Decent cheap 125cc runaround with good mpg?

[kauto_star]

Hi all.

Looking for some recommendations please. I want to buy a 125cc that is fairly cheap to buy and cheap to run.

I have been looking at the cg125 but finding it hard to actually get hold of a second hand one.

Has anyone got any experience with the Chituma or Hongdou i think they are called, which are copies of the cg125?

I am looking at something with a very good mpg.

Thanks all.

[prawny1]

I dont know about the partiicular models you have mentioned, but most chinese bike suffer with terrible build quality and poor materials, sure they are cheaper than a good secondhand cg but they will probably not last more than a couple or three years before they start to fall apart or become unreliable.

[iooi]

Can't beat the real Cg 125.

Just need to keep looking in the likes of Autotrader and Ebay and any local papers etc.
Also often local bike shops know of people selling on.

As to the chinese copies, not the best in the world and well know for falling to bits if not looked after, or even if looked after....
____________________
Just because my bike was A DIVVY, does not mean i am......

[Chrispy]

Hi - I had a Hyosung (Korean) 125 from new - spotted it as a real bargain on Ebay.

Used it to learn on up to passing my A2 - did about 3.5k miles in the time I had it (4 months) - used virtually every day (in wet too sometimes) - never missed a beat and looked as good (virtually) as the day I took delivery, when I eventually part-ex'd it.

I took some confidence in
1, Good dealer network & well known importers (E P Barrus)
2, Mostly favourable reviews
3, Hyosung have been making engines for Suzuki under licence for years apparently.

Some have reported corrosion probs but I guess any bike can suffer with that if regularly ridden in wet, not garaged and not cleaned often.

I guess I was getting 70 - 80 mpg (maybe more towards the end).

If I had to sum it up - v good compromise between cheapo Chinese and expensive Japanese

____________________
Then - Hyosung GV125C Aquila; Kawasaki ER-6F; GSXR 600 K8; Street Triple Mk2; Now - ZX6R
"Viene la tormenta!"

[ttr]

Can't recommend the Suzuki GS125 enough, should be easy enough to pick one up for silly money, and they easily get 200 to a tank.

If nowt else I can safely say my GS was economical!
____________________
GS125-> NT400->VFR400->CRM250->Z750 + GS125->NTV650 rat + VMX1200->GSF600 + GPz550

[Knacker]

Totally agree GS's have excellant economy, Very reliable and to be honest have slightly more street cred than a CG, Bit bigger to will still do 55/60 2 up depending on weight.

TBH its more of a mans bike
____________________
Current: Gsxr 600 Srad - GS125 - DT125
Previous: K1 GSXR 1000

[Old man]

If you go down the GS route be careful of the parrallel imports that are made in China, they are not exactly the same and parts are a nightmare to find.

The Yamaha XT125 is a good bike that will return up to 90 mpg if ridden carefully.

How much do you want to spend, I have got my sons XT125 for sale.
____________________
Breaking Suzuki Bandit 400 https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=152585
Yamaha XT125X Supermoto for sale https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=152588

[deanoet]

There is the YBR125 as well
The yam equivalent of the CG125.
____________________
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CBT Passed 18th July 2007 : Previous Bikes> CG125 : Current Bike> Hornet 600 : PASSED DAS 30th Oct 2007
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[JonPod91]

[craigs23]

Can't fault my CG.

The previous owner(s) had no clue to service a bike.

The oil was like muddy water, the air filter turned my washing up bowl black, the drum brakes were almost seized with dust, the chain had so much slack it touched the top and bottom of the enclosed chainguard....

I even found an unused toolkit in the appropriate place, it didn't look like it had even been found in the 9 years since the bike was first sold.

A couple of hours sorting the above, plus lathering the thing in WD40 revealled a working, capable bike underneath. It stops, it goes, it goes round corners, does exactly what it says on the tin (well, it actually says CDI 4 stroke on the side).

Stuck £5 in the tank and took it out for a bimble. I think I even saw 67mph on the clocks, and managed to overtake a total of 3 other vehicles in 80 miles of riding (excluding overtaking my parked up friends who had to stop and wait a couple of times).

The bike used about an inch of petrol (from brim to just below the 'spine' that runs down the middle of the tank).

Result. Excellent back-to-basics-biking-bike.

[stinkwheel]

There is a guy over in the North East selling grey import Kawasaki KH125s BRAND NEW for just over £1000. I think they call them a GT0 nowadays.

That generation of really basic, air-cooled 2-stroke singles all used to return awesomely high mpg figures and were a bit more fun than the CG.

Never really needed much work doing to them if left as standard too, just ride them until the piston slap becomes annoyingly loud (maybe 25k miles) then get it rebored. Other than that just gearbox oil and a new plug once in a while. It's when mechanically inept 17 year olds tried to 'tune' them that they became unreliable.
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.