Bargain winter rides

Riding through the winter months can be one of the best ways to improve your road riding skills and will definitely get you to work faster than everyone that has opted for four wheels and joined the ever lengthening traffic jams.

So rather than taking to the car when you wrap up and tuck away your pride and joy for the winter, why not get a cheap bike to keep you on the road throughout the year.

A good winter bike is reliable, easy to maintain in the harsh conditions and has smooth power that won’t get you in to trouble in the wet. A look through our BIKES FOR SALE section reveals a wide selection to choose from – all for under £2000.

A Kawasaki ER-5 is one good option with proven reliability and plenty low mileage ex learner bikes to be had for next to nothing. This 2003 bike has been used by a training school so has been well maintained and has only got 11,000 miles on the clock, but it will only cost you £1599.

If you’ve got more miles to do this Yamaha FJ1200 is an ideal choice, with good weather protection and large panniers and top box. It has got quite a high mileage but FJs are well known to go on forever if they are well looked after.

A trialie bike is quite a popular choice for a winter ride providing much more forgiving handling in the slippery conditions and this £2000 Suzuki DR-Z400S has only covered 400 miles in four year. As an added bonus you could even get a way with a bit of light off-roading to keep you entertained at the weekends.

A Honda Hornet is a popular choice as not only is it a good all year bike but it can also offer a good bit of fun riding when the roads dry out. This bike has done 25,000 miles but comes with alarm and immobiliser and is only £1550.

This Yamaha Fazer 400 is a Japanese import and is ideal for new riders as it falls under the 33BHP limit. The only difference between the 400 and the UK 600 is the capacity so you’ll still get a damn good bike for your money at £1699.

With this BMW F650GS you’ll not only get the advantage of a stable trailie that will sit you above all the traffic but it comes with loads of storage capacity as well so no more wet rucksacks. You can even get this bike with a £99 deposit and finance for the £1895.

This Honda CB500 offers the same cheap reliability as the Kawasaki ER-5 but it’s good a full fairing with loads of weather protection. It’s done 26,000 miles but is only £1400.

Our BIKES FOR SALE section has got a massive selection of bikes so you are bound to find the perfect bike for whatever you want.