New biker, need help please!

[YamahaR6]

Hi,
My names S, I am looking to buy a Yamaha r125 for my first bike. I have some questions which I need help with. Basically I weigh just about 50kg, I am quite a small guy so would his make a difference to the way I ride etc? And what bike would be suitable for me if he R125 is not? I am very eager to start riding and to buy myself an r125. I am currently driving and have been for the past 3 years with my beautiful golf gti mk4 but I'd like a bike for the thrill and cost.
What do you guys think?
Thanks

[Itchy]

Body size and weight not really. We had in the past a 40 kilo girl ride a 600cc sports.

Personally I'm against sporty looking 125cc motorbikes. Namely because they look all flash but are limited by their engine power and therefore are not significantly faster than a unfaired commuter 125cc.

Plus all that fairing will be expensive to fix/replace if/when you drop it.
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Spain 2008France 2007Big one 2009 We all die. The goal isn't to live forever, the goal is to create something that will. In the end, your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it is worth watching.

[YamahaR6]

Okay that's perfect. I'm not looking for power or anything, I just need another means of transport apart from driving. I really like he R125, so if there isn't any bad problems in regards to it all then that's the bike I will be going for. Thanks for your help.

[Teflon-Mike]

I think that an YZF-R125, a 125 learner bike in a set of fancy cloths, is barely any more thrilling than a YBR125 that's half the price... not exactly a great start for 'cheap-thrills'..

If you have been driving a car 3+ years we have to assume you are 20+, in which case your age doesn't restrict you to 125's; so IF you have the money to chuck at buying an over-priced 125 in a toys-R-Us "I wanna be an R1 wen I gwowz-up" dress-up outfit; you could put that money towards doing a course for a higher licence, A2 if you are under 24, for a 45bhp 'big-bike'; Ride-What-You-Like 'A' if over 24. Takes care of about £750 of your bike budget, give or take, BUT, if you want 'thrills'... something with 3x the power of an I-wanna-be-an R1(25), is slightly more likely to deliver it.. and quite likely for no more money... just a small sacrifice in some dubious amount of aesthetic appeal.

Alternatively; if you want 'cheap', then a YBR or CBF or similar, for a similarly small sacrifice in 'style' is likely to deliver it; with near 100mpg fuel consumption potential, and low maintenance requirements and costs, and deliver virtually as much 'biking' for it as the I wanna-be-R1(25) could, for what its worth in the real world, and get you on the road, quick and easy and cheaply, on L's with mere expedience of doing a CBT instead of a full DAS course.

THAT is what I think of the Yamaha R125 and it's 'ilk'.

AS to being a little fella? Ought not make much odds really. People come in all shapes and sizes, and all shapes and sizes of people ride motorbikes; ought not limit you to 'littler' bikes; Many ladies, usually falling into the smaller proportion of the range of human sizes, manage to do DAS courses on 6-700cc bikes, and buy bikes that big of thier own; some pushing the percentiles can struggle with an out-the-show-room big-bike, but they are 'adjustable'; you can shift handlebars, fit lowering kits, or cut down seats to make them 'easier' to manage, if needs be... but, I have a Lilliputian Lady-Freind, who'se something under 5' tall, still gets away with VAT free kids clothing, and probably weighs barely 7 stone, wringing wet; rides Triumph Bonavilles.. the old ones, with a kick-start, and never had to resort to such adaptations.

BUT, we are putting cart before the horse... the starting place is to get yourself to a School... either way you need to do a course, whether its a CBT or a full DAS course.... AND they are the folk that will stick you on a bike, and let you find out whether you actually like it, can hack it and want to take it further... and if so, give you the know-how to do so...

So, stop thinking about it and get on with it... go book a lesson... it'll answer FAR more than we can prevaricating on here!
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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?'

[Rogerborg]

[Andy_Pagin]

Inside leg is what counts on a bike, If you can sit on it with at least one foot flat on the ground without the bike leaning excessively then you're good to go.

At my old workplace one of our regular couriers was five foot nothing and rode a Pan European, though he didn't so much 'get on it' as scale the north face of it.

As Tef said, performance wise 125s are much of a muchness, sporty looking plastic won't make any difference to performance. If I were you I'd get a YBR125 to practice on for a few months then do the tests for a full licence.
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They're coming to take me away, ho-ho, hee-hee, ha-haaa, hey-hey,
the men in white coats are coming to take me away.
Yamaha Vity -> YBR125 -> FZS600 Fazer -> FZ1-S Fazer

[Papa Lazarou]

In my view, the best learner bike is something reliable, bullet proof and relatively crash proof (yes, you will drop it-make sure you have protective gear, more important than the bike).

That said, the one that fits the bill exactly is the Honda CG125. Not quick but dead easy to work on and unbustable. They're not made any more and the later ones were made in Brazil-the early Japanese ones are better. They can be had for not much money, say around £400-600. They are common on the second hand market. Check Ebay and the other usual places (MCN, Visordown, Fridayad, etc). These things last forever and don't expect to lose money when you come to sell it.

Don't buy anything Chinese.

[Rogerborg]

[Papa Lazarou]

[Rogerborg]