New to riding, saying hi and asking advice!

[Fringe!]

Hi BCF, my name's Jonny, I'm 17 and I'm about to do my CBT in the next few weeks. Having a motorbike appeals to me a lot more at the moment due to my not-so-never-ending supply of money, being more economical and cost effective!

I've been looking around at bikes for a little while now and find myself tending towards a 4 stroke engine rather than a 2 stroke engine as I am not sure whether I would be able to keep on top of the level of maintenance required, but would definately be willing to learn!

I want a bike so that I can become more independant and mobile, and for the most part I will only be using it for short journeys up to about 20 miles at a time amongst traffic so it would need to be capable of keeping up with the acceleration etc, but every now and then I'd like to be able to use it to get to see my girlfriend, who lives about 130 miles away, and therefore would need a bike capable of being able to maintain at least 65mph, preferably70, for a prolonged period of time. I know this is quite pushed for a 125, but Id like to get your advice on this.

I have been looking at the NSR which I know is a 2 stroke, and CBR as a 4 stroke engine. The NSR should not struggle with these speeds, but how would the engine fare over prolonged periods? The CBR may not be able to reach such high speeds, but would it fare better over these distances? (I weigh around 63kg)

Obviously the 2 stroke would cost more to maintain..lower fuel economy, engine rebuilds, addition of oil etc, so that plays a part too.

I much prefer the sportsbike look, if that makes any difference


sorry for the waffley introduction, i hope you can help and look forward to getting to know you!
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Short Term Pain for Long Term Gain.

[DugieT]

I'd say the 4 stroke for you would be sensible, a lot of young bikers just care about how fast they can go usually, I got my cbt in august and bought myself the cbr 125 and i haven't regretted it, mind you i only commute 10 miles total per day going to work, i've done about 800 miles on it a few scares along the way, but thats to be expected.
Just bear in mind its coming into winter so you are starting learning at a bad time, but it could work out for the better.
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4 months experience L plate CBR 125'er

[DugieT]

And i think the cbr does better going for longer than it does for short spurt journeys, so i wouldn't worry about going 65 to 70 mph to be honest, its a great engine.
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4 months experience L plate CBR 125'er

[Fringe!]

Thanks, and yeah definately, I'm not too concerned about being able to go super fast, I dont really intend to go over 70mph as it is the speed limit!

How do you find your CBR? Have you taken it up to 70 before, and can it hold around that sort of speed alright?

Just over longer journeys of 100mph, it could become quite tedious!
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Short Term Pain for Long Term Gain.

[Azonicben]

hi dude welcome to BCF

There have been a multitude of threads along a similar vein, as its generally the first question people think of asking, there seems to be a few different trains of thought though.

1. Just get a cheap old Cg125 , run it around get your test done sell it for what you paid for it.

2. Buy New, Generally not recommended as its seen as a waste of money as you`ll most probably drop it anyway (although this is the route i took) Its nice to know the history of a bike.


3. Nah mate you want an NSR/Rs two stroke etc. They`ll do 500mph, four strokes are slow.
A lot of second hand 2 strokes won`t have been looked after properly, although some will have, I wouldnt recommend them for distances without some lower-revs downtime along the way

4. Nah mate you want a R125/Cbr, four stroke etc
This is probably where you lie, I had a four stroke, less maintenance and better for longer trips.

I went for the Hyosung gt125r, big bike cruises all day at 75-80 and has done notts to london and back plenty of times with full luggage and in comfort, oh and i have one for sale pm for details


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Cbt-23/09/07.....Theory-16/09/08.....Das passed 10/10/08.....
Current bike- GsxR750 K4. Broken: Cbr400rr (Nc29) Sold: Hyosung GT125R

[DugieT]

[Fringe!]

[Azonicben]

I use Ebike insurance for mine, its all done online on their PayAsYouGo policy,
If you want to swap bikes you just change the bike details and you can print your certificate straight away, although they send the proper one out next day first class post.
Then credit or debit the difference, changed my policy from the hyosung to CBR400rr after passing test, ended up £2.46 more a month all mods declared also you get a years no claims after 8 months.
free breakdown, Europe cover (although that doesnt matter if your on cbt).

With regards to two stroke on distance, i`d say thrash for 1/2 hour pootle for 10 mins etc etc
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Cbt-23/09/07.....Theory-16/09/08.....Das passed 10/10/08.....
Current bike- GsxR750 K4. Broken: Cbr400rr (Nc29) Sold: Hyosung GT125R

[neil.]

A 4 stroke 125 can definitely handle long journeys. In fact, it's better for the engine as it burns a lot of the crap out of it, keeping it clean. They will go on forever. I commute 30 miles a day each way and it's okay. I've done 70 mile journeys before on mine and it's me that finds it uncomfortable after a while. I'd check out a bigger 125 like the Honda Varadero or Yamaha YZF-R125 for really long journeys, just for the extra comfort factor.
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CBT February 2008 | A2 June 2008 | Yamaha YBR125 (written off) | Honda CBF125 (current)

[Fringe!]

so its really as easy as that? I could get insured on a CG for say £300 a year, then switch to a larger bike after say four months where the insurance may cost me £600 for a year, and then get the remaining 6 months of cover for £300?


I'll check them out, but I'm on a budget of around £1000 so cant afford too much just yet!
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Short Term Pain for Long Term Gain.

[DugieT]

[Fringe!]

I've been looking around and have found quite a few private listings of CBRs for around the 1k mark.

I have about £1000 to spend purely on a bike, excluding insurance etc
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Short Term Pain for Long Term Gain.

[Pedro02]

DugieT is right...

in theory £1000 could all be spent on just insurance and gear (Helmet, gloves, trousers, jacket, hi viz, waterproofs)

with no bike...

if you wanted a CBR125 you'd probably need £2000 to cover all of what you will need.

i've spent over that and my insurance would be alot cheaper as im 25.


welcome to the forum though! and let us know how you get on with the CBT.
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TCR | Casual Dating

[Rowey]

Welcome to the forum.

A sporty bike like the CBR will benefit from having a fairing, this will keep the wind off you, and make it a bit better at higher speeds. A CG will be dirt cheap, there are plenty about so you can be a bit more picky.
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ZX6R C6F.
Never argue with an idiot. They'll only bring you down to their level, and beat you with experience.

[Fringe!]

In light of finding out about this insurance business perhaps it would make more sense to buy a dirt cheap CG for around 300 or so and ride that around for a few months, get my test done, sell up making only a small loss,if that, then buy a 33bhp bike?
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Short Term Pain for Long Term Gain.

[mooserx]

[Keir]

have you actually tried getting a quote on a bike yet? give it a go so you know the rough ball park figure. I like H&R insurance or Express but try as many as possible to get the best quote- although ive only used them for 400cc + bikes.

remember to budget for clothing too:
£50 lid
£100 textiles
£30 boots
£20 gloves
Total = £200 (This is the minimum - expect it to get expensive very quickly if you want the flashy bits!)

Id try looking for a lightly damaged CBR125, ive seen a few sell for around £800 recently because they are scuffed up but fully servicable.
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Current : '08 Yamaha FZ1s
Previous: '99 Honda CBR 600FX, 03 ZX636 B1H, 99 Fazer 600 (red), 02 GSX-R 600 K2, 00 SV650s (red), 2008 ZX10R, 97 Bandit 1200N, 04 ZX6RR K1H, 04 GSX-R 1000, 98 Fazer 600 (gold), 05 Madness 110 Pit bike, 04 CR125R, 00 SV650s (black), 06 KTM 625 SMC, 99 SRAD 600 track bike, 03 SV650, 98 Bandit 1200N, Bandit 600SY, 03 GSX-R 600 K3, 01 GSX-R 600, 01 Fazer 600 (black), VFR 400 NC30 x3, 78 Honda Dream, 00 Speedfight 50

[Fringe!]

Keir, I've looked around at several quotes, and my dad said he will share the bike with me in order to help me keep my insurance at a low price..he used to ride a long time ago, but said he will take it up again, and under his name i can get fully comp for around £400 give or take, on my own fully comp is ~£1000!

I was budgeting a minimum of £200 for gear, but its Christmas soon, so I'll try and get bits and pieces off different people!
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Short Term Pain for Long Term Gain.

[Keir]

fully comp on a bike worth £800-£1000. you are mad! TPFT is the way to go.
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Current : '08 Yamaha FZ1s
Previous: '99 Honda CBR 600FX, 03 ZX636 B1H, 99 Fazer 600 (red), 02 GSX-R 600 K2, 00 SV650s (red), 2008 ZX10R, 97 Bandit 1200N, 04 ZX6RR K1H, 04 GSX-R 1000, 98 Fazer 600 (gold), 05 Madness 110 Pit bike, 04 CR125R, 00 SV650s (black), 06 KTM 625 SMC, 99 SRAD 600 track bike, 03 SV650, 98 Bandit 1200N, Bandit 600SY, 03 GSX-R 600 K3, 01 GSX-R 600, 01 Fazer 600 (black), VFR 400 NC30 x3, 78 Honda Dream, 00 Speedfight 50

[Fringe!]

lol probably will end up being TPFT, but my dad said he would pay for the insurance to help me out, so Ill just go with whatever he wants to do if it isn't costing me anything!
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Short Term Pain for Long Term Gain.

[Noxious89123]