125cc choice help

webmonkeyuk

webmonkeyuk

webmonkeyuk

Associate
Joined
19 Aug 2004
Posts
1,676
Location
Stockton-on-tees
Right so my plan is to get a 125 and use it for a year or so to get used to biking and such then do the DAS, but i can't decide which bike would be right for me. The four main ones I'm thinking of are the yamaha's ybr & yzf and the Honda's cbr & cbf now the thing is I'm about 6ft1 and round about 15st so I'm thinking I might look silly on the little bikes. I did my cbt on the ybr and my legs felt cramped on it. I would like a varadero but finding one in budget within a reasonable distance is proving hard.

I quite like the super motor style bikes but most seem to be Chinese stuff. The trouble is I only want to spend up to £1500 on one but I'm wanting to use it to commute and have some runs out on so I was hoping to get something that would at least do nsl duel carageway speed or cruise at around 60-65, I know 125cc's will stuggle.

Any ideas which route would be best, and yes I know it would be Easyer to do the das but I feel I would benefit having a year or so on the smaller bikes first.

Thanks ;)
 
i would not recoment a cbr 125 or the cbf they are gutless, and ride badly atleast when compared to an early 90's 2 stroke or and 600cc the tyres are like rice cakes.
the gf had a 2004 cbr and it was so nasty, and my old man has a cbr 125 on a 2012 plate and its defo better but not much. i have had the 600 and 1000 and they are so much better as they actually put effort in to style, quialty parts and so on unlike on the smaller but cheaper bikes.

if you want a super moto i would look at yamaha DT 125 or a Yamaha WR or YZ

im shorter at 5 11 if you want speed and williung to get your hands dirty look at some older 2 stroke bikes like suzuki rg , aprilia rs, honda NSR do go down the chinese route they are gauranted to last a weekend at best.
 
leigh_boy said:
i would not recoment a cbr 125 or the cbf they are gutless, and ride badly atleast when compared to an early 90's 2 stroke or and 600cc the tyres are like rice cakes.
the gf had a 2004 cbr and it was so nasty, and my old man has a cbr 125 on a 2012 plate and its defo better but not much. i have had the 600 and 1000 and they are so much better as they actually put effort in to style, quialty parts and so on unlike on the smaller but cheaper bikes.
Click to expand...

It's hardly relevant to compare a 125cc learner machine with a supersports or superbike. That's like saying your quad core PC is better than a pocket calculator.

I suspect the race rep bikes like the YZF and CBR will feel quite cramped with your height. If you like the idea of the Vardero, then have a look at the Spanish made Derbi Terra. It's a similar bike with nicer styling and better made than the Chinese efforts.
 
Last edited:
webmonkeyuk said:
Right so my plan is to get a 125 and use it for a year or so to get used to biking and such then do the DAS, but i can't decide which bike would be right for me. The four main ones I'm thinking of are the yamaha's ybr & yzf and the Honda's cbr & cbf now the thing is I'm about 6ft1 and round about 15st so I'm thinking I might look silly on the little bikes. I did my cbt on the ybr and my legs felt cramped on it. I would like a varadero but finding one in budget within a reasonable distance is proving hard.

I quite like the super motor style bikes but most seem to be Chinese stuff. The trouble is I only want to spend up to £1500 on one but I'm wanting to use it to commute and have some runs out on so I was hoping to get something that would at least do nsl duel carageway speed or cruise at around 60-65, I know 125cc's will stuggle.

Any ideas which route would be best, and yes I know it would be Easyer to do the das but I feel I would benefit having a year or so on the smaller bikes first.

Thanks ;)
Click to expand...

Just get your DAS now if you're over 24, you'll have SO much more choice and you'll actually be able to get something a bit bigger that's going to suit you rather than being stuck on a 125cc for a year. Bit of a waste of time/money going 125 and then only getting your DAS IMO. Also, you may pick up some bad habits riding on a CBT for the year without any formal training. Some people do, some don't. If you do then they can be hard to get rid of and make passing the test more difficult.
 
I'm doing exactly what you're thinking of. Was all set to do a DAS until I did my CBT and then decided to get a 125.
Just bought myself the Yamaha YZF R125 last weekend so will report back once I've had a go, picking it up on Thursday. I'm 6'1" as well, couple of stone lighter but I found the older shape CBR small, cramped and it felt quite cheap so if you do go that route you'll want the newer shape. With regard to the CBF, the build quality is a lot better and you can get a new one pretty cheap but I found it a bit uncomfortable with cramped legs.
 
Been looking at the derbi bikes mainly the terra and the drd supermoto but wasn't sure of the build quality plus they seem to be going for more than I want to spend
 
Dogbreath said:
It's hardly relevant to compare a 125cc learner machine with a supersports or superbike. That's like saying your quad core PC is better than a pocket calculator.

I suspect the race rep bikes like the YZF and CBR will feel quite cramped with your height. If you like the idea of the Vardero, then have a look at the Spanish made Derbi Terra. It's a similar bike with nicer styling and better made than the Chinese efforts.
Click to expand...

all i was getting at was that people recomend based on the bigger bikes becuae they usse quality parts wer as they dont on the 125's from the 00's unlike in the 90's where they did.
 
An old cheapish ybr125 or cg125 or cbf125 will do the job of giving you some experience without having the power there to begin with that can literally bite you in the ass the minute you disrespect it.A 125 is slow but its a good bike to learn on just remember it can kill you just as easy as any other bike can.
 
Right ive decided on the Varadero as it fits me better, but was just wondering wheres the best place to look for insurance. Just do it the same as a car and use the comparison sites? Been looking around and im getting quotes of around £110 for the varadero but the cbr jumps up to £250 so it looks like the sporty styles are deffinatley out
 
try bennetts,mce,bikesure

those tend to be the cheapest imo,dont go through comparison sites the tend to be more money
 
FYI I tried MCE and Bikesure for my new 125 and they were both terrible. Used gocompare and it put me on to Swinton who were £100 cheaper (£142 compared to £248)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom