New (old-ish) biker...

[-Baz-]

Hey all,

Long story short - Taking early retirement in October (I'll be 59 in September). I'm currently car-less having gifted mine to son No 1 (another long story). So, needing some transport, I'm more than keen to get back into biking (I say 'back' - my last bike was a Honda CD175 back in the day) and have my eye on a YBR 125 Custom - will buy new if no low mileage SH ones are available. I think the attraction is that it's not 'just' any old bike and I love the look of it.

CBT is booked for middle of September. The plan is to keep the YBR for a year or more - TBH at this stage I'm sure I'll love the bike and can't see why I'd want to risk life and limb on anything bigger in the future...but who knows?

Anyhoo, I'd much appreciate any advice and costructive comments - especially about the bike. I've read that modern Japanese bikes aren't built to the same quality level as my trusty Honda of old which never let me down despite the neglect... Are they made of cheese these days?

Many thanks!

[c_dug]

YBR's seem to hold up a bit better than the recent flock of Honda rust buckets, or at least it is less a case of luck of the draw as it is with the CBF125.

A good a choice as any I'd say.

Good luck with the CBT, my guess is if you enjoy it you'll be looking to up-size before the end of next summer!
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I am a bellend, I am a man of constant sorrow, I am a gummy bear, I am a rock.

[MC]

Within a few months you'll want a big(ger) bike, and they're actually safer in terms of having the power to get yourself out of trouble, better brakes etc.

I'd avoid buying new for this reason, new is pretty much the only way to lose money on a 125, assuming you buy at the right price and look after it.

Good luck on your CBT and have fun
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Yamaha MT-03 '08 (crashed)
Honda XR-125L '04

[Pigeon]

You might have to pay attention to cleaning a bit more, otherwise UK winter might take it's tole.

You should be able to find low mileage second hand 125's because often they are not kept for long.
I kept mine for 3 years, so it's up to you

Good luck + enjoy!

[Rogerborg]

The YBR 125 is now made in China by Jianshe (or Yamaha-Jianshe if you're being fancy).

That doesn't mean that they're bad bikes, just that the quality control isn't as consistent as you might hope for the price. In particular, the chrome on the forks and the finish on the bars is prone to corroding.

Still, you'll probably get a good 'un, and it should be easy enough to sell on, but they're not cheap to buy and you will take a bath.

And the thing is, nothing looks that good with L plates on it. You can do your A1 tests on your own 125 to get rid of those, but that won't get you on a bigger bike.

The A licensing regime is a bit of a fuss, but once you're through it, there are so many more bikes to chose from.

Just for example, just off the top of my head...

https://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTA2OVgxNjAw/z/68cAAOSwnDZT5Oqv/$_57.JPG

2010 Enfield Bullet Classic. 1800 miles, can be had for £150 more (asking price) than a new YBR Custom. It will hardly depreciate, has much the same running costs (90mpg+), about the same top speed, but bags more character and low down oomph.

I'm not saying get an Enfield (Enfield Enfield), just that there are so many interesting bikes out there that sticking to 125s is unnecessarily limiting yourself.
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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

[angryjonny]

My wife had a YBR (not a custom though) and she loved it. Apart from a badly retrofitted alarm that emptied the battery it didn't miss a beat. I used to like riding it - it felt like a BMX with an engine. But I wouldn't want it as my only bike.

Let's assume that at 59 you have some disposable income and almost 6 decades of accumulated common sense. Then do your DAS and get something with more than a sewing machine motor in it. Bigger bikes are easier to ride and safer (better brakes, better suspension, more road presence and enough poke to accelerate out of a problem if you need to). Then you can stick the missus on the back and have some nice days out too.

</2 cents>

[wr6133]

You've ridden a bike in the past so the only reason for a 125 nowdays (seeing if you can ride a bike and not potato yourself) is done.

Do DAS open up all possible choices if you still want a 125 after that then go nuts but at least after a week when it bores you then you can buy an Enfield/Fireblade/Mobility scooter

[iooi]

Do we take it that the reason you are doing the CBT is that you never passed your test back in "The day"
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Just because my bike was A DIVVY, does not mean i am......

[Rogerborg]

[stevo as b4]

Personally I have no idea of the specifics of current licensing laws and all the hoops you need to jump through to get onto an XYZ bike?

But going straight from zero to doing DAS (I assume it's still done on a bike of 47bhp+) takes away a bit of the fun and magic that the first steps into biking on a small lightweight bike can give you. I therefore would not do it again, unless I say needed a licence for work and in a hurry, which again takes away all the fun of learning!

I also guarantee that a typicical 47bhp bike like the Honda CB500R will be nowhere near as much fun to ride as a light and interesting 125 like my KMX for example! I wouldn't swap the KMX for a CB500R put it that way!

Lastly good luck to you if your happy to be treated like an idiot, and jump through all these ridiculous hoops to get fully licensed up to ride whatever you like.

I assume that you cannot under current laws, pick a bike of any size, take an pass a test on it and that's you sorted? It seems ridiculous as well to me that a more sensible mature biker cannot buy any bike, to train on and pass a test.

1, I think if you buy the YBR125 (looks nice enough), then you should be able to take a test on that after a bit of riding experience wih CBT/training, and then be able to buy anything you like?

2, If you brought a new Fireblade, I also believe that you should be able to take lessons on that/do CBT and training and use it to pass your test on too?

But instead Europe has come up with a very retarded backwards stepped licensing system which the only benefit of is money making as far as I can see? Good luck with whatever you decide, but under current laws if they are as bad as I think (cannot be bothered to research them), id tell them to shove it up their arse and buy an off road bike only and another car instead!

[c_dug]

You assume sort of wrong. DAS is still an option, so the OP could technically ride to what he likes after that, though the test would be done on a bike meeting specific rules.
____________________
I am a bellend, I am a man of constant sorrow, I am a gummy bear, I am a rock.

[Rogerborg]

[stevo as b4]

More similar to the old DAS then?

Roger, that's all well and good, and 15years ago when doing my DAS, I did similar by soon buying smaller fun bikes instead of the 50bhp+ machines I had been instantly given the ticket to ride.

But why can a mature, sensible biker not do it the other way and do one CBT, one set of training/lessons, and one test on say a 125cc bike and then be given a free pass to ride whatever he/she wants?

That is my real problem with the system, in that it forces you into several categories to take specific tests on bracketed size machinery to get an ultimately restricted license that cannot be eventually opened up after a timeframe to allow access to any bike without another test? The 2year restricted license thing sort of worked, but this pass a test every time you want to change bikes is to me utter bollocks and I'd not entertain it or recommend it to a young person at all!

[-Baz-]

[MC]