Hi chaps, quick question.

[bmstalker]

Hi all,

You seem like a knowledgable community and need advice on bikes.

I'm 25 and currently drive a car that likes to drink petrol. I drive about 70 miles a day (some on motorway which can be avoided) and I was thinking about picking up a cheap 125 for the communte only.

I spend about £250 - £300 a month on petrol and think I could make this back pretty quick with a bike.

I have no clue about bikes, how much they cost to run/insure/tax etc.

From looking around here, they seem to need serviced quite often, but don't use much petrol and cost very little to tax.

I was thinking of getting my CBT and picking up a bike like the HONDA CBR125 or equivilent as that has decent MPG etc.

Is this a good idea, would i need to service it every month with the high milage? What bike alternatives are there, I have seen a few such as RS125 and Mito etc, but they all seem to have a higher petrol consumption.

If a bike is a good idea, what bike would you recommend. I want a bike that looks cool (like the RS125), has ok speed/acceleration (gets to and sits at 70 easy) but most importantly, doesn't drink petrol. I get my speed thrills form my car so that's not really an issue.

Thanks in advance for any advice

[Muscle Bike Rider]

Comfortable 125 that will do 70, Honda Varadero 125, big bike that looks bigger than it is, good mileage, full tank will get you between 200- 230 miles depending how you ride it at a cost of about £15 at todays prices. Servicing wise just lube and adjust chain when needed, I do an oil and filter change every 6,000- 7,000 miles roughly and a full service once a year. Tax is £15 for the year and my insurance is £85 fully comp, obviously this depends on your age, area, type of licence etc. Dont forget on initial purchase you will have to allow an amount for helmet, boots, gloves etc. Honda CG will give better mileage, is bullet proof and can be bought cheaper, will do about 60-65mph. I'm sure you will get some more advice from the members shortly.
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Previously Known As A5tra_G
Old Bikes :2010 Kawasaki ER6 F & 2000 Honda VTR Firestorm
Current Bike : XJR1300

[Itchy]

[bmstalker]

Hmmm, thanks for replys so far.

Ok, I was looking further and see a Honda CBF, claimed 130MPG. That is a 4 stroke and is claimed to be as reliable as the CG (which seems regarded highly here).

A couple of questions, sorry to sound dumb.

What is a scotoiler?

What is involved in a chain adjustment? Taking links out? Is this something that can be done by owner or is some specialist equipment required?

I had it planned in my head as pick up a bike for about £1000 - £1500, get a CBT, and gear for about £300 - £400. I thought I could probably make that back ina year with petrol saving and then go for full license (also with more experience on my bike).

If I was to do a DAS, I could pick any bike I wanted to, but the point in going for a bike was to reduce petrol consumption. Are there bigger engined bikes with petrol consumption around the 80MPG mark? What are advantages of bigger engined bikes (besides obvious speed/acceleration)?

When you say there is a premium attatched to Learner Bikes, is that a premium on the initial purchase price, or the insurance cost?

Thanks again for help.

[Itchy]

[Ingah]

Your plan makes sense.

The premium attached to learner bikes is initial purchase price, and insurance is peanuts.

When you stated your needs, i immediately thought a 250cc 4-stroke bike would be best for the job (irritatingly though you'll need a full license for them). Something like a CB250 (20bhp, 75mpg, 80mph top speed, so you won't be revving it's head off to maintain A-road speeds - and nor will you have the classical 125cc problem of being boxed in by a couple of lorries because you don't have enough power to overtake).

Bigger bikes (more like 500cc+ imo) have more road presence, and leave small engined bikes for dead in a straight line. And they have better suspension/brakes, and the parts/engines generally last longer.

Chain adjustment is a 5 minute job and simply requires a couple of spanners, you simply have to turn some nuts, which causes the rear wheel to move backwards, to compensate for streching in the chain. Removing links from a chain is not really recommended because once it's time to do that, your chain is old and knackered and you should replace it for safety!

Edit: +1 to everything Itchy said as well. Apart from i think his CB500 fuel consumption figures are for steady riders on a particularly fresh example (the manufacter only quotes 52mpg and of course although it's totally unscientific and i have a 15 year old model, i get less).
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-- Ingah

[metalangel]

Just to add, I found bigger bikes to be stable. When I was learning my instructors all said not to worry about moving up from the 125s to the 500s, and that I'd like them a lot more. And it was true - it felt much less twitchy and more stable, and I felt a lot more confident out on fast roads because I knew the bike would do whatever I told it, whereas on the 125 I was wringing its neck to make it accelerate and stay there.

Best advice is to go and do your CBT (use the riding school's bike and equipment) and ask lots of questions about what you're planning, the instructors will help you decide what path you should take. Personally, for a commute that long I'd think that a 500 or bigger would be more pleasant.
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Previous: 2002 Honda CB500 (sold), 2007 Suzuki SV650SK6 (crashed), 2005 Yamaha FZ6 Fazer (sold). Currently bikeless
"A faired bike will get you 10x more clunge than a unfaired one." -Marlboro Matt

[santa668]

My 2 pennies:

I started riding 2 weeks ago (25yo and never driven/ridden anything), and have done my CBT, picked up a 3yo scooter, jacket, helmet, gloves, cheap w/p trousers, TP insurance, security devices etc for approx £1200.

As a driver, you'll probably pick up the CBT easily enough - you can concentrate on the bike and not worry so much about rules of the road etc. Also, your insurance should be reasonable as a driver.

But I was a bit shocked at how the costs mounted up for the initial outlay, even though I shopped around and found decent gear at cheap prices - helmet, jacket, gloves and trousers = £130.

However, I'm only going to be doing 25-30 miles a day for work, so I'm ok about not having motorways...

Tbh, unless you want a bike for the fun side (I am just beginning to understand that side lol), you might be better off with a more efficient car?

Caveat = totally inexperienced rider...

Nick
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Piaggio Liberty 125 '06

[waffles]

I don't tend to ride my 125 on windy days as it tends to get blown around pretty easily. A few weeks back when it was especially windy I got knocked from one side of the road to the other. Bigger bikes are much more stable!

By the by, you wont be allowed on motorways with a CBT or L plates on your bike.

[locked]

[Zimbo]

If your sole reason for getting a bike is saving money, I'd seriously recommend changing the car for a more fuel efficient one. Commuting on a 125 isn't much fun on a cold wet dark morning . . .

[tsmith]

bear in mind there are 1litre petrol cars now like the Toyota Aygo / Peugeot 107 / Citroen C1 that have been reported of getting 85mpg. I think the Times or the Telegraph reviewed the C1. These cars will do 99mph flat out.

edit - found it here https://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/driving/features/article569961.ece


A 125 like the CG will do around 100mpg, the CBF will do a bit more but they can only manage 70mph flat out revving their nuts off, so motorways are not much fun.

A better bike like a 500 can handle motorways with ease, but typically get 65mpg. I manage to get 75mpg on my GPZ500 with a few mods like a full fairing kit and touring screen and a Scottoiler (automatic chain oiling system). I do 10,000 miles a year, so the bike saves me a fortune over my 28mpg car.

If MPG is your primary concern and you don't use motorways much then a 125 would be ideal.

Otherwise it might be worth checking into the prices of things like insurance, tyres, servicing, consumables etc. You may find downsizing the car to something like a C1 would possibly save you more than getting a bike like a 500.

Of course if you don't want to sit in traffic or pay to park, then there is only one choice...

[Kal]

*cough*secondhandcg125ftw!*cough*

The CBF is the CGs replacement because it just couldn't meet emmision regulations anymore.

It is a little more complicated than the CG, but then so is a rock! The CBF doesn't quite have the aftermarket support that the CG does, but then not many bikes do.

My 125 experience was gained on a CG, I was lucky enough to have a good one that routinely did 65-70mph (just!) Two years saw just about 42 thousand miles go on the clocks, one new chain, a complete failure to change the oil, a number of drops and the attentions of two thieves.

The first theft attempt burned out the wiring, now the wiring on any bike more than ten years old tends to be a bit ratty so I opted just to swap it out for a new wiring loom, from memory the new Honda wring loom I purchased was about £65.

If you are willing to go the secondhand route then we can get you on the road with a decent bike under you for £1k all in.
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Kal...
I Like To Hoon It Hoon It I Like To Hoon It Hoon It I Like To Hoon It Hoon It Ya Like To (HOON IT!).
1984 GB250 Clubman,1983 CB250N Superdream, 1999 GPZ500S

[Clanger]

Hello, and thank you for considering us for advice. The thing with choice of bike's, it's hard for us to be subjective as most of us ride because we love the two wheelled adventure, and therefore will usually pick bikes by our hearts not our heads.

So whilst one person will suggest one thing, another will suggest another.

You best bet would be to sit and look at a few websites and look at the sort of bike that appeals, then look for reviews on said bikes, and whittle it away that way.

Then, go out and sit on a few, or find a friend or neighbour who will let you do the same.

When you have decided of your bike of choice, then you need to look for CBT, and the cost of the gear, accessories etc. to make your riding experience both safe and worthwhile.

Good luck with it all...it's not an easy thing to just 'decide and undertake'. But be sure to let us know what you decided!
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Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter won't mind - Dr. Seuss

[fiveus]

hey guys
i use my varadero 125 for daily commutes of 40 miles. it's a pretty stable bike for a 125 being quite heavy.it is returning 70 miles per gallon.and has only needed weekly maintinence .and the occasional chain tighten and lube.it's has been extremely reliable for the 7 mnths i have been rideing.insurance is pretty good £89 fully comp.acceleration is pretty good once you get used to it .will do 75.but prefers to be around 65-70 mph

[Alexio]

My advice would be to go the cheap second hand 125 route to begin with. We're all talking about this as if once a decision has been made then it's absolutely final. Well it's not

The gear will be a good investment, insurance can always be switched and bikes can always be sold without making so much as a negligible loss.

This way he'll not only have the fun of a 125 to begin with, but he can move up to a large bike as quickly as is necessary

For the record, I do hundreds of miles at a time (on the same day) on my CG 125 and it never misses a beat. You get quite used to sitting at 60MPH ~ and occasionally being overtaken by lorries that can go faster than you. I tend to get 100MPG.
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will never give up his CG. I look at my fuel gauge more as a progress bar than a fuel gauge.
G: With my GSXR I do often effectively use it as a scooter with a clutch in town.
ms51ves3: why does it need 500 miles? Are you teaching it how to be a piston?

[neil.]

I ride my YBR125 about 60-70 miles a day and it's service interval is 4'000 miles, so that means I'm servicing it every 3-4 months, and it isn't that difficult to do yourself if you are ok with a spanner. I spend about £15 a week on petrol.
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CBT February 2008 | A2 June 2008 | Yamaha YBR125 (written off) | Honda CBF125 (current)

[MattEMulsion]

[bmstalker]

Thanks very much for all the help guys. I don't think I could face losing my car, I need a big car for my family so getting rid of it is not an option. There seems to be a few people who do exactly what I want to do, my commute is mostly up gridlocked duel carriage way, then I can go up a normal A road (at 60) so power is not a problem.

Alexio and Kal seem to be doing what I want to do and I think I will save a lot of money, 2nd hand bike, cheap 3rd party insurance, bit of gear, on the road all in for 1k. Then even if I save £150 a month on fuel, the bike will pay for itself, then start to save me money.

Thanks for the help guys, you will no doubt here from me with lots of maintenace questions in the spring (as I don't think winter is the best time to be learning to ride a bike)

Cheers

[DanHam]

I have a CBR125 for sale now. I bought it to pass my test on which I did in fact about 5 weeks ago now.

When I was looking for a 125, the only 4 stokres that appeled to me with in reason were the CBR or the YZF. The YZF is pretty dear and rare. While I could pick the CBR up just 10 or so miles from where I lived.

Its a great little bike, very reliable, only thing I had to change was the rear tyre. Fuel economy was fab fiver a week and I did well over 100 miles in that time. I never once crashed, dropped it or anything. I now ride a Honda VFR 400. Yes it would be an idea to do your test. But then you have to fork out for training, your tests, and have the time off work and then the running costs of a higher cc machiene. If you use your car for a speed thrill then a 125 is perfect for you. Sure a 2 storke will be much faster, but that comes with cost of oil, fuel, and then the dreaded rebuild. Where as the 4 strokes its just the fuel. Give or take the oil you top up which you need every now and then. The CBR for me, quite happily did 65-70 mph, but I do live in a very hill area so I wasn't doing them speeds for long. Its up to you what bike you go for, but I wanted something that looked pretty good being a young lad and all, so a CBR is what I went for. The brakes are very good on the bike, I have ridden a CG, I hated it, it made my back ache, I hated where my feet went and it topped out at 63mph, ohh and the brakes squealled like bitch and I didn't like the look of it. Also, these CG bikes tend to rust pretty quickly unless you look after, ACF 50 them etc.. (Sorry all you CG owners, but that what I found with the bike)
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Previous - 2004 Aprilia RS50 - 2006 Honda CBR 125 R
A2 Passed - 12/11/09
Current - 1992 Honda VFR 400 R