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Dynamicq
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instigator
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| Frog |
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Frog
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 Posted: 19:42 - 08 Jan 2012  Post subject: |
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You do need insurance just like a car. Even if you're not riding bike (if you buy it before your test, for example).
A 125 will give you great economy, but you should look at your commute.. I personally wouldn't ride a 125 on busy A roads for example. There are plenty who do though.
Depending on how mechanically savvy you are, an older 125 could be a good buy providing you treat it well, but unfortunately newer 125s ain't cheap.
Chinese bikes fall into the same bracket, although they do seem to either work relatively well (for a while) or just break straight out of the box.
Depends on who you listen to unfortunately.
Have a scan around on here though, and you will find plenty of people with cheap 'Chinese' (cue post from RogerBorg to clarify this point) bikes who are pretty happy with them.
____________________
CBT 23/09/10 - Theory 19/03/11 - Mod1 19/04/11 - Mod2 06/05/11
Bikes: CBF125 (sold 30/10/10-25/09/12) - CB400 24/06/11 (broken)  - ER6-f 25/09/2012  |
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Dynamicq
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| Baisemontchou |
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Baisemontchou
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| Posted: 20:14 - 08 Jan 2012 Post subject: |
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There are loads - www.ebay.co.uk good for parts (but be careful with brakes etc.) has loads of bikes, reasonable indicator of popularity and price.
https://www.motorcyclenews.com/ mcn has lots as well. |
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blito
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| Teflon-Mike |
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Teflon-Mike
tl;dr
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| Posted: 20:21 - 08 Jan 2012 Post subject: |
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| Dynamicq wrote: | Hm... Ok...
What about ..where is the best place to look up used bikes. Autotrader website has not got much bikes to it. |
125's aren't 'Cheap' to buy. Too many people want them; becouse they are 'Learner-Legal; and selling to over enthusiastic Learner's, often without much idea what they are looking at, in a seller's market where there are more buyers than sellers; prices are inflated.
And at the bottom of the market; more people looking for a 'bargain' more people prepared or unwitting enough to buy bike frought with risk, they do.
Hence better 'bargains' are to be found in the £700-£1000 price bracket than in the under £700 price bracket.
CG's personally I would not reccomend. They haven't made them for half a decade now; and they have this 'reputation' for being cheap, indestructable, and a bike you cant go wrong with, that is HUGELY inflated.
They are a rugged and durable little bike, but FAR from 'indestructable'; may be 'low' maintenence, but far from NO maintenance; and these days holding value well, rarely 'cheap'. And too many get ridden into teh ground by newbies who truly BELIEVE they can thrash the knackers off them and never have to check the oil, and still sell them on for what they bought them for.
Benchmark 'Learner-Commuter' at the moment, and it takes some beating, is the Yamaha YBR125. Still in current production; a little more up to dat and a bit more sophisticated than the CG, it has an overhead camshaft engine, and I think it even has a rev counter! But other wise much the same kind of bike. £1250 or thereabouts ought to get you something under five years old, with its first or second MOT with plenty of life on it; that has lost half its show-room price in depreciation, but not had half its original service life ridden out of it by use. Ought to be new enough to still be pretty reliable and reletively 'solid'; look tidy and ride nicely; but not so old as to have suffered a succession of ever less contientiouse owners thrashing and neglecting it to death; that would be 'nice' to own; good to ride (important when learning; you will have enough 'faults' without the bike adding its own to the dynamic), cost pennies to run on petrol; be cheap to insure; demand little in maintenance & repairs, and sell for close to what you paid when you are done with it in a year or so's time.
Spending 'less' to get yourself on teh road; chances are you will have to put up with compromises; which may actually be you spend MORE in the long term, and NOT have such a 'nice' tidy or easy to live with bike for the trouble.
So; keep saving; and buy as GOOD as you can get.
As for where to look.... EVERY WHERE.
Every-one looks to e-bay these days; lots there, but far too easy and some daft prices, while you often DONT get to see and check out what you are buying until after you have bought it.
Gives a reference for values though; and there are usually plenty of bikes available on it; BUT dont bid blind; contact the seller; go view; or dont bid.
Auto-Trader; you wont find many 'Cheaper' bikes there or in Bike-Trader; mostly dealer bikes becouse of the cost of ads. MCN likewise.
Fair few bikes on Gumtree; but probably as many scams. So apply caution. But hope to get lucky.
Possibly the 'Best' source of bargains is local papers; free ads; shop window advert cards; word of mouth.
Wear out shoe leather checking post office windows; super-market notice boards; news agents doors; and talk to people. Always SOME-ONE knows SOME-ONE who has a bike that might be useful.... frequently not; BUT its the kind of prompting when Jimmy tells Steve that Paul wants a bike; and has he still got that 'old DT' in his shed? Winkles stuff out into the sunlight,m that wouldn't otherwise be available; often its crap or they have daft ideas about what its worth; but others you turn up real gems people just want rid of for the space; or will let you have for pennies to see it 'used' rather then broken.
There's no short-cuts, cheats or easy option's I'm afraid; its down to hard work and hard cash.
____________________
My Webby'Tef's-tQ, loads of stuff about my bikes, my Land-Rovers, and the stuff I do with them!
Current Bikes:'Honda VF1000F' ;'CB750F2N' ;'CB125TD ( 6 3 of em!)'; 'Montesa Cota 248'. Learner FAQ's:= 'U want to Ride a Motorbike! Where Do U start?' |
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open
Trackday Trickster
Joined: 04 Apr 2011
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| Posted: 21:23 - 08 Jan 2012 Post subject: |
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Doing my full test next week, so selling my cg for bout 500 if all goes to plan.
it's an older model but does the job...
P.s. I'm in London
____________________
"Calamity - A more than commonly plain & unmistakable reminder that the affairs of this life are not of our own ordering."
[s]Baotian BT49qt-9 --> Honda CG125 (4 speed) '51 plate ----- 03/11/2012 Mod 2 PASSED! --> Cb500s[/s] Revoked |
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| Rogerborg |
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Rogerborg
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| Posted: 22:33 - 08 Jan 2012 Post subject: Re: 'which bike' advice needed. |
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| Dynamicq wrote: | Hey there... I am 18. Student. Starving to death in order to save up for a bike and cbt. |
Plus insurance, protective gear and enough in reserve to fix the inevitable issues that will crop up, especially if you don't have access to a garage in which to work on it.
I'd suggest staying away from Chinese-branded bikes. You do need to keep on top of them. If you choose to - or have to - go that route, I'd look for a Lexmoto / aka Haotian Arrow aka Huoniao HN125-4F, or a Lexmoto aka Haotian Vixen aka Huoniao HN125-8, because they're cheap to begin with and relatively well made, although they do have issues and won't tend to be as reliable as a Japanese branded bike. The other brand to consider is Kymco, a Taiwanese outfit. Hyosung is Korean, their GT125 is pretty good, but was better after 2007 which is probably out of your price bracket.
There's no magic solution and your budget may simply not be realistic. I wouldn't expect to get into biking for less than £1500 all-in, and that's with eBaying 2nd hand gear.
____________________
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 |
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| Bomberman |
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Bomberman
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| Posted: 22:35 - 08 Jan 2012 Post subject: |
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gg
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Frog
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| Posted: 23:27 - 08 Jan 2012 Post subject: |
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| Teflon-Mike |
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Teflon-Mike
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| Posted: 01:40 - 09 Jan 2012 Post subject: |
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| Frog wrote: | I personally wouldn't ride a 125 on busy A roads for example. There are plenty who do though. |
| Bomberman wrote: | Why on earth not? I'd have had my TZR on the motorway if I'd been allowed |
| Frog wrote: | I feel a bit 'bossed' by traffic when on my 125... Seem to get more idiots trying to squeeze past.
As I said though, there's plenty on here who do commute on A roads... I maybe just need to MTFU  |
A 125 is just as much of a motorbike as a 1250. It has two wheels, an engine and ALL the risks faced on a bigger bike..
If you are worried about taking a 125 onto faster roads; ought you be taking ANY bike on ANY roads?
Lack of confidence will get you killed as quick as over confidence.
Bomberman's bombast of taking a TZR on motorways if he was allowed I will qualify as not AS daunting as taking a CG-Copy or similar up one; as light weights go, it isn't THAT light, and even in restricted form, which a twenty year old TZR probably isn't; it has full quota of Learner-Legal Ponies, enough to 'keep up' with legal speed traffic; there are lighter, 'big-bikes' I would be more cautiouse using on duel carriageways and motorways.
BUT; no reason you should NOT take a 'lightweight' up a motorway, IF you have the licence to do so.
Speed limit on motorways is the same as duel carriageways; 70mph; you do not HAVE to do 70mph, there is no minimum speed limit, and the 'maximum' speed-limit of 70 is ONLY actually applicable to cars. Goods vehicles are limited to 60mph, as are vehicles drawing a trailer; HGV's I believe are governed to 56mph.
A 'good' driver or rider will always drive or ride within thier vehicle's capability; if they have a lightweight, low speed bike; then knowing it is a bit 'twitchy' in side winds, they will ride at a speed that provides reaction time to compensate; if the machine does not have the power to sustain a higher cruising speed; they will ride at a lower speed that the machine is more comfortable sustaining, and which provides some 'reserve' of power for hills and over taking.
So; you get on a bike like a CG-Copy; that tops out at 60; you ride within its capoabilities; and your own. You assume a defensive road possition so as not to be 'bullied' into the kerb by faster moving traffic, and make them give you propper room if they chose to over take, and give YOURSELF 'sway-space' against side winds, buffeting or the 'wash' from over-taking vehicles. Meanwhile performance of such a bike ought to be sufficient for you to maintain a reasonably safe road-speed keeping station with the HGV's and probably able to over take the odd one or two on longer hills when they more significantly bleed off speed.
Personally; I dont LIKE motorway riding, on a lightweight or even a heavy-weight; its too damn boring; and there's nearly always an alternative and more interesting route. BUT they can be 'done'.
____________________
My Webby'Tef's-tQ, loads of stuff about my bikes, my Land-Rovers, and the stuff I do with them!
Current Bikes:'Honda VF1000F' ;'CB750F2N' ;'CB125TD ( 6 3 of em!)'; 'Montesa Cota 248'. Learner FAQ's:= 'U want to Ride a Motorbike! Where Do U start?' |
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| Bomberman |
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Bomberman
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| Posted: 09:34 - 09 Jan 2012 Post subject: |
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Bombast? Are you being intentionally insulting or are you not entirely aware of the implications of the word?
____________________
'Allo! My name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die!
'89 TZR 125 - '94 GPZ500s - ZK3 GSXR600 Alstare |
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Rogerborg
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Teflon-Mike
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| Bomberman |
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Bomberman
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| Posted: 11:39 - 09 Jan 2012 Post subject: |
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Fair enough, but wasn't meant in boast nor was I suggesting it was anything impressive. Statement of fact, no more. Plus the comparison was with a cg type on an A road... Anyway, enough OT 
____________________
'Allo! My name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die!
'89 TZR 125 - '94 GPZ500s - ZK3 GSXR600 Alstare |
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| marcusweaver0... |
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marcusweaver0...
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| Posted: 12:42 - 09 Jan 2012 Post subject: |
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[quote="Baisemontchou"]There are loads - www.ebay.co.uk good for parts (but be careful with brakes etc.) has loads of bikes, reasonable indicator of popularity and price.
I agree with you Baisemontchou. ebay is a really good place to buy parts online.
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エアロスポーク |
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Frog
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| Posted: 23:20 - 09 Jan 2012 Post subject: |
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| Teflon-Mike wrote: | | Frog wrote: | I personally wouldn't ride a 125 on busy A roads for example. There are plenty who do though. |
| Bomberman wrote: | Why on earth not? I'd have had my TZR on the motorway if I'd been allowed |
| Frog wrote: | I feel a bit 'bossed' by traffic when on my 125... Seem to get more idiots trying to squeeze past.
As I said though, there's plenty on here who do commute on A roads... I maybe just need to MTFU |
A 125 is just as much of a motorbike as a 1250. It has two wheels, an engine and ALL the risks faced on a bigger bike..
If you are worried about taking a 125 onto faster roads; ought you be taking ANY bike on ANY roads?
Lack of confidence will get you killed as quick as over confidence. |
My point is that on a 125, on single lane A roads, you WILL get people trying to squeeze past you. When you start out as a learner, you will not dominate your space perfectly, and other drivers will use that 'opportunity' to get past the 'little 125'.
The confidence you need comes with experience, gained by spending time on the road.
I'm happy on my 125 on pretty much any road, but as a first-timer, faced with 'I have to complete this journey or else I'm going to miss my job/lecture', I'd rather have been learning on slower roads to build my confidence.
____________________
CBT 23/09/10 - Theory 19/03/11 - Mod1 19/04/11 - Mod2 06/05/11
Bikes: CBF125 (sold 30/10/10-25/09/12) - CB400 24/06/11 (broken) - ER6-f 25/09/2012 |
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P.
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anthony_r6
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| Teflon-Mike |
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Teflon-Mike
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| Posted: 16:35 - 10 Jan 2012 Post subject: |
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| Teflon-Mike wrote: | Lack of confidence will get you killed as quick as over confidence. |
| Frog wrote: |
My point is that on a 125, on single lane A roads, you WILL get people trying to squeeze past you. When you start out as a learner, you will not dominate your space perfectly, and other drivers will use that 'opportunity' to get past the 'little 125'.
The confidence you need comes with experience, gained by spending time on the road.
I'm happy on my 125 on pretty much any road, but as a first-timer, faced with 'I have to complete this journey or else I'm going to miss my job/lecture', I'd rather have been learning on slower roads to build my confidence. |
That is unfortunately the 'bain' of the L-Plate.
I have had a full licence for umpety years; it's easy to 'forget' what its like on L's, and how that 'instantly' changes other road users attitude towards you; reminded of it every time I have jumped on Snowie's Super-Dream when she has complained of anything, after riding my own, identical bike! They see that L-Plate and immedietly presume to steal your road room.
I don't envy it one little bit; solution though is to get rid of the L's....
Unsupervised L-Plating is a (very useful) privilidge to 'practice' before taking tests; its NOT supposed to be so you can get to work or college without paying bus-fares... you should NOT be faced with, 'I have to complete this journey or else I'm going to miss my job/lecture'.... using provisional entitlement for what it's intended for, you ought not be putting unreasonable or unnecessary secondary pressure on your riding.
You are on L's to 'Practice', NOT get to college/work... if you are comfortable and confident to use the bike to get to work/college, as part of your 'practice', great, likely to give exposure to busier roads and peak time congestion and stuff, and help get you more familiar with more road environments; but STILL no need for you to put yourself under unneeded pressure to accept risks you aren't comfortable with...
so leave earlier and if you are uncomfortable, go home, catch the bus... or call boss and make an excuse; the battery was flat or something, and you'll be late or not in; College lecturers take it as bonus if students actually turn up so don't sweat it; being in boss's bad books is a lot better than being in an accident.
It's a balencing act; yes you need confidence to ride; but you also need to ride to build confidence.
And you CAN pick and choose where and when you ride; you don't HAVE to stretch yourself or tackle anything you are uncomfortable with, though if you never go outside your comfort zone, you'll not build your confidence to a new comfort zone.... so its a delicate and incremental balancing act.
But the thing is; you have two arms; two legs, two eyes, two ears and some modicum of common sense and intelligence... I would hope... and other people with no more faculties than you have do this and survive... some even do it quite well.
The L-Plate doesn't make you an apology of a rider, or a second class road user; there's no NEED for you to skulk on back-streets or country lanes; you have paid your road fund duty you are ENTITLED to your 'road room' TAKE IT - USE IT.
And 125, as said, no less of a bike than a 1250, has two wheels and an engine, and can probably go as fast as anything else is legally allowed to... the bike's capability is no excuse for anything; every bike has quirks and capabilities you need to take account of when riding;
lightweight it's likely to be its a little bit 'flighty' and needs more 'work' to keep it on path, but for that minus; plus is light weight also makes it easier to 'work'. Bigger bikes may have more weight making them more stable; but takes more effort to make any corrections to keep them on track; Little bike may not have much speed or power and take more work to maintain a road-speed; but again, its easily managed; big bike has more power, but means more to manage.
Bottom line is; its all 'attitude', and you have to BELIEVE you CAN DO, not make excuses even for one moment thinking that you 'can't do'....
Been saying on another thread about not letting fear rule reason; and this is another example; lack of confidence is bred from fear, over confidence from disregarding fear. Back to the balancing act.
Recognise what you are afraid of; respect it. Fear is your natural protection mechanism; don't over-rule it. Let it alert you to danger, and aware of the dangers, rule the fear with reason; evaluate it; weigh it up, and deal with it.
Others can, you can. And TBH; if you actually DO 'think' and DO apply 'Reason' you are probably ahead of 90% of people who dont actually think about stuff too much!
____________________
My Webby'Tef's-tQ, loads of stuff about my bikes, my Land-Rovers, and the stuff I do with them!
Current Bikes:'Honda VF1000F' ;'CB750F2N' ;'CB125TD ( 6 3 of em!)'; 'Montesa Cota 248'. Learner FAQ's:= 'U want to Ride a Motorbike! Where Do U start?' |
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Rogerborg
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Posted: 19:11 - 10 Jan 2012  Post subject: |
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| Teflon-Mike wrote: | Been saying on another thread about not letting fear rule reason; and this is another example; lack of confidence is bred from fear, over confidence from disregarding fear. Back to the balancing act.
Recognise what you are afraid of; respect it. Fear is your natural protection mechanism; don't over-rule it. Let it alert you to danger, and aware of the dangers, rule the fear with reason; evaluate it; weigh it up, and deal with it.
Others can, you can. |
You can't, you've got Hysterical Spaghetti Legs or whatever the term is. So maybe dial back the Yoda a bit, eh?
____________________
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 |
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Old Thread Alert!
The last post was made 13 years, 256 days ago. Instead of replying here, would creating a new thread be more useful? |
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