Have you considered a restricted yamaha mt07? Once you get your full licence you can just de restrict without having to buy another bike
i am on a cb500f… i am unrestricted but i liked the bike and it was cheap for a new bike (i wanted a new bike)…
for commuting is really nice, high mpg, nice riding position, enough spirit to carry you through traffic, and out accelerate most cars at the lights, slim enough to filter nicely, very flickable and nice turning circle with no fairings… I have ridden the three 500 models and i like the naked, but the R is also nice if you like sporty looking bikes, the worst for me is the X… dont like the look at all, if i wanted an adventure bike for the london wilderness i will get me a ktm… i am not a banker so no 1200GS
on the motorway it does more than the legal limit easily, and on the twisty B roads it holds its own against other more powerful bikes (maybe it is the riders of those bikes and not the bikes)… having said that, this is a 47bph bike and bigger bikes will smoke your ass on the straights no sweat, but if you are skillful and they are not, you will get them back on the twisty bits… if they have bigger bikes and skills, meet them at the coffee shop… also this is no high end bike and some things feel a bit cheap (suspension mostly and the brakes, although adequate for this bike, are nothing to sing praise about), but i think that overall is well built…
i rode it the whole winter, rain and whatnot and no signs of corrosion or major dramas yet… i like the bike, i put 18k on it on 13 months, no problems at all, it has not skipped a beat, for my needs is fine, but i doubt i will keep it for another year…
El gafas, thanks for the detailed post. It doesn’t need restricting, it fits within the A2 limits, at least the new version does.
Jaime, that was a very good buy tbh. Is that model same HP/kW as the current one?
I suppose if I bought a cheap 2nd hand one I’d at least not feel bad for getting bored in a years time and buying something else (A2 duration is 2 years 
).
that is a very good point… and very good deal! but unfortunately the old cb500 needs to be restricted to fall within the a2 cat, doesn’t it?
Ah yeah, just checked and it’s above the A2 restrictions.
Anyone know if it’s possible to get a restrictor on a bike this old, and if so, would it be cheap to do? If I restricted a cheaper bike that’d give me more budget for insurance.
Be careful what you specify when you enquire about restriction kits.
There are many 33 bhp restriction kits out there not so many 47 bhp restriction kits
Have a look here restrictor kits dot co dot uk inter webby do dah
I got my son an old sv650 1999 vintage & fitted 47bhp restriction kit to it
to be honest it hasn’t changed a lot to the performance feels abit wheezy top end but other than that cheap bike to by cheap bike to insure still looks ok (if you squint)
There’s nothing listed 
I’ll have a gander on some other sites.
Click on the Suzuki, Yamahaha or Honda icons, they’ll take to the brand listings and then to their ebay listing 
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/like/221486178099?clk_rvr_id=666744353490
I’ve been doing that, nothing happens though, promise.
Now I did not realise that you don’t need to actually declare a restrictor to insurance companies. So perhaps the price won’t differ that much.
God I am worse than Slan…I now have no idea what bike I want…
Maybe you should enter into a pact with her where one chooses the other’s bike and vice versa.
Once it is decided you cannot back out.
I’m in love with the VFR 400. But I have a feeling the riding position will get uncomfortable very quickly? Anyone ever had one and done long(ish) distance rides?
Bike porn _
That would be Claire AKA Bikergirl 400 to ask about those , she has one of tem .