Top five winter hacks
Put your bike away and continue to ride through winter by buying one of these affordable hacks.
Weather protection, a shaft drive, plenty of effortless power and torque and an engine that will probably outlast the pyramids – the Diversion 900 is a bike that bats away winter like a fly.
Twelve years after it went out of production, the XJ900 retains a devoted fan base in the active Diversion owners’ club, and with good reason. As workhorse, a tool, a bikers’ bike, it’s tough to beat.
Very nice-looking examples are available on eBay for around £1,500, often already accessorised with top boxes and heated grips, and with mileages that barely scratch the surface of what these machines are capable of.
The XJ600 Diversion is worth a look too but the 900 is the daddy.
Engine: 892cc air-cooled in-line four
Power: 89hp
Torque: 57lbft
Dry weight: 239kg
Seat height: 795mm
You could buy a new Chinese 125 commuter for not much more than a grand. Or you could spend your money on a very nice example of a machine that you know will shrug off many winters to come.
As utilitarian transport, the humble CG125 is one of the greatest machines ever produced. It's simple to maintain and repair and, best of all, fun.
Get a late minter for £1,500 or shop around for slightly older but still nice example for under a grand. Ride it through winter and then sell it for the same amount.
With hipsters doing weird things like café-racerising them, you might even make a profit.
Find it in our top 10 learner 125s.
Engine: 124cc air-cooled four-stroke single
Power: 11hp
Torque: 7lbft
Dry weight: 114kg
Seat height: 781mm
Early, curvy SVs are still a very common site on the road 14 years after they were superseded by the pointy one. That’s because they go. And go. And go.
There’s an argument for going naked in winter because it means less nooks and crannies to collect road salt, but sod that for some weather protection. Go for a faired example if you can and you won’t just get through winter, you’ll enjoy it too, with a good punch from that V-twin engine.
About £1,200 should be enough to get a very decent one if you shop around and it’s another machine that isn’t going to lose value.
Read our buyers’ guide.
Find it in our top 10 first big bikes.
Engine: 645cc liquid-cooled V-twin
Power: 70hp
Torque: 45bft
Dry weight: 169kg
Seat height: 805mm
Introduced just before the SV, in 1998, the Fazer 600 is another great middleweight all-rounder than remains as commonplace as a cold.
The Fazer 600 has always been an affordable, highly capable and deceptively fast machine. It’s comfortable – more upright than the SV – affords good weather protection and takes winters in its stride.
It never got better looking than original iteration, as ridden by the Crazy 88 in Kill Bill. As with the SV, £1,200 can get you a very nice one, but look closely before buying.
Read our buyers’ guide.
Read our used-bike review.
Engine: 599cc liquid-cooled in-line four
Power: 95hp
Torque: 45.8lbft
Dry weight: 189kg (205kg wet)
Seat height: 790mm
The GS500 is an under-appreciated machine, with an undeserved reputation for poor finish quality. And that means you can get a very good 10-year-old one for under a grand.
You’ll be sacrificing weather protection with the naked E version but the absence of a fairing means easier repairs and maintenance and makes hosing off road salt easier.
It’s comfortable and it will see off many winters if cared for.
Engine: 487cc air-cooled parallel-twin
Power: 44hp
Torque: 28.9lbft
Dry weight: 169kg
Seat height: 790mm
