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Best budget, upright 125 for a new rider? |
New Chinese 125 (Sinnis, Lexmoto, etc.) |
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5% |
[ 1 ] |
Used Japanese 125 (YBR, GN, other) |
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94% |
[ 16 ] |
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Total Votes : 17 |
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boiled_elephant |
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boiled_elephant L Plate Warrior
Joined: 13 Aug 2017 Karma :
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Posted: 18:24 - 13 Aug 2017 Post subject: What bike for a short lady? (To Chinese or not to Chinese) |
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I assumed this subforum'd be full of "what bike" threads, and it is. Sorry for adding another, but this is more specific.
My gf's starting biking soon, on L-plates. She has exceptionally short legs - anything taller/wider than a CG is out of bounds. Customs and sports alike are out, leaving just standard bikes.
Here's where I'm at:
- seat height lower than 78cm (I know seat height is a fallible measurement, but it works as a rough guide)
- decent disc brake/s (front at the least)
- be a 125 4-stroke (if I want her dead I'll consider getting her a 2-stroke, but so far I don't)
- have alloy wheels, not spokes (never again)
- have fuel injection (preferably. Carbs make me want to die in winter)
- have a fuel gauge (downfall of older bikes and first-time riders alike)
- be cheap. Like £1300 or less. Used and tatty is fine.
- don't be a CG. I owned one for 8 years. For so many reasons, never again.
And here's what I see as my two options:
YBR 125
These things are all over the place, parts are dirt cheap, they'll do 65mph, they've got a decent front disc brake and the 2008 onwards ones have fuel injection. They're a hair shorter than the CG and the same width, so I'm sure she'd fit it. They're about £900-1300 used.
OR - Chinese bikes
There's so much bad press for Chinese bikes I almost didn't bother looking. The electrics fall apart, the parts rust, the pistons seize - or so I'm told. Of course, nobody with a good Chinese bike takes to the internet to tell everyone how reliable it was, so probably a lot of confirmation bias to this stereotype.
Anyway, some of them (Sinnis, Lexmoto, etc.) look nice, seem reasonably tidy and tick all the boxes - maybe not fuel injection, but I can deal for £1000 new. Seriously. £1000 for a new geared 125 with fuel gauge and discs front and rear. That's crazy.
So here's the thing: do you stick your gf on a Chinese bike that (rumour has it) may be an unreliable POS, or do you stick to Japanese? And if so, is the YBR the best option?
There seem to be very few Japanese bikes that tick these boxes. I looked at the GN125 but it looks really, really dated and I worry about how crap the suspension and brakes would be. We also considered the Grom (Honda GSX) but it's very underpowered relative to most 125s, peaking at ~55mph, and has tiny wheels. ____________________ If a loud pipe saves your life, you were riding incompetently. |
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Evil Hans |
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Evil Hans World Chat Champion
Joined: 08 Nov 2015 Karma :
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ThatDippyTwat |
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ThatDippyTwat World Chat Champion
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Musketeer |
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Musketeer World Chat Champion
Joined: 27 Jun 2011 Karma :
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Posted: 21:04 - 13 Aug 2017 Post subject: |
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YBR ____________________ Current Bike: Yamaha XSR900 Previous bikes: Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade, Kawasaki ZX-6R Ninja, Aprilia RS125 2-stroke |
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Rogerborg |
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Rogerborg nimbA
Joined: 26 Oct 2010 Karma :
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RhynoCZ |
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RhynoCZ Super Spammer
Joined: 09 Mar 2012 Karma :
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Rogerborg |
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Rogerborg nimbA
Joined: 26 Oct 2010 Karma :
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RhynoCZ |
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RhynoCZ Super Spammer
Joined: 09 Mar 2012 Karma :
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Posted: 21:59 - 13 Aug 2017 Post subject: |
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Rogerborg wrote: | RhynoCZ wrote: | It's not about where it's made, but who does the build quality. |
Chinese people, in China, using Chinese parts. |
Just for Roger, he's special, ... it's about what legal entity does the QC check, in other words pays money to someone to take care everything is alright and fulfilling the requirements of such legal entity/undertaking. ____________________ '87 Honda XBR 500, '96 Kawasaki ZX7R P1, '90 Honda CB-1, '88 Kawasaki GPz550, MZ 150 ETZ
'95 Mercedes-Benz w202 C200 CGI, '98 Mercedes-Benz w210 E200 Kompressor |
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M.C |
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M.C Super Spammer
Joined: 29 Sep 2015 Karma :
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Posted: 23:00 - 13 Aug 2017 Post subject: |
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How many posts and no one asking for pics of the girlfriend? This place's going downhill |
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WD Forte |
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WD Forte World Chat Champion
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Tracer1234 |
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Tracer1234 World Chat Champion
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Rogerborg |
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Rogerborg nimbA
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Teflon-Mike |
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Teflon-Mike tl;dr
Joined: 01 Jun 2010 Karma :
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Posted: 08:31 - 23 Aug 2017 Post subject: Re: What bike for a short lady? (To Chinese or not to Chines |
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Geared Vespa 125 .. Indian made why be conventional?
- seat height lower than 78cm (I know seat height is a fallible measurement, but it works as a rough guide)
Doesn't matter, should only be putting 1-ot down anyway, but Vespa's a stepthru
- decent disc brake/s (front at the least)
I think the new ones have a disc on the front, but again, who cares? Drums are cheaper/easier to servce and offer better 'feel' against panic lock-up, which is even more important on a scooter!
- be a 125 4-stroke (if I want her dead I'll consider getting her a 2-stroke, but so far I don't)
I think that some of them are using Jap derived 4T's... but hey? Whats wrong with a piston ported iron barel 2T? Other than risk of overheating nip up locking the back wheel? Thats why you get one with a clutch! Seriousely, though, a low-tuned 2T is a fantastic thing, for low maintenance miles, all you need do is make sure there's oil in the reservoir fro time to time, there's effall to go wrong and even less to adjust into oblivion!
- have alloy wheels, not spokes (never again)
Nit sure what they make them wheel-barrow wheels from, they used to be steel.... probably still are, but they certainly aren't wire-spokes, close enough for me!
- have fuel injection (preferably. Carbs make me want to die in winter)
Here we differ... carbs are user serviceable without a computer! And when pondering low rent chinky made components that HAS to be a bonus, to my mind!
- have a fuel gauge (downfall of older bikes and first-time riders alike)
D'WHAT? The ewer vespa's probably do.. but eh? Stuff the guage stop at a filling station once a month! They hardly use a lot!
- be cheap. Like £1300 or less. Used and tatty is fine.
Oh-Kay a genone, een inda built Vespa probably isn't going to drop i on budget so easily... but nasty budget... for something that ticked boxes and offers some style for it you need be prepared to pay the premiu... but, its a Vespa... you'll get it back when you sell... far more readily than almost any other learner legal, TBH!
- don't be a CG. I owned one for 8 years. For so many reasons, never again.
Err... yeah.. CG's tend to suffer from thier own reputation, and I dont think they have sold a brand ew one in the UK for over a decade... Vespas have a similar cult status..... and with all the wight at the wrong end, and wheels too small for any self respecting vehicle with an engine, I am amazed I am reccomending one! But then they have always amazed me, how with so many basic fundemental rules of good automotive design ignored or broken they even work! But they do, and in this instance could be as good a bet as anything else.... just make sure to get one with gears! Though hand shift still likely a bit of a mind bend to convert to foot-shift for a propper bike!
But think beyond the box.... ____________________ 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?' |
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WD Forte |
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WD Forte World Chat Champion
Joined: 17 Jun 2010 Karma :
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Old Thread Alert!
The last post was made 6 years, 247 days ago. Instead of replying here, would creating a new thread be more useful? |
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