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YZF 125 or Varadero 125 for £2000

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alexinlondon
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Joined: 15 Oct 2012
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PostPosted: 23:05 - 31 Oct 2012    Post subject: YZF 125 or Varadero 125 for £2000 Reply with quote
After a load of thinking and some forum posts I've settled on getting either a YZF 125 or a Varadero 125..

My budget is around the £2k mark and I'm London based..

I've been doing a bit of a searching on ebay, gumtree, biketrader & MCN..

It seems I can get a slightly newer YZF for my money..

The varadero seems to hold it's value well, probably looking at a 2007/08 or newer with very high mileage around the 2k mark..

Anyway, if anyone has any input on:

- Other good sources to find either for sale
- Recommended / reputable sellers (dealers?) in London area

I'm a little nervous about going to look at bikes as I'm not really sure what I'm looking for in terms of telling if they have been looked after or not.. any tips appreciated !

I had considered an RS125, but I don't want the maintenance headache I've heard about !
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MCW
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PostPosted: 23:09 - 31 Oct 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote
I have a '54 Varadero with 14k on the clock. It is in very good condition except from a few scuffs where it had been dropped. I paid £999 in August for it. I know they hold their value etc, but £2k for a very high mileage one, even if it is newer, seems an awful lot.

I would really recommend the Varadero. I love mine and (touch wood) have had no problems with it.
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alexinlondon
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PostPosted: 23:25 - 31 Oct 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote
MCW wrote:
I have a '54 Varadero with 14k on the clock. It is in very good condition except from a few scuffs where it had been dropped. I paid £999 in August for it. I know they hold their value etc, but £2k for a very high mileage one, even if it is newer, seems an awful lot.

I would really recommend the Varadero. I love mine and (touch wood) have had no problems with it.


Sounds like a good deal, did you find it on any particular website?
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map
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PostPosted: 23:26 - 31 Oct 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote
Have you checked the cost of insurance for each bike?
Suspect Varadero will be more expensive so bite into your budget.
That said I would go with the Honda as imo built better.
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P.addy
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PostPosted: 23:30 - 31 Oct 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote
map wrote:
Have you checked the cost of insurance for each bike?
Suspect Varadero will be more expensive so bite into your budget.
That said I would go with the Honda as imo built better.


A slightly bigger commuter or a sports 125.

The YZF will cost loads more to insure. Confused

OP, my 2007 Varadero was bought for £650 with 67,000 miles on the clock. It is sweet as a nut.

Personally I'd think what you want it for, they are both 2 different beasts, although.. I reckon the Vara will keep up easily.
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alexinlondon
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PostPosted: 23:40 - 31 Oct 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote
[quote="##Paddy##"]
map wrote:


OP, my 2007 Varadero was bought for £650 with 67,000 miles on the clock. It is sweet as a nut.



That's pretty reassuring, so I don't need to worry too much with going a bit higher mileage on these bikes.

Varadero and YZF selection might seem a bit strange, but it was mainly down to wanting something a bit bigger. I ruled out Hyosung GT because I couldn't find many and the other sports 125s are a bit smaller than the YZF.

Haven't looked much into insurance yet, I'm 34 - do I really need to worry about it? I'll check it out.
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P.addy
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PostPosted: 23:44 - 31 Oct 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote
Probably not, but the YZF will cost more.

There is no noise coming from the Vara I have, it got a complete service at the weekend. Valves were within spec, compression was near standard and it runs absolutely flawlessly. Thumbs Up
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illuminateTHE...
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Joined: 13 Jul 2012
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PostPosted: 23:46 - 31 Oct 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote
YZF r125 a fantastic bike i can't fault it... i haven't had a single fault with mine and ive hit 10k, basicaly top up the fluids and go. On the other hand your insurance will be a tad expensive compared to the other bike, but i think spending the extra $ is worth it though.
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Zen Dog
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PostPosted: 00:02 - 01 Nov 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote
They're both good bikes, its more a question of what you prize more, looks or all-round practicality.

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alexinlondon
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PostPosted: 00:10 - 01 Nov 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote
Any thoughts on this one:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/221145292939?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

(yep, I'm total lazy, I need you guys to hand hold me through picking a bike!)
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alexinlondon
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PostPosted: 00:11 - 01 Nov 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote
Zen Dog wrote:
They're both good bikes, its more a question of what you prize more, looks or all-round practicality.

Zen Dog


I did realise that I only care about how the bike looks until I get on it Razz
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illuminateTHE...
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PostPosted: 01:38 - 01 Nov 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote
Zen Dog wrote:
They're both good bikes, its more a question of what you prize more, looks or all-round practicality.

Zen Dog
yzf r125 has looks and all round practicality... last time i filled up 13 pounds i got like 180 miles... the yzf r125cc is not expensive to maintain like an aprilia rs 125... its pretty similar to the honda cg125 interms of maintenance. Also the ride good.
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P.addy
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PostPosted: 07:07 - 01 Nov 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote
illuminateTHEmind wrote:
Zen Dog wrote:
They're both good bikes, its more a question of what you prize more, looks or all-round practicality.

Zen Dog
yzf r125 has looks and all round practicality... last time i filled up 13 pounds i got like 180 miles... the yzf r125cc is not expensive to maintain like an aprilia rs 125... its pretty similar to the honda cg125 interms of maintenance. Also the ride good.


Can you fit luggage racks to your YZF

Can you take a pillion happily.

Do you sit upright and have the ability to see clearly.

I've ridden both, practical wise, the Vara wins hands down.

CG servicing is oil...and valves if you are unlucky.
You have water cooling, you need to change your oil regularly or risk blowing your engine, you have to remove a ton of plastic to get to the valves... there is a big difference.


Oh and OP, that is quite pricey I guess. 07 for £650, you can probably get a good quality 07 onwards (fuel injection) for £1000 if you look hard!
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Rogerborg
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PostPosted: 09:43 - 01 Nov 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote
illuminateTHEmind wrote:
ive hit 10k, basicaly top up the fluids and go.

You mean: service according to the appropriate schedule?

I'd say Verydearo just on the basis that it's more likely to have been looked after properly.

There's no mileage listed on that one in your link. Why did it need an "engine rebuild" at 25,000 if it was serviced properly, and what did the "rebuild" consist of? Paddy knows what he's doing, you're going to have to be a bit more careful. You need to see it and get a feel for the guy before committing to it, it's not a bargain at that price.

I'd suggest that you ignore the auction price. Get your budget together in cash, get insurance lined up and ready to buy, go and see it daylight on Saturday and if you like it, wave money in his face to ride it away.

Worst the guy can say is "no" (actually the worst is "Squeal like a pig"). Tell him that when his high bidder is a no-show, your offer might still be available.
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MCW
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PostPosted: 11:27 - 01 Nov 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote
Oh, I meant to say, I knew Rogerborg would be along in a minute to call it a 'Verydearo'... Smile
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Rogerborg
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PostPosted: 11:52 - 01 Nov 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote
MCW wrote:
Oh, I meant to say, I knew Rogerborg would be along in a minute to call it a 'Verydearo'... Smile

Coulda-woulda-shoulda. Razz

I'm pondering one for local larks when I've made space - I've got into the habit of taking a 500 half a mile to the shops. Thumbs Down
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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
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Ribenapigeon
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PostPosted: 12:14 - 01 Nov 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote
You could also look at the WR125X (supermoto) or R (trail). Same engine as the YZF and a lot more comfortable and better round town. Its lighter than the Varadero as well.

Between the YZF and the Varadero I think for your uses the Varadero comes out on top, its a better machine for riding comfort and doing tests on and you won't look like a boy racer on a toy racer. Plus a second hand Varadero is less likely to be thrashed.

Personaly I recomend a WR125X, its what I ride and it manages to combine what you would get with a YZF and a Varadero without compromising.
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P.addy
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PostPosted: 12:19 - 01 Nov 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote
Find one for under £2k.

Find an insurer that will cover a highly stolen bike in London Wink
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jeddy11
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PostPosted: 12:20 - 01 Nov 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote
Thumbs up for the varadero- will hold its price well, will have been owned by a mature person (hopefully) easy to service yourself, wont cost as much if you drop it over,has a twin engine to pull that 150kg around Razz easy for noobs to ride etc etc gotta go or there would bve more Smile
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P.addy
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PostPosted: 12:22 - 01 Nov 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote
I don't notice the weight, I do see 70mph+ on a daily basis though, so it can't be that bad.
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MCW
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PostPosted: 12:32 - 01 Nov 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote
alexinlondon wrote:
Sounds like a good deal, did you find it on any particular website?

Just because you live in London, don't limit yourself to local sellers. I live on the South Coast but got the bike in Wigan as it was a good deal. I found it on Gumtree, it was from a dealer though and had a 3 month warranty (for what it's worth). The only problem I had was a battery that wouldn't hold its charge and they sent one overnight to me, no quibble. I got a local biker friend to check the bike out and collected it in person, but they delivered for £120 to anywhere in the country.
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Alpha-9
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PostPosted: 14:25 - 01 Nov 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote
Neither. Get one for £1000.
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TwoWheelsDail...
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PostPosted: 14:41 - 01 Nov 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote
KTM duke 125 Wink Quicker than a YZF, comfier and its a ktm Smile
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Dave70
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PostPosted: 17:00 - 01 Nov 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote
Boozehawk wrote:
You could also look at the WR125X (supermoto) or R (trail). Same engine as the YZF and a lot more comfortable and better round town. Its lighter than the Varadero as well.

Between the YZF and the Varadero I think for your uses the Varadero comes out on top, its a better machine for riding comfort and doing tests on and you won't look like a boy racer on a toy racer. Plus a second hand Varadero is less likely to be thrashed.

Personaly I recomend a WR125X, its what I ride and it manages to combine what you would get with a YZF and a Varadero without compromising.
I found the WR125X really uncomfortable on the arse tbh. (maybe I have a weird shaped arse?)

Don't have a problem with the YZF R125 though. Have found them to be a really reliable bike when looked after. Though as Roger suggested, some R125's may not have had the best care and attention (ie, been ragged to hell, not serviced properly and had oil levels/changes neglected.)

If you find one within your budget though, that has a good proven sevice history, I'd go for it. They are great little bikes and a good starting point for a beginer who wants to get into sports bikes. They look a hell of a lot cooler too)

So the YZF would get my vote but I am a bit biased.

Don't know jack about the vanderthing though Laughing
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alexinlondon
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PostPosted: 17:18 - 01 Nov 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote
Yeah as much as I'm tempted with the WR or a KTM I will be leaving my bike outside randomly around London so staying away from those.. I guess the YZF is a higher theft risk than the verydearo too...

I'm browsing around for a £1000 varadero and also looking at a £2000 YZFs..

Thanks for all the comments so far... Smile
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