Newbie, A2 bike advice

[ryan3]

Hi,

Im new to the forum but having had a look on here recently it seems like a really useful source of information, so I was looking for a bit of advice with my next bike.

I've been riding a Honda cbr125 for just over a year now to use as a daily commuter for a roughly 50 mile round trip to work on mainly national speed limit roads/dual carriageways. I'm now wanting to take my A2 test and get a bigger bike that can handle these types of roads a bit more comfortably.

The bike will basically just be used for commuting and day to day riding, because of this the running costs are quite important, particularly the mpg as the 125 is excellent on fuel so I don't want it to suddenly cost me 3-4 times in fuel each week.

I will have an ideal budget of around £1000 - 1500 but could possibly stretch to £2000 to purchase the bike.

So basically, I'm looking for any suggestions for a fairly cheap to run, reliable bike with decent mpg that will handle dual carriageways with relative ease and fit into the A2 license category if there is such a bike.

Thanks in advance!

[B0ndy]

fazer 600
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CBF 125 -> CB400SF -> GSX600F -> ZX6R (G1) -> GSXR1000 K4 -> ZX6R (B1H Stunt bike) -> VFR800 -> R1 5PW -> Sprint 1050 -> Fireblade 929 -> ZX10R C2H

[Beehive Bedlam]

[davebike]

Shame Fazers are too powerful to restrict fro A2 !!
Bandit 600 will restrict
Or look at a 500 you get a very nice Gs500 A2 compliant
Or a very good old style Cb500 58BHP but could be restricted

Rules are 47Bhp + power to weight ratio ?? But nothing over twice the power to be restricted hence no Fazer as there all 96/98 BHP
____________________
Dave
NC750Xdct + others at work !
davebike1@gmail.com

[Rogerborg]

[Teflon-Mike]

Why is MG such an issue?
You are already probably paying something n the order of 30-50% over the odds for insurance just because its a 125 bumped in the rankings by learners crashing them. It's probably loaded another 30% or so for its Toys-R-Us I want to be a race bike, outfit, and the numpty owners who pay more for a 125 commuter with that 'style' can obvusely afford it, and as they probably have more aspiration about looking cool and going fast than more practical considerations, they are probably even more likely to crash it, or have it nicked, when that Toys-R-Us otfit will make cost of repairs or replacement even higher....

Given how much over the odds you have already spent, on an 'expensive' to buy and expensive to insure 'sporty-ish looking' 125.. Either you really don't care about 'ecconomy'... or you can afford it, and such aspirations will always take priority, and unless we suggest a CBR600RR is a sensble choice, you will likely be dismissig any advice we offer or arguig us blind we have missed something....

Duel carriageways and faster A-Roads? Yeah.. CBR125 is a genuine 70mph motorcycle, ts as fast as anything of any engine displacement can legally go n ths country, and can break pretty much as many speed limits along the way, if you really want to.

It is light it is skiny, and probably not the most comfy to try hold 60 or 70 on the duely.... but as said, if you were turly worried about ecconomy you wouldn't be trying anyway, and would be sitting t out n the truck stack at 55, engjoyng doing it at 1/2 throttle and gettig a bit of added m[g from the 'slip stream' off trucks, rather than wringing its kneck, with an audicoch up your chuff!

For the 'problem' presented... the answer is NOT to be found in a motorbike..... really it isn't... it's to be fund your atttude, your discipline and your dexterity.

And here ad now, question is pretty irrelevent... you don't have an A2 licence.. so what bikes you cant ride, or what ecconomy you may or may not get out of them, is just more fantacy and make believe.

YOU will make more difference than the bike.. if when how you get there....

Seriousely... MPG?

Book says my 125's aught return around 90mpg.. real world, way ride them, I'm often luck to get 70.. O/H usig one a little more sensibly ad sedately can better the 100 mark.. but that's still 30% variaton ether way.

Book says my 750 does 50 to the gallon. More oft used for longer runs, and seldom so hard thrashed, I ca and frequently do better the 70mpg I achieve from the tddlers.. threash it? 40mpg may be good going.

This s bikes... they WONT serve you what you want on a plate. you have to work for it. You want ecconomy? Its there to be had. BUT its not to be found in picking our bike, its to be found n how you use it. Want performance? Same deal; its there to be had, if you can afford t, bt you STILL have to work for it, bike wont do it for you and you wll only get a fracton of anything just lookig at the specs n the brochures.

So... matter little... whatevrr you wat is out there, but probably not in the choice of bike, but in you, and how much you are prepared to work to get what you want....

And so far... you haven't even put in the work to get a licence......

Back up, start there... the rest will follow.
____________________
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?'

[ryan3]

Thanks very much for the suggestions guys, that gives me a good few options. I will have a good look at the bikes mentioned and go from there.

Teflon-mike, insurance of around £200 and purchasing the bike for £900 over a year ago I wouldn't really see as being a 'numpty owner' who pays over the odds for this style of bike, it just happened to be this particular bike that came up for sale close by that happened to be this 'style'. It honestly doesn't bother me what style the bike is or what it looks like, hence why I have just asked for any suggestions, no matter what the bike looks like.

I came here for the advice as I don't have a great knowledge on bikes and am probably missing some really great options, looking at other replies on here people have received see great help so I thought why not post my own question up.

You're right in the fact that a 125 can do 70MPH but as you also probably know, that is very much only if the wind is behind you and you're going downhill... Start going up any sort of incline and the speed drops right down to 50MPH. This has been fine and I could carry on riding the 125 but I'm going to be taking my test regardless of whether I get myself a bigger bike or end up keeping the 125 but it just seems sensible to explore the option of a larger bike.

Obviously it very much depends on how you ride the bike as to what performance/economy it returns and I know that going from a 125 to a 400/500cc bike it's never going to get the same level of mpg. I get great mpg from the 125 now, above what it says in the book so I'm sure whatever bike I do end up riding, I'll be able to get good mpg out of that too.

I didn't mean for it to sound like the mpg was the be all and end all in my original message as if I did, I'd just carry on using the 125 and not even consider something bigger but after riding it for over a year and most of the time feeling underpowered and struggling to keep up with traffic, it's an option I would like to explore. But having said that, being purely a commuter bike, it is an important factor.

Finally, no I haven't passed my test yet but I don't really see why that should stop me asking for a bit of advice when I have the full intention of taking it regardless of my bike choice. Thanks anyway for trying to help out.

[Bozzy]

[Bozzy]

[mkjackary]

So I ride an er5, it is stated as 49 bhp at crank, so after 21 years it will have lost a couple, probably. I have a restrictor fitted, but it was fitted by 21 years and 8 owners over the course of 30k miles

Just checked my fuelly (which I haven't updated for way too long. And I get on average 54 mpg, but I rag it constantly, get up to speed fast and have a cruising speed on most motorways of around 80-90. I also have a 2 helmet sized top box which won't help and a tank bag. Best mpg I have got is around 63, but I'm sure someone sensible-er and cleverer could up that.

I bought the bike for £450 as a non runner without a battery or few other parts, cleaned the carbs and spend a hundred on parts and Sally's your sister. Insurance wise when I took it out I was 19, and zero driving experience what so ever, but it was £320 a year including a £200 total excess, and EU/pillion/other bike cover.

It definitely keeps up on a dual carriageway, fastest I've got it is an indicated 127, doubt you could get much more than that, I also doubt the accuracy of it, but it was bloody scary I know that much. It is comfortable up to about 105 then you are pushing it IMO.

All I have tried is a cb500 a gs500 an er5, an er6n restricted for the test and a Yamaha 125 for cbt. Of those the cb500 was great, but it would be it has a higher bhp, looks wise I had to rule the GS out, I find it ugly, I liked both the ER and the CB, but I found a great deal on an er5 so I got that.

Haven't tried anything else so can't comment


all speeds are in meters per hour, t&c apply etc

[ryan3]

Thank you both for the suggestions and mkjackary, that's a really helpful reply so thanks for taking the time to write that!

[Snop Doog]

SV650S.