My first bike - How did I do?

[_mjs_]

Hello BCF
After months of saving I finally managed to scrape enough money together to buy myself a 2006 XR 125 with just over 12,000 miles on the clock. I paid £1,400 (the guy I bought it from was advertising it at £1,795). At this price, did I rip myself off? I also took out TPFT insurance through Carole Nash at £398 after checking all the search engine type brokers. I'm 25, live in a fairly dodgy area but the bike is garaged and chained up. Is that a fair amount to have paid? At the time I took the policy out I was itching to go for a ride so didn't do too much research!
As far as the bike itself is concerned, after taking the things I saw on here into account, I was looking for something reliable to pass my test on (have to wait until the 8th of March to do my theory due to work commitments) and so far I think I got the right kind of bike. I'm 6'2" and 16 stone but the bike carried me along at 60 on a dual carriageway this morning so I can't complain at that. Also despite the gearbox being a little clunky if I'm not very gentle with the clutch just five minutes after jumping on it I felt very confident indeed.
Having heard rumours of a hidden compartment beneath the seat of these bikes, earlier I shone a torch under the gap at the back of the seat and it seems there is definately something there, plus there's a jangling sound whenever I go over a bump. I think it's more likely to be a couple of rusty spanners than a bag of krugerrands but either way, tomorrow I intend to get some tools out and investigate. Are there any other XR 125 owners out there who can tell me anything else I might need to know about these bikes?
Finally I searched the internet for an XR 125 shop manual to download with no luck so decided to stop being so tight and sacrificed 40 beer tokens to order one from wemoto. Would I be tracked down by the internet police if I scanned and uploaded it so other people could have the benefit of it? I've learned a few things from lurking this forum over the last few months and it would be great to give something in return.

[McFlufferson]

£1,400 for a 125? Normally I wouldn't ever pay it, but the xr125s are funky little bikes and wouldn't mind owning one myself. It seems to me like you paid about right.

If you're happy with it, it doesn't really matter anyway? (:

Uploading copywrited material is illegal. Just like uploading movies, borrowing your mate's games, playing a CD in a shop and going on the motorway if you think there's a possibility you'll run out of fuel becfore you exit again..

*shrugs*
____________________
Think that you'll stay loyal to a loving bike? So did I. Only rich men can afford to stay loyal. The poorer of us will whore ourselves out to any two wheeled monstrosity that will take us.

[Babba]

If it was my time again then this is probably the bike I'd go for.

I was 6' 2" at 16 & had to cramp myself onto a FSIE, when I hit 17 I was on a TS100ERZ, at your age (25) I'd already reached the dizzying heights of a GpZ 900R.

I've only glanced at the values of it & to me it doesn't seem that you've drastically overpaid, provided its a straight, well cared for 5yr old example.

If it is, then I beg you to keep it that way. Chuck the (£40?) manual away & pay for it to be serviced, pass your test as soon as & you'll most likely be able to sell it for what you paid for it.

Please, DO NOT FIX IT UNLESS IT'S BROKEN. So much value of this type of bike is pissed into the wind by hamfisted tinkering & stripping to make it go faster or see how it works.

It's a good make & model & probably suits your needs better than almost anything else within your grasp at this time.

P.S. It has an off-road capability, so did my TS100ERZ. Be carefull that you don't take it off-road & enjoy that experience sooo much that you end up buying a full blown MX bike & disappearing in a mud puddle somewhere