Why are 125cc's so expensive in the UK?

IC3

IC3

IC3

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I've started looking at 125cc's as couple of my friends started to do their CBT's and buying 125cc's. I said to myself that I will wait till I can do A2, as I have driven a RS125 De-restricted daily not that long ago in a different country. But the prices for something else than the usual choices are high 2.5-3k. :eek:

I have a friend in France and when I showed him the prices he was shocked, you can sometimes get similar bike for nearly £1000 less in France! I also checked the market in my country and the prices were the same as France. I than checked Germany whenever they're any different, but it seems that across the Europe prices only vary a little bit and when adding the cost of importing it comes to around the same figure.

I was mainly looking at KTM EXC125, Husqvarna SMS125, Aprilia RS125 and other 2 strokes. But the price difference does not just differ for 2T its the same for 4T.

Why is the premium so high in the UK? :confused:
 
RyanF said:
Probably something to do with the fact that we've got the most irresponsible teenagers in the EU
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Possible, its also really tricky to find a learners bike in a good shape without any scratches on either side of the bike. :(

Getting bike from FR to UK would cost £70-£100 if not less, I imported my Yamaha Raptor 250R from Poland to UK and paid £100 or £120.
 
ttaskmaster said:
Because everyone has to learn on a 125, even if it's just the first bit of DAS.
Because so many people favour the 125, even after getting a full licence, for commuting, cost, or whatever.
Because quite a few people get into the 125 enthusiast 'scene'.
Because there is a 125cc racing category.
Because this is the UK and everything is expensive.
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Not everything, lots of cars are a lot cheaper in here than anywhere else. There are some odds like the GT86/BRZ which cost nearly double in the UK than anywhere else in the EU. But most bikes above 125cc are cheaper in the UK, a lot of people import from UK especially older bikes from 90's and early 00's.

Edit:

I'm just going to import something from FR or PL, cheaper and when the time comes to sell the bike I will still probably get more for it. Overpaying £800-£1000 is just too much of a difference tbh...
 
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Has anyone ever imported anything from a different country (e.g. FR, DE?) to the UK, but still staying within the EU?

I have a friend in France, but the only time he can really help me out is during weekends as he works 5 days a week and is gone for the whole day. So the language barrier might be problematic during the process of buying the bike, the easiest option would be to get something from my country. I really want a 2T Enduro which I'll convert into SM as I hate enduro tyres on concrete.

In the UK I will have to spend 2.5-3k+, for other options just for the bike I will be looking at maximum of £2k (more like £1800) for a really mint example with low miles which in here I can easily sell next day for 2800 without bigger hassle.
 
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Clov!s said:
How long will you be on a CBT before going for your A2?
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7-8 months 9 being the max, I'm tempted to buy enduro now that will be suitable for A2 and ride it off road. But like I use to live abroad literally 800m from the nearest forest, in here I have no clue where to go... :confused:

Edit:

Does KTM SMC690 go under A2 after restrictions? I know you can ride Duke 690 restricted, but its significantly heavier.

wazza300 said:
I actually made £300 when I sold my kmx 125 few years ago,it was mint tho
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Its a nioce bioke, pretty reliable for a 2T. My friend sold his DT and bought KMX which he had for quite a while.
 
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wazza300 said:
just pickup a cheap 4 stroke 125 to tide you over till you pass your test

when you add up the shipping and import fees if any,it'll work out the same price as here

you can get some bargain bikes if you look/buy private
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Any models that you have particularly in mind? I was thinking of bikes like Suzuki SR, Yamaha SR, cruisers seem like a better choice for slower rides. :cool:

You might be right, too much hassle of importing. I thought I might as well since I have the money to do so...

arfoll said:
Yeah no problem it's 49KW so you can restrict to 35KW and that's A2 compliant.
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SMC is my dream SM, its great to hear I can actually ride it. It is a bit pricey, but I don't have any other hobbies... so might as well buy what I want :)
 
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wazza300 said:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Yamaha-WR...807?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item33a32ad2e7

how much did you wanna spend? 2 strokes are ok but they don't last long,i managed 23k miles before my big end or little end went,four stroke will last a lot longer

heres a cheaper one

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Yamaha-WR...6&pid=100005&rk=1&rkt=6&sd=221780824807&rt=nc
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I saved up around 5-6k so far, I was going to wait till A2. But since summer is here and pretty much all my mates couldn't wait till their A2, they are nagging me to do CBT and get a 125. I could probably spend around 2.2k? Depends how much I will get back in 10-12 months times for it?
 
wazza300 said:
aslong as you look after it and don't pile the miles on it you should get back if not all of your money

try and go as cheap as you can though,for the best condition and lowest miles
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If the last bit was that easy, people want to much for something that is worth less...

Clov!s said:
I bought my Honda CBR125R for £1300, 2009, 8k miles, immaculate condition, rides perfect, couldn't be happier with a first bike. :)
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From your profile I can see you're 25, why did you go for a 125? Even a 250-450cc would be cheaper to buy, larger and more power bandwidth to play around with. On longer journeys 125cc 4T aren't fun, you can't overtake comfortably... :(
 
Clov!s said:
Because I only have my CBT at the moment, I'm going for my DAS training later in the year and will be riding a 750 :)
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tom_e said:
Because you can't run any of those on a CBT, I bought a YBR 125 at 26 just to get me on the road and I've just bought a 650cc for when fingers crossed I pass my full test on Wednesday.
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Oh okay, but can't you do CBT and then do your DAS straight after? I know a lot of people ride 125cc for 12months+ before doing their license, but if I could do my A2 now straight after CBT I would do that without getting a 125.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Honda-CBR...24cc-new-crash-helmet-and-locks-/271907554927

What would be considered as a decent price for this bioke?
 
Clov!s said:
You can but I didn't want to jump straight into my DAS, I wanted some OTR experience before having the power of a 600cc bike :) I've been driving 8 years but it was still a change moving to a bike :)

Bike is a good price for the mileage, forget the helmet, you don't know the history of it.

You can pick up a Honda CBR125R, 2012+ with low mileage for around £1600 l, you'll make this money back no problem at all in 9 months time when you sell it :)
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Yeah I know what you mean, for someone who hasn't ridden before 125 is a great choice to learn the basics.

The helmet I will buy new, I wouldn't wear someone else's helmet, that is just disgusting...

Where? :D

Edit:

Currently at work so I can't really properly look at bikes, but during my break I had a quick look and found this;

http://www.gumtree.com/p/yamaha-mot...sale-2013-plate-63-reg-low-mileage/1121307669

http://www.gumtree.com/p/yamaha-motorbikes/yamaha-ybr-125-cc-/1121780904

http://www.gumtree.com/p/yamaha-mot...dition-throughout-only-4000-miles-/1121228837 - Not that far away, but I would have to explain to the guy that the price is insane...
 
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Clov!s said:
Prices seem to have risen since i bought mine :p May need to stretch to 2k for a 2012+ model then :p

Have you looked at the Yamaha YZF-125? I was tempted but i was only going to spend a max of £1300 as i thought what's the point spending big for a first bike, might get stolen, damaged :p


http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Yamaha-YZ...756?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item43de95e6e4
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Yeah its summer :p probably one of the worst times to buy a bike... I wouldn't mind staying at £1000-£1300 budget for the 125 that will get me through those 7-8 months, their performance is all pretty much the same - snail acceleration :cool:
 
I'm going to see THIS bike tomorrow, what sort of price should I be looking at? That guy is not really willing to sell the bike without an auction... my friend bought a 2012 Duke with similiar mileage for £2.200 but it was all stock apart from tail tidy at the back.
 
wazza300 said:
no idea tbh,if your mate picked up one for 2.200 then id aim for around the 2k mark?

depends what he's set his reserve at

heres one for 2500,you might knock him down if you pay cash

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/KTM-DUKE-...5&pid=100005&rk=1&rkt=6&sd=231600780289&rt=nc
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The bike you linked is 120 miles away, a bit too far away... My mate bought his Duke 125 2012 which had just the tail tidy 2.2k, it has similiar mileage to this one I think it was 4.8k.
The bike which I linked has an aftermarket slip on, tail tidy, new chain with orange z-rings and by looking at it I think its the R model. So 2.2k would be ideal, but 2,3k is my absolute max for this bike or is it too much? One went yesterday for £1800 with 11,5k miles and it was 2011 all stock.

£350 - slip-on
£166 - tail tidy
£109 - chain with z-rings
Not counting other cosmetic bits which are listed on the ad.
 
arfoll said:
Non retail bits are worthless. Don't get me wrong I'd be happy to get them but don't let anyone make you pay extra for them you won't get the money back when you resell..
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Ok, I'll keep that in mind whilst neogtiating. But I'm still not sure what's a good price to pay for it, what would you say should be the limit to not overpay? I gave some examples in previous posts how much they go for, but this is a clean looking bike which means the price is a bit higher than the average. :p
 
Bought this little beast :D Picking it up tomorrow!

9c9a8624e9db9d23821ac7b32962943d.jpg
 
wazza300 said:
congrats,does look a nice clean machine
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Thanks, the guy selling the bike was around 35-40'ish, the previous owner was above 30 as well. That bike at the back is his scrambler, done his DAS so moved on from the Duke. I can't wait to get on it, going to pick up some gear tomorrow.

I will be buying from BikeStop , any recommendations on the Helmet, Jacket & Gloves (RST?)

My budget for helmet is around £150-£200, will this buy me a decent helmet? I only have 1 head, I don't want to become a vegtable :p
 
wazza300 said:
You can go in the shop and try on the clothing/helmets and note down what sizes you are,then go online and shop around for the best deals/prices

Agv and hjc do some helmets under 200

Looked at the Weiss and spada clothing?
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I'm a newbie, any shops that you would recommend? or are you just browsing like you would for computer parts on google? :p

I do like the LED lights on this helmet - http://www.bikestop.co.uk/shark-skwal-helmet-matador-black-silver-white? The only thing I don't like is the price :p

Edit:

£40 cheaper : O

http://www.motoin.de/Helmets/Integr...e_uk&utm_medium=export&language=en&country=GB

Edit2:

BTW He had all the stock parts for this bike except for the exhaust, not too bothered though :p
 
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