bar end, gear lever etc). Because I was getting it serviced by them at the same time, that cost me £400.
but you make massive savings on your web hosting so you're not out of pocket that bad then :razz: :smt064
think it cost me £90 for a new bar end, new gear changer, l//h foot rest hanger and indicator all fitted by myself for free. It's amazing what stealers will do to make a bit of cash
dizzyblonde
15-01-09, 12:21 PM
Curvies have really dropped in price since I bought my second in 06. Mine was 1800 and it was absolutely spotless. Now I'd probably be paying 1200? perhaps for one in equal levels of pristine. At the moment nobody can sell a bike for good bucks cause everyones skint, so grab yourself a bargain......and good luck
Slightly off topic, but I recently saw an xtra raptor go for 2500 on ebay....I've been lusting after one for a very long time since we got our vrap.......I could have robbed a bank not long ago for one, but at that price it was given away....they are as rare as rocking horse poo...1000 of them worldwide. Thats compared to 4500 in a stealers in summer last year
missyburd
15-01-09, 12:26 PM
I think YC paid 1200 for his? I guess just shop about, if you look hard enough your perfect bike will be there awaiting :-)
Let us know how your test goes! :-D
davepreston
15-01-09, 12:39 PM
one up point of curvy's is there pretty much indistructable ive tried 3 times she still goes and they are cheap enough to fix i'd go for the cheaper curvy to start imho abd as stated its a buyers market
dizzyblonde
15-01-09, 12:42 PM
one up point of curvy's is there pretty much indistructable ive tried 3 times she still goes
lol, I blew mine up without even trying....you must be trying too hard:p
Mind you the engine still runs, well it would if it wasn;t under the stairs.
yorkie_chris
15-01-09, 12:53 PM
You'll get a curvy for £1000. Mental to spend a lot of cash on a first bike, as you will drop it.
Curvy is easier to work on and carbs are smoother than EFI (as the EFI is never properly adjusted when you first get em). Parts are cheap-ish and plentiful.
vardypeeps
15-01-09, 12:53 PM
Picked up my curvy in the picture for £1300. Had 11500 miles on it and custom paint and sticker kit due to it being dropped. Nice tidy bike but as stated due to it being older it does need TLC to keep everything feeling smooth.
For my next bike I think I'm going to try a naked pointy, I love the rear lights!
pencil shavings
15-01-09, 01:00 PM
You'll get a curvy for £1000. Mental to spend a lot of cash on a first bike, as you will drop it.
Curvy is easier to work on and carbs are smoother than EFI (as the EFI is never properly adjusted when you first get em). Parts are cheap-ish and plentiful.
The first bike I dropped was my 3rd. and yes, that was the SV lol :rolleyes:
you can get a K3 pointy (the best model) for just shy of £2000.
have a search for curvy vs pointy, lots of threads of pointless debate :)
I always thought the K3 was the one to avoid as lots of its parts like the seat and stuff only fit that model.
The advantage your have with the curvy is if you drop it, any part from 99-02 will fit the same model (Naked and faired are exceptions as the fronts are different, but the rest is interchangeable.).
dizzyblonde
15-01-09, 01:13 PM
I always thought the K3 was the one to avoid as lots of its parts like the seat and stuff only fit that model.
The advantage your have with the curvy is if you drop it, any part from 99-02 will fit the same model (Naked and faired are exceptions as the fronts are different, but the rest is interchangeable.).
I thought this too.
The only disadvantage to having a curvy is....having a black 'S' one, if you damage the fairing they are like hens teeth to find replace. I have had trouble finding a good conditioned/reasonable prices one to replace my cracked one, so am now off to find a local repair shop.
They are in plenty supply in all the other colours, just not bloody black:(
They are in plenty supply in all the other colours, just not bloody black:(
I'm sure YC could sort that out, but you may need to provide the stick. Matt balck isn't it? :D
Fortunately enough for me a spray painter lives in my house. Though I have the 2 popular blue panel colours.
The only disadvantage to having a curvy is....having a black 'S' one, if you damage the fairing they are like hens teeth to find replace.
I'm glad its not just me that has this problem then. Every other colour you want but no black, WHY?? :smt019
dizzyblonde
15-01-09, 01:42 PM
I'm sure YC could sort that out, but you may need to provide the stick. Matt balck isn't it? :D
I am not looking for the post crash look:rolleyes:
I want it to look like its pre crashed self...pristine;)
I'm glad its not just me that has this problem then. Every other colour you want but no black, WHY?? :smt019
cause they are that damn good:cool: fastest apparently:-D
Alpinestarhero
15-01-09, 01:46 PM
Hmm...I'm considering upgrading to a pointy (mostly for the less faffable FI to sort out cold starting for me, and to have a fresher bike with less niggles than my original 1999 curvy). I havnt ridden a pointy, and the only thing putting me off is the fact its more electronic trickery and less mechanical parts. If the carbs go wrong on my bike, I can sort that because its mechanical. If the FI goes....well, I dunno where to start with that.
Whatever you buy, you'll love it - thats for sure.
Matt
yorkie_chris
15-01-09, 01:50 PM
Pointy is an upgrade?
dizzyblonde
15-01-09, 01:54 PM
Pointy is an upgrade?
its not is it?:mrgreen: I'd say it were a downgrade:p
Hmm...I'm considering upgrading to a pointy (mostly for the less faffable FI to sort out cold starting for me, and to have a fresher bike with less niggles than my original 1999 curvy). I havnt ridden a pointy, and the only thing putting me off is the fact its more electronic trickery and less mechanical parts. If the carbs go wrong on my bike, I can sort that because its mechanical. If the FI goes....well, I dunno where to start with that.
You're welcome to a ride on mine at AR09 (or before if we meet for some reason).
Though I will add that mine is currently having it's own few grumbles, which appears to be connector/grounding issues. Possibly reg/rec.
The pointy has the genius thing that if you have a fault, pretty much anywhere, you add 2inches of wire and it tells you a code you can look up in a book. The book then tells you what's wrong with the bike, so you can google or consult a mechanic etc.
yorkie_chris
15-01-09, 02:06 PM
Probably nothing wrong with the bike, it will be something to do with the electrics to tell you what the fault is :-P
Probably nothing wrong with the bike, it will be something to do with the electrics to tell you what the fault is :-P
The ECU lists it as "c00" - no fault found. Check out my other threads recently, you'll see I'm already thinking electrical connections etc.
Funnily enough, it's the parts my bike has in common with a curvy that I suspect are faulty. :smt019
go see your doctor, whatever fell on your head must've been heavy...
It's purely from a practical point of view. I think that it will cost more to replace parts, and for my first bike, maybe i should get something cheaper for a year.
I do prefer the pointy and it will be my upgrade next year.
It's purely from a practical point of view. I think that it will cost more to replace parts, and for my first bike, maybe i should get something cheaper for a year.
Obviously the amount of damage you do will affect repair bills, but the biggest factor in repairs is the labour costs.
If you were to compare two identically damaged bikes, one pointy & one curvy, when you were doing the repairs yourself, you wouldn't see much difference in cost if anything.
Vehicles (all of them, not just bikes) get more problems the older they get. My pointy is a K6, and has just recently started having electrical issues. But it's got 36k on the clock. There's curvies out there will less mileage!!
If you buy an older model, you're more likely statistically to find problems due to one thing or another.
The way I approached it, was that I had limited knowledge of the mechanics/electrics of a bike, so went for a brand new 06, first owner, me. That way, I had a 2 year warranty to fall back on.
I'm sure its possible to put a pointy FI in curvy.
I'm sure its possible to put a pointy FI in curvy.
Assuming there's space for the injector assembly etc, then I can't see why it wouldn't fit.
yorkie_chris
15-01-09, 02:23 PM
It is, but it is also a monstrous pain in the rse.
The advantage of getting a curvy, a cheap one. You will have a nice lump of cash left over for any repairs you may need to make in the future ... more cash towards some quality kit, lid, security etc.
Maybe it would be easier just to slip it out of the K8 frame and slip it into a nice original one. The mounts are probably all different though.
yorkie_chris
15-01-09, 02:30 PM
Engine cases are the same, it's finding somewhere for all the electrickery that's the PITA
TheStudent
23-01-09, 10:14 AM
I was going to get a pointy this week, but due to changing circumstances i will pass my test first. I am going to do the training from the 12th Feb and finish it that week (fingers crossed).
I had my heart set on a pointy, because they look better, and as far as i know they would be smoother to ride.
Are there any advantages to getting a curvy over a pointy?
Baring in mind this will be my first bike, my second thoughts are that i may drop the bike or fall off at low speed, and fixing a pointy my be pricey.
I was thinking maybe i should get a cheap curvy for my first year, then this time next year i can be on a hunt for a nice 2005+ pointy.
Can i get a decent curvy for under £1000 that won't need anything doing to it? This isn't a requirement though, as i will have about £1800 tops to spend.
(p.s i am not ready to buy a bike yet, so please no pm's about sales ;))
I'm sure some will disagree but if this is your first bike you are going to ding, drop or crash it, so don't spend a "personal" fortune! As for upgrading in a years time well, I could probably afford a reasonably new GSXR but their is too much guilt, totally love my curvy, maybe because it's my first bike, or just a great bike, just do!
Good luck with the test!
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