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Well, after renting a nighthawk for awhile and lining up a sweet deal on a KLX 250 SF that the dealership destroyed, its time to look at bikes again.

Here are the bikes I'm looking at:

'98 Bandit 600. 11k miles, 1 owner, clean, records, $2500 http://chicago.craigslist.org/nwc/mcy/1738737451.html

'00 Katana 750. 20k miles, slight marks, few records, $2800 http://chicago.craigslist.org/nwc/mcy/1739308313.html

'07 Ninja 250. 3k miles, 1 owner, scratches, $2300 http://chicago.craigslist.org/nwc/mcy/1733750282.html

Also looked at '01 SV650 for $3k at dealer, but it has a golfball sized dent in the tank. http://www.arlingtonmotorsportsinc.com/6182A-1.JPG Is this cosmetic or would I burst into flame on the Kennedy?

Ideas- good, bad, indifferent? I'd like something to go from the NW suburbs down I-90 to IIT/Loop without much worry or hassle. Also local runs and occasional road trips for next 2-3 years. I like the Bandit, but worry about the age. The Ninja is nice, but I'd have to redo the handlebars to sit upright & what about trips? Not sure about the Katana.

Age and miles on the Bandit are really not an issue if it has been garaged and cared for. My '88 continues to run flawlessly and ages very little.

The SV is a great bike with minimal impending doom from the dent.

The Ninja might make you just a little more nervous if your traffic is particularly agressive. Bar risers are available and larger windshields can be easily made for additional comfort.

Also look for Ninja500R and GS500F. So many choices, but honestly there are lots of really great bikes out there. No matter what you get you'll want to do some adapting or modifying to make it better for how you want to use it.

Speaking from experience, resist the temptation to eventually go bigger than 600. Bigger than that is total and complete overkill, besides riding a small bike fast(er) is more fun than riding a big bike slow(er).