4-stroke or 2-stroke125?

[LittleRock]

I'm doing my CBT shortly and im not sure if i should get a 2 or 4 stroke, any suggestions?
I'm using the bike for commuting but i also want to have fun, im stuck between a yzfr125 or a rs125

[DrSnoosnoo]

The impression I get is the compromise between "reliability" of 4 stroke to the "higher maintenance and running costs (maybe)" of 2 stroke. I think if you're more mechanically minded and will enjoy sorting your bike out, go for a 2 ?
____________________
I'm Sam; Northern, Ginger, Lover
Did have: '95 ZZR600 '83 CG125 '97 ZZR1100 '15 Hypermotard 821 SP Do Have: '10 ZX10R

[Irn-Bru]

Get a raggy CG for a few hundred, do your test and get a big boys bike The YZF is a tarts bike, expensive as anything and made to look like its bigger brothers but will get demolished by 2smokers, probably even the likes of DTR enduro bikes in a straight line.
____________________
KTM 990 SMT & Suzuki DR-Z 400 SM

[Polarbear]

I love 2 strokes but would only have them as a second bike, especially old or highly strung ones.
____________________
Victory Cross Country American tractor.

[kingsmith]

I would go with 4 stroke want to be riding not spending time fixing a 2 stroke..

thats all
____________________
honda cg 125 copy cheap and crap, perfect for work..
suzuki gsxr600 srad 2000
passed 12/11/09 happy boy

[symonh2000]

Personally I prefer riding 2 stroke 125's as they make the most of the small capacity and are more fun.

They generally accelerate better, and have higher top speeds.


For ultimate reliability and fuel economy get a 4 stroke, but 2 strokes can also be reliable if looked after and are not in a high state of tune.
____________________
Four strokes is two strokes too many.

[Zen Dog]

[P.addy]

Ideally for commuting you want a commuter 125, CG/YBR.

Reliable and dependable.

My RS was commuted with for a few weeks. First week was fine, 2nd the main bearings went.

Rebuilt, great for 2 weeks, electrics went dead.

[symonh2000]

My most reliable bike was my First RXS100

I did thousands of miles on that bike with only the occasional gearbox oil change and a top up of cheap 2 stroke oil.

My RD125LC was also very reliable...

I also think both of them had better build quality than many newer bikes.
____________________
Four strokes is two strokes too many.

[tom_m]

4 stroke.

pick up a cheap fifteenth hand cg125 which will outlive most 2 stroke 125's (if not all)
if youre planning on taking youre full test soon then buy a cheap run around. i learnt that one the hard way, i bought a brand new ybr 125 in may, got my mod 2 booked for next week. im sure i will be kicking myself in the head once ive got a full licence and stuck on a 125.

good job the girlfriends only 6 stone piss wet through with a pocket full of pound coins or else she wudnt be getting on the back
____________________
Current: 2005 Kawasaki Er-5 C5P
Past: 2012 Yamaha Ybr 125, 2004 Yamaha Neos 50, 1994 Suzuki Gn 125, 2005 Aprilia Sportcity 125, 1988 Yamaha Tzr 125
Theory: Passed... Mod 1: Passed 22/08/12 Mod 2: Passed 22/10/12

[Ribenapigeon]

If your considering the YZF125 then take a look at the WR125X.

People like two strokes because you get a fat power surge at high revs, so good for hooning around. But for commuting then you want smooth and traffic friendly. Four stroke dousent mean slow though my WR easyly keeps up with traffic and only struggles on the dual carriageway if there's a nasty headwind.

[Bomberman]

[Ribenapigeon]

Oh you mock.........

In all these threads about what bike to get people also forget the other choice, you could go by bus :-/

[Bomberman]

[Alpha-9]

they're both tarts bikes

4 stroke if you're commuting on it
____________________
Fzr-600 1999

[Teflon-Mike]

Two Stroke or Four Stroke?

Well, in the four stroke, learner legal camp, we have everything from the C90 to the YZF125.

In the two-stroke Learner-Legal camp, we have everything from an AR80 to an Aprillia RS (restricted)

And plenty in between in either camp... rather a wide remit and fatiouse debate to be honest; end of the day, all the motor does is shove you along; if it does that, great, lots more important things to worry about, and ultimately, with 14.5bhp learner limit, none of them are going to be 'fast' and the difference in performance between any of them pales into insignificance next to the HUGE difference in performance between any of them and even pretty humbler non-learner legal bikes, possibly not even any larger in displacement!

Personally, I like air-cooled two-strokes as simple, dependable tough as old boots easily DIY maintained local transport with a little fun factor.

Yamaha RXS100, Honda H100, Kawasaki KH125, or what I had till nicked air-cooled DT..... penny anti machines with as much punch as learner limits allow....

Snowie's Super-Dream is a four-stroke, and they have a certain charm, and again, cheap bikes delivering all a modern YZF-R125 has to offer without the silly frock, and quite comfy and sophisticated for something so 'old'.

Digging into the 'intent' behind the actual question asked.... we get to the reality that what you REALLY want is a sporty bike, with as much performance as you can have, as cheaply as possible, and I suspect you already know .....

the YZF-R125 is bludy stupidly daft expensive, costing more than some full fat 'big-bikes' new in the show room; is fairly reliable, and low maintenence, but at limit of learner power limits, has little scope for more, without spending seriousely big money and potentially loosing a lot of reliability for the small improvements that might be found.

while Aprillia RS, now out of production for some years, is still expensive, renowned for being incredibly high maintenence and a liability of unreliability when they haven't had it, BUT have the scope for lots of illegal performance on teh cheap via 'de-restriction'.

And you are a learner, looking for a learner bike, and you KNOW what I'm going to tell, you, ANYTHING that moves under its own steam is going to be a big thrill, going that tint bit faster, isn't going to be THAT much more exiting, especially when you are NO-WHERE near experienced enough to get the best out of the bike, and some-one like me, would probably leave you for dead in teh twisties on an old RSX100, with 2/3 the power on skinny rubber, crap suspension and no fairings.......

So, ponder hard, and think what you really NEED from a bike, and how much you are prepared to pay, in hard cash, labour or inconvenience, for the 'extras' of a posey name and plastics, and some infantesimal small measure of extra performance YOU probably will never be able to utilise to great effect.

Then you can go buy the RS, mumbling about boring old fuckers, and learn the hard way, like all us boring old fuckers did!
____________________
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?'

[symonh2000]

On Thursday I am taking delivery of an early TZR125

I am pretty sure it will be faster than 4 stroke 125's, but the main reasons I bought it are for its nostalgia value, and the fact my last one was reliable enough.

In learner legal trim they barely rev over 8k, so the engine is hardly stressed at all.

Hopefully I can run it, tidy it up and sell it for a profit when I am done as the value of them seems to be rising.


I wouldn't recommend an older bike unless you know how to fix them though, but being a single cylinder 2 stroke they are mechanically pretty simple and easy to work on.
____________________
Four strokes is two strokes too many.

[tahrey]

Hmmm ... my own 125/4 (one of the aforementioned raggy CGs)

Will cruise in the mid 60s mph quite happily, especially with the L-plates off.

Has a 20 sec 0-60, which sounds atrocious but is mostly taken up by the speeds closer to 60 as drag starts to be a serious factor. It squirts off the line a little quicker than yer typical 1-litre car, just about. And very few drivers give their vehicles any kind of beans off the line, so I win 99% of traffic light derbies that don't involve a bigger bike or someone showing off in a sports car or chavmobile; this is going through the heart of Birmingham, so unless you live somewhere that daily traffic literally resembles the start of Le Mans, you'll see the same result.

Gets 100+ mpg without much issue.

Reputation for bombproofness, which my own hasn't entirely lived up to (still trying to trace the source of the awful racket from the engine...), but generally seems warranted.

Has an almost diesel-like torque band; it's faster at high revs, but there isn't a particular power/torque "shelf" that you fall off until down around 3-4000rpm, and even then that's only because of the exceptionally primitive carburettor, valve timing and ignition systems (you have to start easing off the throttle to stop it stalling entirely because the carb can't automatically cope with the reducing air velocity with the flap wide open, or alter the ignition advance to suit). You can approach a hill flat out at 65~70, and, if so desired, not have to actually change down a gear until about 30 because there's still some kind of pull left in the engine. Makes city riding a much less technical affair and leaves you more brain power to deal with all the other problems congested roads throw up.

Much cleaner emissions, if that's a factor. As well as lower oil consumption.

Somewhat more complicated servicing, however, when you do have to start pulling it apart.

...

Vs a learner-class 125/2, which will have, at best (if it's legal), an extra 30% or so power vs mine (so could be good for 75ish mph if well tuned and geared appropriately), and at least as much torque but over a narrower band. It'll go a bit faster, especially when accelerating, but you have to be bang-on with your gearshifts, and it's overall "useful" road speed range may be more limited.

Smoky, thirsty of both fuel and oil, and leaves you bogged down if you fall off the power band. (It's not like it stalls below 7000rpm or whatever, but the power does fall off very rapidly, so it's advisable to be sharp with your gearchanging unless your intent is to cruise slowly)

Is however the more "fun" ride, and although it needs rebuilding more often, is apparently a lot easier to do the necessary work on.

...

Your choice I suppose?

[Ste]

2 stroke 125 or 4 stroke 125?

The answer is two stroke, anyone saying four stroke needs to gtfo.

NSR or RS? NSR!!

[Bomberman]

[map]

I hate two strokes. Too unreliable and flaky for me. Ok if you want something to play with but not for me. Nearest I get is my daughter's 2 stroke Vespa. It just goes, none of this trying to make it faster lark which is where imo all the 2 stroke issues start.

Again IMO buying a 2nd hand 2 stroke you'll never be sure what's been done. My son got one of the lets make it go faster peds at 16. Bad move, had been hacked around a lot. Cost me to get running right with the bits*. Then when sorted he wanted 125 (4 stroke)

I like the relatively boring four stroke options. They also just, on the whole, work.

That said, your money, your choice. As said above each have their own characteristics and fans.

Just my thoughts




* Honda SZX/X8R 50 now for sale if anyone's interested.
____________________
...and the whirlwind is in the thorn trees, it's hard for thee to kick against the pricks...
Gibbs, what did Duckie look like when he was younger?

[Irn-Bru]

Smoky sounds like a positive to me, mmm 2-stroke fumes
____________________
KTM 990 SMT & Suzuki DR-Z 400 SM

[symonh2000]

I love the smell of 2 strokes. It takes me back to the 1980's when I was a boy...
____________________
Four strokes is two strokes too many.

[Teflon-Mike]

[symonh2000]

Good Post Tef, I couldn't agree more.

Back in the 80's and early 1990's you couldn't give a 4 stroke away because everyone wanted 2 strokes. 4 strokes were not cool.

Another bonus of 2 strokes as riding school bikes is that when they fall over with the engine running the engine will come to no harm. Do it on a 4 stroke and the engine is likely to suffer oil starvation.

Not sure about the KH100 or the GP100, but the RXS100 is a brilliant little bike. Not too peaky, good on fuel and as reliable as they come.

Plus, only expensive modern 4 strokes like a YZF-R125 can keep up with it.
____________________
Four strokes is two strokes too many.