good starter bike?

[Zafyr]

the situation is that I've done 2/3rds of my CBT, which I will be finishing on my 18th birthday in exactly (*gasp*) 2 weeks' time, I've loved it so far, so for my 18th my dad said he'll get me a motorbike

I've got my eye on a new Yamaha ybr125, but reading through some of the posts here I've heard some great reviews of other bikes, especially the cg - is this because the ybr is a newer model and people haven't had the chance to really get to know it, or is there some actual reason that I really should know about before spending £2k of my Daddy's hard earned cash?

If it's just that people don't know the bike so well, if anyone has been riding one I'd like some feedback on it (bearing in mind I'm a complete noob as far as bikes are concerned - the only point of comparison I have is the chubby little scooter I've been doing my CBT on, and that belongs to the bike shop).

Also I'd like to know how good or not an idea it is for me to get a geared bike after doing CBT on an automatic. The dude in the shop said the automatic would get me through my CBT easier (one less thing to learn in a day) and it wouldn't be too hard for me to progress to a geared bike afterwards - how true or not is this? And does anyone have any tips for me that might help that transition?

Also, what exactly are the pros/cons of getting a new bike? would it be wise or unwise, and why? I tend towards the cautious, especially as far as speed goes - does this make me any less likely to drop the bike on the road? I'm thinking it wouldn't be good to have my dad fork out a fortune only for me to have to borrow the same again for repairs.. if you're going to trash a bike it's surely not so bad if the bike's older anyway.

all comments welcome. If there's anything I've said that's unclear, as well, please ask and I'll clarify.

~Za~

[colin1]

I would say dont spend more than 1k on the 125, as you will lose on depreciation. One day you will want a big bike, and if you have blown it all on the little one, it will take longer to get together.

cg125 is an excellent bike and they age well
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colin1 is officially faster than god

[Rookie]

A CG and a YBR are effectively the same thing, by different makers. The YBR hasn't been around for long though. I wouldn't spend more than £1,000 on one (a CG can be had very easily for that) because the depreciation is really levelling out at that point and you'll lose virtually nothing if you keep it in good nick. Repairs will be very cheap too.

The gears, and more importantly the clutch, will take some getting used to. It may take 5 minutes, it may take a day, before you can ride it confidently. I spent 10 minutes getting the hang on gears before I went on the road, but the instructor said it was the quickest he'd ever seen someone get the hang of it, with no experience.

[VolvoDriver]

As others have said, depreciation is one of the biggest costs involved with motoring (2 wheels or 4), so buying used can help in that respect. For some, however, buying new gives the reassurance that you know its past history, there's a warranty, and (hopefully) the bike will feel 'tight' and fault-free - giving some confidence on the road.

I had an abortive attempt at CBT on a truly awful CG125. It was an 02 plate machine, but the controls and general feel of the bike reminded me of a garden rotavator My second attempt (at a different place) was on a Suzuki EN125 - about a year old and much more 'together'. It's a taller machine than the Honda and would suit those of a more robust (ahem!) stature. I don't believe the EN125 is officially imported by Suzuki GB, but some dealers have them. Worth a gander IMO.

It's surprising how much people bang on about getting a 'big' bike that fits them properly, but it's just as important that the bike you learn on should 'fit' reasonably well, too!

Going for a geared bike on CBT would make a lot of sense. It's really not that difficult, and leaves you unrestricted with bike choice afterwards. I must, however, admit I had trouble getting used to slipping the clutch far more than would be healthy in a car....

Good luck and - most importantly - enjoy it

[Dragonfly]

you cant go wrong with a honda cg125, just dont buy a lifan like i did

good luck!
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All the breast.
Muzza on Binge:
He's too busy beating the everloving shit out of Lizzie to notice this thread has taken a turn down Drama Avenue and stopped off at the popcorn shop.

[Zafyr]

VolvoDriver: thanks for mentioning the EN125. It looks like a good bike and searching round for it has shown me some of the other options that are available - I think I had kinda tunnel vision before You say the EN125 is good for people of robust stature - any idea how it would suit a lightweight (but avarage height) girlie like me?

And as for depreciation, I'm likely to have the 125 for 4 yrs at least, for a few reasons, so I've been looking for 4yr old ybr's (or, tbh, any ybr's that aren't new), but I've come up with nothing. All I can find are ones that're a few months old, in showroom condition still, and that are going for nearly the same price as one that's actually in the showroom at the moment. I've checked e-bay and googled but I don't know what more specialised motor trading websites there are. Am I being thick here? No, don't answer that but some links to websites that might help me would be very much appreciated

dragonfly: so what exactly was wrong with your lifan?

~Za~

[veeeffarr]

I've seen quite a few girls on the new shape CG125's, and my flatmates have sat on mine and seem to fit on it ok.

Think the YBR125 is similar and will serve you just as well, as far as I know there's not that much difference in the "Big 4" build qualities anymore (Honda used to be much better than them all a few years ago in terms of build)

CG's can be had for cheap, my 3,000 miler mint condition 2001 CG was bought for less than a grand, and cost me precisely £0 to fix when I came off of it November last year. (There was some damage, just didn't effect the running of the bike).

You won't have the 125 for a few years, believe me.

If you are moving to Norway, take a look at this: (https://www.msf-usa.org/imsc/proceedings/c-Lund-NewridertrainingsysteminNorway.pdf)

[Zafyr]

thanks loads, Toby, for the Norway thing. It looks really helpful.

[chalky143]

id go for a honda cg 125, there good solid relyable bike for a starter.
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Current bike :: sv650 minitwin race bike
Previous bikes::cbr600 steelie race bike, 1989 Honda vfr750f, 2013 Honda fireblade, 2013 Ducati multistrata 1200s, 2012 Triumph street triple R, 1999 yamaha r6, vfr 800, ducati 600ss, vfr 400x2, ntv 650, bandit 600, cagiva mito 125, aprilia rs 50, honda c90x2, honda hornet 600x2, cbr 600, aprilia rx50, suzuki katana
My bike pics: https://www.bikepics.com/members/chalky143/