Buying first bike! 125cc learner cruiser advice/help needed

[Cleo the cat]

Hello all, sorry for the long post

I have just started riding recently ( been driving a car for about 3 years), completed a 2 hour intro lesson for noobs and the cbt so far and a couple hours lessons and have been having a little look at some 125cc's maybe for my first bike.

I like really like the cruisers / triumph bobber types and aiming for something bigger down the line but for the time being I was considering getting a used little 125cc to run about on for a bit.

I might not use it for a great deal of time but if i can find a cheapish one in decent condition might be worth it. Also it will give me the chance to see what cruisers are like to ride, If I end up hating them (don't think i will ) i haven't spent a lot and can trade it back in.

I haven't been able to find any 125cc cruisers locally to so have been looking at autotrader website and found a couple that look in decent condition, been trying to find some reviews about the honda shadow 125 and the suzuki intruder 125

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201812133231210?advertising-location=at_bikes&seller-type=trade&price-to=3500&body-type=Custom%20Cruiser&postcode=ky26lf&sort=price-asc&cc-to=125&radius=1500&page=2

or these

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201811302891169?make=SUZUKI&seller-type=trade&price-to=3500&body-type=Custom%20Cruiser&advertising-location=at_bikes&sort=year-desc&cc-to=125&radius=1500&postcode=ky26lf&page=1

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201812113184198?advertising-location=at_bikes&make=HONDA&radius=1500&model=VT125%20SHADOW&seller-type=trade&price-to=3500&sort=price-asc&postcode=ky26lf&cc-to=125&page=1

What do you guys think of the condition/ price of these ones? I don't really know anyone that's knowledgeable about bikes to chat to.

The blue one seems to need a little TLC (which i could tinker about with perhaps - give it a repaint later) although its had alot of new stuff done to it as its been sitting in a garage for 7 years i think its also lower millage compared to the others and cheaper

I'm about 15-20 minutes journey from work with no motorways so was thinking of using it to commute to work / run about town on and get some experience on a bike.

I did consider buying a new bike after i passed for about 5 minutes but was quickly talked out of it by some people

I signed up for an a couple beginner evening classes after the new year. One is basic motorbike maintenance (which leads on to an advanced course I'll do afterwards ) and the other is paint and refinishing class. I would like to get to a reasonable ability to fix basic problems/ paint work myself so i don't have to take it to the garage every time there's a minor issue. Also if i buy an older bike later on at some point I can maybe restore it.

Didnt expect to write this much But if anyone has any experience on one of these or similar bike any advice would be great.

[linuxyeti]

Why consider old, 2nd hand machines? Pleas don't fall into the outdated and outmoded idea that all chinese bikes are crap..

You should look at the Keeyway Superlight range, constantly being updated, and have been availble for sale here in the UK for over 10 years, or even the new K-Lite 125, or, alternatively, the Lexmoto Michigan, Sinnis Hoodlum, or one of the UM range of bikes..

But, if you're determined to go for 2nd hand only, what's wrong with an Eliminator? Or, even a Hyosung GV125 ..
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[M.C]

[linuxyeti]

[M.C]

[Cleo the cat]

Cheers for the replies,

Had a little look at those bikes think I've seen a couple before while browsing auto-trader - the hyosung aquila/GV 125 cc looks pretty decent, the eliminator was another i was considering.

There's a lot of brands I'm not sure about being new so wasn't sure how good they where.

Trying to find good reviews for bikes can be a nightmare.

Still reading up about engines abit too so not 100% on those yet. I noticed some of the 125 cc bikes come with a single engine and some a v twin wasn't sure if the v twin engines are a little better than single ones? Both being 125 cc probably doesn't make a major difference though eh?

New stuff is great, but "retro" is all the rage I was thinking if i get a used bike and accidentally tip it over or have a skid or some other mishap it won't be to heart breaking if there;s any damage then later on buy a new one once I have some experience under my belt.

Getting tempted by the blue suzuki intruder below for £1,500 - would prefer black up cant have it all

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201812133231210?advertising-location=at_bikes&seller-type=trade&price-to=3500&body-type=Custom%20Cruiser&postcode=ky26lf&sort=price-asc&cc-to=125&radius=1500&page=2

spotted an hyosung aquila for similar price with 3000 miles too

[Teflon-Mike]

Lets just start by saying that I'm going to rubbish your plan from top to bottom, and suggest it possibly aught be re-thunked more than a bit.

Next, I say it time over time, but when it comes to starting biking, THE bike is the last thing on the list you need consider, NOT the first.

The bikes linked to you have asked advice on then... are probably rather immaterial to the matter.

1) you want a cruiser.... and NO 125 is... cruisery 'style' perhaps, but they just DONT cruise..... Whole point of a cruiser, is that it 'cruises'; its laid-back, easy-riding, around a BIG engine, with bags of low-down grunt, so it doesn't need to be revved very hard and doesn't need many gear changes.. or hard work along the way.

Its pretty much the opposite of what a 125cc is.... 125's are small, they dont have low down grunt, they need to be reved to get anything out of them, and the gearbox worked hard to put them revs to work. They is most definitely NOT easy-riding.

2/ Notion that you will get one so you can find whether you 'like' cruisers is sort of like buying a Banana milkshake to find out whether you like Rasberry ripple ice-cream... its just NOT in there!!!!

3/ 125 Cruisers DO NOT make particularly wonderful Learner bikes... and the here and now is THAT is what you want/need. A Learner bike. Something to go learn a thing or two on.

The regulation 125 Learner/Commuter, like a Yamaha YBR125, is pretty close to 'ideal. it is compromised little, for any ideas of style or performance, it's built to do a job; getting places as easy and cheap as possible., and it can do that remarkably well.

The upright riding position is neutral. It offers a good all-round viability, and with your weight pretty much vertical on the bike, your bum almost directly over your feet, its remarkably one size fits all, too, whilst offering good balance and control.

If you had a sports bike, that neutral riding position tends to be compromised, scrunching the rider up, into an arse up, head down feet under your arm-pits stance. Immediately, that ergonomic scrunches larger riders up, and limits their viability, to the extent that on some, shoulder checks are useless or impossible, and I've known some struggle doing rear observations under their arm-pit, instead!

If you have a cruiser or cruiserette, again, that neutral riding position tends to be compromised, the other way, reclining as if in an arm-chair, feet forwards. All-round visibility may not be 'so' impaired, but balance and control is, and often a lot.

My O/H, Snowie had an AJS DD125 'Raptor' when I met her. It was almost a bolt for bolt copy of the old Honda CM125 Rebel, and based on the parallel twin engine of the Benley, and actually not completely cruiserified.

She's 5'5" about 'average' for a woman, not particularly short, but as a woman, she had been conned that the low seat of a cruiser would suit her better, and when she threw a leg over and found she could flat-foot both sides, so believed the suggestion....

I am 6'2"... a little tall for a chap. and when I swing my leg over the thing.... I shinned myself on the ruddy sissy bar! Oh-Kay... flat footing either side, was actually easier if I stood up... A-N-D I could actually support the weight more easily between my knees that way than trying to do it sat down! BUT at least I didn't struggle to get my feet on the forward set foot-pegs infront of the engine, or work the gear-lever and brake pedal.... Snowie did!

Steering... similar story. With my neanderthal arms, the ape hanger handle bars sort of worked.. but our Snowie? To keep both hands on the grips when she turned meant leaning the wrong way to go round the corner! And with raked out forks and a longer than needed wheel base for that cruisery style... took much more steering lock and lean to get the same turning circle.

That geometry, notionally used to give the bike 'stability' perversely had the oposite effect when Snowie tried to actually ride the thing, and the low seat height, REALLY was pretty irrelevant on the road, where how far bum be from floor makes no odds, how far bum be from foot-pegs does.

It is is one case, but just one of many I have witnessed on CBT's with students trying desperately to get cruiser style bikes through the cones and do basic manouvers that the actual bike hampers, not helps.

Now.... cruisers tend to get knocked a lot, especially on here, where sports bike still seem to get all the acclaim. BUT an awful lot of it is valid.

I had a heck of a lot of fun on Snowies cruiserette, BUT, first up I'm no learner, and I'm a bit odd! So trying to get the best out of its quirks and peculiarities WAS in a daft way quite satisfying for me.... A-N-D I was NOT trying to learn to ride, or build confidence, or practice, let alone pass bike tests on the thing.

For Snowie, who at the time was on L's, trying to get her confidence up, the thing helped not a jot, and when it came to a repeat CBT, and subsequently the full-licence tests, we got her another bike... a more conservative, conventional commuter, in the form of the CB125 she built. (see blog linked in profile)

After tests, after doing the learning.... THEN its another matter, and with that lot out the way, you can afford to compromise the function some for the style and or performance if you wish.... whilst learning.... no.

Back to top, and you plan and ideas....

You say you are a car driver... which to some degree is a double-edged sword. What you know about the roads and using the clutch and stuff in a car might be a bit helpful, but the habits you likely have and what you 'think' you know, from a car-drivers point of view, can actually be a bit of a hindrance. It CAN actually be easier to teach some-one who's never even ridden a push-bike before to ride a motorbike, than re-teach some-one with car-driver ideas.. so unlearn as Yoda said, you might.

But, you suggest pootling and not necessarily using bike every day, and a 125 as a sort of toe in the water exercise.

First up... a bikes a bike, and just cos a 125 be little, doesn't mean that the SMIDSY car driver that's likely to knock you off, will, by some dint of illogic actually see you, and more, think, "Dow, dat cutsely lidduw one! Nah... I'll wiat for a BIG bike to come along and kill them instead"

You get out on the road on ANY bike, the hazards and risks are there, and the size of hole in the engine where fire happens doesn't make them any smaller or any fewer. Small bikes can be just as dangerous as big ones, and in some ways the shifts in the way they work CAN actually mean you face MORE dangers, in some ways.

Little bikes tend to be small, light and have less road presence. On L-Plates, you also have the red-rag to a bull-ie driver who for some reason sees that L-Plate and looses all patience and reason and suddenly HAS to ride 2" of your arse and try to get past at every opportunity... which can be a tad intimidating and not do a lot to help build confidence.

Next up... more on the idea of heading onto the road on L-Plates..... CBT is compulsory basic T for TRAINING, its not a test.

Maintaining the L-Plate provisions for motorcyclists was actually in contravention of the licence and test rules imposed by the EU back in 2013, and it IS one of the dafter things for us to have rejected! All other motorised road-users HAVE to have passed the full suite of tests to get a full licence before they are allowed out on the roads, on their own unsupervised. Yet, bikes, which statistically are more likely to have an accident, and the riders more severely hurt when they do... dont?!?!? Just 8hours or so of riding around cones on a car-park to teach them how to find the clutch biting point and use the gears, and a couple of hours round the houses on quiet streets to get a feel for it... and off you go.... It IS Basic Training, and very very basic at that.

And its a bit of legacy loop hole. Reason we have unsupervised L-Plating is down to the olden days, before practical radio supervision, when chucking folk in the deep end was pretty much the only way to do it. On roads with barely 1/3 the traffic, travelling half the average miles a year, at speeds typically 2/3 what they are now..... Ie there were a damn site less hazards on the road, before you began. These days, with practical radio supervision having been piloted when I was a learner, over thirty years ago, and adopted such that its been part of the DAS rules for the last twenty years, there really is very very little good reason to maintain the unsupervised L-Plate rules, I think, and they SHOULD have been dropped when they changed the learner regs back in 2013.... but still.

However... 125 L-Plating is the school of hard knocks. And on a bike them knocks tend to come pretty hard, believe me.

A 125 does NOT do anything to 'teach' you to ride... its an inanimate chunk of metal.. goinng it alone, you make it up as you go along... that works, that seems to work, CRUNCH... oh dear, that didn't! I wonder what went wrong!? And you have to work it out, and try NOT to do it again!

It is NOT necessarily the best way to learn, and its certainly not the most comfortable, or often all that cheap.... Broken brake and clutch levers, bent handlebars and scuffed chrome aren't cheap to fix.....

WHICH all begs a query.... YOU want a CRUISER.

125's don't cruise.... big bikes might.

You have to do lessons and tests to ride a big bike.....

Lessons and tests, though ARE actually a pretty good idea.....

You don't have to make it up as you go along... or fall off and get hurt to find out what you are doing wrong.... you get an instructor to TELL you, what to do, RIGHT, and right at the start, BEFORE you have a chance to fall off.

Do the lessons, get a bit of know how, AND a bit of confidence for it.... AND with a little luck you SHOULD get a licence out of it along the way, which COULD let you go get a real Cruiser, if that's what you really want, that with a bigger engine could actually cruise.

EVEN MORE.... price of 125's is a bit daft.

The ones you have linked ads for? £1700 for a fifteen year old 125?!?!?!? You could, sacrificing some of the style, buy a brand new one for that!!!!

Now.... 125's live hard. They are bikes folk buy because they dont want to spend big money on something bigger, or they dont want to do the lessons to get a licence for. They are usually learners, who know little about bikes, either riding them or looking after them, or they are miser mile commuters, who dont want to spend a penny they can get away with on them.

Either way, the bikes suffer. Often cranking up big mileages, with little and dire maintenance along the way, and a lot of learner numptiness, if not crashing them, at least wearing stuff out hammering the clutches and brakes being a bit clumsy with them.

And they aren't the most durable to start with. They are built down to a price and grade, because for some reason, even though it costs the maker pretty much the same to make all the bits and bolt them together, irrespective of how big the hole in the engine where fire happens, people have some sort of preconception that the price tag should be sort of proportional to the displacement..... A-N-D 125s with limited displacement, have limited performance, and to make the most of what power these engines may make, the whole bike needs to carry as little extra weight as it can get away with, which tends to mean not making it as heavy, strong and robust as it could be, or using lighter, more expensive materials....

Either way, the result is that a 125 motorcycle, like the bench-mark Yamaha YBR is made to last aprox 7-10 years, and 25-50,ooo miles..... after that, its a scrap-heap refugee.....

Ones you have listed in the adds are all erring towards being tag end of that anticipated service life.... or beyond.... if used, and likely abused, they are probably a shed and or money-pit in waiting. If not used... then they have sat rusting and seizing up for large chunks of their life and in all likelihood will have as many or more problems with them, and no grantee that they have any more useful life in them......

And the prices, JUST cos they has lots of chrome and a fancy name, and look a bit like a harley.... COULD buy you a brand new Lexmoto, or a good, 3 year old Yamaha YBR with a fresh MOT on it.... that you could have a lot more confidence, would work, a lot better, for a lot longer.... all for the sake of some 'style' actually not all that helpful and probably a hindrance to you right now...

Now... go look at the bikes you REALLY would like... proper cruisers you need a full-licence for.

BECAUSE you need a licence to ride one, they dont command such a premium in the market-place. More they are bigger and sturdier to start with. A-N-D likely owners are usually NOT no-nuffink learners, or peny pinching miser milers. They usually have owners with a bit more of a clue about riding them, and looking after them, who dont trash them so-much... and they are bikes built to a better grade that could take quite a bit more thrashing to begin with.... AND they can be CHEAPER!!!! Its all win.....

So how much a DAS course round you? £1000?

For the same money, as you are looking at to buy a 125 cruiserette, NOT to learn to ride, NOT to get some idea of what a cruiser is like to ride... you could, go do a DAS course, get a full licence, and go buy something like a Yamaha 535 Virago... NOT have to display L-Plates, actually have the learning and the confidence you know a bit about what you are at, before you start AND save money....

Like I said, 'THE' bike is the last thing on the list you really need be bothered about....

The bikes in the adds? My opinion is Save your money. NONE of them are worth it. Even if they aren't 'so' bad mechanically and you are being sold a pup.

They AREN'T what you say you want; cruisers; they are cruiserettes. And unhelpful for very much if anything of what you say you want to achieve.

IF you really want to do it the 125 way... then, plenty of other 125's about, that are a lot younger, cheaper and not compromised for the chrome, that would help you learn to ride and cost a lot less in the hard knocks you are likely to suffer along the way....

I seriously recommend you re-think the entire plan here, from the top, and park the 125 idea for a while, and ponder whether that really is such a great idea, IF you aren't encumbered by age from riding anything larger.... on a full licence, with a bit of upfront training, that WILL give you the confidence you hope for, likely save you an awful lot of hurt in hard knocks along the way, possibly save you money to boot, A-N-D you get experience of a real cruiser riding an actual cruiser..... not sampling the banana milk shake with some erroneous idea that will tell you if you like the Raspberry ripple ice cream! cos we,, they are both pudding, aren't they? lol.
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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?'

[linuxyeti]

[M.C]

Who said I was an expert? I know the guys at work who had one of your Chinese marvels of engineering were stuck trying to fix them whilst I was riding home. Normally in this section we have to steer people towards used Japanese bikes, someone turns up already with the right idea and you try to steer them the other way

[linuxyeti]

[chris_hu_cheng]

As Teflon Mike pointed out somewhere in there, it will be a 'cruiser look' not a cruiser bike at 125cc. Throttle wide open in top gear on an A road to mostly keep up with traffic is not cruising.

Having said that what makes you enthusiastic and feel good is probably a good motivator. That bike will look and feel even better without L plates.

Unless money has to be optimised to the last penny over the next few years I wouldn't feel too pressured to make the 'perfect' decision. A load of money can be wasted in a mere wild weekend after a few dubious decisions so it is all a balancing game over everything else you do and no one on here can give you a rock-solid input on that.

My limited bike buying experience indicates it is hard to determine from an advert, already had a couple of surprises both good and bad when I actually went to look at and try a bike. If you can't get a knowable motorbike person to go with you, someone who knows a lot about cars in a similar vein would be good, they will have a few ideas of the right questions to ask etc.

[Nobby the Bastard]

Cruiser? Make sure that you remember to check that the arseless leather chaps fit snugly.
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trevor saxe-coburg-gotha:"Remember this simple rule - scooters are for men who like to feel the breeze on their huge, flapping cunt lips."
Sprint ST 1050

[Pjay]

[M.C]

[The Shaggy D.A.]

If you want a custom/cruiser style bike, go for it, just accept that the looks means a compromise on the handling and performance. I like being able to look back at the bike after parking and smile, I like the lines and engine shape to be pleasing, and that is purely subjective, so no-one can tell you what is best for you.

From a 125 point of view, I much preferred the looks and seating position of my YBR Custom, but the performance and handling of the standard one. That said, both were ridden flat out everywhere and there wasn't that much difference really - a few MPH on the top end, but that varied daily anyway, depending on the wind direction and whether I'd had a dump or not that morning.

As far as the Chinese/Japanese argument goes, the YBR is Chinese built, and there are many clones of it (Sinnis JC125, AJS JS125 are two that spring to mind) and it's down to the QC and subsequent treatment that makes a great difference. Personally, I would say go Chinese once you've got some miles under your belt and know how to take care of a bike.
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Chances are quite high you are not in my Monkeysphere, and I don't care about you. Don't take it personally.
Currently : Royal Enfield 350 Meteor
Previously : CB100N > CB250RS > XJ900F > GT550 > GPZ750R/1000RX > AJS M16 > R100RT > Bullet 500 > CB500 > LS650P > Bullet Electra X & YBR125 > Bullet 350 "Superstar" & YBR125 Custom > Royal Enfield Classic 500 Despatch Limited Edition (28 of 200) & CB Two-Fifty Nighthawk > ER5

[linuxyeti]

[M.C]

[linuxyeti]

[M.C]

[linuxyeti]

[Cleo the cat]

Ok, a lot of reading cheers for the info

I don't have anything against Chinese bikes, just don't know a lot of brands. I had a little look at the lexmoto 125 cc bikes they look fine. The michigan looks decent, doesn't look as low down seating position or feet forward / arms in the air as some cruisers. Hanway raw is another that looks ok and its not a cruiser!

I used to think my google skills where pretty good - but finding reviews for motorbikes is freaking hard.

I've just started doing riding training, done a couple hours so far and just about to start the DAS course ( I'm early 30's) after new year once i know what shifts im working with a new job, planning on doing 2-4 hours per week. The course I'm doing is 22 hours training so will take about 6 to 11 weeks roughly depending on how fast i can get through it. Think i paid about £450 for the course, prices are alot more if paying by the hour, seemed like a good price didnt check others tbh

Using the same place i did my car lessons a couple years ago, passed first time two minors i think the instructor I had was quite good. Bought quite a few lessons though if i remember 30-40 hours . I'm glad in some ways i waited till i was about 30 years old to learn to drive, think I'm more wise and sensible than i perhaps may have been at 18

I dont plan on riding about like a nutter I'm quite a sensible driver . I was in Amsterdam a couple years ago, although not motorbikes the cyclists are crazy over there - driving about in main road/ busy high street traffic combing their hair, and saw another guy reading a paper when cycling in traffic.

I have all the essential riding gear needed to get on with the training

Bought some nice arseless chaps with good airflow and lots of studded leather. Also got some nice nipple tassle things for the handle bars, might have to send them though if I'm going to rethink this 125 cc cruiser idea though.

Told the training place helmets are against my religion of the church of the YMCA and i can only wear a leather cap with chrome studs. I hope you realise your trying to crush the magnificent dream i have built up

https://ungenius.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/biker.jpg
simply too cool for words.

But really...I grabbed some gear leading up to the xmas sales online, so got all the clothes i need just need to swap helmet for a size smaller got a large but its a tiny bit too big so a mediums on its way.

I'm, not 100% set on a 125 cc........My line of thinking was I would be able to use it to go over anything in lessons I am struggling with etc in my own time and it would give me something to practice on and gain more confidence & experience. Plus if for some reason i decide riding isn't for me i haven't spent a great deal.

As far as money goes - I can see waiting and using £1,500 -£2,000 for a better bike after i pass my tests would be a good idea too. Theres some decent bikes not much more than what I would spend on a 125cc and there's some really nice New and used bikes only a year or two old with less than 1000 miles around the £6000-7000 range so it would help with that definitely If i was going to spend that much.

I know cruisers aren't everyone cupa tea, to me they are one of classics that pop in my head when thinking of motorbike's. I'm not so much into the great big touring things that look like a camper van on two wheels. I prefer the more the basic looking blacked out types like the harley forty eight special (but less chrome) or the street bob etc

I'm not 100% dead set on a cruiser not far off though , I'll be able to test a couple different types after i pass see how i get on and i have been looking at some nakeds and roadster/retro type bikes, do bobbers count as cruisers?

[linuxyeti]

Hi

Whichever way you choose to go, the main thing is, make it as fun as possible, if you haven't been riding before, i would definitely say go down the 125 route, ride the 125, for a few months at least, whilst trying not to pick up any bad habits Although, that's not necessarily for everyone, some others just go straight for DAS..

Either way, keep everything that should be lubed, lubed, keep on top of your chain maintenance, perhaps even look at something like a tutoro auto oiler, maintain your engine oil as a minimum keep to the prescribed oil change intervals, and all that that may entail, keep an eye on your tyres & tyre pressures, and, especially if riding in winter, make good use of ACF-50 Oh, and, of course, valve clearances..
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[struan80]

I agree with Tef, except;

Get a Honda Shadow VT 125, likely sell it for more than you bought it for. I had one and loved it. A decent bike if you're large/

I now ride it's big brother the 1100.

I've forgotten what the OP posted actually so I've said enough. Just get a cruiser never mind those pretentious sports bikes, new hash of has-been bikes or those boring 'street bikes'.

Cruisers are best.

[linuxyeti]

Happy new year, I agree, always feel I need a cruiser, that's why I have my ST7
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Beware what photos you upload, or link to on here, especially if you have family members on them

[GSTEEL32]