Would you take a punt?

[The Shaggy D.A.]

In B4 "Get a Fireblade"

Two contenders. Is the lower price, lower miles and newer bike enough to sway you to take the AJS over the Yamaha?

2010 Yamaha YBR125 Custom, 6120 miles, £1,599
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/111626265812

https://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTIwMFgxNjAw/z/E4MAAOSwpDdVDFRo/$_12.JPG

2013 AJS JS-125 YBR Custom clone, 5090 miles, £995
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/321713798535

https://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/Njg4WDkyMg==/z/IG8AAOSwBahVHXHb/$_12.JPG
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Currently : Royal Enfield 350 Meteor
Previously : CB100N > CB250RS > XJ900F > GT550 > GPZ750R/1000RX > AJS M16 > R100RT > Bullet 500 > CB500 > LS650P > Bullet Electra X & YBR125 > Bullet 350 "Superstar" & YBR125 Custom > Royal Enfield Classic 500 Despatch Limited Edition (28 of 200) & CB Two-Fifty Nighthawk > ER5

[trevor saxe-coburg-gotha]

Yeah, I'd take a chance on the AJS. But it would be on the proviso that I'd be towelling it off after even a mildly damp ride, and doing oil every ten yards.

edit - wait, wait. This depends if it's for a n00b. If so I might actually go with the yamaha, because the gearbox will be loads easier to use. A brand new chinese gearbox I would expect to have a real neutral hidden safely away somewhere where no left foot could ever find it, but with one or two false ones readily available elsewhere.

Also, the Yamaha if looked after and clocking up say 5k miles would probably not depreciate by more than a couple hundred.

If not for a n00b though, but if restricted to a really, really small engine I'd be looking to throw about £800 at a cb250rs. There was a very nice one that went for that last week on ebay, with a free lift (!).
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"Life is a sexually transmitted disease and the mortality rate is one hundred percent."

Mobylette Type 50 ---> Raleigh Grifter ---> Neval Minsk 125

[guile]

If you can afford the Yamaha , people say it will depreciate less than the Chicom one, so I would go Yamaha if you're going to sell it on soon.

[STONEY!]

If it had to be one of them it would be the AJS they are both crap but probably lose less on the AJS if you sold it privately straight after buying it (which is exactly what I would do)

[Dave70]

I'd get the Yamaha. Better built quality (probably) and it'll hold its value better.
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2012: R125 killed by white van. 2016 R125 killed by 30,000 miles of redline. Current: 2016 Kawasaki ER6f.

[CaNsA]

[stevo as b4]

I've broke £1500 for an 90% finished rebuilt 125, and would do again for the right bike.

If a stunning KTM Sting, Gilera Freestyle or Cagiva Supercity pop's up, then I'd go to £2k for rare mythical bikes, as I would for a tidy Mito or similar.

Out of the OP's choices, I'd probably spend the extra £500 on the Yam, just because it might re-sell for £11-1200 if kept nice?

But think of a basket case H100 or RXS, and how nice you could make one for £1500?

[Teflon-Mike]

My general precept on the topic is; if you know enough to live with a Chink, you'd probably know enough not to buy one....

So, if I was trailing Newbies about for CBT, and the main requirement was to be cheaper to run for them sort of miles, than replacing tyres squared off doing it on the 750....

Hmmmm.. I could probably 'live' with the Copy, a-n-d... Snowie's AJS badged copy of the old Honda Rebel 125 wasn't all THAT bad.. new it wouldn't have been that cheap, either, and it was rather slow; but for the most part, pretty dependable and trouble free.. which makes me WANT to give the 'brand' a bit of credit.. but... a struggle, with so much inconsistency in the Copy-Bike world.. I'd LIKE to give it a punt.... BUT... then I'd look at the Yammie.. £600 more, BUT, as a long term hack? A 'standard' in all the data-bases & as easy to live with as you can get? I'd probably ponder how much that was worth 'long term'... and vote 'None of the Above'.. and get a Kawasak KH100 or something!

If on the other hand, it was to shut up No4-Son; 19 years old, grumbling he cant hold down a job, 'cos he cant get to work? £600 saving would be tempting.. but then, knowing how Snowie struggled to sell her Rebel-Copy, how much of a REAL saving it might be I'd be sceptical of? In the mean-time... I know I'd still end up the one having to 'live' with it; and after he'd spent two minutes on his smart phone on 'Go-Compare' where it didn't pop up instantly in the data-bases, so he told me he 'Cant get insurance', blamed me and given ME both that hassle AND most likely the bill! THEN fielding the phone calls when it 'wont start'.. (cos he's flooded it) or 'its broke down' (Cos he's not put any petrol or worse, oil n it!), or "Da-ad.. have you got a tyre lever?" Thinking he's got a puncture that needs fixing, when in fact he wants it straighten a handlebar bent trying to do a wheelie in the works car-park, and all told, I end up spending more on petrol in the car, running out to him with a tool kit.... I'd ponder just how much hassle the Yammie might 'save'.. and how much hassle I'd be buying myself either which way.... a-n-d STILL probably end up voting 'none of the above'!.. be less hassle and less expensive to DRIVE him to ruddy work every day.... better still DRIVE him there and LEAVE him there!

Can you add a 'none of the above' option?

Its all circumstance dependant; and if they were the ONLY options, circumstances, mostly how much cash was in the pot at the time, would have to dictate the answer rather than preference, which would be for the actual Yamaha, which I still sets the bench-mark for the 'most' useful learner A1 bike 'package', I think,.. some Chinks/copies might be getting closer to that mark, whether they are dong it cheap enough & consistently enough to better it though, I'm not totally convinced.
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[Pigeon]

Both those bikes have the same frames and near as damnit, the same engine (big bore kits for both fit each other).
The only significant difference is the number of clutch plates (1 extra on the YBR IIRC).

The engine + gearbox are unlikely to be an issue on either as long as oil is changed every 2k miles.

If resale value is a concern, go with the Yammy.

Just remember the donor for both bikes can be had new for £900
Although will lose 30% as soon as you buy it.

Along with my preferred variation

The AJS version is £1399 OTR

[wr6133]

Neither, as pigeon shows above you can buy the same bike for £900 new. If you put a gun to my head and shouted "buy one" then it'd be the AJS.

Out of curiosity why a 125? Similar 250's don't cost much more to run but offer a lot more versatility.

[guile]

[The Shaggy D.A.]

[STONEY!]

real world private sale, roughly the yam is £1000 the chinky £700, you will lose £600 on the yam and £300 on the chinky.

if its got to be a 125 cruiser type thing, get a honda shadow 125, same engine as the mighty varadero, they are fast (for a 4t 125) economical and reliable and they hold their money exceptionally well.

[Mudshark]

[mentalboy]

[The Shaggy D.A.]

[Rogerborg]

[Wednesday Biker]

Girlfriend had a brand new YBR custom and it rusted fast in quite a few places.
The pipe looked crap after a few months and the swingarm and footpeg brackets looked awful.
Looked shabby when she traded it in after 18 months but a few weeks later it was in the showroom after a cat lick of paint for 600 more than they paid lol
Pity the poor sod who bought it because underneath the tart up there was still a rust bucket.

Er so yeah just get the cheaper one it cant be much worse.

[Pigeon]

[CaNsA]

[talkToTheHat]

To keep for how long? As a l-plater whilst persuing big bike licence, a £700 Japanese bike that can be flipped for similar money and might cost some consumables and some fettling.

As a second 125 for a young person not old enough for A2, or as city runabout/commuter, the yamaha.
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Bandit. does. everything.

[GSTEEL32]

AJS would get my vote.

Not one from there though, I don't like the sound of being locked into the warranty only if you pay for servicing through them.

Naked 125's can be serviced by complete novices, I wouldn't be willing to be charged £20 an hour to pay a fella to watch my gearbox oil being drained into a bucket....

The fact it is offered with a warranty suggests, with a bit of mechanical sympathy, these things might run and run....

Does it not make more sense just to get a scooter if its your second bike, and the misses' steed for learning road craft?

[69.9mph]

The AJS is the equivalent of 'Buy cheap, buy twice'.

Been there, don't want to go there again.


Good luck.

[Shaft]

Tough choice.

Top shock nut and chain adjuster look like they're going rotten on the much younger AJS, which could be an indicator of quality issues to come, on the other hand, £600 buys you a shitload of spare parts, probably another complete (but slightly tatty) bike, if you had to.

As I'm not totally averse to getting my hands dirty, I'd haggle on the price, save the 600+ quid, buy the AJS and spend a weekend fettling.

The problem with this place is, we're too close to the myths and legends surrounding ching chong choppers, but the great unwashed aren't normally as clued up, which is why, when you look, it's not as easy to pick up these bikes as cheap as BCF leads you to believe they should be.

I'd be a lot less worried about buying a two year old chinky bike, than I would be a five year old one and, in another five years, I wouldn't mind betting the Chinese will have caught up, or even surpassed the Japs.
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[Wafer_Thin_Ham]

Street Triple?

(In B4 Paddy)
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