Thinking of joining the 125cc club

DangerMoose

DangerMoose

DangerMoose

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Disclaimer: Noobish questions.

So anyway, I'm starting a new job in a few days and am thinking that a scooter or low end bike might be the best answer to my relatively modest commuting needs. I've been mainly looking at scooters as I reckon they are more practical for my likely usage. A 125cc bike is tempting as I imagine they can be more fun to ride (responsibly and with practice, naturally) and might end up being a gateway drug. But I don't know know if I would actually get to ride for pleasure all that much, so it might not be worth the sacrifice in terms of things like storage space. I don't mind learning gears, however.

Looking at potential purchases, I am seriously considering new for peace of mind, warranty and suchlike (trying to balance that with the potential for damaging it whilst learning). And quite frankly, some of the prices look pretty good too, especially coming from 4 wheeled transportation (I've driven for about ten years). What I am not clear on though is which makes/models are worth considering. Buying new, Piaggio and Yamaha seem easiest to come by locally (and Vespas but retro chic costs). For a scooter, I quite like the looks of the Typhoon and Fly models. Anyone got any experience with them? The Yamahas are mostly a bit pricier, from what I have seen.

For a bike, is the YBR 125 any good? I gather the Honda equivalent is decent but I cannot find a local Honda bike dealer, so that would likely involve going second hand.

I already have an idea about licensing and am looking into doing my CBT.

TL;DR: what is a decent 125 scooter/bike for a beginner, with a potential preference for buying new?

Any advice welcome. Thanks in advance.
 
a good second hand machine is best,you wont lose as much if you bought new

a used one with 4 or 5k miles is fine imo

id also go for a four stroke as they will be more reliable and wont drink expensive two stroke oil

any Japanese four stroke is decent,
 
I wouldn't recommend buying a new 125 either unless you have a fair bit of disposable. income tbh, because of the depreciation rate and you might not end up keeping it for long

The YBR125 is generally well rated as a good beginner bike and bulletproof, a lot of training schools use them and for good reason too.
Comfort - CBF125, Varadero 125
Sports - CBR125, YZF R125
 
Thanks.

I will consider second hand and have a bit more of a look. However, as much as I am not swimming in surplus disposable income, I am less concerned about depreciation at this end of the market. Simply put, I am not very good at shopping for second hand motor vehicles. Part of this might include a deficiency at finding bargains but a quick look at the Autotrader app suggests that on the YBR, for example, I might save as little as a few hundred on one with that sort of mileage. I would like to save a few hundred if possible but warranty, lack of need for MOT and suchlike do provide some reassurance. Any pointers on finding a bargain, without getting lumbered with something that has been thrashed senseless would be welcome, however.

Fair point about the likelihood of not keeping one for long. Although I should stress that first priority is commuting, so I should not be in too much of a hurry to trade up to something more fun, as long as it does that job well enough. Maybe I will change my tune once I get to ride one on the open road though.

What about scooters? My general understanding so far is that they are more likely to have decent onboard storage and are easier to ride, but that a bike has a potentially superior MPG, even for the same engine size. Also a bigger tank, compared with scooters. From the two replies so far, I kind of seeing a preference for a bike. Is this a fair assumption?
 
scooters are ok I guess,ive never owned one though

I like the look of the gilera vxr125's but no idea how reliable they are esp being Italian
 
When I sell the Multi, I'm seriously tempted to throw a grand in someones face to pick up a CBF 125... 85mpg???? YES PLEASE.

The 25mpg I'm getting on my BMW 130i M sport is killing me a little. I rode the Multi to the garage the other day and got 45mpg! An hours ride on country lanes. Insane lol.
 
agnes said:
When I sell the Multi, I'm seriously tempted to throw a grand in someones face to pick up a CBF 125... 85mpg???? YES PLEASE.

The 25mpg I'm getting on my BMW 130i M sport is killing me a little. I rode the Multi to the garage the other day and got 45mpg! An hours ride on country lanes. Insane lol.
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I'd be expecting 100+mpg, maybe even 120mpg from a cbf - I get 85mpg from my varadero and that's 170kg wet vs the cbf at 140kg wet and has an extra cylinder. It's costing me under 7p a mile according to fuelly. :D
 
I would also recommend buying used in order to minimise depreciation.

I had a Suzuki VanVan (great beginner bike by the way. Has larger tyres as opposed to the bicycle tyres of the YBR and CBF) which I bought for £1,700 at just under 2 years old and 3k miles and sold for £1,750 a year later
 
agnes said:
When I sell the Multi, I'm seriously tempted to throw a grand in someones face to pick up a CBF 125... 85mpg???? YES PLEASE.

The 25mpg I'm getting on my BMW 130i M sport is killing me a little. I rode the Multi to the garage the other day and got 45mpg! An hours ride on country lanes. Insane lol.
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85mpg?

Try 130mpg, I get that over every tank on my commute - 40mins of 30mph & 40mph roads in to the city each way.

I've said this a few times but I've really struggling to find a reason to do my full test and get a bigger bike. Probably when I have to redo my CBT next year I might as well do my test then but I should have clocked up 14k miles plus by then.
 
I don't need the motorway so it'll be a couple of hundred for nothing really. Next March I'll do it (then probably get a new bike just because I can...)
 
wazza300 said:
just do your test anyway,i would

plus riding a 125 on the motorway is fun:eek:
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Well he won't be able to go on motorways on just a CBT, so not a big deal. D/C's are fine on a decent 125, mine will do 70-75 on the flat, uphill a bit less, just needs plenty of forward planning.

Oh and OP - I was in exactly the same situation to you; new job, commuting by train was £150 a month and involved a 25 min walk to the station, followed by 3 trains to get to work, and a 5 minute walk to work at the end. Repeat on the way home. I work 8am-4:30pm, on the train that would mean leaving the house at 6:35am and getting home at 6:20pm, nearly a 12 hour day. On the bike I leave the house at 7:10, get to work at 7:50am every day, leave at 4:45pm and get home around 5:25pm. That's doing 20 miles each way, 200 miles a week, which costs about £14 a week in fuel. Insurance for me (32 yo on a CBT with 0 NCD, doing 10k a year) was £180. A car to do the same miles would cost about double for fuel and at least double for insurance for the year, so not any cheaper than the train.

125's are perfect for a cheap commuter so long as you don't have miles of dual carriageway or motorway on your route. A scooter is perfect for the city but a geared bike would be better for NSL roads out of towns.

I'll also be doing my full test in the next 9 months (before next summer for sure), and the time on a 125 is rarely wasted. Just watch those bad habits for when you do get around to doing your test :)
 
I meant if he passed his test anyway and stayed on 125,he would be able to go on motorways as ive done it myself:)

mine would do 90mph kmx 125
 
wazza300 said:
I meant if he passed his test anyway and stayed on 125,he would be able to go on motorways as ive done it myself:)

mine would do 90mph kmx 125
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No-one passes their test and stays on a 125, don't be silly :p

If you're gonna stay on a 125 there's little point to doing the full test, may as well just do the CBT every 2 years and keep the L plates.
 
true but I did I didn't do das,so had to wait a bit before moving up

just to ditch the L plates was worth it
 
TallPaul_S said:
Well he won't be able to go on motorways on just a CBT, so not a big deal. D/C's are fine on a decent 125, mine will do 70-75 on the flat, uphill a bit less, just needs plenty of forward planning.

Oh and OP - I was in exactly the same situation to you; new job, commuting by train was £150 a month and involved a 25 min walk to the station, followed by 3 trains to get to work, and a 5 minute walk to work at the end. Repeat on the way home. I work 8am-4:30pm, on the train that would mean leaving the house at 6:35am and getting home at 6:20pm, nearly a 12 hour day. On the bike I leave the house at 7:10, get to work at 7:50am every day, leave at 4:45pm and get home around 5:25pm. That's doing 20 miles each way, 200 miles a week, which costs about £14 a week in fuel. Insurance for me (32 yo on a CBT with 0 NCD, doing 10k a year) was £180. A car to do the same miles would cost about double for fuel and at least double for insurance for the year, so not any cheaper than the train.

125's are perfect for a cheap commuter so long as you don't have miles of dual carriageway or motorway on your route. A scooter is perfect for the city but a geared bike would be better for NSL roads out of towns.

I'll also be doing my full test in the next 9 months (before next summer for sure), and the time on a 125 is rarely wasted. Just watch those bad habits for when you do get around to doing your test :)
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Pretty much exactly the same as me, except my wife went on maternitey leave and rather put my second car back on the road I bought a bike. Was supposed to be just whilest she's off but I'm refusing to give it up now :p

She drops the baby off at nursery and then get's the train in which works for her as the nursery is next to the station and she works near the station so it's actually cheaper and quicker for her to get the train. I use my bike.

For me as well I save on maintenance on the car too as my annual car mileage is down to about 4k now instead of 14k.

Not to mention it's a damn sight more fun too, regardless of the weather - so long as you've got decent gear. Bought some waterproof overpants on the weekend from Ghostbikes, came in very handy last night with biblical rain :eek: Think I tempted fate by buying them :p
 
On the subject of CBT, anyone in the Notts or Derby area who can recommend a place to do it? Bike hire will likely be required, though I am considering one dealer who offer to deliver to the training (they use a firm called Shires).
 
Thanks, I'll check them out.

I'm sitting on a bus going nowhere fast, wondering why it takes me nearly an hour and a half to complete a 5.5mile journey. The future is on two wheels I think. I could cycle that distance but maybe I'm just too lazy. Besides, using one's own power gives a rather more limited range on days off.
 
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