My (newish) YBR 125

Gamefreak501

Gamefreak501

Gamefreak501

Soldato
Joined
7 Aug 2003
Posts
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Location
Bedfordshire
Hey everyone,

Thought I'd share my most recent purchase - a YBR 125 :) Bought it just under a month ago and it's been a hoot to ride.

ybr125900.jpg


Bought with around 20,000 miles on it. It's a 2012 plate and cost me less than a grand so rather pleased with it :D

Whilst I wait for a buyer to purchase my RX8, thought it would be a great way to stay mobile if I don't feel like a bike ride or walk to work.

For those wishing to do their CBT and become a learner rider, here is a break down of costs so far:

£350 on RST Textile gloves/boots/jacket/trousers and a Duchinni helmet (had a discount voucher from my CBT).

£225 for Third Party Fire and Theft insurance (as the compulsory excess was far too high on a comprehensive policy)

£130 on the CBT

£4 on L-plates.

£60+ on a very heavy duty chain, anchor lock and shutter padlock.

£17 annual tax.

For reference, I bought the insurance at the age of 30, but lack of experience is probably what did me over (and the area I'm in)

Plan is to get my two practical tests passed in March so I can get rid of my L-plates :) I do enjoy riding my YBR though, so I may need to keep it!
 
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I started on one of these, great little bikes! It's just a shame you can never go back to one once you've ridden a bigger bike lol
 
I had a YBR125 for six months or so when I was learning and it was perfect.

There's nothing like that feeling of freedom you get when you first go out on the open road after you've passed your CBT!
 
Nice bikes, easy to maintain and repair yourself if something goes wrong.

I bought my '12 YBR last year 1st October for £1200 at 3,000 miles and I must have spent just shy of a £600 on gear, £240 on TPTF insurance, £90 CBT and around £300 for tools, lubricants, greases and so on.

Cheap upgrades that will increase some torque and performance but nothing dramatic, iridium spark plug is the cheapest upgrade. For around you can grab LeoVince stainless steel exhaust for £100 second hand on eBay if you keep a watchful eye just make sure to ever so slightly increase the fuel mixture.

A free upgrade for extra torque is to remove the AIS hose and take off the showing pipes/tubes on the exhaust and cap off the exhaust pipe and AIS though the AIS has a reed valve so should be fine.

Basically, AIS is Air Induction System which uses negative pressure to draw air from the intake box to allow for more combustion for cleaner emissions. Myself and hundreds of others close this off and notice an increase in torque.

Better tires, better bike and I swear by Mitchellin Pilot Street tires which can be had for around £60 for both and don't need balancing just make sure they sit on bead otherwise you'll be in for a bumpy ride.

A few pre warnings I can share with you from my own research and dealings, the fairing mounts are easy to snap off, swingarm bushes are common to wear and play, sump plug thread is soft so don't over tighten use a torque wrench.

The speedometer is 5 to 10% inaccurate on a downhill with the wind behind me and the modifications my speedometer read 82mph, GPS was at 75mph at 11K RPM.
 
Psyoletic said:
Better tires, better bike and I swear by Mitchellin Pilot Street tires which can be had for around £60 for both and don't need balancing just make sure they sit on bead otherwise you'll be in for a bumpy ride.
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Well that is terrible advice. How do you know the tyres don't need balancing? They are balanced with such small weights you wouldn't know they were out of balance.

Always get your tyres balanced.
 
Great little bikes to start on.

Always wanted a black one when I started but ended up with some Frankenstein style silver one that I later discovered seemed to have been patched up with black panels for the seat and mudguard which I'm now in the process of sorting ready to sell when the weather warms up.
 
ZedPowered said:
Well that is terrible advice. How do you know the tires don't need balancing? They are balanced with such small weights you wouldn't know they were out of balance.

Always get your tyres balanced.
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Three motorcycle garages and a few other veteran riders have all advised me they do not need balancing as you'll never go fast enough to even notice if there was a balance issue, and this is a YBR125 we're talking about specifically.
 
Psyoletic said:
Three motorcycle garages and a few other veteran riders have all advised me they do not need balancing as you'll never go fast enough to even notice if there was a balance issue, and this is a YBR125 we're talking about specifically.
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Surely 'not noticing' a problem doesn't mean it's not causing an issue? I had the same with my 125, and while I went with the garage as they were a reasonable price, I remember thinking that it was a bit cowboyish.

Common practice and correct practice, aren't always the same thing.
 
The momentum and centripetal force of a spinning 125 wheel is slightly more than that of a push bike ;).

I don't know the right answer, and maybe there's a balance to be struck somewhere, but these things can get to 70mph with relative ease, and I've noticed steering wheel wobble on far less than those speeds on incorrectly balanced car tyres (granted they're heavier again than 125 tyres).
 
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Participant said:
The momentum and centripetal force of a spinning 125 wheel is slightly more than that of a push bike ;).

I don't know the right answer, and maybe there's a balance to be struck somewhere, but these things can get to 70mph with relative ease, and I've noticed steering wheel wobble on far less than those speeds on incorrectly balanced car tyres (granted they're heavier again than 125 tyres).
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Aye but a YBR125 can't get to 70mph unless you're tailgating on a downhill with the wind up your rear. Even then the gauge is 10% out.
 
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