Going way down in cc

[Harold_Shand]

I'm looking at DR 125 sm and thinking how much cheaper it would be to buy one of these than than my current situation of a little used average bike and a high mileage, well looked after car. I am walking a tightrope, you just know that when one goes, so will the other one.

I occasionally use the bike to get to work, the fun days out have completely stopped, it's pure transport. The wife has got a reliable car when we need to go big distances.

Anyone ever gone down in cc, what was it like? Was it worth the savings?

My journey to work is 14 miles of A road and one roundabout.
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BCF's 6th favourite poster 2009-2010

Harold_Shand's theory might be the best explanation.

[Chriss]

Not sure if it's what you're after, but I have a few bikes, the most often used is my CG125, which is what I use for every day transport. It's not really exciting, but still fun in it's own way, and because it costs so little to run, you do find yourself slightly better off at the end of each month.

Edit: My journey is 9 miles. Most of which is NSL A roads.
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TheShaggyDA: I've got 3 or 4 pairs that predate my wife, so at least 11.5 years old.

[neil.]

I haven't gone down to a 125cc as such but I've stuck with my YBR for my commute due to cheapness. 60 miles a day, 4 or 5 days a week and I think I spend roughly £10 on petrol every week, so the mileage is great. From the looks of it, the newer CBF125 does even better mileage than the carb based CG and '06 YBR (don't know about the fuel injected version of the YBR).

As well as the fuel economy, I find filtering easy due to the small size and reliability wise, it's been great, just servicing it every 4000 miles for about £100-£120 each time. Don't know what bigger bikes cost to service.

Tyres cost me £60 a set (Pirelli City Demons, which the CG also uses) and the back one lasted me about 10'000 miles, with the front one still going (I suspect it will last twice as long).

Just recently forked out for a new Iris X-Ring chain and sprockets (£60ish) to get me through the winter commuting, although the old sprockets looked hardly worn (after 15'000 miles) I still changed them. Easy job to do yourself, in fact I'm finding out that a lot of jobs are easy on this bike and enjoying the learning experience and money savings on labour.

And don't forget tax is just £15 a year too. Yep I'm a Jew and this is a Jewish motorcyclist's wet dream.
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CBT February 2008 | A2 June 2008 | Yamaha YBR125 (written off) | Honda CBF125 (current)

[Tonka]

Not really downgraded my cc but I have just bought myself a little Honda XLR200 primarily for off-roading but the grin factor when ever I ride it is massive. As is the nature of off-roading I have probably covered more road miles than green lanes since getting it.

A great fun little bike that would cover commuter mileage quite happily. It's been down-geared so lower gears are still fairly nippy but top speed is now 50mph, as previous owner didn't like knobblies at speed

.........and cheap as chips to run and maintain of course
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'The core of a man's spirit comes from new experiences'
Suzuki SV650S (Clean); Yamaha XT250 Serow (Dirty)

[Blue_SV650S]

With a 4t 125 (~12hp) you will have NO overtaking power. This isn't a problem unless you forget it and try an overtake!!

Also you are realistically going to be a 50-55mph top end and a fair while to get there. I don't know how busy/fast the flow of your A-road, but you might find yourself very intimidated at 50mph, even worse than that if it is hilly ...
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The purpose of life is to fight maturity.

[Noxious89123]

The trick to overtaking on a slow 125 is to keep the throttle pinned the whole time, so you can use momentum to get past traffic that is going slightly slower....
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'06 Honda CBR125RW-6 ~ '00 Honda CBR600F-Y ~ '07 Honda CBR600RR-7 ~ Bikeless
'53 Ford Ka 1.3 ~ '03 Vauxhall Astra SRi 1.8 ~ '52 Vauxhall Astra SRi 2.2 ~ '53 Vauxhall Astra GSi

[Mord]

I think the most sensible choice if you want a commuter would be 4T 250cc. 125 is too slow on dual carriageways.

[The Original Muzza]

^^Agreed. Yamaha have brought out the YBR250 now in the UK, which gets ~90mph with it's modest 21 horses. Of course that's if you have the bucks to waste on a brand new, uninspiring machine. Looking for an old 250 in Uk is quite hard.
I saw a 1979 Z250 for £300 the other week. Would've got it if I had the space.
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Current Bikes: Husqvarna Svartpilen 401 (2020)
Former Bikes: Honda MSX125 (2014), BMW Funduro (1996), Honda VT500 (1983), Yamaha FZR250 (1989), Suzuki GZ125 Marauder(2005),:Triumph TT600 (2002) (stolen)
From then on, I and the bicycle feelings deeper.

[craigs23]

As a few on here are aware of, I pretty much went from a latest non-ABS CBR6RR to a knackered £250 CG125 last autumn. The change, which at first was a laugh (I was half expecting to randomly park the 125 in a hedge one day and leave it there), but subsequently turned my interests in biking around.

My choice wasn't to save money, as mentioned, I did it for a laugh. I half expected the bike to die one day so I could park it in a ditch and be done with it. But it just wouldn't die. The money saved was a bonus, as was selling it for an extra hundred quid when I couldn't be arsed to get it through its MOT.

The change of biking interest has stuck with me though. It showed a side of biking that has got nothing to do with speed, performance or stress. I pretty much don't care about those aspects anymore, seem rather pointless to me now. The CBR was sold as I pretty much stopped riding it when I got another 125, it felt like a waste away from a rider who could properly put it through its paces.

125s are slow. Other bikers will ignore you or look down their nose in distain when they realise you're not a 17 year old learner. Car drivers are even more blind to smaller bikes. They are best suited to smaller roads that see less traffic use (although I plod along on bypasses on mine at 50mph). Forget the rush hour, forget the rush full stop. It's opened up enjoyable biking again and all for £7 per 150 miles in fuel. Bonus.

[Blue_SV650S]

[Noxious89123]

When i sold my CBR125, I had to ride it up the motorway to Nottingham to the place i was p/x it at.

Had a good giggle, tucked in as tight as I could, using the slipstream behind other traffic to get a couple extra mph. Was crusing at a pretty solid 70~75, overtaking a fair bit of traffic too. If i had to, I would do it again in the blink of an eye.
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'06 Honda CBR125RW-6 ~ '00 Honda CBR600F-Y ~ '07 Honda CBR600RR-7 ~ Bikeless
'53 Ford Ka 1.3 ~ '03 Vauxhall Astra SRi 1.8 ~ '52 Vauxhall Astra SRi 2.2 ~ '53 Vauxhall Astra GSi

[Blue_SV650S]

[craigs23]

Nope. I passed my test 10 years ago when I was 17. I've had a number of 400s and 600s, biggest bike I've owned is a Fireblade. Ridden a fair few of different sizes and types of bikes in between then. Strange, that after so many miles I'd whittled my interest in biking back down to the simple pleasures a 10bhp motor and two wheels can give.

I also have an ER6, so can see where you're coming from in your choice of SV650 - but more often than not, when I just fancy going out for a ride, it's the 125's keys I go for. Lots of unclassified roads to be discovered here, which mostly seem free from usual SE English traffic, but plodding the 60 miles to work each day on the 125 isn't much of a chore either. I might even go touring on it.

[Blue_SV650S]

[craigs23]

[ms51ves3]

[hmmmnz]

i have a b120 (old skool suzuki) as my commuter, its sweet as, sometimes i want more power on the way to work, but since the speed limit is 30 there isnt any point,
if i had to do 60 stretches, i'd need something bigger,

but $4 a week for gas (nz price) i cant rreally complain
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the humans are dead
I kick arse for the lord
Wiring Diagrams BIDNIP it bitches

[dgo1212]

[Whosthedaddy]

Anyone gone to smaller cc bikes?

Puts hands up!

Went from 750/600 sports to a 110cc then back to a 750 and back to a 100cc 2t scooter. What's the next step...

Looking forward to pimping the lil monkey when I get back.
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Current : MSX 125 Past : CBR 900RR Monkeybike : c50 LAC : ZXR750 H2 : FZR600 : ZX7R P3 : YW100 : TRX850: Trophy 900 T309 : GSXR 600 L0: Monkeybike : XJ6S Whosthedaddy

[Flip]

[Kickstart]

Hi

Many years ago I passed my test and bought a 400 superdream. The cam chain went (as they do on them) and while waiting to fix it I landed up riding my old learner bike again. And decided it was more fun so went and bought an Aprilia AF1. While I have larger bikes I have also had smaller bikes most of the time.

In the last year I have done about 700 miles on a small 50cc bike, just on short local journies, because it is fun to ride.

To me fast does not equal fun.

All the best

Keith
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Traxpics, track day and racing photographs - Bimota Forum - Bike performance / thrust graphs for choosing gearing

[Dr. DaveJPS]

whist i do love my KTM i have to admit it is more rewarding to ride the dommie (with about a 3rd of the HP). And has tought me (the hard way about smoothness and planning cause you can't hustle and old bike in the same way as a modern.
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"intelligent inattention is preferable to unintelligent tinkering"
www.davejps.com

[1016]

To me Harold, it boils down to one thing :- Are you a patient type of guy? - of course it will save you money, you knew that, but will you get bored or fed up knowing you can't pass that car doing 38mph in a 40 for what seems like an eternity? (just an example of say, a knackered CG..)
If you love riding and not necessarily speed (as has been said) then can still be fun.

[Charlie]

I am stuck what to do, my 250 hornet is great, very satisfying to ride however I have the chance to ride what ever what I want as my restriction is up but I don't know if I want to.

I think a 400 might be the right for me, bit more power where sometimes my 250 feels like it is lacking and I don't have to sit at 10,000-12,000rmp when on the motorway.

To be honest at 19 having to pay £118 for a years insurance makes me think I should just keep the hornet.
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Past: Honda x8rs, Honda City fly, Honda Hornet 250, Honda VFR750, Yamaha xt600e.
Current: Honda CBR929RR & Yamaha XT660Z Tenere

[Chriss]

The day my restriction was up, I test rode a Hayabusa just because I could.
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TheShaggyDA: I've got 3 or 4 pairs that predate my wife, so at least 11.5 years old.