query on 125cc bike for long term use

[ian103]

everyone has recommeded that I go the DAS route for my licence and thats the way I'm going, and it seems that most people want to upgrade to a bigger bike once tests passed. i would like a 'big bike' but finances are tight at present, as the bike will be mainly used for 2-3 commutes to work (10 mile each way) on B roads or town centre roads, i want to get a 125 to gain some valuable experience but could I buy a suitable bike that I could use for a couple of years till funds permit a change that I won't find too restrictive.

[kernow24]

why go DAS if you have no want or need to get a 'big' bike?

its wasted money imo

CBT > 125 > couple of months experience > book tests off your own back > 33bhp restriction and save £400+
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[Ingah]

If you're 21-23 years old you need to get a full bike license before January at nearly all costs.
Assuming you're older, there'd be no real 'hurry' to get a full license, if it weren't for the fact 125s are all overpriced due to the CBT licensing restrictions, and i expect from January next year, will get even more expensive, comparative to bikes over 125cc.

If license wasn't a factor, some commuter style machine in the 125 to 250cc range is ideal for low running costs for that sort of commute. Anything involving motorway, you really could do with 500cc+. Or a car.

If you want something to keep for a couple of years, you need to have something bigger than the usual cheap 125s imo - they're too restrictive and limiting - i'd suggest a full license - although i imagine you could 'make do' with one of the bigger/faster but ultimately much more expensive 125s. See above points about value for money though.
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-- Ingah

[ian103]

i'm mid 40s so licence should be OK. the bike doesn't want to be too flash as it will be parked in a town centre, I had though about a CBF / YBR but take your point about restrictive, i'd love a duke / varadero but no dealer within 50 odd miles, cbr - just not sure of the looks for my age, but it looks a reasonable sized bike for the money. take your point about a bigger bike for a motorway or a car. (which would work for me as the only time we use the motorway is when we visit our families in the midlands

[BruceT]

If I've read your post correctly, it's only finances stopping you get a bigger bike.

Anything Japanese for your 125cc for a couple or years, or a jap 250cc if you can find one.

I'm biased to customs, so that's a

Honda - VT125, CB125 (rebel)
Kawasaki - EL125
Suzuki - GZ125

Only non custom I'd suggest is an XL125v Varadero.

There are other bikes out there, I just prefer these ones. They're also good for holding their value, you'll have a reliable bike (as reliable as a jap bike can be), well known and you won't lose much when selling it on, if anything so long as you get a good deal in the first place.

[edit] having read your follow up, the vt125 has a bigger look to it compared to the other customs
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VT125

[cdlxxvi]

[ian103]

thanks all, i'm coming to the conclusion that as a new 125 comes with a 2yr warranty and with cheap rate finance it may be the best option to buy one, run it for the 2 yrs gaining on the bike experience all the time and having the benefit of the cheapest method of motorise transport. the decision comes doen to ybr, ybr custom, cbf or cbr, sure theres for and against with all of them. the ybr / cbf comes appears to be the cheapest, the cbr has marginally more power and a few other features plus it looks 'more sporty' but is the cbr aimed at much younger riders

[Teflon-Mike]

Recommend Me a Learner-Bike!

Bench-mark is the admittedly 'tiny' Yamaha YBR125.... simple reason, its a no frills gets the job done bike, that is 'cheap' to buy, own and run, and sells readily for similar money to what you buy for.

Brand New its half the price of 'posey' 125's that are often as expensive as 'big-bikes', and even at £500 1st year depreciation, its no BIG loss compared to some.

I have to REALLY say that 125 'Cruisers' do NOT 'good' learner bikes make... they aren't even very good at 'cruising'! And with perverse geometry and ergonomics can make learning & getting a licence a lot harder... and they don't really make a good 'long term' bike, if you want a 'cruiser' get one that WILL 'cruise' and has that big lusty laid-back 'easy rider' engine that will do the job, when you DONT need to try and pilot through test cones with a turning circle that makes a Long Wheel Base Landy look 'pretty nimble'!

Only thing 'less' useful as a learner bike, in my opinion is a twist and go scooter, you can only get an auto-restricted licence with!

Of bigger 125's?

Theres the Hyosung GT125 which is physically larger; the Honda XL125 Veradaro, and thesn some of the Super-Motards.

Personally, for the 'premium' attached to buying any of them, running any of them, and the PRIMARY job of making learning & getting tests EASY....

Why spend more to make life harder?

YBR or similar commuter bike is a STARTER machine, its NOT a once and forever be-all bike....

Get one, use it for whats intended, GET RID....

Experience something 'different', sample some of the schmorgas board of what biking has to offer..... its half the fun.

Buying & selling bikes... too much hassle? Too much money? Come on, we're talking op trading up from a tiddler, you'll 'want' for three four, five months.... when MOST learner bikes, and especially better VFM commuter will as like as not sell easily for pretty damn close to what you pay for it!

ONCE you have got on the road, got some early miles experience, your aspirations, attitude and expectations WILL change.....

So DONT get bogged down in irrelevant detail here and now....

ANY bike that will get you a licence is 'OK'... so don't try bolting on superflouse 'extras' that might actually make it harder and a 'less' fullfilling experience.

Stop Thinking START RIDING

Its ONLY a learner bike, your FIRST bike, not your once and forever bike.

You are bound to make mistakes, you are bound to drop it and dent it, so DONT sweat the small stuff!

Just get out there, look at whats on offer for what you can afford, and if it looks 'OK' just get on with it, and dont waste your energy procrastinating over irrelevent 'detail'!

We have until January, when new laws come in to get a licence worth the paper, on a 125, so give yourself the option, and just DO....

You could be fully licenced for just £12.50 within a couple of months, witout shelling out for a DAS course, and be wondering about restricted 500's, and maybe doing Accelerated Access...

OR you could be quite hapily pootling about on a 125 commuter, happy as larry it does everything you want, and looking at something like a CD200 'Benley' super-miser 'commuter'...

Or any points in between....

So keep your options open; dont over-think it...... and getting the 'wrong' or less than perfect bike, ENT a big deal...
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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?'

[cdlxxvi]

[Benno]

The thing about a lot of 125s is you can sell them for what you bought them for. You don't lose out on very much money. I'm hoping to buy a big bike for around what my YBR cost and judging by what I've found so far that should be easy.

Worth the practice IMO.

[Teflon-Mike]

[BruceT]

Have a look on eBay and gumtree, you can find a stack of 'big' bikes for less than £1500.
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VT125

[ian103]

thanks for the posts, just contacted my local dealer, he is suggesting a ybr, or a kymco as a cheaper alternative (albeit not as good as the ybr) are kymco a viable option as its 1k cheaper (new). i suspect I know the answer really as this is probably a case of you get what you pay for (the only query really is if a main dealer is happy to supply, the quality must be better than other cheap bikes)

[Rogerborg]

Mmm. Taiwanese, BMW use their engines, owners seem to like them. The YBR is made in mainland China anyway, it'll all come down to quality control on the bike you buy, i.e. whether you get a peach or a lemon.

I assume it's the Pulsar, right? www.cmpo.co.uk don't stock parts, WeMoto only have consumables. OK, there's a 2 year warranty (that tries to demand servicing at a Kymco approved dealer, naughty), but ask the dealer (sly like) about parts availability for the bike you're interested in.

However, I absolutely guarantee that the moment you have your 25kW license (which you'll be better of getting ASAP) that you'll want to chop in your 125 for a bike that offers far more value for money.

At that point, it become a question of how much value you've lost in depreciation. If you're looking at ~£1300 - 1500 purchase price for the Kymco it might be pretty close to the YBR in absolute money.

It still doesn't make as much sense as buying used and getting handy with a spanner, but if you've got the money to spend, I wouldn't rule out the Kymco out of hand. Although the YBR is still the safer choice, I hasten to add.
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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

[ian103]

yes the pulsar - looks like a copy ybr. thanks for the tip on spares. I'm awaiting a call back on their 2nd hand 125cc stock (not much around here in cornwall at present) the other option is to head upto exeter but thats a 90mile plus drive (which I feel could be too far to ride it back on my 'first proper' solo ride

[BruceT]

You could use a courier service, they charge anywhere between £1 - £1.50 per mile delivery, which if Kure keeping it for a couple of years, would be a good call.

Definitely go second hand, if you've got the money to burn then by all means, but as its a 125cc I'd definitely go 2nd hand.

Road experience on any bike is good, I know some have pooh-poohed cruisers, however I'm riding one and it's great. It's my weekend thing until I get time to concentrate on mod 1&2.

As said earlier, I'd stick with jap bikes for reliability, especially if you're going pre-loved. If you get a ybr it'll be cheap enough to fix if something goes wrong, similarly if you get a Hinda cg.

Everyone has their opinion, some are more vociferous than others, ultimately, its your money/time/bike choice, and if it's going to be the same for two years, take your time and have a look around before making a decision. Don't be railroaded into getting a specific bike just because of someone else's opinion.

It's your fun/enjoyment you're deciding on, after all.
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VT125

[ian103]

following the advice, i have found 4 potential 2nd hand bikes from dealers (pressure from OH so I have so come back / warranty etc) they just look expensive to me or is it a case of low supply pushing the price up? Any thoughts

2011 ybr £1999
2008 van van £1895
2002 vxs cruiser £1295 (not sure on the riding position for the tests)
2008 cbr £2195

or Ive seen 2 bikes both insurance right offs repaired by the trader

2011 ybr £1350
2009 ybr £1200

Failing that if I brought a new ybr what would the expected trade in value be in say 12 months.

i'm guessing with a right off I have to notify my insurer and then again when I sell the bike (I assume a main dealer may not part exchange against a bike later)

[Teflon-Mike]

[the_quick]

Don't buy almost new bike as you will loose a lot - I did that mistake and bought 2011 YBR (with only 300 miles on the clock) and I though I' ve done great deal. Now I want to sell it and dealers don't want to give more than 1500 (or less) and I had a bike only 4 months and done additional 600 miles. Been advertising it for 1600 on ebay, mcn and so on and had so far only 2 offers - not easy to sell.

Get something like 5-7 years old with reasonable mileage and you will be able to sell it for same price (if you buy from private seller).

And one more thing, I though I will keep bike for ages, but after riding for few months I find it does not have enough power on roads out side town, going up hill is a pain and you have to work gears a lot. Soon enough you will want something bigger (I'm 35, so not that youngish). And you can buy something between 1200-1500 with 500-600cc engine.
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Bandit GSF600 '00

[SweenyT]

[ian103]

thanks, I think in this instance I need to buy from a dealer to keep oh happy. the vanvan is actually a 59 plate so must be a 2009 machine, thanks for the tip on the tyres, I'll have a good look at the tyres ( what sort of tread depth is on a new tyre), I like the quirky look so it may be a winner. The salvage bike prices were the repaired price, but the trader has had a poor report on a posting on here so I will give them a miss.

[hodgerydoo]

[ian103]

Just read your post, yeah similar positions,

I had come to the conclusion of my way forward, cbt, then a dealer sourced 125 [low miles (less than 500) mint etc, apart from I now have the pictures - looks like its had a drop - missing mirror, broken mirror, scratched clocks, damaged headlight cowl and scratched clutch lever (and thats visiable from the photos! so not mint and therefore way too expensive] Then do a DAS course over the next 6 months or so and then upgrade the bike if needed in March, I like the honda nc700.

Also the free lesson and cbt i had provisionally booked for friday and thursday next week have been cancelled - offered free lesson on sunday and a cbt sometime w/c 16/7/12 [oh the laid back joys of living in Cornwall]

Well pissed off today! I coming to the conclusion using the bus / car will be easier if a dam sight more inconvenient for the roads round here.

[Ribenapigeon]

I have a Yamaha WR125X which i bought new. Its great and it is perfect for my job which involes getting around town to see clients all over the place. My plan is to just do standard tests on it then get a bigger bike for blasts into the country at the weekend. Sounds like you have a simerler plan. People will always go on and on about how you shouldent buy new but if your going to keep the bike for a few years then it makes sense as you odnt have all the hassle of mot`s and fixing up costs. Essentiall you can relax and just enjoy the bike.

The Yamaha WR125s are easily the top of the range in current 125s. I would quite like the WR250 post test but they are prohibativly expensive even second hand so not in my opinion worth it.

[hodgerydoo]