Trouble finding a 125cc bike

[XhorneX]

Hi
im looking to get my first road legal bike i have ridden a moped for a year and have ridden dirt bikes on many occasions and im looking for some sort of road legal dirt bike
its just i am struggling to find one for a reasonable price
from what i have learned so far the most recommended bike like the one i am looking for is the Yamaha DT125 its just these are quite pricey
i was just wondering if anyone would be able to give me a bit of advice on different makes, models and prices of bikes of this sort

many thanks
Horne

[The999Kid]

eBay is your friend, friend!

Keep trawling ebay, looking round local bike shops... every so often a real bargain pops up which you wont know is there unless you keep checking..

Failing that, cg125 is nigh on n00b proof so grab yourself one of those for about £500 and your well on your way to motoring happiness!
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NDB 19/10/1989 - 1/11/2010 |Nowhere.Elyseum wrote: I get the distinct feeling that Tim should be our secret weapon for future trolling. I don't know many people that can rip the piss in Iambic pentameter

[Teflon-Mike]

DT's command money for a few reasons.
First one is that they are the longest lived Learner Legal Dirt bike, and they have remained in production nearly thirty years with little or no changes.
They are pretty darn robust and durable, as well as offering the looks and performance.
The alternatives, come from the other Japanese manufacturers; Honda MBX125, Suzuki TS125ER, Kawasaki KMX125 or KDX125.
These are all OLD bikes by now, their production runs ran out in the early 90's if not before, and will have been thrashed, crashed and trashed by MANY learner-Loons by now, and are NOT as well supported for parts as the Yams.
The Japs stopped making them when the Italians started up, and started offering bikes with much more highly tuned motors.
Cagiva & Aprillia are the two makers, do NOT ask me the model names, they changed them weekly! Along with the designs!
Finickity, devices, they have thier fans, but parts are needed far more frequently, and can prove difficult and expensive to source in many cases.

The DT floats to the top of the pile EVERY TIME if thats the 'kind' of bike you want.

One may cost more to buy than alternatives, BUT its a complete cost of ownership thing; once you have bought one, it SHOUDN'T sting you for as much to keep it running and running well as an alternative, AND it should still be worth sensible money when you come to sell.

They are NOT without thier own quirks though, and the biggest bug-bear is the myth of de-restriction, and so many ameteurs having a go at 'de-restricting' them or tuning them with little more than a cheap pouns-shop socket set and a pair of kitchen scissors, USUALLY without even a Haynes manual to guide them!

Older, cheaper the bike you buy, more chance that it is more worn out, and FAR more chance it has of having been muggered about with mechanically by numties. (But that is the same for ANY 125!)

Learner legals are not an easy market to crack. There are few bargains to be had, and LOTS of pottential hassles and desasters in waiting.

And the higher your aspirations, and the lower your budget, more likely you are to come to grief.

My advice, think long and hard.

IF you cant afford a DT, dont buy ANY dirt bike.

Get something sedate, and boring, you CAN easily afford, like a CG125 or its ilk.

Hold money back, spend it on training & test, get yourself a full licence, and THEN go look for a dirt bike.

You can buy something like a Yamaha XT350 or a Honda NX650 Dominator, VERY useful dirt-bikes, with far more power than even a de-restricted DT, for VERT sensible money..... like around £750, which would only just get you a serviceable DT-LC.

There are far MORE bargains, in the big-bike market.

If you HAVE to have a 125 dirt-bike, then best bet is to find the money, by hook or by crook to get a DT, as it IS teh safest choice of that type, BUT, being weary, even more, to get not just a DT but a 'good' DT, for reasons above.

Great to have a nice bike, NOT nice when it dont work!

& If you dont have the money to buy, pretty good bet you wont have money to fix when it needs it!
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My Webby'Tef's-tQ, loads of stuff about my bikes, my Land-Rovers, and the stuff I do with them!
Current Bikes:'Honda VF1000F' ;'CB750F2N' ;'CB125TD ( 6 3 of em!)'; 'Montesa Cota 248'. Learner FAQ's:= 'U want to Ride a Motorbike! Where Do U start?'