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Keeway Superlight 125

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Nickmas91
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Joined: 08 Apr 2019
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PostPosted: 11:07 - 08 Apr 2019    Post subject: Keeway Superlight 125 Reply with quote

Hi all,

Sorry if this was asked 1000 times before but i cannot see any threads addressing my concerns.

Im looking to purchase a 125 cruiser in the next couple months and due to my budget and local availability i think ive settled on the Keeway Superlight 125. Having checked out reviews online i can see that is "you get what you pay for" but also a lot of people seem to be happy with it as a run around / commuter bike after the initial break in period.

Can i get some advise on what i need to be checking and watching out for during the break in period for a Keeway Superlight? Known Issues and preventative measures?

Thanks in advance.
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leolion
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PostPosted: 12:00 - 08 Apr 2019    Post subject: Reply with quote

usual checks, tyres,fluids etc. Also try to get hold of a chart of the torque settings of the bolts o it and get yourself a torque wrench to tighten the bolts after a few hundred miles ( undo them first then re-tighten)
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Easy-X
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PostPosted: 14:25 - 08 Apr 2019    Post subject: Reply with quote

Just to be clear are you buying from new, pre-owned from dealer or just a used one from a bloke down the road?

If new consider it'll lose 30% to 50% of its value just riding it away from the dealer. Chinese bikes tend to take a bigger depreciation hit than the big names.

Also, is it a budget restraint that you're going with the Superlight? As something like a mint Marauder for the same price would be a lot more reliable.
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Husqvarna Vitpilen 401, Yamaha XSR700, Honda Rebel, Yamaha DT175, Suzuki SV650 (loan) Fazer 600, Keeway Superlight 125, 50cc turd scooter
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linuxyeti
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PostPosted: 14:35 - 08 Apr 2019    Post subject: Reply with quote

Keeway superlights have been around for well over 10 years over here in the UK, my daughter wants 1 once she hits 17. I've seen a few of them around, and, generally speaking they do seem to be pretty decent bikes, nothing particularly outstanding about them, but, nothing particularly bad either.

As with any bike, from any manufacturer, just look after it, service it, look after the chain and you shouln't have too many problems. Of course, all the new ones are efi.

I don't subscribe to the buy 2nd hand, especially not where 125's are concerned, alot will have been owned by novices, who don't really know how to look after them.

As for new 'cruisers' you are fairly limited in the 125 range, new anyhow.

Don't be put off by the fact it's chinese manufactured, I've had chinese bikes for over 10 years now, and not just 125's, in fact still got my CF650TR, looked after they will be just as reliable as any japanese badged bike, ALOT of the small capacity japanese branded bikes are manufactured in China, Jianshe (Yamaha), Haojue (Suzuki), not to mention the small capacity BMW's made in India.
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linuxyeti
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PostPosted: 14:42 - 08 Apr 2019    Post subject: Reply with quote

HardlyDavidson wrote:
As something like a mint Marauder for the same price would be a lot more reliable.


From a review

Quote:
Reliability is good unless the Suzuki GZ125 Marauder is neglected. Low oil levels can harm the engine rapidly. Suzuki don’t build the most corrosion resistant bikes and their budget options are worse still. Rust can appear quickly on chrome parts and ruin the Suzuki GZ125 Marauder's looks – plenty of cleaning and protective spray should keep it at bay.


Also now, even the newest Marauder is likely to be at least 8 years old now..

Don't get me wrong, nice little bike, missus had 1 for a while, not particularly quick, but, ok for commuting.

You could also look at the Lexmoto Michigan, a bit cheaper, and seems to get decent reviews on the Lexmoto owners forums/facebook groups.
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Easy-X
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PostPosted: 14:56 - 08 Apr 2019    Post subject: Reply with quote

Regarding new vs old: what are you learning? The service schedule for a new bike is a unique and one time thing and, unless you're rich, your next bike is most likely going to be second hand any way. Best to dive into general maintenance but that just my personal opinion, YMMV.

True, you have no idea how well maintained the bike was previously but you could say that about anything... even new bikes if the dealer's an idiot (but that is unlikely.)

However, even if everything is actually going your way there's no ignoring the depreciation hit. How important that is depends on how long you plan to keep the bike and for a 125 that is usually as short a time as practical.
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Husqvarna Vitpilen 401, Yamaha XSR700, Honda Rebel, Yamaha DT175, Suzuki SV650 (loan) Fazer 600, Keeway Superlight 125, 50cc turd scooter
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linuxyeti
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PostPosted: 15:16 - 08 Apr 2019    Post subject: Reply with quote

HardlyDavidson wrote:
Regarding new vs old: what are you learning? The service schedule for a new bike is a unique and one time thing and, unless you're rich, your next bike is most likely going to be second hand any way. Best to dive into general maintenance but that just my personal opinion, YMMV.

True, you have no idea how well maintained the bike was previously but you could say that about anything... even new bikes if the dealer's an idiot (but that is unlikely.)

However, even if everything is actually going your way there's no ignoring the depreciation hit. How important that is depends on how long you plan to keep the bike and for a 125 that is usually as short a time as practical.


Simple answer is don't buy a bike for it's resale value, buy a bike to ride. As for being very rich, not really, especially if you prefer to get 1 one on pcp, personally I don't. However, saying depreciation on chinese bikes, is worse than for non chinese bikes, is not necessarily true either, I still got £1800 part ex for my Mash 400, when I bought my Interceptor a couple of weeks ago, which, isn't bad at for a 4 year old bike. The worse I had depreciation wise was my Triumph America, in 3 years, lost £5000, so, it's depreciation rate was worse than the Mash's.

I have bought 2nd hand occasionally, just I would never buy a 'learner' 2nd hand bike, unless I know exactly how it had been treated. Don't forget, if you get a 15 at 17, you have to wait until you're 19 before you can take an A2 test and get a bigger bike, so, potentially, you could be owning a 125 for longer than you may have done in the past.
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Easy-X
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PostPosted: 15:44 - 08 Apr 2019    Post subject: Reply with quote

linuxyeti wrote:
...you could be owning a 125 for longer than you may have done in the past.


You make a good point there.

As to the specifics of the Superlight... as I have one I recommend to wash and protect regularly as the chrome layer is about 1 micron thick in places like the stanchions and stick religiously to the service schedule.

A great bike if you're a short-arse like me. It's major failings, relative to similar bikes from China, are the rubbish mirrors and the lack of a n00b-friendly gear shift indicator (although you could easily retro-fit one.)

General disadvantage of the style are it's a bit heavy and slow for a 125.
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Husqvarna Vitpilen 401, Yamaha XSR700, Honda Rebel, Yamaha DT175, Suzuki SV650 (loan) Fazer 600, Keeway Superlight 125, 50cc turd scooter
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Nickmas91
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PostPosted: 15:44 - 08 Apr 2019    Post subject: Reply with quote

HardlyDavidson wrote:
Just to be clear are you buying from new, pre-owned from dealer or just a used one from a bloke down the road?

If new consider it'll lose 30% to 50% of its value just riding it away from the dealer. Chinese bikes tend to take a bigger depreciation hit than the big names.

Also, is it a budget restraint that you're going with the Superlight? As something like a mint Marauder for the same price would be a lot more reliable.


It will be brand new from a dealership, im not too fussed about the resale of it as its gonna just be a run around for myself for as long as it lasts.

Ive considered the Superlight as in my area there arent really any other 125 cruisers available without going 2nd hand further afield. Im not too comfortable going 2nd hand as my knowledge of bikes is lacking greatly (no existent) and i wouldnt trust myself to spot any warning signs.
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Easy-X
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PostPosted: 17:04 - 08 Apr 2019    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ah fair enough then... I have the later EFI model which will most likely be the same as whatever you buy.

I think your choices currently are matt black, grey and a sort of red and then there's the shiny "special one" with the panniers with the rivets that look all leather and kinky - whatever floats your boat!

Things to watch out for:

The speedo is kph with mph in tiny tiny yellow letters and it's not reading say 8000 miles on the counter but 8000km so careful with that with regards to servicing and mileage logs.

With regards to servicing see what you get thrown in for free by your dealer so as to plan ahead on your servicing budget.

Oil is absolutely vital to change regularly for the long term health of the engine, gearbox and clutch.

Braking is "CBS" which means front brake works as normal but back brake, if you really stab on it, also activates a cylinder on the front. You'll probably never travel fast enough for this feature to be noticeable!

Annoyances:

Mirrors, as mentioned, don't feel guilty if you want to rip 'em off and get better ones. Mirror fittings are "Harley style."

The manual will probably still reference the earlier carb model and rear drum brake. Just ignore those bits.

Keeyway, as a web presence, is non-existent. I doubt you'll even manage to register on their website. They never answer e-mails and seem pretty clueless over the phone. Don't panic though, you don't really need them for anything! Search for "Superlight Parts Centre" instead if you need any bits and they at least are generally pretty helpful.

If you are interested in doing some of the servicing yourself I can send you the service manual if you like. (All in Chinglish)
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Husqvarna Vitpilen 401, Yamaha XSR700, Honda Rebel, Yamaha DT175, Suzuki SV650 (loan) Fazer 600, Keeway Superlight 125, 50cc turd scooter
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Nickmas91
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PostPosted: 17:14 - 08 Apr 2019    Post subject: Reply with quote

That would be amazing if you could send it over.

Im going to go for the matt black one with out the BDSM set, i prefer the minimalist look. Ive heard a lot about the mirrors so im sure they will be the first thing to go, but ive also heard the tires are garbage in the rain? What would you suggest as a good replacement?
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linuxyeti
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PostPosted: 17:34 - 08 Apr 2019    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nickmas91 wrote:
...but ive also heard the tires are garbage in the rain? What would you suggest as a good replacement?


Tyres, I would see how you get on with the stock ones first, before incurring the expense of getting new tyres fitted.
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Easy-X
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PostPosted: 18:15 - 08 Apr 2019    Post subject: Reply with quote

https://send.firefox.com/download/2a9235b8b2de406b/#sf8vmYRdiWgKLtCTRvmoQg

That's the user and service manuals. The latter looks a little archaic but the EFI stuff is all at the back as a supplement.

The tyres are Kenda's, very average quality-wise but unless you live somewhere where it rains all the time like Cornwall or Scotland hardly worth swapping over from day 1.
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Husqvarna Vitpilen 401, Yamaha XSR700, Honda Rebel, Yamaha DT175, Suzuki SV650 (loan) Fazer 600, Keeway Superlight 125, 50cc turd scooter
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