New bikes you can afford: Used alternatives

Over the past few years, PCP finance schemes have exploded into the motorcycle world to such an extent, dealers are now reporting that over half their sales are from buyers using the Personal Contract Purchase scheme.

The idea is that you put your deposit down, which can be cash or your part exchange, pay a low monthly fee (typically, the higher the deposit, the lower the monthly payment) and at the end you either pay a lump sum to keep the bike, part exchange it and start again with another PCP, or hand back the keys and walk away.

Spend a bit of time looking around and you can find some great bargains to be had on  nearly-new bikes, too. We’ve found four as good as new bikes which are also available on PCP as new. If you don’t fancy being tied to a contract, these are great alternatives.

Triumph Street Triple, £3,995

Available new for £95 a month on PCP, this example, although older, will save you over £3000 on the RRP of a new model. It’s hardly covered any miles and is completely original.

Yamaha MT-07, £4,799

This is a low mileage (800 miles) ex-demo bike so it’s likely to have been ridden gently. The MT-07 is new this year and blew senior road tester Michael Neeves away when he rode it at the launch. Save over £500 on the RRP.

Honda CBR500R, £4,100

The CBR500R was new last year and is a surprisingly capable and fun sports bike. Obviously it’s nothing like a full on supersport 600, but it’s willing and practical, too. Save over £1000 on the RRP and you still get one year warranty with this one.

Kawasaki VN900, £4,675 

This special edition VN900 is a few years old but still looks the part and rides well, too. This 2010 model is also available on finance and comes in at under £5000.