125cc begginer questions ?

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Deleted member 61728

Deleted member 61728

Looking for some advice on whether or commuting with a 125cc bike would be a good a idea in my case or not.Im mid 20s male been driving a car since 18 but now the running costs are really getting a joke and so considering alternatives.I cant afford to go all the way for a full motorcycle license atm so i thought about a 125cc i heard a lot of good things about them mainly how cheap they are to run.My commuting is about 20 miles in the country each way a few small hills nothing more no major roads.Would this be a good idea ? or should i wait and save and go for a proper bike ?

Some other questions:

Are 125 cc bikes noticeable slower than moving from driving a car for some years ?

Are they many 25+year old riders on 125s ?
 
tron said:
or should i wait and save and go for a proper bike ?
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The answer to this really depends on whether you enjoy the idea of riding as a hobby as riding to solely save cash isn't a great idea in my opinion, even on an 125.
 
I had a 125 for the purpose of commuting.

After 6 months I got fed up with how slow it was and did my DAS and got myself a 600!

I am glad I got 6 months experience on the 125 before going for my DAS.
 
nothing wrong with 125's,plenty fast enough imo,either a big trail bike or a road bike will do the trick,2stroke or more reliable 4stroke

youll laugh at the petrol prices with a motorbike

i think the expensive parts are the riding gear and all the faffing around getting a cbt and license
 
Hmmm thing is, not sure how much insurance will cost you if you were a new rider on a 125? I know mine's going to be stonking but then that will be a 690.

You have to factor in not only cost of bike, but the insurance, CBT and gear (please get decent stuff... it makes me cringe when I see people out in sunny weaher with a shoddy dinked up helmet, no gloves and jacket unzipped).

If it's something you've always wanted to do then go for it. But personally I would have a tinker first on a bike, see how you like it and then make a decision factoring in above said costs!

Good luck with finding a cheaper alternative! :)
 
pheebs said:
But personally I would have a tinker first on a bike, see how you like it and then make a decision factoring in above said costs!

)
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Ok where do i tinker on a bike first to see if its for me or not ?



Ive heard that the das and theory tests will get much much harder to pass next year is there any truth in this ?
 
tron said:
Ok where do i tinker on a bike first to see if its for me or not ?



Ive heard that the das and theory tests will get much much harder to pass next year is there any truth in this ?
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I don't know about the theory getting any harder, but the DAS age is increasing to 24 from 21, and there now seems to be a limit on engine output from ages 17-21 or something. Not sure of the exact details, they're posted on here somewhere though.

First step though would get your CBT done, that's the first step to seeing if you like biking. Depending where you go, you should be able to get all the equipment included in the cost of the CBT, just have a look around and see what your local places are offering. Means you won't have invested too much money in case you don't like it.

In all honesty though, you'll probably get bored of a 125 in no time, and you'l end up saving every penny to upgrade to a proper licence and get yourself a bigger CC bike :p.
 
tron said:
Ok where do i tinker on a bike first to see if its for me or not ?
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Just book your CBT with bike hire & by the end of the day you'll know whether it's for you or not.

My 125 cost 166 quid fully comp, 16 quid a year for tax & I get about 180 miles out of a tenner. :p

Bike cost me 2150 though & the gear around 350 but my costs have been balanced out by a compo claim off some blind **** who pulled out on me when I was on my 2 stroke.
 
Have a look here mate... Get On Free Ride. If you look for riding schools in your area who support the get on free trial, call them up, book a slot and go have a tinker :) you get to play about on a 125 and sometimes they'll bump you up to a 500. It gives you a taste and its free :)
 
I got a bike purely for commuting. bike and gear all in £2500, £400 for Insurance. And I do 44miles round trip a day , A and B roads, the A roads are national and I find it will keep up enough but you do feel the lack of power going up hill.

I am planning on riding it for 6months then doing the DAS, my riding has improved a lot since my CBT but don't want to leave it to long as you will develop bad habits.

Just filled my bike up at it cost me £14
 
If you are thinking of getting a bike purely for cost reasons then here are some rough costs of when I did it all a few years ago.

CBT: £100 ish
Bike: £900 for a 2001 reg Aprilia RS125
Helmet: £200 (can spend anything from £150 -500)
Leathers: £550
Boots: £60
Gloves: £45
Road Tax: About £15 for the year
Insurance: About £100-200 for the year when I was about 25
Fuel costs: About 100 miles per tank and a tank cost about £14. I think I got roughly 50mpg when I rode average, but bare in mind that was mainly thrashing the living daylights out of it derestricted at full 33bhp. It's possible to achieve 75mpg+.

So with biking, it's the initial outlay that is high getting up and running with all the gear. If you get your direct access straight up and CBT, the whole training cost alone is in excess of £500 sometimes. Admittedly, you do not need to spend what I spent on gear. You can get gloves for £20, boots for £30, basic leathers/textile set for for £100 and a helmet for £150. Second hand gear is very cheap. Do not buy a helmet second hand though if I were you. With bike gear they always do sales. It's best to buy the stuff that fits and feels best, WHEN ON A BIKE. Not stood up in a shop.

I personally found 125cc'ing it for a year was a good intro to biking. I loved it, but could get tedious at times.

Pros:
+ Getting me into bikes
+ Thrashing a 2 stroke
+ The raw nature of a 125cc sportsbike
+ The smell of 2 stroke in the morning
+ Simplicity of the bike mechanically
+ Performance for such small capacity and cost to run is very good

Cons:
- Poor italian build quality
- Poor parts availability at the time for Aprilia bits
- Parts prices for what they were being Aprilia
- Lack of comfort commuting long distances with heavy bag with me being a lanky 6ft2
- Top speed only about 110mph
- Fragile nature of 2 stroke engines


I wouldn't have done it differently if I did it again. I used to think the 125cc was quick being able to pull away from most cars at lights, which for a 125cc engine they are very nimble. Then I went Pillion on the back of a mates R1 one day which made me buy a 600.

Hope this helps.
 
you cant beat a trail bike like a kmx or dt to learn on or knocking around on with L plates ect,there big tall and comfy,turning circles are tight too
 
Plenty of quick 125's out there for that commute.

You also need to factor maintenance costs in, bikes need more attention than cars. Just a heads up though, I haven't actually done the maths :)
 
It seems a bit of a gamble either way do i go ahead do the cbt then go out and get a 125 and all the gear ride it for a few months build up some experience then sell it and go for das or straight from cbt to das ? if i did that would i have a better chance of completing the das successfully then if i did not ?


Going out buying a second hand 125 then selling it after 6 months would this incur much of a loss in its value ?
 
tron said:
It seems a bit of a gamble either way do i go ahead do the cbt then go out and get a 125 and all the gear ride it for a few months build up some experience then sell it and go for das or straight from cbt to das ? if i did that would i have a better chance of completing the das successfully then if i did not ?


Going out buying a second hand 125 then selling it after 6 months would this incur much of a loss in its value ?
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125s are magic look after them and they hold their value as everyone who has done as CBT wan't a 125
 
I did it. I'm over 25 drive a BMW E46 Sport and bought a Suzuki Van Van 125.

Going from 60 quid a week in Diesel to £10 a week is amazing.

Really enjoy the commute home and have been longing for the warmer weather and light nights:)

The bike is fun cheap to tax 15 quid V 200 quid for the BMW and 15 quid a month to insure.

Check out my commute home pics.

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The Bike will do 60mph which is enough for pootling to work. In fact its quicker than the car because as soon as I hit the traffic after 15 miles I can weave my way through :p
 
How much did it cost you to go from cbt though das and on to full motorcycle license ? What advice can anyone offer on this that will minimize training costs and better chance of passing the das + theory first time ?
 
Well my DAS cost me, IIRC, about £600, inc. CBT, however this was the cheapest I could find, my local Streetbike wanted £1000 I think it was. There are also your test costs to throw on top and some places will even charge you for the hire of the bike, about £50 I think, when you take your test.
As said in other posts, initial outlay can be quite pricey but if it's something you want/need to do, then get it done, as costs will no doubt only even go up.
I passed my DAS in Feb.2011, at the age of 41, was something I always wanted to do but having made an agreement with the wife many many years ago, it finally came to fruition....now I just think of all those years I have missed out on.

As for the chances of passing, CBT is really a walk in the park, a girl doing her's at the same time as me actually pulled up at a junction in the straight ahead lane (with big white arrow in road) after we had been told to turn right at the next set of lights, which had a right hand filter lane, she was actually in the lane to my left as we sat at the lights, with her RH indicator flashing, :rolleyes: and when the instructor told her she was in wrong lane, the lights changed and whoosh she pulled straight across me :eek: the oncoming traffic :eek: and continued away on her merry journey.....she also passed :rolleyes:

As for the actual "real" tests, well that is dependent upon many things, ranging from, the individual and their nerves, the examiner on the day, the traffic you could well encounter (mod 2), road conditions, even weather conditions.....hell, when I did my first mod 2, last January IIRC, the good old low Winter sun came into play as I was going uphill....couldn't see jack squat :o
 
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