Kawasaki Sportsbike Riders Club - Australia - Online Forum

hoffy wrote:Bank or Credit Union Mate..stay away from the dealer financiers if ya can..YMF, GMAC etc

As i said Members Equity ,Voted "Money Magazine' best lender and "cheapest personal loan",no account keeping fees,no fees for extra or early repayment.

Ive just done the very thing you are wanting to do, got sick of my old cb250 and wanted to upgrade.... I had a certain amount of cash available that was about 40% what I wanted to spend so I needed a loan, I went with my existing financial institution, CUA, so it would be easier just dealing with one company.

There personal loans are around 13% (unsecured)(altho they recently hiked the rate by "45 basis points" or .45% for normal people). the loan is over 4 years but i could piss it in as the repayments are not large. there is no charge for paying extra lump sums or extra fortnightly repayments (good for reducing interest), there is no fee to pay it off early (should do it easily within half the term of the loan) and there are only 2 charges at start up, set-up fee, and loan insurance, these added around 400 to my loan.

I'm a student too so i know budgeting can be difficult but with some extra surges in cash flow i will be able to reduce the interest payable and pay off the loan. And its got me such a fantastic bike that i would not hesitate in going down the road of an affordable loan in the future.

just my 2 cents worth

yeah i agree with the above

avoid secure loans= there is nothing worse than being told that you cant sell your bike and upgrade by someone that is not repaying your weekly repayments

Credit Unions= if available try using credit unions as there are service orientated and usually not for profit. However this old style guideline is starting to be a dying breed.

No Penalty= choose a loan that doesnt penalise you for paying the amount out early or making lump sums.

other thanks this the options are limited and most avenues have been explained above.

have you thought about salary sacrificing it thru your work? Most workplaces will let you sal sac a car etc and most will extend that to a bike too (well mine does).

You will need to check out the rules for your works sal sac arrangements and also need to check out the Fringe Benefit Tax side of things as well.
Here is the link to the ATO's guide to Salary Sacrifice arrangements

Thanks for the info, yeah I've completly let go off the idea of a secured loan ( the whole encumbered thing just not what I want).
Hey Mitch thanks for the info on salary scarfice but I dont think my work will do that they'll probably laught me out of the building.
Baby ninja what bike did you end up getting?
I'm going to test ride a zx10r 06 this saturday just hope it doesn't rain. The zx6r looks great and will be cheaper to insure but I have to see what its like to ride.
I just now have to do some leg work and see what will best suite me and who will get my business, ive got alot of questions for them and i'll see.
Thanks for all the great answers you guys are great. Thumbs up.

I just signed the paperwork today.

* what is the interest rate
11.84%
* is there a startup fee?
$100
* is there a monthly/admin fee?
No
* are there any other fees charged?
Only if your late on paying, however no interest is payable on late payments
* am I able to pay extra?
yes, no limit
* is there an early payout fee?
no early payout fee (i.e. St george allwos a MAX of $5k/year extra without penalties.
* what is the total amount I will be repaying?
about $18% more over the life of the loan IF i go the full 60 months, but i anticipate it is gone well before 18 months.

(posted to give you an idea whats out there for personal loans)

Well my advise and i have done this twice now. 1 with bike and 1 with car.
Both i had bank loans with CBA as they are my bank and offered me same deal with others!

What i suggest is not to get stuck with a loan and purchase something you can afford with cash now, or get the smallest loan possible. First loan was $10k which is pretty small and even with all the repayments ($500 a week) even after 6 months it was like i hadn't even paid off $5000!!! All that interest just keeps stacking up.

Then i got Car loan of $20k and i am not even going there, all i can say is i am glad now i got no loan and my savings account keeps growing and its money i own and make interest on!

If and once u get the loan tho focus on paying it off, you will have to sacrifice nights out and doing some fun stuff sometimes, but just get the debt paid off cause the bank wants you to hold the loan for as long as possible with minimum payments cause htey make interest!!!

DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT FINANCE!! Get a bank personal loan cause even if u have some problem iwht payments the bank wont take ya bike and its easier to resell....!

yeah I've spoke to National and they were telling me that their intrest rate is 13.99% and that they have to make the cheque out to the dealer , damn them great way to lose my business. The big banks dont seem to be very good I'm going to check out IMB my roommate got a loan from them and hes pretty happy with that.
Will give the other companies a call during my lunch and see and compare.
Yeah I'm trying to get something I can afford with no problem. I dont have many expenses (thankfully) and I have done all the calculations of what I'm able to borrow comfortably. I've got cash saved which is there just for incase stuff happens (you know rainy day and all).

Thanks for the post Mike-S .

onewheelmat wrote:Thanks for the info, yeah I've completly let go off the idea of a secured loan ( the whole encumbered thing just not what I want).
Hey Mitch thanks for the info on salary scarfice but I dont think my work will do that they'll probably laught me out of the building.
Baby ninja what bike did you end up getting?
I'm going to test ride a zx10r 06 this saturday just hope it doesn't rain. The zx6r looks great and will be cheaper to insure but I have to see what its like to ride.
I just now have to do some leg work and see what will best suite me and who will get my business, ive got alot of questions for them and i'll see.
Thanks for all the great answers you guys are great. Thumbs up.

hey mat....

i ended up getting the brand new ninja 250.... i know im on my full licence but by crikey its fun....... got the first service coming up and i cant wait till the break in period is over...

my advice is go for the ZX6R.. but im partial to smaller bikes.....

CUA (Credit Union Australia) is who i used.. i couldnt reccommend them enough... they allow extra lump sum payments, increased fortnightly payments and no penalty for paying out early....

cheers

Hey baby ninja the new 250 looks great I haven't seen one personaly but all the pics look just great and people tell me they look even better in person. Its been getting rave reviews from everyone on the web. Good stuff
yeah I'm intrested in the zx6r 07 it looks great I'll go talk to trevor jordan (stealeship) and see if I can take their bike for a little test ride. The bike is pretty well priced at about $12k so its less than what I've budgeted for. The insurance also will be cheaper. I just been bitten by the bigger is better bug still a test ride an I'll see if the 600 suits me. Just wished Kawasaki made a 750 sportsbike then no question that would be it for me.

hey guys just updating you on the situation. Over the weekend I took a Kawasaki zx10r 06, Yamaha yzf R1 08, Triumph 675 07 and Suzuki gsxr 750 07 for a test ride. Heres my amateur review.

First off all let me say that they were all great bikes everyone of them a great piece of machinery to own and ride. The first bike I rode was the Kawasaki zx10r, great effort from team green the bike was great pleasure to ride.
First the sitting position it had the longest reach of all the bikes I felt ( im 5'6 60kgs) and can be potential a strain on my back and arms for longer rides. I didn't like the way I felt on the bike. 7.5/10
The engine was the stand out of all the bikes great power not what I expected as everyone said they were wheelie monsters but for my riding style I think the engine is great for the street low down power. I didn't really get to open her up but did a few highway kms and the engine just pulled no matter what City commuting was a breeze. The gearbox is slick and shits well. 9/10
The brakes those petal discs look great and the also perform really well. Stopping power is great and the brake feel was tops 8.5/10
Looks also are an important factor, thats why I'm not even thinking of a Honda cbr1000r 08. The zx10r gets a 9/10 for me.
General handling of the bike was also great but I did notice the front was a little vague and didn't inspire confidence in me. Still I think with some suspension adjustments I can easily fix that. 8/10
So all in all the Kawasaki is a superb machine only the position didn't feel right for me. Total score 8.5/10

The Yamaha R1. The newest design of all of them.
The sitting position was better than the zx10r I had less weight on my arms and so it looks like I can rack up the large miles on this thing. The only thing I didn't like with the sitting position was the extreme heat from the under tail exhaust. Crisp city right there. Definetly the hottest of the bunch. score 7.5/10
The engine was only second to the zx10r it was great during normal city commuting and highway riding, people have mentioned the lack of low down power but I thought it was great. Fueling is great no problem there. Great gearbox best shifting of all the bikes nice and smooth. 8.5/10
The brakes ohh the brakes they don't come any better than this great feel great stopping power, look great as well. I felt that the R1 had the best brakes of the lot. 9.5/10
Looks wise the R1 gets top marks 9.5/10
General handling the front end was also abit vague but not as bad as the zx10r still again it felt like a great bike to ride and it was really nimble. 8.5/10
Total score for the R1 9/10

The triumph 675.
I haven't ridden a 3 cylinder bike before and I wonder why. Its a great piece of kit, the torque down low is just great and it pulls from any revs. Its really linear in its power delivery and I could believe it was just a 675. The wonderful engine got me out of a sticky situation were a Mitsubishi mirage (bikes natural enemy ) suddenly swerved into my lane I just gunned the engine and was out of there. Engine is great but was overshadowed by the liter bikes but still very good for what it is. 9/10
The worst gear box I have ever used, it was notchy, difficult to find 1st gear and neutral which was a pain during start stop traffic. Big let down it might be a one off problem but still just crap 1/10
The sitting position reminded me of my old RGV250 it was that narrow and as a result the bike is really easy to change direction with. I felt really comfortable on the 675 there was alot of heat from the exhaust but not as bad as the R1. Great bike to ride really light 9/10
The brakes were somewhat of a disappointment as the felt wooden and didn't have the stopping power of all the other bikes even though its the lightest. Poor show 6/10
Looks wise the bike looks great and even got afew compliments from a couple of ladies Top looker that one 9.5/10
So all in all the Triumph is a great bike in every department apart from the brakes and crap gearbox.
Total score 7.5/10

Suzuki gsxr750.
Ive always been intrigued by the 750 and found out why. The bike was great. First of all the sitting position it felt the widest of all the bikes I rode (not sure why but just felt that way). Still I was comfortable on it and looks like I can spend alot of kays on it and with no underseat exhaust no problem of roasted thighs and buns.City commuting and long ride days not a problem. 8.5/10
Engine wise its great the power is there more than a 600 but not intimidating as a 1000. This is one bike you can truly learn to ride as it wont spit out sideways and yet it still has enough power to satisfy your needs. WHY don't other manufacturers follow Suzuki's lead theres a killing to made in this category. 9/10
Handling is a strong point of the 750 it was light and nimble just like a 600 and it just felt well sorted. Great is all I can say 8.5/10
The brakes of the bike were also good, not R1 powerful but almost as good as the zx10r. They still are a good piece of kit and felt great and have lots of stopping power. 8/10
The looks of the bike as also great it doesn't grab your attention like the 675 or R1 but is more understated which is what I like. 8.5/10
Overall the 750 is a great bike, it handles superbly has enough power for the street and just felt like a joy to ride. The bike is great machine so I'm giving it a 8.5/10

The thing when your test riding a bike it straight from the dealer or private buyer its been setup differently from what your used to so I guess with most of the handling issues with the ZX10r and R1 they could be dialled out by a good tweak of the suspension.
All this bike are winners in my book but I only can buy one, shame I couldn't get a test ride on the new ZX10r. I didn't test ride any 600s as I made the choice of wanting a 1000 or the 750. Still I'm heading down to another dealer on Saturday so maybe a zx6r could be given a quick spin.

So overall ranking IMO is;
1. Yamaha YZF R1
2. Kawasaki ZX10R
3. Suzuki GSXR750
4. Triumph 675

Since you are with ST George ask them about the "Get Set Loan" Same as a personal loan. The intrest rate is usually just under the usual intrest rate, came with a Visa card and runs a continuis line of credit.
I had this for work aswell, dinner expences have been known to run over $1500-$2500

onewheelmat wrote:hey guys just updating you on the situation. Over the weekend I took a Kawasaki zx10r 06, Yamaha yzf R1 08, Triumph 675 07 and Suzuki gsxr 750 07 for a test ride. Heres my amateur review.

First off all let me say that they were all great bikes everyone of them a great piece of machinery to own and ride. The first bike I rode was the Kawasaki zx10r, great effort from team green the bike was great pleasure to ride.
First the sitting position it had the longest reach of all the bikes I felt ( im 5'6 60kgs) and can be potential a strain on my back and arms for longer rides. I didn't like the way I felt on the bike. 7.5/10
The engine was the stand out of all the bikes great power not what I expected as everyone said they were wheelie monsters but for my riding style I think the engine is great for the street low down power. I didn't really get to open her up but did a few highway kms and the engine just pulled no matter what City commuting was a breeze. The gearbox is slick and shits well. 9/10
The brakes those petal discs look great and the also perform really well. Stopping power is great and the brake feel was tops 8.5/10
Looks also are an important factor, thats why I'm not even thinking of a Honda cbr1000r 08. The zx10r gets a 9/10 for me.
General handling of the bike was also great but I did notice the front was a little vague and didn't inspire confidence in me. Still I think with some suspension adjustments I can easily fix that. 8/10
So all in all the Kawasaki is a superb machine only the position didn't feel right for me. Total score 8.5/10

The Yamaha R1. The newest design of all of them.
The sitting position was better than the zx10r I had less weight on my arms and so it looks like I can rack up the large miles on this thing. The only thing I didn't like with the sitting position was the extreme heat from the under tail exhaust. Crisp city right there. Definetly the hottest of the bunch. score 7.5/10
The engine was only second to the zx10r it was great during normal city commuting and highway riding, people have mentioned the lack of low down power but I thought it was great. Fueling is great no problem there. Great gearbox best shifting of all the bikes nice and smooth. 8.5/10
The brakes ohh the brakes they don't come any better than this great feel great stopping power, look great as well. I felt that the R1 had the best brakes of the lot. 9.5/10
Looks wise the R1 gets top marks 9.5/10
General handling the front end was also abit vague but not as bad as the zx10r still again it felt like a great bike to ride and it was really nimble. 8.5/10
Total score for the R1 9/10

The triumph 675.
I haven't ridden a 3 cylinder bike before and I wonder why. Its a great piece of kit, the torque down low is just great and it pulls from any revs. Its really linear in its power delivery and I could believe it was just a 675. The wonderful engine got me out of a sticky situation were a Mitsubishi mirage (bikes natural enemy ) suddenly swerved into my lane I just gunned the engine and was out of there. Engine is great but was overshadowed by the liter bikes but still very good for what it is. 9/10
The worst gear box I have ever used, it was notchy, difficult to find 1st gear and neutral which was a pain during start stop traffic. Big let down it might be a one off problem but still just crap 1/10
The sitting position reminded me of my old RGV250 it was that narrow and as a result the bike is really easy to change direction with. I felt really comfortable on the 675 there was alot of heat from the exhaust but not as bad as the R1. Great bike to ride really light 9/10
The brakes were somewhat of a disappointment as the felt wooden and didn't have the stopping power of all the other bikes even though its the lightest. Poor show 6/10
Looks wise the bike looks great and even got afew compliments from a couple of ladies Top looker that one 9.5/10
So all in all the Triumph is a great bike in every department apart from the brakes and crap gearbox.
Total score 7.5/10

Suzuki gsxr750.
Ive always been intrigued by the 750 and found out why. The bike was great. First of all the sitting position it felt the widest of all the bikes I rode (not sure why but just felt that way). Still I was comfortable on it and looks like I can spend alot of kays on it and with no underseat exhaust no problem of roasted thighs and buns.City commuting and long ride days not a problem. 8.5/10
Engine wise its great the power is there more than a 600 but not intimidating as a 1000. This is one bike you can truly learn to ride as it wont spit out sideways and yet it still has enough power to satisfy your needs. WHY don't other manufacturers follow Suzuki's lead theres a killing to made in this category. 9/10
Handling is a strong point of the 750 it was light and nimble just like a 600 and it just felt well sorted. Great is all I can say 8.5/10
The brakes of the bike were also good, not R1 powerful but almost as good as the zx10r. They still are a good piece of kit and felt great and have lots of stopping power. 8/10
The looks of the bike as also great it doesn't grab your attention like the 675 or R1 but is more understated which is what I like. 8.5/10
Overall the 750 is a great bike, it handles superbly has enough power for the street and just felt like a joy to ride. The bike is great machine so I'm giving it a 8.5/10

The thing when your test riding a bike it straight from the dealer or private buyer its been setup differently from what your used to so I guess with most of the handling issues with the ZX10r and R1 they could be dialled out by a good tweak of the suspension.
All this bike are winners in my book but I only can buy one, shame I couldn't get a test ride on the new ZX10r. I didn't test ride any 600s as I made the choice of wanting a 1000 or the 750. Still I'm heading down to another dealer on Saturday so maybe a zx6r could be given a quick spin.

So overall ranking IMO is;
1. Yamaha YZF R1
2. Kawasaki ZX10R
3. Suzuki GSXR750
4. Triumph 675

What year was the 10? I had an 05, and I said EXACTLY the same thing! The R1 is a mega comfortable ride compared to the 10. I'm waiting till somewhere has an 08 demo so I can go test ride and see what the difference feels like.

The heat from the exhaust is probably the biggest thing, however, it's also freakin awesome. Riding to HG on dusk/night with slight drizzle, it was so much more comfortable than freezing my arse off on the 10! So it's also a positive for the cold weather!

When you're at 100km's though, I don't really notice it. City traffic I do.

Burky wrote:Since you are with ST George ask them about the "Get Set Loan" Same as a personal loan. The intrest rate is usually just under the usual intrest rate, came with a Visa card and runs a continuis line of credit.
I had this for work aswell, dinner expences have been known to run over $1500-$2500

Never heard of the "get set loan" but I'm going to call them tomorrow and find out. Wow dinner expenses for $2500 thats my year food budget (really it is).

Hey Benno the Kawasaki was a 2006 model. Yeah I guess with winter rearing its ugly head an underseat exhaust might save me from the cold rides. I've had to pull over more than once when riding just so I could warm up.
I would love to try the new ZX10r but don't know any dealers that are giving test rides just yet.