On a full licence. a 125, is fantastic around town, where its light weight and anouverablity can be exploited to weave it through traffic and its a darn site less tiresome ridng a 125Kg ightweight through stop-start cty snarl than it is a 200Kg heavy-weight, believe me! Also bonus when you have to find a park place and haul it onto the centre stand! Or push it up the camber back onto teh road, etc etc etc. High MPG and long life tyres and chans, that dont cost that much when they do wear out; a years tax for less than a tank of fuel, THIS is what these little bikes are bult for, what they excell at, and where they are in thier element.... and a bigger bike is likely just costng more to make the job a bit harder to massage ego along the way.
For 'fun'.. 125's right well above thier weight; I find that because they are of limited performance you HAVE to get involved you HAVE to work them hard, you HAVE to engage and you CANNOT get it wrong, or you loose all your hard won benefit; so making good progress on a 125, is FAR more rewarding to me than riding a big-bike, which with so much more potential performance than I can use much of the time, ISN'T rewarding in the 'ridng'.. more comfy and less effort gettng places, seeng stuff, but thats a differnt sort of fun.
Comes down to horses for courses at the end of the day. Big bikes have thier benefits, but you tend to pay a lot for them. Little ikes have thiers too, and cheap can be big part of that, but they are ofte more compromised, comes down to what is the best allround compromse for the job....
And remember, its a FULL licence, not a Big-Bike licence you dont HAVE to go buy a 500 within six weeks of passing tests! You can still ride a 125 on one IF thats what suits.. ether for early miles experiene or commuting, or ust low cost giggles...
BUT if you want that 'safe' its n your head, not n what you put on your head... GO GET THE LESSONS, get the licence, THEN think more about what may 'suit' the job... and dont sweat the small stuff, its a bike, a first bike, you are buying one not marrying one, it needn;t be your last bike or your only bike; ALL options are open... BUT get the training! THAT is the key, to everything else.
The practical limits of the Hi-Po two stroke seem to be at around 200bhp per litre; and at that level, the loading on such open bearings and the rather less stiff pressed up cranks that are needed to use them, mean that component lifes are short, and for a road bike those emissions have been unacceptable in most western markets for decades.
If you look at the BMW S1000R... you have a four-stroke production bike, that out the crate, is delivering 200bhp per litre.... as much as the last of the 500cc two-stroke GP bikes... and suffering similar problems of managing that, begging sophisticated electronic rider aids to do so! But still.... It shows how in the last twenty five years, four-stroke technology has evolved, to the point that it can achieve the same power levels as ever the two-strokes could have, and yet do it with consumer levels of durability ad reliability AND eviro-mentally tolerable levels of 'emmissions'. Mostly because the charge doesn't have to go through the crank case, and stiffer cranks and stronger bearings can be used.
As to the matter of the smaller displacements? The 'optimum' displacement for a four-stroke cylinder, is somewhere around 400-500cc, but it's a fairly 'flat' curve. The optimum doesn't drop off too much as you get much bigger or much smaller. It do with a two-stroke! Their optimum cylinder displacement is probably around 150-175cc. Much bigger or much smaller and the performance and efficiency drops off sharply; 125cc is probably the most common displacement due to legacy and regulation, both for licence or tax or public roads or classes in racing.
First up, I like 125's, and have more than a couple knocking about; the general derision they receive, to my mind is enormously unfair. The main reason for this is the perception as 'Kiddie-Bikes' for non enthusiasts without a licence. You don't get new car driver's being told, "Oh-No, DON'T get a Ford Firsta 1.1 you'll be 'bored' within a month.. buy a Ferrari".. attitude is more revealing of common biker attitudes than it is anything else, and unfortunate reveal of how motorcycles, and especially so bigger ones, now are almost entirely life-style leisure implements like golf clubs or fishing rods, rather than practical transport.
When I started riding on the road, the annual average miles of a car, was around 12-15K; there were still less cars than there were households in the UK, and most households only had one car, if any. Annual average miles for a bike, was around 6-9K, used as one persons sole transport , rather than a car serving for an entire family.
In your life-time, the average miles on a car has dropped slightly, but not much! It is still approx 12K miles a year; as the two-car household has become the 'norm'. Meanwhile, annual average motorcycle miles have fallen to approx 3K a year, as they have become far more often 2nd vehicles for leisure use only.
It's interesting to note, though, that many bikes clock less than 1000miles a year between MOT's, many less than 500, and most of these low mile motorcycles are big-bikes, taken out only for an occasional thrash on a sunny Sunday... and it is the little 125's, clocking up the regular 6Kish a year commuter miles as every day transport, dragging up the average? You tell ME which sounds more like a 'toy'?
NOW... first up... just because a 125 is little, is in no way some sort of safety net; dangers on a bike are dangers, they are NOT proportional to the size of hole in the engine where fire happens; you can get into just as much trouble on a little bike as a big one. A four-stroke 125, aught to be able to achieve 'almost' a genuine 70mph, if not a tad over; ie they are as fast as any other motorcycle is legally allowed to go in this country.. Bigger bikes, can get you into trouble quicker, but, ironically again, the surveys suggest that excess speed is NOT a contributory factor in most motorcycle accidents, of which around 2/3 occur in urban or semi-urban districts subject to sub 50mph speed limits...
BIGGEST danger on a bike.... is the twat in the hat! If they don't know what they are about, or they don't care, then matters little what they are riding, and a bigger faster bike will just let them find trouble quicker.
After that, largest danger is general road conditions; and high use urban roads, with the slowest speed limits, the most vehicles, and most hazards by way of junctions and parked cars and kids on the pavement, compressed into the smallest area....
The typical hobby-biker, doowing DAS, getting a 600 and heading out onto the lanes on sunny evenings and weekends trying for knee-down, is probably the highest risk rider going, but saved fro themselves by limited miles, and picking that low risk environment..... to crash, panic braking when they spot a GATSO, quite often... but still.
The CBT commuter, on the other hand? Is saved nothing by thier little engine. They are likely heading out every day, into the highest risk roads, at the highest risk times of day, and ramping that risk dong it for probably 10x the number of miles!!! Its quite astounding any of'em live to tell the tale, really..... but still again.....
Your election to follow the 125 route... I say it time and time again, time on a tiddler is rarely wasted.... B-U-T since they changed the licence system. that essentially discourages training and testing, merits of it are rather deminished.
From first principles; POWER, is an imaginary commodity, you cannot measure 'power' it doesn't actually exist at any actual moment of time. It is Defined as 'Rate of Work Done' so you may measure the work done, in a period of time, that's force x distance, but that is what you have what you can see, only after a period of time, can you retrospectively divide the work-done in that time period to derive the 'rate'..
Measured in the steady state, a brake-force dyometer reduces experimental accuracy by reducing he number of variables, specifically those that may change with time... and measuring base units, force, distance, time, the amount of calculation error is similarly reduced; hence 'Bench' dyno's can be very very much more accurate.
Measured in the dynamic state, an inertial dynometer, is subject to a huge degree of experimental accuracy then even more calculation error from taking only one measurement of speed, at usually incredibly short sampling periods, then any more added by the drive-train between the flywheel and the piston-tops.
Worth mentioning that DIN standards for quoted power include a 'back-motoring' factor; after running an engine up against the brake to get the delivered power, the dyno, which usually uses an electric generator to absorb delivered energy is 'back motored' to drive the engine to the same crank speed and measure the power needed to turn the crank, pistons, cam-shafts, valves, alternator etc etc etc... which is why DIN figures are often more flattering than ASA standard quoted power, and more so, the more cylinders and valves and stuff get back-driven...
Lets say we Dyno's a 100bhp bike engine.... if you measured that on an engine brake, you would probably get a figure of something in the order of 97bhp, at the crank, which would come 'up' to 100bhp after adding some 'correction' factors from measuring the lab conditions of air-temperature and barometric air-pressure, and 'correcting' to sea level and room temperature...
There we have a 3% discrepancy before we even start....
Oh-Kay.. now Correct to DIN, and back-motor the engine, and measure the power loses, driving the valve train, oil pump, and gerator and shit.....
Worth mentioning at this point that in the early 1970's the huge drop in quoted power for US muscle cars wasn't entirely due to detuning to meet emission controls, but 'standards' where to flatter muscle-motors they were often bench tested with the ignition powered from a bench supply, the motor bare of alternator, without a water-pump cooling water circulated off a mains tap or header tank, some-times even with the oil pump disconected and the sump 'dry' the motor lubed off an external oil supply! What had been sold as 300bhp cars the year before suddenly became 220bhp cars... around a 25% discrepancy.. without making any allowance for power-steering pups or air-con compressors in the vehicle 'as sold'!!!
This is the sort of discrepancy you can easily get from adding 'back-motoring' correction, and the more cylinders you have, the more cams and valves you have, the more complex the motor by way of water-cooling etc, the more those back-motoring 'losses' will be, so the more adding them will flatter quoted power figures.
NOW lets put something on a rolling road... that 100bhp motor, that actually delivered 97bhp to a brake, but possibly got quoted at as much as 108bhp with back-motoring losses added, now delivers probably something like 85bhp to the rollers.... inertial dyno's seldom have back-motoring capability to measure the driven loses, but, we now have a chunk load more possibly drive-line losses basically to just 'guess' at.....
As said, they are not the most accurate to begin with; and have an even larger scope for calculation error.... SO start adding corection figures for ambient conditions and presumd transmission and back-motoring losses, and you are int a HUGE arena of speculation....
What rolling roads are good for is NOT absolute power ratings, but comparative readings, setting up an engine, taking a base line figure running an engine up before making set-up changes, then after figures to compare gains or losses.. minimizing variables comparing the same road, same operator, same calcs and correction etc.
The typical 5-10% losses in a motorbike transmission, REALLY are pretty small potatoes in the grater scheme of measurement and calculation accuracy, or even the discrepancy that can me provided by different standards that include or exclude more or less back-motoring, BEFORE you get to the big set up and the effect of tyre temperature or the strap-down force and tyre pressure etc!
And when you get up to 150+bhp regions, driving a roller through a single tyre, the amount of experimental error, the degree of calculation error, the degree of variation provided by correcton to different standars is enormous, and the relatively small % of loss in the transmission, is essentially insignificant in that % ambiguity...
NOW... stick the bikes up the strip.... when the flag-drops the bullshit stops..... and what gets t the timing lights first will even then not be the bike with the most 'measured' power, but the one that, and has the rider that may, in the real world can put most to that into effect....
Which begs the question.. what REALLY is your question? If you want to argue dyno races, then, grab a beer, and add a lot of peanut salt to whatever any-one says.... if you want to know how 'quick' a bike is... take t to a track!
If you are OLD ENOUGH to ride a motorbike, if you can AFFORD to ride a motorbike; you are old enough and rich enough to take the tests and have ANY bike you want and can afford, NOT merely a Learner-Legal!
ALL for the sake of taking the tests and getting the PROPER licence.
The Motorcycle Test, Licence Categories & Age Restrictions
To gain a FULL moped or motorcycle licence, there are three tests.
Motorcycle Theory/Hazard Perception
Module 1 'Off-Road' practical test
Module 2 'On-Road' practical test.
These tests are conducted by the Driving Standards Agency, not the school you did CBT with. But the School may offer training to help you pass them.
As from January 19th 2013, there are three 'test schemes'; one for each category of motorcycle licence entitlement, to be applied to the two practical tests, Mod 1 & Mod 2. Plus one for moped entitlement. (Both Practical Tests Mods1 & Mod 2 must be taken on the same class of motorcycle.)
Category AM = Moped
You must be at least 16 years to ride a moped, and to take the full moped licence tests.
You may, upon completion of CBT ride a moped on provisional licence entitlement, without supervision, before passing the full motorcycle tests, though you must display L-Plates and may not carry a pillion passenger.
Test requires a vehicle conforming to the legal specifications of a 'Moped' (see:- What is a Moped?), briefly a 50cc motorcycle, that says 'Moped' on the Registration document! It may be any style of powered two wheeler, like a scooter or a sports-bike, it may be twist & go automatic or have gears; but it must be less than 50cc and not be capable of more than about 35mph.
Both tests must be taken, as for the motorcycle test, and The tests are identical to the motorcycle tests, though allowances are made for the lower performance of the vehicle; eg during the Mod 1 exercises, that normally require a serve and e-stop manoeuvre above proscribed speeds that a moped would not be expected to achieve.
Passing tests under this scheme is awarded with Full Category P licence entitlement, that allows you to ride a moped, which must still conform to moped power, speed and weight restrictions. But without L-Plates and you may carry pillion passengers. Note:- Mopeds may NOT use motorways, irrespective of whether the rider has a full licence of any category. (See also What Can I ride When I have Passed my Tests?)
Category A1 = 'Light Motorcycle'
You must be at least 17 years to ride an A1 category 'Light Motorcycle', and to take motorcycle tests under the A1 test scheme.
You may, upon completion of CBT, ride an A1 / Learner-Legal motorcycle on provisional licence entitlement, without supervision, before passing the full motorcycle tests, though you must display L-Plates and may not carry a pillion passenger, or use motorways.
Test requires a vehicle conforming to the 'Learner-Legal' Motorcycle ( see:- What is a 'Learner-Legal' Motorcycle?), Briefly a machine up to 125cc, with no more than 11Kw/14.5bhp power, but with minimum performance requirements for test; the machine must be over 120cc capacity and capable of 62mph. Again, the machine may be of any style; a scooter, commuter-bike, sports-bike, cruiser etc, and again, may have a twist & go automatic transmission or manual gears.
Passing tests under this scheme is awarded with Full Catagory A1 licence entitlement, that allows you to ride a motorcycle of the same performance specification as is 'Learner-Legal' essentially still an 11Kw/14.5bhp 125cc machine, but without L-Plates. You may also carry pillion passengers, and if you wish, use motorways. (See also What Can I ride When I have Passed my Tests?)
Category AM (moped) entitlement is automatically awarded with A1 entitlement, if not already held.
Catagory A2 = 'Middleweight Motorcycle' / Restricted Licence
You must be at least 19 years to ride an A2 category 'Middleweight Motorcycle', and to take motorcycle tests under the A2 test scheme.
Provisional-Licence entitlement remains that you may, upon completion of CBT, ride an A1 / Learner-Legal motorcycle, without supervision, before passing the full motorcycle tests, though you must display L-Plates and may not carry a pillion passenger, or use motorways.
You may, NOT however ride ANY motorcycle other machine, unsupervised, ahead of passing the full motorcycle test for higher groups (A2 or A3/Full A)
However, you MAY ride a machine compliant with A2 restrictions, on provisional entitlement, IF you are under supervision of a DSA approved Motorcycle Instructor, or DSA Motorcycle Examiner, whilst training or taking tests. (There is NO exemption to this to ride an A2 machine unsupervised to a motorcycle test)
Test requires a vehicle. of at least 395cc with a power output between 25 and 35 kW (33bhp and 46.6 bhp). No upper engine size limit, but the power to weight ratio must not exceed 0.2kW/kg and it must not be derived from a motorcycle of more than double its power. Again, the machine may be of any style; a scooter, commuter-bike, sports-bike, cruiser etc, and again, may have a twist & go automatic transmission or manual gears.
Passing tests under this scheme is awarded with Full Catagory A2 licence entitlement, that allows you to ride a motorcycle of ANY engine capacity, but no more than 35Kw (approx 47bhp.) And may not have a power to weight ratio higher than 0.2Kw per Kg. The machine may be restricted from a model that manufacturers standard specifications claims more than 35Kw, but the standard model may not male more than 2 times the power required for restriction. (See also What Can I ride When I have Passed my Tests?)
After Passing tests, you do not need to display L-Plates. You may also carry pillion passengers, and if you wish, use motorways.
Category AM (moped) entitlement, and Category A1 (125 Only Motorcycle) entitlement, is automatically awarded with A2 entitlement, if not already held.
Category A or A3 = Unrestricted Motorcycle / Direct Access Scheme (DAS)
You must be at least 24 years to ride an unrestricted A category Motorcycle and to take motorcycle tests under the A3 / DAS test scheme. OR you must have held an A2 category licence for a minimum of 2 years. (So, if you pass A2 tests when you are 19-21, you can test again for DAS before you are 24, as long as you have held A2 at least 2 years)
Provisional-Licence entitlement remains that you may, upon completion of CBT, ride an A1 / Learner-Legal motorcycle, without supervision, before passing the full motorcycle tests, though you must display L-Plates and may not carry a pillion passenger, or use motorways.
You may, NOT however ride ANY motorcycle other machine, unsupervised, ahead of passing the full motorcycle test for that group.
However, you MAY ride any machine on provisional entitlement, IF you are under supervision of a DSA approved Motorcycle Instructor, or DSA Motorcycle Examiner, whilst training or taking tests. (There is NO exemption to this to ride an A2 machine unsupervised to a motorcycle test)
Test requires a vehicle over 595cc with a power output of at least 40kw or (53.6bhp). From the end of 2013 the power output will change to at least 50 kW. A minimum weight of 180 kg will also apply. Again, the machine may be of any style; a scooter, commuter-bike, sports-bike, cruiser etc, and again, may have a twist & go automatic transmission or manual gears.
Passing tests under this scheme is awarded with Full Category A / A3 licence entitlement, that allows you to ride a motorcycle of ANY engine capacity or engine power output. This does not necessarily mean that you have to, or that it is a good idea, to jump on the biggest, fastest piece of machinery you can find! (See also What Can I ride When I have Passed my Tests?)
After Passing tests, you do not need to display L-Plates. You may also carry pillion passengers, and if you wish, use motorways.
Category AM (moped) entitlement, Category A1 (125 Only Motorcycle) entitlement, and Category A2 (33Kw or 47bhp 'restricted motorcycle) entitlement, is automatically awarded with full A / A3 entitlement, if not already held.
Automatic Transmission Restrictions
Pretty simple; you may test under any of the above test schemes, on a qualifying bike or scooter. Doesn't matter if it has a manual gear-box, or an automatic transmission, provided it meets other test requirements of engine displacement etc.
However IF you choose to use a machine that has an Automatic Transmission, for your tests, then again, you must use an auto for both Mod 1 and Mod 2 tests, AND if you pass both tests, your licence entitlement will be 'endorsed' with a restriction "Automatics Only", and you may NOT ride a geared machine.
Worth noting; The popular Honda C90 'Step-Through' commuter bike, has a three speed 'crunch' gear-box, and an automatic centrifugal clutch like a twist-and-go, and a number of contemporary motorcycles have engines derived from the old C90 motor, and retain the centrifugal clutch. Many now have a four speed gearbox, and have been bored out to a full A2 complient 125cc. The Honda Inova, is basically the successor to the C90 and has the 125cc 4-speed centrifugal clutch engine; but that engine & transmission is also used in many monkey-bikes, and pit-bikes, which are all A2 test compliant, if road-legal. However without a 'manual-clutch', a little digging with the DSA has revealed they are classed as 'Semi-Automatic' and hence testing on one will gain Auto-Only restriction, the same as testing on a twist & go. Bit of a pity that, as they DO have gears, but still.
When I gained my licence back in 1992, there was only one test scheme; you took the test on any 'learner-legal' motorcycle, up to 125cc that wasn't a moped, and you gained, straight away, a full unrestricted, ride what you like licence. They changed that, and until this year, you had to use a bike between 120 & 125cc, and do all three tests; and if you passed you got a restricted licence, that limited you to 33bhp machines for two years. But either way, it WAS possible to take tests on a 'Twist & Go'
Big front/ Small Back = higher ratio
Small font/Big Back - Higher ratio
To be honest, dropping one tooth on the front sprocket LOWERING the overall gear ratio, on a small bike, is as likely to have increased BOTH acceleration AND top speed.
Top speed is a function of power.
Power (made) = Cylinder Capacity x Cylinder Pressure x engine revs
Power (Transmitted) = Torque x Revs
So at the crank you have I umpety Newtons of Torque, times bilio thousand crank revs
At the back wheel you have umpety x overall gear ratio Newtons of torque times bilio / overall gear ratio thousand WHEEL revs.
So at 70mph, crank will be spinning 10,000rpm, rear wheel, about 3,300. Overall gear reduction between crank and wheel is about 3:1, so you will get 3x the torque at the wheel for 1/3 the revs.
Now,
Power (used) = Force (drag) x Speed.
Engine makes so much power, and you get that as 'force' at the rear wheel. As long as the supplied force is greater than the resistance, or drag force, bike accelerates.
Rate of acceleration is dependant on the DIFFERENCE in forces.
Force = Mass x Acceleratrion or Acceleration = Force / Mass.
BUT, Force causing acceleration is Rear Wheel Force - Drag Force.
And Drag increases with speed, so faster you go, more of your motive force gets used to over come drag, less is available for acceleration.
At some point the motive force delivered by the engine WONT leave any 'spare' for acceleration, and the bike will 'top out' at that speed where the drag at that speed = the max motive force the bike can deliver.
Make sense?
OK... now Lower the gearing, and you can get more force......BUT at a lower speed.....
So bike now accelerates and because of the extra advantage, always more force than drag..... BUT you run out of revs before you run out of acceleration..... bike could go faster, but you dont have another higher gear to change up into
OK, so we add another higher ratio... now you accelerate up in the lower gears, and each time you run out of revs, you change up, until you are in that new higher ratio....
Only trouble is, NOW, that ratio is SO high, when you shift up, while it will turn the wheel fast enough you wont run out of revs, its also reduced the force so much that not only is there NOT enough force to over come drag, let alone deliver any more acceleration.
Which is why we have to look at the power balence not the force balence:-
Power Made = Engine Capacity x Cylinder Pressure x Engine Revs
Power Used = Drag x Speed
You get max speed when you have gearing exactly set so that your max power exactly equals the road speed that used that power.
NOW, most bikes are 'over geared' in top, so that at higher road speeds, at part throttle, the engine revs can be backed off, and they can 'cruise' without making then engine scream so hard.
On bigger bikes they can over-gear quite significantly; you have a 140bhp ZZR1100 or something, at 10,K revs, it's probably making 30bhp as low as 3000rpm. Thats enough power to do 90mph, so COULD be geared in top to do, perhaps, 70 in top, at just 3000 revs, which would give a theoretical 140mph at 6K, and 280mph at 12K revs! 140bhp WONT push the thing to 280mph, it will struggle to go much over 170.... so if you want to achieve 'top speed' you would probably have to change down a gear, to get a lower reduction that isn't so masively 'over-tall' and puts peak power closer to real top speed.
TOP gear is in this case whats called an 'over-drive' gear......
Little 125, with only 10-11bhp to play with, is going to be geared much more closely to what the bike can REALLY Achieve in terms of top speed, becouse it doesn't have such an excess of low down power that there is anything to be gained by 'over-drive' gearing....
BUT they still 'tend' to over gear them, a little 'for economy'... and the CBF125 is a renowned 'ecconomy' motorcycle.
BIT of a cheat, TBH.... Fuel Consumption is ANOTHER expression of power....
Power = Rate of Energy Transfer
That's the base scientific defenition from which the other formula are derived.....
Whats Fuel Consumption?
Fuel = Energy, MPG the 'rate' its burned? So with a little licence, Fuel Consumption IS 'Power'.....
Back to the Sums:-
Power (used) = Speed x Drag
Power (transmitted) = Torque x Revs
Power (Made) = Engine Displacement x Cylinder Pressure x Engine revs
Power (Provided) = Rate of Burning Fuel
Make sense....
Slight asside; I have a v8 Range Rover.... I worked out that at 60mph, its supping a regular 330ml pop-can of fuel, every mile, or every minute! Scary! Even my kids cant down a can of coke THAT quick! anyway.....
Fuel Ecconomy comes NOT in any great measure from bike design or engine displacement or even 'efficiency' but from this simple principle.
Fuel Consumption is 'Power in' - and we use it to achieve 'speed'. Faster you GO, more fuel you gonna use!
My VF1000 is a pretty good example of how Mpg can 'vary' from use. Book says it should do 30mpg.... 'Touring', I have managed over 300 miles on 4 gallons of petrol.... so something in the order of 75mpg, twice what the book says it does..... conversely being a tad spirited, managed to get that down almost into single figures!
For comparison, CB125 Super-Dream; book says it does 90mpg, rarely see much more, though suspect that perhaps 100 is achieveable, if I tried... more usually around the 70 mark.
Or in other words, I have got BETTER ecconomy using a bike that is rated as 'dire' for ecconomy, 'gently' than I have an 'ecconomy' bike, more 'normally'.
Faster you go, more fuel you use!
THAT is by far the biggest variable in the ecconomy equation....
Hence the 'Cheat' in bikes like the CBF125..... over-gearing them.... reduces acceleration, so it takes you longer to attain a given speed... Ironically makes the bike 'slower' gearing it for a higher 'theoretcical' top speed, and without significantly doing anything to improve efficiency, makes them 'more ecconomical' SIMPLY by restricting your 'access' to the power you have available and making you spend it slower!
So, back to the story.... dropping front sproket one tooth, LOWERING the overall reduction, gives you more force at the back wheel for any given engine rpm, pr more precicely pushes the engine rpm up for any given Road-Speed hence giving double whamy of more force from lower gearing PLUS the extra force that ius normally only available at higher engine revs....
AND is likely to have brought the 'Theoretical' top speed, of the over-geared top gear down to something closer to the bikes actual real-world top speed for the power the engine makes.
Super-Dream, makes 13bhp, which is 'just' enough for a genuine 70mph. Stock Gearing however, gives something like 90mph at the engine's red-line.....
Engine had a fairly tractible power delivery and the power curve flats off at the top fairly helpfully, so theres' almost' the full quota of 13bhp 500-750rom either side of the 'peak;' at 10,500....
On stock gearing it WILL do 70mph, but its not happy getting there, and you have to thrash the nuts off it it 4th to get high enough up the power curve for the shift to 5th to let you carry on accelerating. shift too early, and you will creep slowly up to 60, and that will be about your lot, unless you get help from a hill!
Dropping 1 tooth off the front sprocket, then, brings that gap a bit closer, and you dont need to thrash it SO far in 4th before making shift to 5th, and once in 5th it will carry on pulling, and instead of topping out at 60-65ish, more readily pull under its own steam to a genuine 70.... wont go much further, and needle is nudging the red line, so its doing it on the power 'beyond' peak....
BUT it is still doing it, and WILL do it more often,
So, contrary to the 'theory' on that bike, lowering the gearing, increased BOTH acceleration AND top speed... and certainly the instances that top speed was available..... and its a more likely situation on most smaller bikes, and particularly 'ecconomy' machines...
Though be warned: on that 125 Super-Dream, lost about 5mpg for the change! There's ALWAYS a 'cost'!
that loss of economy, probably not so much from engine efficiency, making it turn higher revs for the same road speed or anything... but simply from actually letting you get at, and use more power more often, and power used = fuel needed!
Some years ago, company I was working for were going down the tubes, rapidly, but offering triple enhanced 'voluntary' redundancy packages...
The coffee machine query of the moment was "So, with two years tax free salary in the bank... WHAT would you do?"
Question sorted the men from the boys.. the boys all saw fancy new cars or back-packing adventures over outer-Mongolia, booze-binges in Bankok, or a hefty lump-sum in the bank towards a mortage after they had got another job.... the Men? Well they imagined getting stuck into large amounts of unfinished DIY, angry wives and piles of bills mounting up...
One of the recent grads, who had got all exited about the idea of two years salary in the bank and taking a belated gap-year to India, disappointing to find he didn't qualify, considered the apparent 'gloom' of the older co-workers seeming lack of imagination or adventure; only to conclude "So.. what you all mean, is.. you spend however long at Uni getting qualifications to get a good job, then forty years a slave to the Money Lenders, fretting over keeping your job or finding another, trying to keep just ahead of the money-men, so that after forty years, you have a pile of bricks to your name, just before social Services sell it to stick you in the nursing home?" We all had to agree with his appraisal of the matter!
So.... lets look at this 'ere 'Problem'.. WHAT is the problem?
that you don't have a credit rating?
that you cant afford, instantly, the motorbike of your dreams? (get used to it.. few can, even with a fantastic credit rating!)
that you're a materialistic c-word?
My bike, is twenty something years old; it aint fast, it aint pretty, it isn't particularly exiting or even valuable... but it IS mine... 100% paid for, cash. Insurance, likewise is paid upfront; so is the tax. If 'something' happened to it... I don't know, it broke down, fell over or something.. I would still have 'some'money in the bank to be able to fix it.. I wouldn't be eeking that I had to find umprty quid a month to keep up the HP installments and the Inurance payments AND have the tax coming out the bank, before hand, all for a bike that I couldn't ride..... I don't actually have anything but my house on credit, and even that, I own three times more of it than the bank does, so its cheaper than paying rent. I don't even have a contract for a mobile telephone, or a subscription TV service. I am NOT a 'Credit Slave'. and consequently, despite not actually having a particularly high income, I can still afford a reasonably affluent life-style....
Credit.. Other-People's Money.. usually costs you around 15-20% a year... so you start spending OPM, the £900 a month you earn, isn't... it rapidly becomes just £800 a month... £100 of it immediately committed to pay the interest to the shylocks..... NOT all for the sake of not being a materialistic c-word, but not being an IMPATIENT materialistic c-word...
You can still be a materialistic c-word, and have nice shiny stuff, without credit... you just have to save up a bit for it..... then, its all yours not the money mens, and that £100 a month is still in your pocket, not committed to thiers.
So.. what's the 'problem'?
Personally I don't see one.. and advice to get credit builder credit cards or start taking out contract phones and other ploys to build a credit history... not actually a solution, so much as a great way to find more 'problems'...
That's my take on the matter.... but your call. But identify what the REAL problem is before trying to solve it.
You have waited this long to get on two wheels, whats a couple more months? You don't have ANY bike right now, so even one that's not as 'exiting' as you might like, is still going to be infinitely more 'fun' than sitting on a bus? Why sell your soul to the shylocks for it?
125's are very compromised bikes; and on a learner licence, trying to squeeze even 'more' from them than what's intended; 'cheap & easy' learner-(short) commuter use, is just silly, all for the sake of exploiting loophole in law that says you can ride one without taking tests and getting full licence.
Every other motorised road user has to train up, under supervision, and pass driving tests before they are let out on thier own; 125 L-Plate regs are mere legacy of the days when, before practicable & reliable bike-to-bike radio comms, there was no way to supervise a learner, so give them small, lightweight, limited performance machine thay cant do 'too much' harm to other road users on, and let them wobble about a bit until they get the idea...
They'll get you to and from work or college, accross town, but that's about it. They CAN do 70mph, but with so little reserve, and so little weight to make them stable or comfy, its only really a capability you want to expliot 'occassionally'.
With a full licence; which OUGHT to be the intent of any-one setting out on two wheels; choice of bikes is huge; and door open to all biking has to offer, rather than frustrating yourself trying to live with self imposed 'learner' limits, trying to sqeeze a pint out of a thimble!
MOST, as soon as they have, 'Full-Licence'.... (it's NOT, but often called 'Big-Bike' licence!).... and the door to all the shiney, fast, exiting bikes that are out there is open, are USUALLY eager to go get a 'propper' bike, and exploit thier new qualification.
Not MANDATORY.... and 125's do offer a lot of advantages; they are STILL cheap; they are STILL easy to ride, and they are still small, light and nimble, etc.
As a cross town commuter; there is still a lot of sense for hanging on to one.
Practical top speed of 55mph, and dilemah of using duel-carriageways and braving tucking into the queue of trucks, or working harder taking the scenic route; it will take a lot more maintenence to keep a bike worked that hard that often in good fettle, and it will be very 'wearing' to ride like that, that much, every day.
YES: you COULD do it with a YBR or a CBF or similar, but these bikes are supposed to be 'easy to ride', and under those circumstances, used in the extremes of thier operating envelope, you loose SO much of thier virtue, it's really time to look at more suitable alternatives.
Something like 2/3 of all registered vehicles in the UK are bought on loans or credit! HOW do you think ANY-ONE trades in thier car or bike? Do you think that EVERY-ONE waits until they have paid the last installement of thier five year credit deal, before they buy a new car or bike?
If you take out an 'unsecured loan', that's exactly what it is; contract between you and the lender, you accepting liability for the principle, and agreed interest; doesn't really matter what you use it for; provided you pay it back. THAT is why it's called 'unsecured', it is not 'secured', ie: no contract exists that the lender has any claim to the actual 'property' you buy with it.
If you take out a 'Hire Purchase' scheme, or 'Secured Credit' agreement; then the LENDOR technically 'buys' the vehicle you want, and has title or cliam to title to that property. Means that if you dont make the payements, they can, more easily, reclaim the goods bought to recoup their money; hence are accepting less 'risk' of default. Meanwhile, you are in part 'renting' the goods from them, and in part, 'buying' a share of it, until at the end of the scheme, entire credit fees repayed, you own 100% of the vehicle.
On an 'unsecured loan'; there is NO problem at all; to what you do with the money you borrow, or what you spend it on. So, If you borrow, £2000 you can spend £1200 on a used YBR, and use the remaining £800 to insure it for the first year; buy your riding kit, and pay for CBT, Training & Tests. Fact that you have borrowed MORE than the value of the bike, doesn't matter to them; becouse they couldn't 're-possess' it anyway.. they would, simply take you to small claims court and get a credit injunction against you.
SO; if the loan is unsecured; YOU have legal title and clear 'ownership' of the bike, and can do what you like with it, and at ANY time, sell that bike on. Up to you whether you buy another bike with the proceeds, or get a car instead, or even a Holiday in Morocco..... provided you make the repayements.
If you buy on a 'Secured Loan' or Finance Agreement, where the 'ownership' of the bike is technically 'Shared' by you and the cridit company; its a little more tricky, BUT, they have mechanisms for this, becouse it happens every day.
The 'old fasioned' way of doing it, was that you wrote and asked thier permission to 'sell' the bike. They then sent you a letter of agreement, and a copy, to provide to the buyer; so that the resale value wasn't deminished by bike being flagged as having outstanding credit against it. Basically, they gave you permission to sell on thier behalf, and relinquished 'title' to the goods, so that they couldn't repossess the machine from the buyer. That letter would also invoke 'early termination' clauses within the original agreement, and usually, within 30 days or so of 'sale', YOU were obliged to have got the proceeds of sale of the buyer, and paid the Credit company the outstanding finance charges from it.
THIS is where the 'problem' if there is one, normally arises, as often the settlement figure, would be everything you WOULD have paid, IF you had let the agreement run to termination.
Twenty years ago, I bought Brand-New Kawasaki AR125 on Credit, and if I had sold the bike, mid term, I was liable to repay ALL the payements I would have made if I had let agreement run to termination over two years.
The bike was actually stolen four months into the agreement; Bike had cost £1400 in the show room, but interest charges took repayement total to £1700 over two years. When it was stolen, I had made four payements; £300's worth. Insurance company valued bike at 'market value' and tried to give the credit company just £1000 for the bike, leaving me, 'liable' for £400's worth of outstanding finance charges, and NO BIKE.
It had been recovered, so I got it back, and fixed it up myself, as I didn't HAVE £400 to 'settle' with instantly, as early settlement demanded, and after exposing a near 'fraud' by the insurance co & salvage firm, they actually settled for £900, with me keeping the bike, so I was able to maintain the agreement, and not loose out....
But be warned, early settlement clauses, can be pretty punative, and not just envoked when YOU want to sell the bike.
I think it took until about 145 months, that the monthly HP fees 'balenced' the bikes depreciation & interest charges, and I started to 'effectively' buy any of it.
BUT depending on the agreement, there is always a balence point, and depends on the small print where that is, and when and IF its 'worth' trading the bike in for another.
THAT... I cant really tell, you. All I can say is, its not a 'Problem' you dont HAVE to keep the bike full term of the credit agreement.... whether its ecconomical NOT to, is another matter... but then secured credit deals tend NOT to be the most ecconomical, anyway, even when they suggest really attractive ZERO % interest...... you REALLY have to check the contract carefully, and be SURE of what you are getting.
NO 125 would 'really' be up to that kind of commute. You are trying to bag far too much into ONE very limited capability motorbike.
125's have expected life of about seven years and 35,ooo miles; One that's done just 5K will be barely run in; one that's done 30K will be on its last legs!
Age, well, they are MOT exempt for three years, and CAN easily rack up 10K a year, pressed to commute like a car; and be 'fucked' before they even have to get anb MOT!
After 3 years you have some assurance that they have been tested, and any niggles sorted out.
But, condition is all. And not the shiney bits.
Ex School bikes, and many YBR's & the ilk ARE ex-School bikes; wont crank up many miles, riding around the CBT play-ground; but they WILL have thier gearboxes macshed by umpety students getting to grips with gears; thier clutch burned out, finding the balence point, and thier fork seals hammered practicing e-stops etc....
All down to how well maintained they are, as to whether that is a 'Problem'....
And ultimately, a well looked after School bike, with regular oil changes, clutch replacvements, chain adjustments etc etc, could, for all likely to show evidence of minor spill damage, be much better bike than privately owned machine, some-one has kept shiney, but never got thier hands dirty checking or lubing the drive chain, or anything.
BUT, as far as 'value' goes, that credit deal, probably 50% more than price of the bike, is where you OUGHT to be 'most' careful, and shop most carefully.
All up; for this situation, I would have to suggest, thinking long and hard about buying 125 on credit. A Personal loan would give you more flexibility, and 'bagging' all your 'wants' into one agreement...
KNOWING you are payiong over the odds for everything; DONT STINT yourself.
Go for a personal, unsecured loan, and stretch it.....
Take out enough to let you get a training course, on school bike, to avoid bother of buying 125, perhaps, or that will get you a really 'good' 125, to make training & tests easy, but give flexibility to sell on, and get more 'suitable' commuter bike, for your 40 mile trip.
JUST to give you heads up; Snowie, looking for insurance quotes, discovered that taking out a years policy on her 125 post test, will cost no less becouse she has a full licence. More, trading UP to a 500 twin, premium, for same cover, on same value bike DROPS by 30%.... that's £40 for her..... on a more expensive policy? Could be much more significant.
Taking credit, can build your credit rating; useful if in years to come, you want to take out a mortgage or anything. But, default, or have a bank 'fuckup' (I had one on bank loan I took out to buy My VF many years ago; I moved house, and so cancelled all teh standing orders on the account for 'utilities'... bludy clerke cancelled loan order too, and they 'the bank'... DOWH! who I had filled in all the Change Of adress forms, and who were sending me monthly statements on my current and savings account; ended up using a Debt collection agency, who used a detective agency to 'track me down', becouse I did NOT provide them with my new address! Idiots!) Can 'knock' your credit rating! (That one the bank who were sending me bank statements but had to get a debt collegction agencty involved to find out where I had absconded to, actually took out a CCJ against me, without my knowing it, that was a RIGHT PITA when I wanted a mortgage!)
So, pro's and cons......
£99 down and £70 a month? Hmmm.... 12 x 70 = £840, + 100 = best part of £1000, wait another six months and you would have about £1500 in your bank... NOT unfortunately, these days, earning, rather than costing you interest.... which would probably buy you, outright the 18month old bike some-one had bought this week on finance, and was effectively cashing out of.... and own it 'clear' no risk, no more payements, and be best part of £1500 up, rather than £1500 down compared to taking credit....
Financially, it doesn't make MUCH sense...... BUT.... it does make sense.
Question REALLY I would be asking is do I NEED this bike?
In my case, I had no other wheels, and needed transport; it was bike or shank's; so needs-musted..... if its a 'toy' you can live without, that merely justifies a bit of existance saving bus-fares and letting you get about, think hard, and probably say NO.
If you DO dive in though..... whats 'DEAL' will they give you on a CBR?
In for a penny, in for a quid..... which was why I went for Kawasaki's 'Sporty' AR125 at £1400 rather than thier 'commuter' KH125 at £1099...... difference on monthly payements was not that significant, and the AR, I figured, apart from being 'nicer' bike to own, at the end of the two years I took credit over, would be more saleable, for better money. Not SO true, then; more 'sensible' prople wanted KH's, but they also didn't want to pay sensible money for them, where AR, not so sensible, got terribly eager and 'less' sensible buyers eager to part with cash, of which there were far more. Same is probably MORE true of Honda CBR125..... may be worth checking out, the 'total' cost of ownership and comparing two year old second hand prices to see which will more readily sell, and give least depreciation.
BUT.... parental 'cointersignature'..... talk to parents.... DO they want to do that for you? Would THEY lend you 'cash' instead; say £1500 to get second hand bike 'now'; and you pay them back at rate of £70 a month? ZERO interest as far as you are concerned, and less risk on THEM that they'll start having balifs turn up on teh door or THEIR credit rating hammered if you loose your job, or 'something'?
ALWAYS a tough cookie, and finance ALWAYS looks better than it is; but its a necessary evil, and we have to learn to cope with it and use it wisely.... Talk to parents, try and see if you can make it work for you, and could be worth the doing..... if not, other ways to skin a cat.... and ultimately, you could get a second hand Chinese bike in a Box under your bum, for less than down payement and a couple of installements..... not nice biking, but third class biking beats first class walking, and if you dont NEED it as dependable transport, but lets you go play, just the same, better, leaves you cash in hand each month to go do training and tests, possibly even on a school bike, if the chinky thing or old Jap 'classic' is too embarassing.... to get your licence before they change riules and you cant do tests on a 125 except for permenant 125 licence..... could all be good, and better way to go........ rather than a high cost and fancy 125 you are paying MAINLY for the privilidge of being new, and subsidising future owners, NOT using it THAT much, as a 'toy' bike, paying all the credit and depreciation on it for three years, shorting yourself on cash to do training and tests...... so repeat CBTing until its paid for, THEN realising in three years you cant take a test on it, and you are too young to do DAS and get a full licence anyway, and are pretty much 'stuck' with the thing...
OR you change jobs, or get laid off, or or or.....
We cant tell you what to do, its your life, your credit / money, you are pledging.... YOU have to weigh up whether its worth it TO YOU.... but think long and hard, thats all we can ddo, give you food for thought.
You simply fantacise what it might be like..... believe me, things are ALWAYS better in fantacies.....
Your not quite so pretty girlfreind, who grumbles you never talk to her, while cutting you off mid sentence to answer a meaningless txt from her best mate, that grumbles you never do anything together, when you spent ALL saturday with her shopping for shoes, and being 'educated' that actually there IS a difference between 'burgandy' and 'Dark Red', and who complains "Not Now! My Parents are Upstairs"..... is, in a Fantacy, a drop dead gorgeouse, completely undemanding nymphette......
Bikes are not much different.
Look great in the magazines; you watchj the films and they take your breath away, and you think 'I GOTTA get me one of them!"
When you do.... like a girlfreind... gives you a few odd moments of shear extacy..... few moments that it makes you smile..... a lot of the time you don't think about it much at all..... and then you have the 'reality' when it wont start in the morning, or it needs new tyres, or the indicators are playing up.... and you REALLY know that this shit doesn't happen in the movies, apart from comedy farces, where curiously its actually 'funny'......
So stick with the bus, and enjoy the fantacies a little longer.....
£70 a month JUST what it would cost you for a bike, at £350 PA, TPO, insurance is going to be at LEAST £30 a month, on a £2.5K brand new bike, Fully Comp to cover the risk of it being dropped or nicked..... at LEAST double that......
So, sat the bus, enjoying your fantacies.... you are saving MINIMUM £100 per month for the small inconvenience of a bus being late.
I KNOW busses are a nightmare; when I was a kid, (NO, you BASTARDS! They WEREN'T drawn by fucking HORSES!
) Lived in rural district; catchment area for my school 30miles accross; getting about was a right pain in the arse, relying on rare, inconvenient public transport, lifts or shanks' pony. BUT amazing how we got about... and quite remarkeable how far you can get on a humble push bike.......
Maybe your first 'month' HP=Equivilency; you could buy a push bike? Got one already? Then your sorted, aren't you?
Six months; you said you weren't so keen on the foul weather idea...... £600..... come March, with THAT money in your pocket, and whatever 18th Birthday brings... THEN go check out the options again.
If nothing else, you have a bigger deposit to stick down on a bike on finance, and will have shown your Mum & Dad, and proved to yourself, you can meet the payements..... more still, bigger deposit means you'll be ahead on the payements game, and might get a better deal.
OR close enough on, being able to get 2nd hand bike.
Though; with 3rd Directive licence laws coming up to hammer younger riders; PERSONALLY.... I'd be thinking about getting that licence cracked.
Ride the bus, use push-bike; use 'motorbike-money' to book and take Theory/hazard test; get that one under your belt; then do some rider training on School bike, like you did your CBT, each month, for the 'Riding Feeling', and if you CAN book tests on School bike, and get THEM out of the way ASAP.....
You're looking at about £500 for a rider training course, on school bike.... so you could have that DONE and dusted by April next year, and not be restricted to a 125 by licence.
And over 18, credit agreement / bank loan, whether in your name or counter signed with or without help from parents; you COULD go looking for a 2nd hand bike on credit...... dont HAVE to buy new.... and with a licence, dont HAVE to be a mere 125.....
Hows THAT effect the fantacy.......
Sat on the bus fantacising pottering down the lanes on a CBF125.... of blasting down them on a GS500 or DRZ450, or something?
Sod it... fantacy... you can make it a bludy Super-Blackbird if you want.... but imminently, you could make 500 reality.... IF you are kanny about the way you go about it.
I think; committing yourself to a credit deal; all up; is a lot of risk; and biggest is, even if nothing elce goes tits up, you'll be struggling so much JUST to keep up the payements on the bike, AND the Insurance, you wont do training or tests... you wont even THINK about them until about four months before your CBT is about to expire..... and you'll be kicking yourself you've missed opportunity to get licence on 125, and can only get a 125 licence on your CBF, or will have to struggle even HARDER to find the money to do training and tests DAS style on a 500 to only get 'half' a licence, that keeps you ON a 500, not just two years but until you have held 500 licence two years or turn 24, and do test AGAIN, and again, expensive DAS style.......
LITTLE bit of patience up front; Maybe taking a chance on a 2nd hand Chinese-Fake-Away... 'Just' to get you in the saddle.... even if you have to chuck it in a skip in a years time....... £300 for a Chinky bike you chuck away is a LOT less than the £1000, £100 Down and twelve £70's would be to STILL not own a CBF, that you'd be in negitive equity with and would probably have to find best part of £500 to pay off credit agreement, on top of 2nd hand price of bike.....
BUT... SOME-ONE has to buy 'New' 125's or there wouldn't be any second hand ones out there for any-one elce......
And there is the old addage, fool and his money are soon parted....
Ultimately your call..... BUT I think every-one is saying, that JUST becouse it gives 'instant' gratification, the long term cost is a lot more than 'just' the high buy price & credit charges.......
SIX MONTHS.....
Do a reverse cooling of period; its winter, and horrible biking weather coming up anyway; use it; save the aproximate payements; prove you can afford it, stick some dosh in the bank; if you dont do traing with it; or use it to stick bigger deposit down to shorten payement period, or lower pmonthlies; there to pay for training & tests, and not squeeze you SO much the bike is a burden not a joy IF you still go new on credit.
My suggestion, but you have to go with what you think is best.
MY opinion of 125's in general is they are a utility tool; either to get your tests 'done' on, or simply to get about on cheaper than a bus fare. In either case, asthetics are hardly something worth worrying about; if you want tests; you want easy ride, look after you learner bike, that's cheap and easy to live with, and easy to flog on to fund big bike when you are done; while if you just want cheap wheels; CHEAP is the only thing worth worrying about.
So I'm wondering if I'me merely going to get another tirade of abuse as Rog or computid, for even TRYING to point out the merit of my wisdom......
I'll try anyway.....
Told you purpose of a 125; its a tool; either a training tool to get tests, or rudimentary bus-fare beating ecconomy travel.
The Learner Licence is just that, a LEARNER licence, fact you can ride a 125 unsupervised on the public roads without passing a test is a priovilidge and a 'loop-hole' of legacy legislation, from the days before practical radio supervision was possible..
Yeah, you can exploit it, and RIDE around on an over priced flash fairinged or over chromed tiddler, perpetually repeating CBT's as long as the loophole remains (which may not be much longer TBH, but thats another topic I'll come to in a minute)
Doesn't really matter how asthetically pleasing a 125 may be; slap a ruddy great L-Plate front and back to comply with your licence, rather spoils the 'look'.
You could have a sit up and bag, YBR commuter, an over chromed Honda Shaddow, 'cruiser', a Suzuki DR125 'Off-Roader', or Honda Veradaro 'Adventure Sport', or an Aprillia RS4 plastic fantastic.....
All mimic the style if the 'big-boy-bikes' and some, physically large, pull it off quite well..... until the engine's started and it sounds about as 'meaty' as a half eaten packet of beef flavoured crisps..... and goes about as fast!
And, being brutally honest, any-one looking at you on one, well, few will be all that 'impressed'. Might impress the odd school kid not old enough to have ANY bike, and the occassional person without much knowledge of bikes that thinks it looks quite cool..... BUT any-one that actually KNOWS anything about bikes.... well, they aren't going to be 'fooled' and will know exactly what they are looking at, ESPECIALLY if facts advertised by that ruddy L-Plate.
So; who looks coolest; lad on a £1,500 YBR125, or one on £4K YZF-R125?
Niether, they BOTH look like Learner-Tits.
Only the lad on the YBR, looks like he might have a few good ideas, and has picked a useful little bike, that's easy to ride, and 'sensible' that is more likely to impress an examiner, and has a lot going for it, being cheap to buy, insure and run, and not a huge liability to repair or write off if he dumps it, which as a learner, is inordinately likely, and as like as not, lad might be quite smart, and for the sake of a bit of style, using savings to pay for training & tests, getting out and about and enjoying life, and saving up to put money into a bike that not just looks good, but goes great, when he's got his licence.....
Lad on YZF-R125, looks like a social inadequete, you expect will have a bad case of acne hidden under his hat, who hopes, committing to a three year finance deal on a horendousely expensive motorcycle, that looks like something its not, will make him look good, and increase his social standing.... ie a misguided poser.... as likely to smash bike to bits very early, making it look even more laughable, and leaving him with huge credit agreement to settle, a big repair bill, and no money, to do anything else, like go out, have fun, or heaven forbid, get licence and get big bike... while being laughed at even more by his peers, first for being a bit of a tit, second proving it, buying an R125 to massage his misguided ego, then skuffing up its good looks, and being stuck on skuffed, slow, joke of a bike......
Yeah, they look great in teh show-room.... but sorry, bottom line is that they ARE a joke to ANY-ONE that has ANY idea about bikes.
So, whats the best looking and fastest four stroke 125?
YBR125.... ugly as sin, asthetically, but the numbers that say they are cheap to buy and the fastest way to a full licence to get anything even remotely inspiring makes them one of the most attractive learner bikes on the market.....
THINK about it!
jesus your writing a book
Now, back to that loop-hole of unsupervised riding ahead of passing tests, on L-Plates.
Legacy provision was made so learners could practice while learning to ride, same as car drivers, who have to have a qualified passenger thats not possible when carrying a pillion isn't permitted on a motorcycle provisional..... Its NEVER been there so you can prat about to your hearts content on L-Plates never manning up to taking tests for a full licence.
As from January 2013, barely fourteen months away, we, in the UK have to satisfy European Treaty Legislation, and comply with the Euro-Licence harmonisation laws.
This specifically DENIES unsupervised riding prior to qualification... Ie riding on L's.
Terst requirements significantly call for DAS style training under radio supervision, and its likely that THAT is what will HAVE to happen... we have 'assuranmces' that unsupervised L-Plating MAY be permitted in the UK, but how that can be rationalised against EU Legislation remains to be seen, and cant be relied on.
Meanwhile, "3rd Directive" laws will mean you cant 'test' on a 125 for more than a 125 only licence. You will also have to be over 24 to do DAS to get full unrestricted licence, while the 33bhp 'restricted' licence will be replaced with the A2 licence, which you will have to be 19 to apply for, demand expensive DAS style training (unlikely to be widely available!) & test on a 500, and limit you 'for ever' or at least two years when you might repeat test DAS style on bigger bike for full A group.
Ie its going to get hard, and its going to get expensive to get a licence, in 14 months time......
Might not exactly be easy right now, BUT..... you can currently test on a 'qualifying' 125 and get full A group licence and never have to do it again..... AND do it at 17 years old..... true, may be restricted to 33bhp for two years, but that's a small impediment compared to whats in the pipe line.
Makes that YBR as a cheap, conmvenient route to a full licence and something as stylish as a GPZ500S rather MORE attractive..... or at least in my eyes.
Meanwhile, answer to your question, 'best' learner legal four stroke 125 ever built, is the Honda CB125 'Super-Dream'.... its one of the more powerful, and designed to go head to head on performance against its two stroke rivals, in its day, and succeeded. But, concervatively styled, looks 'smart' (if in tidy condition) if not 'fancy', and has an engine thats silky smooth (if in decent fettle), the best of both worlds with four stroke tractability and mid range, as well as howling two-stroke style power up top, revved to 12,000rpm. Creditable handling, curtecy of sophisticated multi-link suspension, still more advanced than most contemprary 'sports' 125's two stroke or four stroke, great brakes, curtecy of again, more sophisticated tham most, twin pistoin caliper front disc, comfy, curtecy of propper seat and seating possition, that more upright, also provides great around visbility and good machine control..... while lack of fancy or unnecessary plastic or chrome, means theres little adornment to skuff, break, rust or clean!
As far as I'm concerned, it was pretty close to being the 'perfect' learner bike.... but, I suspect, despite being the answer to the question you actually asked, like all else so far, WONG, by dint of not being what you want to hear.....
Well..... ponder a short while...... so much in whats been offered that by your standards is 'wrong'.... what do you think is at odds here?
Is it us, with, between us many, many years experience of bikes and biking, and whats good, bad, or plain daft....
Or the standards you are judging our advice by, based on what you think, 'looks' good?
In 1980 the CB250N Super-Dream 'Deluxe' (it had a red sgo faster stripe and a 'spoiler' moulded into the tail-lamp cowl!) was listed at £999. Mochek Honda in london, then biggest honda dealers, offered them in MCN, on finance, I recall, "All you need for under £10 a week" £99 down and something like £30 a month on the knock, leaving enough for couple of gallons of go-juice that had just nudged the quid a gallon mark, ISTR.
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