Hi guys and girls, not yet a biker, but hopefully soon.

[enfield-fan]

Hi everyone, hope everyone is having a good weekend. Well, I'm interested in buying a bike. I've never even been on one before, so I think I'll go on a training course to see how I feel on a bike, before anything else.

But, lets leave that aside for a moment. A little about me, 27 (nearly 28) years old, car driver (I have no passion for cars, it takes me from a -b, that's all).

I haven't yet decided what type of rider I will be, I don't even need a car for my job. I can easily walk and I live in a small town, so nothing is too far out of the way.

Will I use the bike everyday as a commuter or mostly for days off/weekends? I'm not sure yet. My only concern right now is feeling comfortable on a bike, I don't mind taking things slow.

Talking about speed, I'm not a speed demon. Anything that goes past 80 mph is probably wasted on me.

I prefer the "traditional" bike look over sportsbikes.

I'm thinking about buying a 125 cc bike first, get used to it and then move onto something bigger. A Royal Enfield, Triumph Bonneville or Norton Commando would probably be the type of bike I'd like to go for after the 125 cc.

A few questions..

Can anyone recommend a 125 cc bike ?


Are Teflon jeans good? Compared to a normal pair of jeans how "safe or protected" are they?

[Rogerborg]

Good plan. You'll need to do a 1 day CBT course on a 125 to validate your provisional entitlement, which will give you a good feel for whether biking is for you.

Your 125 will be a tool for learning to ride and (perhaps) getting through your test (unless you decide to go DAS), so I'd suggest a basic commuter: a 3 year old YBR 125, CG 125 or a CBF 125 are the most sensible choices, easy to ride, will cost the least to run and hold their value the most. If you want something with a bit more style, the YBR 125 "Custom" has slighty more classic looks, while retaining all the ability of a standard commuter.

Heh, kevlar jeans, well, it's going to depend on the brand. Draggin' have a line that's fully CE certified - most other bike clothing only has CE certified armour inserts. However, I'm not enthusiatic about the kevlar coverage in the particular Draggin' jeans that I have, and I had to add in armour pockets myself, a pretty amazing omission (so amazing that I didn't even ask if they had them).

So I'd suggest looking at Hood and Sartso brands first - they seem to take the subject seriously across their range.
____________________
Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[Frost]

Teflon jeans? Teflon is the non-stick coating they put on frying pans and the like yes? So they might help you slide down the road that bit faster but they're going to do nothing for impact protection.

The most important bits are helmet and gloves. A water proof padded jacket would be fairly essential too. Trousers & boots are a bit more optional but a good idea. If you're commuting you're going to want everything to be waterproof.

I suggest booking your CBT ASAP, it's training not a test and will get you able to ride a 125. Then you can decide if you want to go straight in for the test, or ride a 125 for a bit.
If you're considering something old and british, or either of those 2 things i suggest you buy a set of spanners and figure out how to use them

[enfield-fan]

Teflon lol I think I lost my brain for a bit there !

Thank's for the answers

[Germ]

[enfield-fan]

[blurredman]

Honda CG125's are old fashioned.

Mine's a '91 but ever single one is about the design of the 70's and the technology from god knows but they're good learners.

Aswel as YBR's, CG's are the most common I think. Have a look around. CB's are good too if a little less common for parts being discontinued alot earlier.
____________________
CBT: 12/06/10, Theory: 22/09/10, Module 1: 09/11/10, Module 2: 19/01/11
Past: 1991 Honda CG125BR-J, 1992 (1980) Honda XL125S, 1996 Kawasaki GPZ500S, 1979 MZ TS150.
Current: 1973 MZ ES250/2 - 18k, 1979 Suzuki TS185ER - 10k, 1981 Honda CX500B - 91k, 1987 MZ ETZ250 - 40k, 1989 MZ ETZ251 - 52k.

[enfield-fan]

[Nick 50]

[enfield-fan]

Thanks Nick!

[Frost]

[enfield-fan]

[Rogerborg]

If you want to go bigger than a standard commuter, then you're looking at a Hyosung GT125 or a Honda Varadero 125. But really, the 125 is a tool, not a fashion statement, and any of the standard commuters will do you fine.

If you get a 100cc then you won't be able to use it for an A2 test. That's not an issue if you're planning to go for a DAS test (pay a training school to train and test on their 500cc+ bike and get a full unrestricted A license).

First step is to do the required CBT - it'll likely be on a YBR, CB or CBF (or perhaps a Chinese-branded equivalent) and it'll give you a good feel for whether that kind of bike is for you.
____________________
Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[Teflon-Mike]

[Frost]

[blurredman]

[enfield-fan]

[enfield-fan]

Blurredman, nice picture! Thanks for the information , I'm not worried about previous owners really. If I was to look at one, I'd bring a mechanic along with me to suss things out.

So would you recommend one of these for a new rider?

[Lone-Wolf]

[Teflon-Mike]

[enfield-fan]

Dear Telflon-Mike,

I can't help but notice that you have not one, not even two, nope not three! , but FOUR CB125 Bikes. I've come to the conclusion that you are trying to hog these little babies for yourself and are trying to persuade others against them so you can add to your collection.

I'm not being entirely serious here...



Kind regards for the words of wisdom ! It is appreciated! Older bikes might be more trouble, but life is trouble. And they have charm. I think so anyway.

[R4GE]

[quote="Teflon-Mike"]

[crackfinder]

[Teflon-Mike]

[enfield-fan]

Great work Mike and Snowie Both bikes look fantastic. I suppose If I ever end up with a Bike that needs work I can call upon the prince and princess 125 to help breathe new life into her?