Would i get respect riding this?

[Speedy3]

https://www.honda.co.uk/motorcycles/2007/XL125Varadero.html

the new 07 Varadero?

I'm after a 125, and the dealer near me seems to think this is one of the best out there, especially the new one.

He's offered me a deal, where he'll throw in aload of new gear - Textile Jacket/Trousers (upto £100 each), a new helmet (under £200), a centre stand, top box etc, thatcham approved cat 1 alarm, and hes offering it me for £3500?

Considering i want to keep this until im 21, would this be a good buy? I'm 17 nw, im not fussed about going supersonic speeds, i just want something reliable for day-to-day riding.

Also he said i should be able to get 70-80 out of this? Is that true?

Any help is apprechiated, will mainly be for 20-30mile commutes each day to and from work and college


Cheers guys


Perry

[map]

IMO you may find the 125 a bit of a drag on a 30 mile commute. May be fine if 15 miles each way (not clear what you meant ). Would be ok for town/city but anything with fast stretches then you'll be at the limit most of the time. FWIW any 125cc bike must be capable of 100kph (62mph). If you can get any more then good. This will be flat out though, so don't think you'll be cruising effortlessly at 70mph.

I also think you may get bored of this being at the limit most of the time. That's why people move up to 500 to 650cc (did I hear someway say SV at the back ) as there is a wider range of power delivery.

Sorry if this sounds negative. 125cc bikes have their place, especially the Varadero as it looks bigger than it is and is that little bit different.

It's a Honda so will (most probably) be reliable. If you want this sort of bike then have a look for an older 2nd hand one (they are rare). At least then if you decide to sell on and upgrade you will get back almost what you paid for it (IMO no chance of that if bought new).

HTH
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[Speedy3]

Like i said, im not to fussed about speed, and the route id have to take each day is 20-30miles through towns and cities, only 1 long road, and its about 8miles long going from telford to shrewsbury (Old A5)

I cope doing it at 30mph on a 50cc, so i understand that it will be abit easier doing it at say 60, i don't really have any reason to go faster than that.

Also i have looked for 2nd hand ones, VERY hard to find them, and the dealer had a last year model in, 2nd hand, 12000miles and he sold it for 2800, so it lost 400 in a year... Not too bad deprechiation to be fair.


I just don't want to be another "125" rider that prats about getting bad names, i want to gain respect and most importantly experience.

Anyone here had experience on the bike at all?

[Keir]

When im on my 30 mile commute i usually roll past a fella riding one of those. Hes usually sitting at about 70ish and dont seem to mind too much.

IMO it would do the job fine but if youre having it for 4 years it may get boring.
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Current : '08 Yamaha FZ1s
Previous: '99 Honda CBR 600FX, 03 ZX636 B1H, 99 Fazer 600 (red), 02 GSX-R 600 K2, 00 SV650s (red), 2008 ZX10R, 97 Bandit 1200N, 04 ZX6RR K1H, 04 GSX-R 1000, 98 Fazer 600 (gold), 05 Madness 110 Pit bike, 04 CR125R, 00 SV650s (black), 06 KTM 625 SMC, 99 SRAD 600 track bike, 03 SV650, 98 Bandit 1200N, Bandit 600SY, 03 GSX-R 600 K3, 01 GSX-R 600, 01 Fazer 600 (black), VFR 400 NC30 x3, 78 Honda Dream, 00 Speedfight 50

[veeeffarr]

Who cares about respect?

Looks like a nice adequate machine to be honest and I think it does about 70 indicated.

You will get bored of it though, you are only human, I lasted a year on my 125 until I did my test but I wanted to after 6 months.

Depends how you ride it really, find some nice challenging roads to keep you amused and you're laughing

[Speedy3]

Its mainly short town riding id do here, i don't plan on making long trips, just college and work, and the odd trip to supermarket/uptown/around local area

Nothing too bad as most roads here are now 40 and 50 limits, and a shit load of speedcameras.

I can see myself wanting to go faster if i know i can, ie if i had a R6, i wouldn't stick to speedlimits for long, id want to be testing myself, seeing how far i could go before i got caught.

I was thinking a machine thats capable of doing NSL wouldn't be too bad as id have more chance to gain the experience needed, aswell as not having the urge to try and go faster.

[Stiffler]

I think they're cracking bikes for a 125... But they're very exspensive. You will also get much the same performance with a lot of other 125's although they don't look anywhere as big, or as "real".

Atm I ride a little YBR125 which I've had for 3 months, and already I'm approaching bored. It feels like I'm always fighting with it to make good progress and just a little more power would be very welcome. It will do an "indicated" 70 on the flat given a good tail wind and a few minutes build up.

If you're aiming to keep the bike for over 3 years I would seriously consider getting something just a little bigger. Have you taken you test yet? I just don't think £3500 for a big slow 125 is a good investment... Although if you can live with the bike for that long it will be very economical.

Tim
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Current Bikes - Kawasaki ZX-6R (636) | BMW G650GS

[stinkwheel]

You don't get respect from what you ride. You get respect from how you ride and your attitude to other people.

That said, the Varadero is a large motorcycle with good road presence so other drivers should treat you with more 'respect' if that's what you were meaning.

I am ordinarily against the varadero on the basis that they are no faster than any other 125 and very expensive for a learner bike. Does nothing that say an XR125 doesn't. You do however present a convincing argument for the Varadero.

The shear number of miles you are proposing to do on it for your daily commute and the length of time you are proposing to do them for probably makes the engine in the varadero more appropriate. The thing is vastly overengineered for what it is so it shouldn't let you down. It should also be quite comfortable to ride in a semi-urban environment.

[G]

Personally, if I saw some one on a brand new Varadero 125 costing £3500, respect is not what I'd be thinking about when they could have got a bike that does pretty much the same job for about 1/5th the price.

The first bike I got was a cg125 which I told myself I would keep for two years, but I soon found myself getting a faster 125, then a bigger bike.

If you can afford a new Varadero, why not look at doing your test?
Something like a DR350 has a top speed only about 10mph higher than the Varadero, but has a lot more midrange torque, making it easier to ride.
It also should crash 'better', lose you less money in depreciation, is 33hp and more flexible. Also actually weighs less than the Varadero, despite being a similar size with a bigger engine.

If you're travelling on national speed limit roads, you should really be doing the speed limit - personally I'd say it's safer to do so.
One issue with lower CC bikes is that the low top speed means that sitting at high rpm constantly, which often isn't too pleasent and not so good for the engine in many cases.
For instance if your bike tops out at 75, sitting at 60 is going to be quite near the top of the rev-range, never mind 70 which may be not far off the red-line!
One thing big sports bike are nice for is that you can 'cruise' at the speed limit and still be a fair bit under half revs!

[veeeffarr]

That's a good deal for that particular bike.

But, if you spent ~£600 on doing your A2 test intensively you could use the remaining £2900 to buy a secondhand GS500/CB500/ER5 which will only do about 15mph over the NSL anyway with a restrictor kit in, treat yourself to cheaper insurance right off of the bat (As I imagine a brand new Vara will be murder to insure for a new bike)

If I had the kind of money you were talking about, I would do my test right off of the bat.

That way you will gain a substantial bike, with good acceleration and torque, not be able to do much over the NSL anyway (My GS indicates about 98 which is probably really late 80's)

I've seen brand new ER5's going for £2750 and if you can get further savings on that you might be able to cover your insurance as well.

This is what I would do with your budget and requirements, you will lose a lot of money on resale of the 125 which might not be as bad if it was a bigger bike, but I guarantee you when it comes to getting a bigger bike you will be wanting as much money from that sale as possible.

Sorry for rambling Hope that helps in some way.

(If you want a midrange alternative to the Varadero check out the KLE500, nice looking bikes and seem to recieve praise from their owners).

T

[_Will_]

Is it me or is it starting to look like a mini cbf 600?
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Past -Honda qr50 | 2004 Peugeot Tkr s 50| | 1996 Yamaha XJ600s Diversion|

[thx1138]

It's a Honda

[Keir]

toby talks sense. listen to him, its good advice.....
____________________
Current : '08 Yamaha FZ1s
Previous: '99 Honda CBR 600FX, 03 ZX636 B1H, 99 Fazer 600 (red), 02 GSX-R 600 K2, 00 SV650s (red), 2008 ZX10R, 97 Bandit 1200N, 04 ZX6RR K1H, 04 GSX-R 1000, 98 Fazer 600 (gold), 05 Madness 110 Pit bike, 04 CR125R, 00 SV650s (black), 06 KTM 625 SMC, 99 SRAD 600 track bike, 03 SV650, 98 Bandit 1200N, Bandit 600SY, 03 GSX-R 600 K3, 01 GSX-R 600, 01 Fazer 600 (black), VFR 400 NC30 x3, 78 Honda Dream, 00 Speedfight 50

[J0Al1]

[Itchy]

respect no ,

respect has to be earned ,

E3D has respect for all bikers who go ride , rats alike but less so for power rangers on their spotless bikes. same here.

Im semi (dis) respected down south as I can annilate (some) 600 super sports on a GT550, esp round the twisty roads.
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Spain 2008France 2007Big one 2009 We all die. The goal isn't to live forever, the goal is to create something that will. In the end, your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it is worth watching.

[Itchy]

[veeeffarr]

[froggeh]

I think what G said is useful advice, but I understand where you're coming from.
To buy new feels special. I'm gonna be buying new soon probably, and I'm actually looking forward to running it in.

I'd say you're obviously not badly off, so go for it, and when you get bored trade it in for something a bit more pokey

I bought my last car new, and have had it nearly 5 years now.

[TheDonUK]

First things first, unless you are some sort of machine yourself, and only see riding a bike as a conveyance, a to b transport you will struggle to keep it for 4 years,

I steped up from a 125 after a year, and i was bored of the power after 6 months.

Listen to Toby, get a bike licence and a 500 (GS, ER5, CB etc), IMO far safer, as you have a little bit of reserve power to get you out of some tight spots...

[Arfdog]

Get an RXS100! It'll probably go faster than the Varadero, and is MILES more entertaining and educational, never a dull moment with an RXS100...

Reliability? they're fecking reliable, but if you're worried about doin longer commutes with a 2 stroke going flat out most of the time, worry not! For your budget of £3500, you could simply buy up to around 19 RXS100's, so you could just get another one everytime on went bang.

I'll bet you dont even get through two though, before you end up taking your test, thereby saving yourself £3140
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I'm a lover, not a fighter.

[veeeffarr]

[Jebus]

its a nice big looking bike so cage drivers can see it better, but you will get bored on it after a while and going for your bigger bike test, and getting something like a er5 or old skool style on a gpz500 suit the riding you want to do and be far better in the long term. i guess you want to wait till 21 to do your direct access?
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2nd time around CBT: 8/9/11
125 Varadero

[Jebus]

its a nice big looking bike so cage drivers can see it better, but you will get bored on it after a while and going for your bigger bike test, and getting something like a er5 or old skool style on a gpz500 suit the riding you want to do and be far better in the long term. i guess you want to wait till 21 to do your direct access?
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2nd time around CBT: 8/9/11
125 Varadero