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whitebear
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Teflon-Mike
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 Posted: 21:55 - 15 Feb 2012  Post subject: Re: Newb, please be gentle ;-) Need advice! |
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| whitebear wrote: | Im getting my CBT done next week and will be limited to 125cc |
No you're not. You could have ANY size bike you wanted.
Only thing limiting you to a 125, is not passing the bike tests to get a full licence, like wot you had to do before you were allowed to drive a car.
125's are good for two things; passing tests, and IF you are as miserly minded as can be, beating bus-fare travel prices; though even then; if you are really deturmined to travel cheap, you'll go further for your money on a full licence, on a slightly bigger bike, not paying the 'Learner-Loading' on either a 'learner-licence' or learner legal bike.
Give you a hint here; with a full licence my CB750, a 120mph, 75bhp bike is £80 a year to insure. Even with a full licence, CB125 costs £110.
CBT is NOT a qualification, its the 'first lesson' how to ride a bike, and that LEARNER LICENCE it validates is exactly that; so you can LEARN and practice for TESTS to get a full licence;
NOT so you can wobble around, without a clue, hoping not to kill yourself or any-one else, an unqualified hazard to all, for ever and a day, NOT getting up to grade and proving it, and getting the licence that's the 'key' to basically anything you want from biking.
125 'Cruisers'?
They DONT WORK.
They may look like a little harley; but they are a complete and utter waste of time and money!
As a training & test tool, they are worse then hopless. Ergamonics of the riding possition DONT give you best control over the bike, which has 'chopper' geometry and balence that make it about as 'nimble' as an elephant in a discount store, when it comes to doing the kind of test excersises demanded by the modern tests.
Seriousely; I have put a Honda CBR1100RR Super-Blackbird, hyoer-sports bike, or an ST1100 Pan-European Maga-Tourer full dressed with barn door fairing and paniers through the CBT test cones with less 'effort' than the couple of 125 cruisers I have tried it on!
They really are barge like and NOT a great place to start your riding career, filling it with confidence!
As for on the road; well.... about the only thing that they have in common with propper cruisers, is they are 'slow'.
BUT, unlike propper crsuiers, which to my mind start at the 'baby' Yamaha Virago with its 535cc engine..... they dont go slow becouse of big, softly tuned engines that have low down grunt to waft you along with least effort.
No, they have the same buzzy little things as other little bikes, that need the nuts reving off them and three gear changes to get them to 30mph..... only lugging around an abundance of chrome and fenders, they take even LONGER to do it, because they tend to be heavier.
Paddling the gear-box, to make them move, and working hard to get them to go where you want, is to my mind completely the OPPOSITE of what a 'real' cruiser ought to be; relaxed, laind back stress free riding.....
And these things, for all the chrome, just do not do that.
All they do, is ask you to pay an awful lot more money, to get something that LOOKS like a Harley, to NOT do either what a cruiser should do, OR a Learner-Legal.....
And as an 'ecconomy' bike to get to and from on? Yeah, by dint of being slow that CAN be pretty frugal; but paying a premium to get that ecconomy you could get paying LESS for a regulation learner commuter, that does the same job better, makes NO SENSE what so ever to me.
AND if you USE a 125 for what its best at..... GETTING A LICENCE....
Then you can have something like a Virago 535, JUST as cheaply, that you DONT have to hustle through test cones, that DOES 'Cruise' and remarkably is actually likely to cost you LESS to run that a 'toy' cruiser' bought becouse it 'looks' like something bigger.... but fitted with an L-Plate just makes you look like any othet twit on an L-Plate, only a slightly more tittish one with poor taste and even less of a clue about biking!
And you wanted us to be 'gentle'?
Sorry.... not happening!
But damn sight softer on you bursting your bubble here and now, than letting you learn the hard way!
Get a regulation Learner-Commuter; get a licence with it; which is what the Learner licence is there for; THEN when you know something and have proved you can ride; go get whatever takes your fancy, and meets your needs, and if Cruisers still apeal; Yamaha 535 Virago is the defacto 'My First Cruiser' and hard to beat.
Meanwhile; here and now; Yamaha YBR125, is the defacto 'LEarner-Commuter' and again, is a pretty hard allround package to best.
Or go get your toy-harley, and a cut off, to play 'Sons of Anarchy'... and look to every other biker like the Milky-Bar kid does to John Wayne, as long as it has the L-Plates!
____________________
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?' |
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whitebear
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_Troy_
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whitebear
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| Posted: 22:11 - 15 Feb 2012 Post subject: Re: Newb, please be gentle ;-) Need advice! |
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| Teflon-Mike wrote: | | whitebear wrote: | Im getting my CBT done next week and will be limited to 125cc |
No you're not. You could have ANY size bike you wanted.
Only thing limiting you to a 125, is not passing the bike tests to get a full licence, like wot you had to do before you were allowed to drive a car.
125's are good for two things; passing tests, and IF you are as miserly minded as can be, beating bus-fare travel prices; though even then; if you are really deturmined to travel cheap, you'll go further for your money on a full licence, on a slightly bigger bike, not paying the 'Learner-Loading' on either a 'learner-licence' or learner legal bike.
Give you a hint here; with a full licence my CB750, a 120mph, 75bhp bike is £80 a year to insure. Even with a full licence, CB125 costs £110.
CBT is NOT a qualification, its the 'first lesson' how to ride a bike, and that LEARNER LICENCE it validates is exactly that; so you can LEARN and practice for TESTS to get a full licence;
NOT so you can wobble around, without a clue, hoping not to kill yourself or any-one else, an unqualified hazard to all, for ever and a day, NOT getting up to grade and proving it, and getting the licence that's the 'key' to basically anything you want from biking.
125 'Cruisers'?
They DONT WORK.
They may look like a little harley; but they are a complete and utter waste of time and money!
As a training & test tool, they are worse then hopless. Ergamonics of the riding possition DONT give you best control over the bike, which has 'chopper' geometry and balence that make it about as 'nimble' as an elephant in a discount store, when it comes to doing the kind of test excersises demanded by the modern tests.
Seriousely; I have put a Honda CBR1100RR Super-Blackbird, hyoer-sports bike, or an ST1100 Pan-European Maga-Tourer full dressed with barn door fairing and paniers through the CBT test cones with less 'effort' than the couple of 125 cruisers I have tried it on!
They really are barge like and NOT a great place to start your riding career, filling it with confidence!
As for on the road; well.... about the only thing that they have in common with propper cruisers, is they are 'slow'.
BUT, unlike propper crsuiers, which to my mind start at the 'baby' Yamaha Virago with its 535cc engine..... they dont go slow becouse of big, softly tuned engines that have low down grunt to waft you along with least effort.
No, they have the same buzzy little things as other little bikes, that need the nuts reving off them and three gear changes to get them to 30mph..... only lugging around an abundance of chrome and fenders, they take even LONGER to do it, because they tend to be heavier.
Paddling the gear-box, to make them move, and working hard to get them to go where you want, is to my mind completely the OPPOSITE of what a 'real' cruiser ought to be; relaxed, laind back stress free riding.....
And these things, for all the chrome, just do not do that.
All they do, is ask you to pay an awful lot more money, to get something that LOOKS like a Harley, to NOT do either what a cruiser should do, OR a Learner-Legal.....
And as an 'ecconomy' bike to get to and from on? Yeah, by dint of being slow that CAN be pretty frugal; but paying a premium to get that ecconomy you could get paying LESS for a regulation learner commuter, that does the same job better, makes NO SENSE what so ever to me.
AND if you USE a 125 for what its best at..... GETTING A LICENCE....
Then you can have something like a Virago 535, JUST as cheaply, that you DONT have to hustle through test cones, that DOES 'Cruise' and remarkably is actually likely to cost you LESS to run that a 'toy' cruiser' bought becouse it 'looks' like something bigger.... but fitted with an L-Plate just makes you look like any othet twit on an L-Plate, only a slightly more tittish one with poor taste and even less of a clue about biking!
And you wanted us to be 'gentle'?
Sorry.... not happening!
But damn sight softer on you bursting your bubble here and now, than letting you learn the hard way!
Get a regulation Learner-Commuter; get a licence with it; which is what the Learner licence is there for; THEN when you know something and have proved you can ride; go get whatever takes your fancy, and meets your needs, and if Cruisers still apeal; Yamaha 535 Virago is the defacto 'My First Cruiser' and hard to beat.
Meanwhile; here and now; Yamaha YBR125, is the defacto 'LEarner-Commuter' and again, is a pretty hard allround package to best.
Or go get your toy-harley, and a cut off, to play 'Sons of Anarchy'... and look to every other biker like the Milky-Bar kid does to John Wayne, as long as it has the L-Plates! |
Brilliant. I'll have to read over it a couple of times to soak it in, but I get the gist.
My mates been trying to get me to watch sons of anarchy for months, i'd love you to have a chat with him to shut him up about it |
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pinkyfloyd
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whitebear
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Koltu
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| Posted: 22:59 - 15 Feb 2012 Post subject: |
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Ill agree with mike.. If I were you id get your full test done and get a commuter 500/600...Im paying less on a hornet 600 for insurance than virtually any quote I got on a 125... Having a lot more fun and I don't know about other people in regards to this but I feel safer...I had issues on the 125s when I was learning, minute I got on a 500 I was much more comfortable as I felt more more stable with that little bit of weight and a chunkier rear tyre under me - if you are going to get a 125 stay Japanese!!!
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CBT: DONE!  Theory : Passed, DAS - 12/13 Jan, Mod 1 Pass! Mod 2 Pass! Bike Honda Hornet 600 |
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Rogerborg
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| Posted: 23:21 - 15 Feb 2012 Post subject: |
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Hi. I have 2 Chinese-branded bikes: one that's essentially the Lexmoto Vixen, and a nut-and-bolt copy of the Yamaha Dragstar 250.
They're both enjoyable bikes in their way and the Vixen in particular has been good to me and was a decent L bike, but that's which is why I feel qualified to say that neither is likely the ideal bike for you.
You'll want something that gets you to and through your tests with the absolute minimum of hassle and cost, and depreciation is a big cost.
So, YBR125, CBF125, CG125, EN125, or pretty much any other used Japanese branded bike, get through your tests, then get the bike that you really want.
Remember, nothing looks that good with L plates on it.
____________________
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 |
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dungbug
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| Teflon-Mike |
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Teflon-Mike
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| Posted: 00:09 - 16 Feb 2012 Post subject: |
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Read around the forum; have vaunted the YBR many many many many many....... did I say how many, MANY times in other posts.
They aren't the best thing since sliced bread; they certainly aren't the most inspiring motorcycle, let alone most inspiring Learner-Legal motorcycle to ride....
They just DO THE JOB, and do it pretty much as cheaply and as hassle free as can be done.
That one is the 'custom' version that is slightly 'cruisery'; given shorter shocks to drop the back end and rake out the forks a bit more like a propper cruiser, and a step-seat and teardrop tank to complete the look.
The standard YBR is a bit 'better'; that style concession is not enough to appease most cruiser fans that HAVE to have the full chrome and apes harley look, but it is enough to drop the resaleability a few notches...
£1200 from a dealer, for a three year old bike.... if it were a 'standard' variant YBR, they could be asking £1500ish.
The short shocks DO alter teh geometry and DO give it SOME of that cruiser barginess, that WILL make it a BIT more hard work to hustle through cones & corner...
But?
Its a YBR, and other wise its bang on the money for what I vaunt as the most ecconomical way to a licence; three to four years old; half the catalogue price depreciated, more than half the useful life left in it; stil tidy enough to be fairly 'smart' and young enough to hopefully still be a pretty 'tight' little machine that wont be wobbling around on worn out suspension giving you more problems than you need, and ought not cost a fortune to keep in good nick in the time you own it, and which OUGHT to sell easily for close to what you paid for it, when you are done....
Thought being the 'Custom' possibly not AS easily or for quite as close to what you pay as if it were a standard...
And if you LIKE the look, and are prepared to put up with the small sacrifice in functionality for it.. fair play THAT could be a very worthwhile bike for you.
Easy-Duz will tell you he was struggling to find ANYTHING in his budget back in the Autumn; and he found a Suzuki GZ marauder, that just snuck in, which I again warned was not quite the full cruiser deal, but still not ideal.... he bought it, followed suggested program; spent a bit of time & money making sure the bike WAS in top fettle; got himself onto weekly training course... did as he was told, learned, and had his full licence in the bag in litteraly twelve weeks from the day he got insurance on the bike and was aboe to take it out on the road.
He can recount he did find it a bit harder hustling test cones; and failed his first Mod 1 on it... But £15.50 no great shakes and many people muff it first time round anyway, even without the impediment of being on a cruiser.
So... you have had the pep-talk, you are armed with some facts about what you are letting yourself in for; PERSONALLY I would probably try and hang out and put a few quid extra into finding regular YBR, to make it that bit easier and risk loosing tad less money on resale, but what the heck, we are talking pennies in teh greater scheme of things, and if it floats your boat, chase it.
Add on Ed:- 59 plate Cat D'd.
Just done my sums again, that's just UNDER three years old ins't it? 59 plate second half of 2009, so will come up to three years from first registration, July or after, this year?
Cat-D means that it has been written off as a total loss by an insurance company for non critical 'cosmetic damage', and technically should NOT be on the road, and DVLA ought not issue a new log book for until that damage has been 'cleared' with the bike passing a new MOT.
Ie; Cat write off invalidates the three year new vehicle MOT exemption.
Personally fact its been damages ouht not be a biggie... learner bikes are so frequently crashed or damaged its almost an inevitability with them!
BUT fact they declare it Cat's... if you follow it up and go see, you want to see the Log book, to be sure its not an excuse for it being nicked, and you want to see an MOT Cert on it before you part with cash.
MOT is £30, and I would insist that the dealer put one on it, regardless of any grumbles that it 'doesn't need one', before I handed them dosh... JUST to be sure that the Cat dec was cleared by it on DVLA data-base and I WOULD geta log book to say it was mine.
Other wise, nothing really to worry about on it that you wouldn't have on any other second hand Learner-Legal.
____________________
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?' |
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| Recluso |
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Recluso
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| Posted: 03:51 - 16 Feb 2012 Post subject: |
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I ride a YBR and concur entirely with Mike.
No, it's not the most glamorous bike out there, although it could certainly look worse! (I personally prefer the 'standard' to the 'custom') But as a new rider myself, I've found it to be VERY forgiving of newbie mistakes such as clunky gear shifting and clumsy handling.
It's been dropped a couple of times and all I had to replace was a clutch handle, a mirror and the rubber on a foot peg. In fact the only damage the bike took was a scuff to the exhaust plastics and a little chipping to the chrome on the headlight cover. It was my screen that took the brunt of the damage and that was repairable.
I found it to be very newbie friendly although mine has the annoying habit of sticking in Neutral (although that could also be down to my boots being a little too big). It's often described as bullet-proof and it really is!
So yeah, I've had good experience with my YBR. I'm only looking to get rid of mine soon as I let myself get talked into something I knew I wasn't looking for xD
Here we go, found a pic of mine (looking very shiny and new  ) but as you can see, the YBR really doesn't look that terrible! Plus, red makes it go fast 
https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v357/Inkersall/Bike%20Stuff/IMG_0119.jpg
____________________
'Just erotic. Nothing kinky. It's the difference between using a feather and using a chicken.'
Honda PS125i > Yamaha YBR125 > Yamaha XJ6 Diversion > Yamaha Tracer 900 |
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ninja_butler
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Cuchulain
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Posted: 09:49 - 16 Feb 2012  Post subject: |
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I've got the YBR custom. It's a really quality machine. Really relaxed riding position and effortlessly easy to manouvre at low speeds.
It's a really pretty thing too if you're a fan of retro's and cruisers.
Beware though, bikes, i have since found out, require a lot more maintanace than cars. I'm forever washing mine and spraying on anti-corrosion products to keep the chrome parts from disintegrating in the winter salt. Not to mention things like checking the tyres, oil, chain oil/tension. It does get a bit tedious.
Also beware of the slightly misleading cost of bikes. Yes, the YBR will manage ~100mpg and is only £16 to tax but it also has many hidden costs.
Start up costs include a CBT which is around £100. And then you'll probably have to spend at least £150 on protective gear and £50 on a lock and chain. Then you'll soon find out you need things like chain lube, anti-corrosion spray, visor cleaner, anti-fog spray etc.
Fair enough, you might say but from then on the savings will be rolling in. Which is true for a bit. But then you realise that you need to get the thing serviced every few thousand miles. And the tyres have worn out in no time.
At which point you will realise you need to actually get round to doing your tests because you have grown to despise the symoblical dunce hat that is your Learner plate. Best stock up on books and dvd's to get you through your theory test then. Will probably need at least one lesson to get you through your two mods first time too.
At which point everyone will point out that the machine you are on was actually only built to last around 30k miles and tell you to ditch the 125cc and get a 'proper' bike. Y'know, one that will get half the miles per gallon and cost four times as much to tax. Why did I get into this biking thing again?
Sorry, didn't mean to get so pessimistic there but honestly, take it from me, if you really are getting into biking purely to save money (as I did!), don't.
Get a small 1.0l hatchback and save yourself a massive headache. |
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Taught2BCauti...
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Old Thread Alert!
The last post was made 14 years, 26 days ago. Instead of replying here, would creating a new thread be more useful? |
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