125cc yeh or nay??

[Bozzie08]

Ok so I've done my cbt and theory and in the process of taking
Lessons for a full bike licence.

I'm 31 and never ride till I done the cbt a few months ago, I've been driving for 10 years or so.

My instructed thinks i should book my mod 1 for 4 weeks away and she said my mod 2 should follow very soon after.

Before taking lessons I set money aside for a little 125 and have been looking. Is it worth me getting one or should I just sit tight and pray I pass mod 1 and mod 2 in the foreseeable future?

It's so hard sitting on the money when I know I can go out now and get a little 125 !!

Cheers guys.

[BakesBeans]

Hire 125 for a few summer days at the weekends, and you soon will be wanting more power. Then go for your mod 1...
____________________
Current: Kawasaki ZX636
Previous Bike: Honda CBR600F ABS, Yamaha XJ6 F Diversion ABS, Honda VFR400 NC30

[rhys1005]

DAS + 600cc =

[unluckyluke]

I would say just go DAS as by the time you've bought a 125, got some practise on it and then done your DAS you'll be looking to sell the 125 again in the depths of winter and might have a hard time shifting it again. Oh yeah and because riding everywhere ragging a tiny bike to the max gets boring real quick!

[SQL]

DAS = whatever size bike you want.

[TT_Man]

Go straight for DAS, bikes easier to ride- a more stable platform.
Personally think its a waste of time going 125 route, if you can afford and qualify for the full DAS route.

TT

[Andy_Pagin]

If you and your instructor are reasonably confident then do the tests. If you pass all well and good, if you fail then go for a JAPANESE 125 and live with it till next spring, pass the tests , sell if and most likely break even on the deal.
____________________
They're coming to take me away, ho-ho, hee-hee, ha-haaa, hey-hey,
the men in white coats are coming to take me away.
Yamaha Vity -> YBR125 -> FZS600 Fazer -> FZ1-S Fazer

[Pigeon]

You've been a car driver for 10 years, so rules of the road, hazards, what to do when etc mean you might well be fine to have some days training and not bother with having a 125.
That being said, hazards do seem more plentiful when on a bike. Learning to read them on something nimble, slow and cheap isn't such a bad thing.

Personally, I enjoyed my time on a 125 (except the slowness) and probably would not have been happy on a 600, think it would have freaked me out, too much to learn at once.

That's the thing though, everyones different

Buying a cheap 6 year old Jap bike and selling it 3 months later for the same money wouldn't be a bad idea IMHO.

[Bozzie08]

Yeah that was my thinking, I don't see me loosing to much money however I didn't factor in the weather and change of seasons.

At the minute 125's are selling however come the winter I may struggle and it prob would be nov time when I would be selling it on.

Riding a 600 from just doin my cbt has been a shock however hopefully I think I'm coming round to it. I'm not stupid tho and I know at any point one wrong move could signal the end!

I just feel that my slow control is what a need to practice and the wight of a 125 doesn't really compare to a bandit does it?

Thanks for all the replies guys helpful as ever

[Pigeon]

You're right, the 600 is at least 50% heavier than the 125, which you can't replicate unless you fill a rucksack with bricks.

But you can't practice on a 600 unless you hire one with an instructor, or have a good mate and some spare tarmac.

I had one day training on a 600 and completed the mod1 course adequately 29 times in a row from the off. No way would I have done that if it had not been for the time spent on a 125. The technique was learn't on a 125 and was transferable immediately for me. Balance, hand + foot co-ordination, muscle memory etc Plus because I was confident, I was relaxed, which makes it much easier.

The actual mod1 was a different thing, can't describe it as being relaxed

[Polarbear]

125s are horrible. Under powered and under you..

DAS and get a big bike They are so much easier to ride than a 125.
____________________
Triumph Trophy Launch Edition

[-Matt-]

[trevor saxe-coburg-gotha]

If you've no prior experience of bikes, it won't be too hard to enjoy a 125. Yes, it will feel bad at times - on A roads when you're the slowest vehicle on there. But the plus points outweigh that, in my view.
____________________
"Life is a sexually transmitted disease and the mortality rate is one hundred percent."

Mobylette Type 50 ---> Raleigh Grifter ---> Neval Minsk 125

[Rogerborg]

You won't lose much money on the bike (if you buy used and Japanese branded) but you might find that your underwriter won't switch the policy to a bigger bike, and any refund that you get on it will be risible. Heck, I cancelled an eBike policy after just over 6 months and am currently laughing at their invoice for £35 of cancellation fees.

125s are fun and teach you to do things the hard way, but if you're doing a DAS course soon anyway, I'm not really seeing much merit.
____________________
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

[rhys1005]

Nah just do your DAS asap and get a 'big bike'. No point fucking around on a 125 IMO, some people like them but i find mine slow and annoying.

You could get a 125 then just add a bigger bike to your insurance policy and have the 125 for the winter but i wouldn't bother buying one if it's for such a short time. Too much hassle.

[Bozzie08]

I'm a bit lost

People saying just do your direct access course.

I'm in the process of doing lessons now. Instructor says I should be ok for mod 1 in 4 weeks which is a lesson a week.

When people say direct access I take it to mean that 4-5 day intensive course were you take your tests at the end? Is this wrong?

[Teflon-Mike]

[Bozzie08]

Thanks for that, I'm changing my mind daily on whether to get one or not!

My issue with looking around is that for around 1k I'm struggling to get anything other that a Chinese brand like lexmoto or sinnis? I've hear sooooo much bad things about these that it makes me not want to get one.

The Japanese makes tend to be around 1.5k which is out my range.

Decisions decisions!

I do feel like it would help me greatly as I could commute to work daily on it. At the minute I've done cbt, theory and had 3 lessons on a 600 bandit which has been a huge jump up, well for me it has die to having no previous bike riding.

[trevor saxe-coburg-gotha]

[Bozzie08]

Oops! That should read due to having no previous experience!

Damn iphone!

[Moxey]

[TT_Man]

Bozzie,
there's only one thing to do- put it to a vote.
Create a poll vote within the New Bikers forum .

TT