biking on a budget (I mean a really tight budget!)

[trilby01]

New here so apologies if im being deluded. Due to my wife needing an automatic car wen she does her test next year ill be looking at having a bike again as running two cars will be impossible. Just going to do my cbt (then maybe my A2 later) get a 125 for a work commute (max of 15miles each way). My problem is budget. Iv seen endless posts about people with £800 saying they have a tight budget but this is because they want something ready to go, my budget is more the £200 mark but as iv been laid off and the wifes not doing her test till next year I do have the time to tinker with a bike that is missing parts. I do not want a wreck that is going to be a complete rebuild but am happy to replace parts and the finish on it isnt too much of a priority. Any advice would be gratefully received even if its to tell me im wasting my time considering it

[garth]

Good luck getting anything decent for £200.

[trilby01]

Ta just wanted to know the lay of the land, I realise im pushing my luck. Would I be better off getting something thats sound but with no engine and then finding an engine thats functional after

[garth]

[Ste]

Biking on that budget involves pedalling.

[trilby01]

Thanks might have to find a scooter then, had fizzy's before so would have liked something in that vein but a bit bigger, looks like ill have to wait on this then as dont want to be messing anout with Chinese rubbish. Thank for the input

[Pete.]

Location: Lowestoft

Interests: old british bikes, jazz and blues music


Living in Lowestoft I should think a Chinese import would actually be the easiest cheap bike to find

Then when it leaks oil and rusts apart you can sing the blues about how the good old British ones never did that.

Oh, hang on a minute.....
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a.k.a 'Geri'

132.9mph off and walked away. Gear is good, gear is good, gear is very very good

[Rogerborg]

[trilby01]

Got laid off but got something lined up in Yarmouth for wen I finish my ops and maintenance btec, lid and leathers r sorted from a mate of mine. Money for cbt is tucked aside. Dont mind putting the work in and getting parts here and there but £200 is all Im gonna manage in one hit is why I asked but from what u guys have said Ill give it a rest and make do till I can find a cg or cb for 500-700

[MC]

I've seen SR125's for less than 200. Anything else for that kinda money is normally a spares or repairs been sat for ages type thing. Personally I wouldn't touch a Chinese bike unless it was free, & even then it probably wouldn't be worth it.
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Yamaha MT-03 '08 (crashed)
Honda XR-125L '04

[trilby01]

Thanks MC most helpful post yet. Spares or repairs is fine as long as its not too drastic, got the time to get it goin just dont wanna be repairing the framework or rebuilding the entire engine and electrics. As it happens found a gn125 for £200 quid that needs new battery, head gasket and brakes. paintworks not mint but not to fussed that can be done later, the guy just hasnt the time to do it and has now moved to a 400. Grateful for all the advice off the guys on here and will see how it goes. The gn might be no good but moght as well take a look

[garth]

[ficedula]

Also worth asking, exactly how important is it that the bike is reliable?

I mean, sure, nobody wants a shitheap that's off the road every couple of weeks ... but if you were using the bike for commuting and it did break down, what exactly is the backup plan?

Public transport even though it takes longer?
Borrow the wife's car and hope she doesn't need it?
Get the wife to drive you in and pick you up at the end of day?
You're stuffed, every time it won't start it means taking a day off work and trying to sort it pronto?

...because if it's the last option, then anything that costs <£500 sounds like it's going to cause some grief.
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Bike history: YBR125 -> XJ600

[trilby01]

If it broke down id have to bus it in or borrow the car but i used to use a bike to go back and forth to Southwold every day for work so always left with time to get in if I couldnt use the bike. Also it would be the same.issue with using a car. im currently running a little daewoo matiz which cost me. £400 and a couple of trips to the breakers to get it running right and cause I keep on top of the maintenance iv not had a days trouble with it. Just a bike would be cheaper by far than a second car.

[trilby01]

If it broke down id have to bus it in or borrow the car but i used to use a bike to go back and forth to Southwold every day for work so always left with time to get in if I couldnt use the bike. Also it would be the same.issue with using a car. im currently running a little daewoo matiz which cost me. £400 and a couple of trips to the breakers to get it running right and cause I keep on top of the maintenance iv not had a days trouble with it. Just a bike would be cheaper by far than a second car.

[The Disapproving Brit]

Both my bikes cost £400 each. It's doable, but you'll be spending a lot of time looking after them, and they'll actually cost you the same as buying a more expensive bike - it just means you can ride around on a death trap for a few months until you can afford the various bits it'll need.

Basically, keep your eye on eBay. At £200 you're probably going to need a mate with a van to pick it up, and you're not going to be going anywhere until you've given it a good service and got it through an MOT.
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Current Bikes: 1983 Honda VF400FD / 2003 Honda VT750 Shadow
Bike Test Passed 18/03/09, Car Test Passed 14/05/13

[trilby01]

Thanks all youve been a great help, its good to no im only half mad doing it this way

[MC]

[Rogerborg]

[The Disapproving Brit]

Not really chinese, but my 1999 Kymco never gave me any real trouble. That said, it had one owner, low mileage and a full service history when I bought it. After a few years with me it wasn't even worth half of the £400 I paid for it.
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Current Bikes: 1983 Honda VF400FD / 2003 Honda VT750 Shadow
Bike Test Passed 18/03/09, Car Test Passed 14/05/13

[chris-red]

You want something like this.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Romany-Touring-Bike-Reynolds-531-tourer-commuter-racing-racer-/171131943161?pt=UK_Bikes_GL&hash=item27d84238f9

Seriously 15 miles is an easy enough ride for most, the first week will be hard but after that it'll be fine,



Any motorbike you spend £200 will be a money pit.
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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.

[WetAndCold]

You're probably thinking; 'fuck off'. But have a read of this:

https://www.bikeradar.com/fitness/article/five-reasons-to-cycle-to-work-29878/

You'll save a load of money and get fitter/healthier. With the money you save from not running a vehicle you'll be able to get your full licence and a decent bike after some saving up. Buying a 200 quid shit heap won't get you anywhere tbh mate.
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Honda CBR600f sport
Cage: 2008 Honda Civic type-R

[P.addy]

Hunt, I found a taxed, tested and perfectly above board KH125 for £180

[esullivan]

I used to commute 15 miles each way on a $200 (£120) bicycle when I lived in Boston (Massachusetts, not Lincolnshire), where the weather is a lot more extreme than it is here. I felt much better after a few weeks and the distance is easily doable. It took me only a little longer than driving because the traffic around Boston makes London look like the countryside. It's by far the cheapest way to go too.

That said, cycling is just about the only form of transport you could choose on public roads that is *more* dangerous than motorbiking (except maybe horse riding). The safest is taking the bus or train. There are always trade offs.
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Current: '14 VFR800X Test passed 31/10/12.
Previous: '12 NC700S, '11 CBF 125, '04 SH 125.

[thx1138]