17, nearly 18, starting biking.

[Oplite]

Im 17 at the moment, 18 in a few months, I was wondering what I need to do to be able to ride a 125cc? I've got a budget of about £1000-1500, is that enough for a bike? I was looking at the ybr125, but then I read that its tires are awful and almost certainly will slide, ive never ridden a bike or scooter before, was wondering if anyone could offer any help or ideas on what bike to get?

[Paxovasa]

Make sure you have motorcycle entitlement on your licence, then do a cbt (Compulsory Basic Training), then once you have the CBT certificate, you are good to go.
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Suzuki GSF600 K3 (in the fastest colour, black).

[dragstaar]

First off, you'll need to get your provisional licence. If you already have that, then great!

You are the right age to get a learner bike.

Most popular tend to be the Honda CG125 and the YBR 125. THe Honda CG is now discontinued and has been replaced with the CBF125. (reviews are mixed on this bike. I think its a good bike, but the bad reviews come from people who compare it to the CG which was bulletproof)

As for the tyres on a YBR, if you're not happy with them, you can always have them replaced with better ones, so don't ;et that put you off. You can pick up a second hand 125 well within your price range. If you'd like a bigger bike, then i'd say go cheaper for your 125 and save the bucks for your big bike. (don't go Chinese as they tend to be a bit more high maintenance, and as a learner, i guarantee you are likely to unintentionally neglect it).

First of all, get your CBT done. this is a one-day (usually) course which, in essence, validates your provisional in order to allow you to ride a 125cc on the roads unaccompanied with L plates (you can't go on the motorway).

Once you have your CBT just ride the damn thing, Ride everywhere. on different types of roads. Get as much experience under your belt.

Book your tests when you feel confident and go for it!

Once you have passed, then it may be worth considering moving up to a nice 600cc bike

[bikertomm]

Right... I'd say best bet is to have a quick look at this, they offer a free ride and help on a bike

https://www.geton.co.uk/content/whats-it-all-about

Then, if you love it I'd say do your CBT. This will let you ride a 125cc bike with L's for 2 years.

Yeah £1000 - £1500 you can easily get a 125

It really depends what you want the bike for, 99% of people on here will recommend you the Honda CG and YBR 125. If it is purely for learning and moving onto doing your bigger bike test then go for one of them!

But if you want a 125 that you like the look of, want to go fast, etc etc then maybe have a look at some 2 strokes like the NSR, Yamaha DT and Aprilia Rs.

But seeing as you have never ridden before a 4 stroke 125 should be more than enough! That is, if you do like biking - which I'm sure you will

Hope this helps
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07' Honda Hornet now full powaah! My guide on performing an oil change!

[Rogerborg]

Get provisional bike entitlement put on your license if it's not already on it: £50 (I heard, I have no idea)
Compulsory Basic Training (CBT): £100 - £150 or so, should take a day.
Helmet: High SHARP rated helmet, e.g. a Box BX-1 from £30 upwards. Fit is more important than cost.
Insurance: budget £200 for a first bike. 125s actually have a higher risk than you'd expect, as they tend to be ridden by learners.
If you've got the sense you were born with, you'll buy a leather or cordura jacket and trousers plus bike boots and gloves. Say £150 if you shop around, less if you go 2nd hand.
Security: biggest lock and chain you can afford. £20 and upwards. Far better to spend on security than insurance: any claim that gets you less than £1000 is likely to cost you more than that in increased premiums over the next 5 years.

So that's £550+ before you sit on your own bike. If your budget is £1000, it's marginal - you'll need to keep something back to sort any problems if you buy a lemon. A £1500 total budgets gets you on a decent commuter bike. YBR125s are fine, as are CG125s and a whole host of older bikes. You may even be able to score one of the earliest CBF125s if you skimp on gear (I wouldn't).

I'd suggest that you pass the A2 test as soon as possible, both to start the countdown on the 25kW limit, and to get your insurance premiums down and get you access to a much wider range of bikes.

Teflon-Mike will be along soon to tell you to get trained and do your test rather than buy a 125, even if it eats up all of your budget. He makes a good point: a license is for life, and the sooner you get it, the more it'll be worth to you.
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Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[bikertomm]

Out of interest does anyone actually know what provisional motorcycle entitlement looks like on your license?

I've got a full driving license, hope it's on there!
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07' Honda Hornet now full powaah! My guide on performing an oil change!

[Paxovasa]

It is group A entitlement.
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Suzuki GSF600 K3 (in the fastest colour, black).

[bikertomm]

All i've got under section 9 - Category

Is B car
B1 Lorry
fkp


Thing is, my provisional definately had it on.


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07' Honda Hornet now full powaah! My guide on performing an oil change!

[lihp]

If you have a full car license, the codes on the back will only detail your FULL entitlements, check your provisional entitlements on paper counterpart, it should have A listed there.

[bacon]

£1500 huh?

CBT £120
Theory £30ish?
A2 licence, training and tests over a couple of days £400?

Decent fitting lid, always buy a new helmet!
jacket + trousers
boots
gloves
£300ish for first time gear?

Rough estimates, but leaves you £600 or so to buy something like a 500cc twin like a gpz500. Full licence for that money imo!

If you prefer to stick to a 125 though, then usual bikes get the thumbs up, cg, ybr etc etc

[Oplite]

I've got more than 1500. The 1500 was for the bike, I thought you had to be 21 to ride anything over 125? Wouldn't that make it wiser to spend a bit more on a bike to last 3 years rather than getting a banger lets say and having to work on it?

Im still working and have 3 months yet, the CBT n leather costs are coming out of wages now, bike will be out of birthday money, So just the 1500 for a bike, other costs are covered, Well got about £600 from wages ontop of 1500

[Rogerborg]

[Oplite]

But, If I've never ridden a bike would the direct access not be too overwhelming? Or is it just the same test but with a more powerful bike? I've heard about and been recommended to get a GSX600 etc and restrict it myself to save money in the long run, but I wasn't too sure on how that'd work.
The ninja500r is the name coming up most for beginners to ride, The only problem is with my worry is that im gonna f- up on gears and leaning. Never ridden a bike before, does everyone have those fears?

How much would a decent 500cc cost?

Im 5 ft 9 and weigh 63 kilos, am i big enough for a 500cc bike?

[Paulington]

Hi Oplite,

You cannot do the Direct Access, you are too young, you have to be 21.

As for the A2 test (the only one you can do), that is my suggestion too.

The A2 test (if you do it over 3/4 days, with 2/3 days of training on a 125 and then your tests on the 4th day) will be ALL you need to become proficient on a motorcycle and you're better off doing that than getting a flash 125 and spending a year or two picking up bad (read: test ruining) habits which make your life harder.

It's not "too big a jump", the point of the training is to make you a proficient rider and it will. Gears are no problem at all as they become second nature and if you can ride a pushbike you can ride a motorcycle. You may be a little fearful (it's natural) however once you get on you'll be having great fun and enjoying it so much you'll forget your fears in the click of the fingers.

For £600 or so, you'd be looking at older 500s or old 600 nakeds, which are great bikes for learners. However if you saved a little more to £1000-£1500 again you could pick up pre-2000 bikes that look a bit better like a ZX6R G1/Thundercat 600 etc.

Unfortunately you have picked the worst time for this as bikes are more expensive now due to the sun coming out but don't let it discourage you. Get out, do your CBT + Theory, pass your test and get a nice (restricted) bike that you'll love and cherish and be much better than a ragged 125.

HTH! !
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"Four wheels move the body, two wheels move the soul."
Current Vehicles: '89 Kawasaki KDX200, '99 Yamaha XV535, '00 Honda ST1100 Pan-European, '08 Suzuki GSX-R1000, '08 Mitsubishi Lancer GS4 2.0 TDCi, '15 BMW 1 Series 116d Sport Turbo.
CBT: 27/08/08. Theory: 04/09/09. Module 1: 16/09/09. Module 2: 01/10/09.

[Oplite]

They are my main worries at the moment leaning gears and not remembering about oil changes or something on the A2 test.

I don't mind about getting a naked bike. Whatever is more cost efficient.

I just want something fun to ride, reliable and in my price range haha.
I think by my 18th, Ill have the CBT done, Leathers and helmet, then for m 18th I might jump straight onto the A2 and do a 4/5 day test, Think I saw one for about £560 for 5 days with their bike.

THEN, Look for a decent bike, Higher CC the better for me, But all the 400cc say that they have a Bhp of about 50, wouldn't that make them too powerful?

[Paulington]

[chris-red]

[chris-red]

In my eyes, spend under £1000 on a 125 buy your gear do a CBT and have fun whizzing about on it for a year, then if you want something bigger do your full test in a year.
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Well, you know what they say. If you want to save the world, you have to push a few old ladies down the stairs.
Skudd:- Perhaps she just thinks you are a window licker and is being nice just in case she becomes another Jill Dando.
WANTED:- Fujinon (Fuji) M42 (Screw on) lenses, let me know if you have anything.

[Oplite]

What is a good sportsbike thats 125cc? I'd rather it be 4stroke due to the upkeep of 2strokes?

Well, How unreliable are 2stroke engines?

[Rogerborg]

Rather than engage in more rounds of "But what if...." how about you do your CBT first, and see if you actually like biking? You'll then be in a better position to decide whether you want to get your own 125 and ride it for a while, or go straight for A2 course. Right now, you don't really have any basis for deciding.
____________________
Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[chris-red]

[Redoko]

[Oplite]

I want everything a 2stroke offers, but I dont know, from the sounds of it, every Rs etc for sale would be fucked. Could someone outline ways to keep them top and reliable? And how to check?

[chris-red]

Maybe go Jap 2t, something like an NSR or a TZR. Less highly strung, more reliable.

Want you want is service history and proof an engine rebuild as been done recently.
____________________
Well, you know what they say. If you want to save the world, you have to push a few old ladies down the stairs.
Skudd:- Perhaps she just thinks you are a window licker and is being nice just in case she becomes another Jill Dando.
WANTED:- Fujinon (Fuji) M42 (Screw on) lenses, let me know if you have anything.

[Oplite]

The reason im asking so many questions in this thread is because i wanna know everything before i think about getting a bike. If you had an rs from factory, didnt rag it, looked after it, when would it need a rebuild?