kid wants bike

[StuntmanAd]

Hi, im 16 but when im 17/18 ill be wanting a bike. it has to be a 125 or smaller for a learner i think and i like the look and what i've heard about the honda varadero 125. it seems a bit pricey but all the other 125s youd have to screw the balls off just to keep up with motor way traffic, most ive found will only do 65ish. so i want a bike which i can pick up second hand for about 1000 to 1700 with less than 5000 miles on the clock, good run about with kool looks (tourers similar to the super fly and varadero) keep up with motor way traffic, not a 2 stroke!!!
can you guys give us some options?
thanx adam

[Davo]

Is there any particular reason you don't want a two stroke?

What style of bike are you looking for?

Don't forget you won't be allowed on the motorway until you pass your test.

[StuntmanAd]

i do alot of workin with boats and find 4 strokes nearly never break down. 4 strokes are quieter and need less maintanace. the only bikes i can find are racing bike look alikes, scramblers, weird fat rear tyre bikes (tw125). the only bike i found which i like is the varadero but is there anything else out there which is similar? id have a 125 for a year or two then move up to somthing bigger so it needs to tackle motor ways, not 100s of miles on the motor way maybe less than 10 miles a week by motor way.
sorry if im hard to understand its just im a complete newby

[Frost]

looks, reliability and speed is a tall order for any bike, but for something little its too tall an order, so you have to sacrifice something, you just need to decide which.

Personnally i went for speed and reliability with an aging CB125 (4 stroke twin so plenty of torque to pull higher gearing) after putting a smaller rear sprocket on it (37 rather than the standard 42) it would pull 70 till the cows came home with very low revs.

as a general rule if reliability is a concern, or you will be using the bike throughout the winter, steer away from 2 strokes..

All you need to do is find a 4 stroke with a tidy appearance, a strong engine then just get what you can out of it. if it will only do 60, then try changing the gearing, if that doesnt work then you will just had to ride it at 60 till you can get something bigger.

[KevTM]

Yup, and if you find you wouldn't mind going for a 2T then i have a bike for sale at the moment. Reliable, Fast and looks good too!

[StuntmanAd]

can you change the rear sprocket on nearly any bike? ill have about £2300 when i'm 18 but i don't want to spend it all on a bike. whats the honda super fly like?

[Frost]

you mean city fly?
basically a CG that looks like a dirt bike

yes sprockets can be changed on all bikes, however some cant oull higher ratios. i only changed mine as it would pull 20 in 5th NP then max out in top gear waaay before the engine power was insufficient, due to gearing which was too short. now its slightly too long but it make distance riding alot more bareable

[dandit]

shame you can't get more money then you could buy the mz sm125 I had one and they aint to bad. bullet proof engine sticky 17 inch tyres and its a supermoto so if you bin it you just pick it up and carry on
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WHAT DO YOU MEAN 100 MPH THATS IMPOSSIBLE I STILL HAD 3 GEARS TO GO OFFICER. Currently riding a naked cbr 600 and driving a 52 plate 2litre tdci mondeo

[StuntmanAd]

if you help me pay off some of it i'll get one
all i like at the moment is the varadero, what do you guys think of this bike?

[StuntmanAd]

oh yes i've also read a review which says the bike will pull from 15 in top gear and is under geared guess that would mean something to you guys in the know

[dandit]

get a loan I will lend you £2000 but interest will be £5000 is that ok
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WHAT DO YOU MEAN 100 MPH THATS IMPOSSIBLE I STILL HAD 3 GEARS TO GO OFFICER. Currently riding a naked cbr 600 and driving a 52 plate 2litre tdci mondeo

[StuntmanAd]

a varadero brand new is £2500!!! ill give it a miss i'm afraid

[dandit]

https://www.aamotorcycles.co.uk/Mz/Mz_Page.htm
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WHAT DO YOU MEAN 100 MPH THATS IMPOSSIBLE I STILL HAD 3 GEARS TO GO OFFICER. Currently riding a naked cbr 600 and driving a 52 plate 2litre tdci mondeo

[Jammy-G]

If i was in your position I would look for a good cheap NS125.

2 strokes are reliable, you just have to look after them. After you are on the road a few months with a small bike you always crave more spped. A bike like a NS or NSR will hold that feeling at bay for maybe a little longer until you get a bigger bike
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RooRoo: just like the time i stuck my finger up my arse with no lube at all and she didnt talk to me for hours

[8316]

i recommend you don't get a varedero, even a 2nd hand one. it is 45kg heavier than my gs125 (03 plate) and only makes 3bhp more. i don't see the point of wasting your money. how about a gs125? it does 70mph, 120mpg, and is dirt cheap for a second hand one! cg125 is good as well, just slower and duller. even if 2 strokes are faster and actually enjoyable, it doesn't beat the reliability of 4 strokes. you just ride them and that is that. no worries
go 4 stroke man, i recommend it.
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Now own a Fireblade!! Speed Limits? Bah!

[StuntmanAd]

I dont want speed, well just enough to keep up with motorway traffic. the varadero has the looks of a big bike and doesnt need to be going fast to look good like the nsr which looks wrong at anything below 50 . the honda city fly looks ok but the rest of the 125s i ain't to keen on.
also the varadero will do 75ish

[Laura]

To be honest you will have to do you're test to be able to go on motorways anyway, personally I would just get a bigger bike a 125 on the motorway is not appealing to me.
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Good girls ride motorcycles bad girls thrash them.

[StuntmanAd]

but i'm not made of money . for my second bike i want something 650ish in size (aprilia pegaso is one i like) i don't think I'd be able to afford a 125 then insure it and tax it do my test then sell it and get another and tax and insure that. I'd still be in collage so theres no real way i could get a well payed job to support all that.

[Laura]

Dont get a 125 then most 125 cruisers as far as I know about them dont do over 65 ish.
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Good girls ride motorcycles bad girls thrash them.

[StuntmanAd]

cruiser??? i want a tourer, the aprilia caponord is a nice tourer and that will do 130 odd mph and the varadero 125 is a good looking bike plus learner legal.

[Peat]

buy cheap 125
do test
sell cheap 125
buy cheap 500

easy... honestly, you will not want to remain on a 125 once you pass your test and you will deffo not want to be on the motorway on a 125, dual carriageways are bad enough!

the only additional cash will be to bump up your insurance for the 500 so save a few hundred quid from the cost of the bike for this.

you know it makes sense!

(I say this all cause I said I'd ride a 125 for a year or two and am now in the process of upgrading after 4 months cause it's too damn painful doing anything other than a 4 mile inner city commute on my 4 stroke 125)
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Peat
"Life is something that happens when you can't get to sleep."

[StuntmanAd]

So buy something like a hongdou then sell it after my test, i wont be needing insurance will i because the school of motoring would be paying that out of the money i pay them (i guess its the same as learning to drive in a car right?) and then whats a good cheap 500cc bike? as you can tell i like to know what i'm doing ahead of when i actually do it!

[Peat]

for example:

https://atsearch.autotrader.co.uk/WWW/BIKES_popup.asp?nU=0&make=SUZUKI&model=GS&ccappr=500&min_pr=75&postcode=N5%202NR&miles=40&max_records=50&modelexact=1&start=7&distance=10&adcategory=BIKE&channel=BIKES&id=200426149466324

GS500, good sound bike and there are loads of them around so tend to be reasonably priced...
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Peat
"Life is something that happens when you can't get to sleep."

[StuntmanAd]

nice, but... rather something tourer looker alike. i like bmw bikes. are they to expensive?

[ts50x0]

how about a naked nsr. you can put some wide comphy bars on. it is probably faster than most cars apart from slight lack of top speed on a newer car so will be ok on the motorway and they are not too unreliable, and 2 strokes are only loud and sound shit with racing exhuats on(little ped boy racers). 125 2 stokes sound awsome!!!!!!