New biker, help?!

[Hobbitk]

Okay so I'm new here so bare with me!
My parents are bikers. My mother has a Honda Babyblade CC400RR and my stepdad has a Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R.
I'm 17 and have just passed my cbt. I want to get a 125 as soon as possible, as at the moment it's costing me £5.70 a day to get to college and back, so it will save me money, and I want to get riding as soon as possible.
My parents suggested saving for a brand new Honda, but they can be costly, especially for a 125 that I'm still getting used to being on the roads with. But also looking online, especially this time of year, it's not easy to find a cheap one that's not seen a lot of miles.
I was looking online and found this - 2015 Mototek SKYJET XGJAO SJ125-23 "R" 125cc:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-2015-Mototek-SKYJET-XGJAO-SJ125-23-R-Sports-XTRS-125cc-White-or-Black-/221926641918?hash=item33abdbd0fe:g:UQcAAOSwpDdVZZjE

I've never seen these before, so I'm not to sure what they are like.
Does anybody have any ideas or suggestions?
My budget at the moment is around £1000.. I earn around £350 per fortnight so that will add to it.

- thanks for reading!
____________________
Yeahh🙌

[Teflon-Mike]

Three college terms, 12 weeks long, five days each; if you go every single day, then your bus fares total just about £1000 for the year.

Insurance for a 17 year-old on a 125, will account for over half of that; declare the use, and check the box to say yo are 'commuting' on it, and it'll likely be a lot more than half.

How far is it to college? 10 miles? That's, 20 miles a day, 100 miles a week, 3,500 miles a year. At a generous, 100mpg, that's 35 gallons, just over £200 worth of petrol, and three 'services', which if you DIY and do no more than change plug and oil, might not be too exorbitant...

BUT, point is, your bus-fares aren't going to go very far towards 'paying' for this 'ere motorbike.

The Bus? If you don't use it you don't pay for it. It gets nicked? Bus Co send another, not your problem. You don't have to find big money up-front, nor do you have to dress up like an environmental disaster worker, just to stay warm & dry....

As to the Sky-Jet?

One of the more renowned Chinky-Bikes; that in general have a reputation for big sub-standard, straight out the crate. They tend to have the bare minimum of performance, the bare minimum of durability, and 'depreciation' that means they are often fit for no-more than the scrap-heap before their first MOT is due at 3-years old.

Sky-Jet is one of the cheaper Chinky 'brands', and one that has managed to be slightly more popular, dressing up even more sub-standard than usual chiky-bikes in 'flashy' sporty-styled plastic, attractng the most optimistic, nieve and less clued up buyers, who want that look, expect that performance, and dont have the oney or know-how to know any better, and are ost likely to see thier reputation fullfilled b ot checkig the ol or tensioig the chai and 'stuff'.. so possbly ot ALL the bikes fault, but look in the 'Work-Shop' section, they generate a very large number of posts from desperate owners...

My usual advice is that if you know enough to live happily with a Chinky-Bike, you probably would know enough NOT to buy one, and especially a brand new one!

If I were a baked-bean budget teen, desperate for anything with an engine, oh-kay, there ent a lot out there with an MOT that actually runs for under £500, so a 'cheap' 2nd hand Chink, over 3years old, that HASN'T found its way onto the scrap heap, is worth a look, and could prove little less 'hassle' than an older 2nd Hand Jap-Bike by way of repairs ad fettling to keep it moving.. if for no other reason that it wont take SO much before you chuck it on the scrap heap ad look for another! But, if I had to eek out a clunky old bike on a baked-bean budget, with lots of spanner-swearing, I would much rather put that time and effort into an old Jap, more likely to offer a bit more 'go' for it occasionally, and stand some chance some-one might give me a bit of my cash back when I'm done with it.

Ideas and suggestions?

Save up.

The BIKE is the last thing on the list you need. If you haven't already, sort the hat, gloves and water-proofs; a sturdy lock and chain; and get the cash i the bank to pay the insurance upfront. 17 you are not old enough to buy the instance on the 'monthly'. Its not monthly insurance, its a years policy and a loan to pay for it.

THEN, when that is all 'set'ad ready, ad you know that if you buy a bike, you will be able to get it legal and go ride it....THEN look at what the savings are like, and what's on offer.

Few of us will recommend brand new bikes; they loose 1/3of the sticker prce the moment you wheel them out the shop and they become 'second had'. Save that money, buy second hand.

CBF and YBR are good choices, and £1500-ish should get you something useful, around 3 - 4 years old with a fresh MOT cert, that should deliver as much performance, and reliability and overall 'hassle free' biking as you are likely to get, with the least depreciation and overall cost and risk.. BUT its still the last thing on the list...

And the first is still that big insurance bill probably 1/2 the cost of the bike, which will have to be paid every year, where one hopes bike ought last a couple!
____________________
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]

[mudcow007]

.......annnnd the cbr125 will still be worth something after you have progressed to faster bikes - unlike the chinese bike

[Andy_Pagin]

Personally at your age I'd have bought a bicycle and bunged £5 a day in a savings account. Apart from anything a motorcycle will be a time consuming distraction when you should concentrate on your one and only chance to complete your education. With luck you'll still have a good sixty years to concentrate on biking afterwards.
____________________
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

[jarvo1]

[Rogerborg]

It'll be available though. I do very strongly urge you to get indicative quotes on any off-brand bike that you're considering. Don't rely on assurances from the geezer trying to sell it to you that it'll be no problem, mate, get cover anywhere, pal.
____________________
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

[chickenstrip]