Cbt recently passed, What kind of bike should i get

[Nathan9505]

Ive recently passed my CBT, ive not really had much experience besides that besides going on alot of trips on the back of a bike. However i picked things up quickly on my cbt (which i did on a twist and go). Anyway, as i dont have the means to save high amounts of money im after a second hand for about £600-700, as to which ive spotted more bikes tha)n mopeds.

Firstly, would it be adviseable to get a geared bike, and spend a week learning (Whilst insured obviously) on side roads or carparks, would it be safe to say id be able to start riding a geared in a safe enough manner to commute around town(not large joyrides) within a few days of learning?

Besides that, the bike ive been looking at is a Honda CG125 2001 model
Anyone owned one of theese bikes? ive heard theyre reliable but slow, to what degree are they slow? Would a 125cc moped be faster? eventually ill be on rides with my friends, who have the likes of a sinnis apache 125, I dont intend on racing around like an idiot and i know i wont match them top speed but I dont wanna be totally holding them up everywhere we go getting left behind on acceleration
Also, does the 2001 model have electric start or just a kickstart
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N.higham

[CaNsA]

All 125cc 4strokes are going to be slow.

But yeah, buy a cheap £500 CG125 and crack on.

[Nathan9505]

Is it worth buying as a first bike? and are gears easy enough to learn?
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N.higham

[RhynoCZ]

[daifuco]

It is a matter of personal preference.

The 125 bikes are slow but fast enough for single carriage way roads. They may struggle to reach the 60mph legal limit, and sometimes it will be difficult or impossible to overtake slower vehicles.

If you think you can enjoy riding without overtaking everything in front of you then yes, a reasonably priced 125 is a very good choice.

And you should have learnt how to use gears on your CBT. You can either try to learn on your own or with an instructor.

[Teflon-Mike]

Gears? Well, unless you want to stick with T&G's for ever, you got to learn them some-time... us wot have had our licences since before you were a sperm, didn't even have CBT to teach us the rudimentary, we got half an idea from the mags or mates, and learned vy crunching gears, wheelying into privet hedges and stalling at junctions a lot... we got there! You are already a step ahead, get bike and go practice where there's nothing much harder than a privet hedge to bounce off!!!

As for bikes> @ £500 beggars can't be choosers; it'll be a case of taking whatever comes along, rather than going looking for what you want.

And for what's on offer in the Learener-Legal market at that sort of money, you ought not have high hopes from it being brilliant, looking great, performing amazingly, never letting you down and lasting until you can buy something bigger. Expect to spend a lot of your time and a lot of your money fixing stuff...

Hint: more you put in 'upfront', either spending more on a better bike, or spending a little cash and some time doing 'preventative' maintenance BEFORE stuff breaks, less is like to break, and if it does, less you'll like spend time or cash to fix it.

On that basis; get out there, see what you can find that looks promising and work from there....

BUT £500 CG's are becoming rare beasts, and out of production a decade now, what CG's there are are tending to the scrap-heap. If it looks better than a complete pile of shit, has an MOT and a V5 that matches the bike, AND actually runs.... I'd probably bite the chaps arm off for that sort of money, in your shoes. (and then get it home, take the wheels off, clean the brakes; oil the chain; oil the brake cables/clutch cable, change the oil, change the spark-plug, spray the switches with WD40, etc etc etc) And essentially treat it as 'disposable'.. if, in a years time I could get more than £250 for it as spares or repairs, or get it through another MOT for under £250, I'd consider myself quids in...

Best of luck
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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?'

[Taught2BCauti...]

No such thing as a 125cc moped - google the definition of 'moped'.

Gears take about a minute or less to learn, and a bit longer to get used to depending on the person learning.

You won't learn anything about gears by riding a twist-and-go.

If you pass your test on a geared bike, you have a choice - if you pass on a twist-and-go, you don't.
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Honda Varadero XL125(V8)
www.TheFutureIsHere.eu

[someotherguy]

[Snop Doog]

[Purn1]

I've got a lovely 2002 RS125 for sale soon if you're interested? Needs a bit if work, but you won't get a quicker 125. It's MOT'd and in daily use. Just needs some tlc.

[struan80]

Do they do a Fireblade with twist and go?

Well actually I can see DCT soon on sportsbikes

[Wednesday Biker]

Get the CG.
It isn't fast but neither is the Apache.
Unless you spend yzf 125 money or get a decent YBR (both above your budget) you probably wont get one that does much more than 65 on flat.
I got into bikes before the days of cbt and I practiced on a quiet road until I'd got used to the gears and brakes,then went off with mates on the road.
You've done the cbt so you should be good to go with a few hours practice.

[FuzzyBallz]

Are gears easy to learn?

Hard to say, everyone is different, if you understand how to do the motions, I'm sure you will quickly pick up the nack.

If you're that worried, take another CBT on a geared bike?

[mudcow007]

what ever bike you chose, dont get anything pretty

chances are you will drop it - then will curse your self for scratching it

if its already scratched you wont be arsed

[Val]

Gears are easy to learn and with gears you will have more control on the scarce power.

Having said that if you will use the bike say for heavy town traffic like London only by all means get good twist and go.

Twist and go will be better in traffic and has more space if you go shopping.

[Taught2BCauti...]

[Teflon-Mike]

[Taught2BCauti...]

The main elements of the current legal definition of 'Moped' are: an engine capacity not greater than 50 cc (3.1 cu in) and a maximum design speed of no more than 45 km/h (28 mph) so if you are riding one that doesn't meet both of these requirements, it can't be classed as a 'Moped'.

I daresay there's a list of specific makes and models that meet the current requirements, but if you change something that makes the engine capacity more than 50cc (bore kit), or makes it go faster than 45 km/h (28 mph), you have changed the design and it no longer belongs to the class 'Moped'.

TL/DR: There is no such thing as a 125cc moped - there may have been in the past (which is completely irrelevant), but not now.
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Honda Varadero XL125(V8)
www.TheFutureIsHere.eu

[techsnap]

Definately get a geared bike.

If you are concerned about getting used to riding a manual bike, clutch control etc, speak to a local riding school about a manual conversion lesson. Would probably only cost you around £30 for an hour with an instructor on a manual bike to give you a head start on the basics.

Really the main thing you need to get is finding and holding the biting point and smoothly controlling revs with the throttle. Changing gear itself is easy.

[WD Forte]

Get one of those red ones
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bikers smell of wee

[delahmed]

Recently obtained my full motorcycle license, so have my YBR 125 up for sale.
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Yamaha YBR 125 Silver 2011
Full License motorbike and car