Your history of bikes?

John · World Chat Champion Joined: 27 Apr 2003 Karma :

Ok, it's a long way off, but I was wondering what bikes you guys and gals changed to after having 125s, and how they felt in the short run and long term, if buying a 250 instead of a 400 was a good idea and <>, and if there was something you would have done differently, blah blah blah etc.

Fire! Razz

Thanks

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Ste · Not Work Safe Joined: 01 Sep 2002 Karma :

Main thing I would change would have been not going new for my NSR. Waste of money.

I went to the ZX6R after that, and no problems/ regrets over it Very Happy

Deano · World Chat Champion Joined: 17 Feb 2003 Karma :

Went straight to a VFR after passing my test and I have regrets about the amount i paid for it as I bought it from the rip off merchants known as BoxHill Motorcycles
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Ste · Not Work Safe Joined: 01 Sep 2002 Karma :

Well BoxHill motorcycles are gone now Smile

Bendy · Mrs Sensible Joined: 10 Jun 2002 Karma :

Never had a 125, had a cb500 for 9 months, then the CBR.

In retrospect, I think I could have coped with the CBR from the start and I would have saved myself a fortune (Black Horse Finance baaaaad). But you live and learn Smile

Robby · Dirty Old Man Joined: 16 May 2002 Karma :

NS125R, felt fast at first, then i realised my mates 4 stroke 125 cruiser was a much nicer ride. Had it for 4-5 months.

Then CB250RSA, which was a good bike. Ran it for 6 months until it packed up on me, learnt most of my riding on it, went to france and back on it with the little lady etc. It got boring, as all bikes do, but lasted well enough for 400 quid.

Then i had a VFR400 NC24, which i thought was great at first, seeing as it was nippy, and it was my first bike with decent brakes, sus, and sports tyres. Very unreliable, uncomfortable, revvy, tingly, generally a dog in the long run. Again had it for about 6 months.

Now i ride a VX800. Undoubedly the best bike yet, its got all the best bits of all my bikes so far, and more. Lazy ride, lots of torque, dead reliable, and easy to work on. Only had it 2 months, so i can't comment on long term appeal, but i'm not getting bored of it yet.

Stew · Posted: 14:10 - 16 Oct 2003 Post subject:

Bought a 1991 NSR hardly used it, cost me money in repairs and I lost lots of money on it.
Next up, bought a 1989 VFR400 NC30, got it cheap, spent a bit on it getting it to run well and look good. Loved it, sold it to M, never want to sell it now.
YZF750R 1994 came next, still have it. Really enjoying it at the moment and after 11 months I am still having loads of fun on it and learning how to ride it better. I have no plans to get rid of it as it does everything I want from a bike. Will perhaps tart it up a bit.

I don't really regret buying a 125 but with hindsight I wish I had done my DAS straight away, bought the VFR and missed the 125s out altogether (as M has). But at the time it seemed the cheapest and quickest way to get a bike again was to do my CBT and buy a 125.
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Kris · World Chat Champion Joined: 03 Feb 2002 Karma :

NSR 125 for nearly three years.
ZXR750 for nearly 5 months.

Not too fazed by the power (prolly 'cos it was running on 3 cylinders) and glad I started off on a 125.

HTH Very Happy

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Hex · Party Boy Joined: 04 Feb 2002 Karma :

I had the old NS125R for a year before doing my test and getting my CBR600 FY.

Had that a year and getting board (not of riding it just polishing it as I now know all its curves etc Laughing

). Great bike can't fault it, never let me down, no problems and is way more than I need, but it won't stop me upgrading to a 1000cc class bike when I have the money.

Never did the 400 thing etc, and I have no regrets in what i've bought, the old NS125R got me a years NCB and the CBR after that has been a Honda through and through.

I did think about getting a CB600fs but in the end went for the CBR and glad I did as I would of just wished I'd got the CBR in the first place.
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andrew · Mister Road Rage Joined: 03 Feb 2002 Karma :

Had a City fly, sold it to get an NSR 125r, brought the Cityfly back and traded the NSR in after 6 months to get a XJR400, kept that for about 8 months and brought a VTR1000. Looking back i wish i had brought an MZ125 for 50 quid as my first bike then gone straight onto the VTR1000. Would have taken a whole lot longer to get used to it but would have saved my self lots and lots of ££££ in the meantime. Oh well, my advice buy a cheap 125, all these flashy plastic 125cc bikes arent worth it.

Annabella · Like a person, only smaller Joined: 03 Feb 2002 Karma :

Old NSR for a year, until I killed it, then went onto a CBR400, purely because of its' physical size.

I find the 400 very manageable, because it's small. Personally if I'd gone for a 600 I wouldn't have coped.

James went for a 400 straight off and has had no problems, and now wants a 600... but then he's a big boy Wink

and can cope with big things Laughing

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MarJay · But it's British! Joined: 15 Sep 2003 Karma :

I guess it depends if you're restricted to 33bhp or not really.

I Originally had a beautiful red NS125R that I bought whilst at university. It wasn't restricted at all and had a full micron system. It used to want to wheelie when it came into the powerband at 7000rpm!

I then did my test, chucked my 'L' plates away and rode the 125 for a few months.

I then spotted a beautiful VFR400 NC21 in a bike shop near Uni. £1600 was a lot of money for it, but it had done less than 10,000km and the shop said that they would restrict it for me for free (normal charge £80).

In hindsight I probably would have been better of with a newer model, and I probably would have de-restricted it straight away, but at the time (I was 19) I was scared of 50 odd Bhp, so I rode that for a year on 33bhp strangulation. One day I had a day off of work so I got out my tookit and pulled out the restrictors. The bike ran really rough but I had what felt like a huge boost of power.
I rode the bike illegally like this for another 6 months.

I then decided that it was time for a change, so I sold the VFR to Dusty and bought myself a brand new SV650S. In hindsight this too was a bad move, because there is nothing more demoralising than watching a brand new bike corrode to F@ck. I don't think I'll ever buy a new bike again for daily use... I might if I can ever afford a bike and a car together though... keep the bike pristine. I might be afraid to ride it though.

I sold the SV last March and bought a '99 Triumph daytona.
Fan-bloody-tastic! Very Happy

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British beauty: Triumph Street Triple R; Loony stroker: KR1S; Track fun: GSXR750 L1; Commuter Missile: GSX-S1000F; Cheap project: CBR900RR FireBlade
Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another.

andrew · Mister Road Rage Joined: 03 Feb 2002 Karma :

Phoenix · Twisted Firestarter Joined: 01 Aug 2002 Karma :

After riding my TZR125 for about 4months I got an FZR400(33bhp) was a heap and cost me a lot wish I'd never bought it. Then got the ZXR400(33bhp) was great, derestricted it 4months later and got the Fireblade 5.5months later.

So from a 18hp TZR125 to a 119hp Blade in exactly a year and i've not had a problem (2yrs riding now roughly)

Zimma · Wheelie Junkie Joined: 04 Feb 2002 Karma :

andrew · Mister Road Rage Joined: 03 Feb 2002 Karma :

hehe

Thought it was only the red ones that made the bike want to wheelie when it hit the powerband? Rolling Eyes

Duh zimma

MarJay · But it's British! Joined: 15 Sep 2003 Karma :

andrew · Mister Road Rage Joined: 03 Feb 2002 Karma :

They make about 22hp at the rear wheel anyway so i doubt it had been tuned unless like zimma said you had the green powerband fitted Wink

Oh well it dont matter now youve got a proper bike Very Happy

flat spot · World Chat Champion Joined: 29 Aug 2003 Karma :

Got my RD350LC after my RD125LC in 1990. Still have it. Never wanted anything else then and still don't except perhaps a CBR600 with the proper seat to go 'round europe on. Wink

andrew · Mister Road Rage Joined: 03 Feb 2002 Karma :

MarJay i read it as NSR125r for some reason. Hhhmmm i blame the monitor. Rolling Eyes

MarJay · But it's British! Joined: 15 Sep 2003 Karma :

Maybe it was more than 22Bhp. I was 18 at the time and very impetuous. I didn't look at Dyno Graphs and the like very closely.
Alls I know is that it was the second bike I had ever ridden after a Yamaha SR 125 and it scared the life out of me for the first six months that I owned it! Very Happy

* EDIT *

It was Definitely an NS 125 R ,and they are quite difficult to tune.
NSR 125's make about 22bhp as std, but I think they have a powervalve too to smooth out the powerband.
I've never ridden anything with such a sharp powerband ever since. It felt like a shot of nitrous to 19 year old Naive me.
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British beauty: Triumph Street Triple R; Loony stroker: KR1S; Track fun: GSXR750 L1; Commuter Missile: GSX-S1000F; Cheap project: CBR900RR FireBlade
Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another.

Rob · World Chat Champion Joined: 16 Mar 2002 Karma :

I bought a new NSR to learn on (bad move, cos as soon as you pass your test you want something bigger and 125 will not do!) and lost loads of money on it.. then after passing my test bought a new R6 (cos I didn't know better and thought sports bikes were the best thing!!) then finally came to my senses and bought a new Triumph Speed Triple 955i which is the best bike in the world (IMHO!)(and its british!). Laughing

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MarJay · But it's British! Joined: 15 Sep 2003 Karma :

\o/ Rob!
Speed triple, second only to the Daytona 955i Wink

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British beauty: Triumph Street Triple R; Loony stroker: KR1S; Track fun: GSXR750 L1; Commuter Missile: GSX-S1000F; Cheap project: CBR900RR FireBlade
Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another.

Rob · World Chat Champion Joined: 16 Mar 2002 Karma :

Rob · World Chat Champion Joined: 16 Mar 2002 Karma :

I've got a Speed Four on loan today - I had forgotten how horrible it was to ride a revvy 4cyl engine! Laughing

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