2 stroke 125 for short commute?

[2strokebloke]

Just a preface , I’m 17 and commute a total of 6 miles per day 4 days per week , I allready commute on a notoriously unreliable 2 stroke 50cc am6 engine supermoto and so I am aware of the quirks and pitfalls of riding or relying upon a 2 stroke in any capacity and I do not want a 4 stroke despite the increased reliability and ease of use

So I have been looking at a number of options , and the wealth of knowledge on this site will most likely sway my opinion , the bikes that I have been looking at are:
The husqvarna wre 125 , husqvarna wr125 , husqvarna tx 125 , husqvarna tc 125 , husqvarna sms 125 ,
The ktm 125 exc
The older Yamaha dt125 2t
The Aprilia rx125
The beta 125rr

I know there are a lot of husky’s but they’re sort of my dream brand . I am also aware that most all of these bikes will exceed the a1/cbt power limit but this does not worry me . My criteria is really which is the best out of this abundant bunch for my 24 mile weekly commute and the green lanes In the south east of England at the weekends . Also I don’t mind rebuilding top ends as I know firsthand that on a 2t in particular they are expendable parts but are any of these bikes 15 hour wonders , really I’d want 3500-5000 miles out of a top end which I’ve heard a husky or Aprilia will do no problem if properly card for . Also as I work My top end budget is really £5500 for the bike itself initial purchase and fuel consumption isn’t an issue to me either due to my low weekly mileage

Thank you


P.s I know I’m a lunatic/ masochist for wanting to commute a 2t dual sport/ supermoto

[Nobby the Bastard]

[2strokebloke]

@nobby the bastard ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahayayayayay wny cant more people have this sense of humour at 11:45 at night

[Teflon-Mike]

6 Miles each way?
On a moped?

Not only a masochist but a fool and his money!
I'd use a push-bike, save the tax, insurance and top-end rebuilds, probably go faster, and have more beer money in my pocket....

Two-Smoke 125... out-side a1/LL power limits.... err... yeah.... well, if you are prepared to take to the road, on a bike that you have no licence entitlement to ride, and no insurance to be riding (cos any cart you manage to blag will be by fraud, if you dont have licence entitlement, so add another crime to the rap-sheet).... Why be hung for a lamb as a sheep, really? May as well, go get a Hyabusa, or something, you dont have entitelment to ride, and ride that no licence, no insurance and not get done for insurance fraud into the bargain!

Otherwise..... if you insist on being a fool with your money and determined to mastermind some sort of criminal genius riding something outside licence entitlement, but still pretty pitifully slow by any-one's standards, and chuck into that mix the added cost of an older two-smoke Learner-Legal, likely ragged to death by umpety kiddie go kwik no-nuffink learners trying to beat the system convinced of thier criminal genius.... well? Fool and thier money.... be parted from it as quick as it takes you to learn!

Otherwise... re-ponder the four-stroke option.... most new bikes are 4T now thanks to emmission regs. They are normally perfectly learner-legal, and more than quick-enough for most....

I have a few of the things, and mine can clock a genuine GPS verified 70mph, as fast as any bike, of ANY capacity is legally allowed to go in this country, and its probably more fun to ride, trying to get the max out of it than it is my 750.

Green-Lanes? Hmmm... well, they are unsurfaced public roads with vehicular rights; anything you ride or drive down one is subject to the same licence/tax/insurance regs as on a metalled road.

Meanwhile, you do NOT need twenty-two-feet of table-top landing gear suspension to ride down what is legally a public road.... its not even 'off-roading'.... what you NEED is to join the TRF and to buy an Ordinance survey map, so you can find the tracks that have vehicular rights, status-check them to make sure that DO have vehicular rights and aren't subject to a TRO or anything, then you need to be able to read the map to go find them... often hidden behind a hedge, and utterly invisible on the ground.... and you need to be prepared to go fina a LOT of them, and ride a heck of a lot of tarmac between what tend to be VERY short 400 yard-ish long tracks; most of which wouldn't much challenge a Honda CG125.

If you have ideas of mega Charlie & Ewan like excursions, and high adrenaline burm bashing thrills... you are likely going to be very disapointed, or very quickly find your bike siezed and stick with an automotive ASBO before you need worry about new piston rings....

If you want that sort of real off-road action... then you will get far more from joining a club and having a crack at trials or moto-cross; where on any Sunday you will likely get far more, non-stop off-road action, and points mean prizes not fined to feck!

BUT.... I suspect that you dont really want the benefit of any wisdom we can offer, you just want us to join you in your fantasy legue shopping.... 'cos its nice, and safe and easy looking at bikes on the web.... and it doesn't really matter very much whether any one actually has one for sale, or if they do, whether its near enough for you to go look at, of if its actually worth buying, if you do get chance to look at actual metal, or if you actually have the money to buy it and insure it if you do.....

So..... your money, kid... choose how quickly you want to be parted from it.....

If you want advice on stepping up from a moped to a 125, if you want some gen about off-roading.... meh? Different set of questions.... go think about them.
____________________
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?'

[Easy-X]

Depends on hills. I only have to do 7 miles to get to work but there's a massive hill on the way.
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Husqvarna Vitpilen 401, Yamaha XSR700, Honda Rebel, Yamaha DT175, Suzuki SV650 (loan) Fazer 600, Keeway Superlight 125, 50cc turd scooter

[stirlinggaz]

Hi,
Can't comment on the huskies, which you seem to be a fan of but the Aprilia is certainly capable of such a short commute.
Great bike, a little tall but good on the road (with the right tyres) with plenty of power from rotax lump.
Don't see many for sale though & the ones that do pop up, command a premium.

Out of curiosity, why dirt bikes? (Like the rx/dt)
Why not the more road suited bikes like the tdr? (same engine, ypvs but road wheels)

cheers,
GAZ

[Sister Sledge]

Will you be whisking 2T oil and will you tell us how?
____________________
CCM 404 DS

[blurredman]

Two strokes aren't really un-reliable. At least until naive owners get them.
____________________
CBT: 12/06/10, Theory: 22/09/10, Module 1: 09/11/10, Module 2: 19/01/11
Past: 1991 Honda CG125BR-J, 1992 (1980) Honda XL125S, 1996 Kawasaki GPZ500S.
Current: 1973 MZ ES250/2 - 17k. , 1979 Suzuki TS185ER - 9k, 1981 Honda CX500B - 91k, 1987 MZ ETZ250 (295cc) - 38k, 1989 MZ ETZ251 - 49k

[2strokebloke]

@teflon mike , what I meant by I’m not bothered by power restrictions is that all of the bikes I listed have a power valve and so can easily be ajusted down with an exhaust restriction to the legal power limit although I’ve never heard of a copper pulling over a bike and checking the power because it’s not worth their time , take my current bike a Peugeot xp6 S sm . It makes 6bhp out of a minarelli am6 engine and weighs 91kg which Means it’s power to weight works out at 0.0299 or 65bhp/tonne and so is technically not legal for me to ride and I’ve had not a single problem . Though I understand this part of my initial post was poorly worded and not 6 miles each way , 6 miles round trip

Oh and your totally right , I don’t need a 2t crosser for green laneing , in fact I do all of the local lanes bar the biggest and steepest ones on my 50cc with supermoto tyres on , I want a 125 2t dirt bike because I like them and if that makes me a fool then I’ll be a happy fool anyday , though if you tell me some equally good 4t dirt bikes I can ride I’ll love your opinion on them

[Easy-X]

6 miles round trip? I'd go with Tef on that: get a push bike or ebike. Save the motorbike for fun at the weekends!

I used to walk further than that to school as a 5yo!
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Husqvarna Vitpilen 401, Yamaha XSR700, Honda Rebel, Yamaha DT175, Suzuki SV650 (loan) Fazer 600, Keeway Superlight 125, 50cc turd scooter

[2strokebloke]

Yep , used to do it on a push bike , its miserable with 2 huge hills even my moped struggles to get up and 3 major roundabouts in Leigh park (formerly the biggest estate in Europe) and so riding an easily stolen pushbike isn’t the best in traffic . Luckily the park is locked and under cctv and my bike has an oxford boss alarm lock on it as well as steering lock and a chain to a lamppost. So push bike is out of the question

[Teflon-Mike]

[Teflon-Mike]

[2strokebloke]

No need to be so condescending dude , I genuinely do intend to restrict whatever bike I purchase to a1 legal which is fully achievable and as for your whole green lane legality rant , search in google “green lane map 2019” and someone with your legal knowledge has been kind enough to put them in a google maps like format so I don’t get the tickets or shotguns pointed at me , and I know that bikes like this are perfectly capable of commuting + green laning and more because my dad on his dt125lc did 16,000 miles on trials , green lanes and road use back in the day without a single rebuild or even breakdown .m
And finally you got mugged off with your daughters bike insurance at that much money , last night got a quote for a husqvarna 125 wr £901 fully comp , though for clarification if it makes anyone feel better I would not get rid of my moped to buy this bike so I would have a backup

However if you have any intention of actually answering my question , out of the bikes in my op which would be the best for my specified use of 24 miles per week commute + some green laning at the weekend for fun ???

[Kentol750]

The bike you want is the best condition one of any that you like for the least money. Keep rest for parts etc and for insurance for next one after it gets nicked. Chain or not, cameras or not, they are eminently nickable. How many road legal huskies are out there?
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Some bikes.

[Pete.]

3 miles each way the biggest problem you're going to have is getting it up to temperature.

Honestly, literally ANY bike will do that commute.
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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

[2strokebloke]

@pete. @kentol 750 thank you for the helpful responses is getting the bike up to temperature that big a deal , like is it necessary or not , my current 2t I let idle for 5-10 mins before I ever ride it as it apparently increases their lifespan a lot , and @kentol 750 there are a surprising number of road legal huskies , pretty much every dirt bike they sell has an road legal variant even on their ‘tc and tx’ motocross bikes , though they are all pretty much identical except from indicators and lights , don’t think they all even come with stands and steering locks .

[Teflon-Mike]

Hmmm... status checked green-lanes on the web! Wow! Who ever would have thunked.... oh! Yeah! That's why Trailwise and the way-finder project have been going for the last decade or more... and backed by some assurance that the trails published ARE actually status checked... but hey-ho.... I bow to your acquired 2nd hand Daddy Says So wisom.

Would seem that my forty odd years of 1st hand wisdom is wasted here.... its obviously just toooooo condescending

The question remains, toy or transport, and what compromise you are prepared to make of the camel, and how quick you want to be parted from your money. Meanwhile... matters not what bike we think might be ideal for any aspiration you may have, if there aren't none for sale, or none worth buying, or you cant get to them before some-other chap with money burning a hole in thier pocket.

DT? great bike... thirty years ago.... shame that by now any of them will have been subjected to at least a decade or more of teen-age twits and daft ideas about de-restriction, or probably as bad, middle aged duffers like me trying to re-live teen dreams doing much the same, with a bigger budget....

But, still your call, still your money you wish to be parted from, and you can only buy a real bike in the real world..... if its for sale.

£900 for a years insurance? As said, sounds about right for a 17 year old. Not sure how that implies quotes trying to mugger me, sort of supports the idea; especially if you forgot to check the + commuting check box on the proposal, but still..... its still your money, and some just HAVE to learn the hard way.... good luck with that.

Just out of interest, £900 for an insurance policy? How much is a bus-pass?
____________________
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?'

[2strokebloke]

@teflon mike , look man , I’ve explained that I’ll be keeping my moped as well as a new bike so if you want , call it a toy and sunny day commute once or twice a month , but so far you’ve just called me a foolish child and condescended down to me , and as for ‘daddy knowledge’ yes I value his input more than some random guy online and i know he actually has experience, now as I’ve said multiple times , I would like to know the best 2t dirt bike for my use

[Teflon-Mike]

IT DOESN'T MATTER!
They dont make two-smokes any more cos of euro emmission borrocks, so you are looking at second hand, and there, matters even less, cos its not what you would like, picked from the sales brochures or buyers guides, its what is actually on sale, in the street, and what the reviewers said about it when new, makes chuff all odds after however many learner owners have had thier way with it and thrashed it, crashed it and trashed it before you get a chance to look at it.
Meanwhile.... you want toy?
Answer is go buy a toy, and if you want off-road play, best VFM you will likely find will be an old comper, probably a trials bike, like a Yamaha TY175, or a Sherco 200 or similar, that you cant legally ride on the road or on L-Plates, but every penny you chuck at it will be for non stop off-road thrills, for the cash.
You want get to school transport.... thrills dont come as part of the package.... though Lorain on the back-seat of the school-bus did in my day.... so a bus-pass, especially if doled out for free is likely both the best value for money transport and fun, 'bike' you can get your hands on.... or maybe that was just Lorain.... [shrug]
If you want to try mix and match the two and piggy back one off the other, you are into a world of compromise, and STILL what you can actually get your mitts on in the street (or back seat of the school bus!) is what REALLY matters, not what we, or the buyers guides or any-one else might suggest!
So... think long and hard! Get some handle on how much toy you want compared to how much transport you need; prioritise the budget you might have available for either, and go shopping, in the real world where real bikes exist!!!
Yamaha YBR 125 is STILL the bench-mark for all in VFM, as an A1 learner-legalo road-bike, and could still handle most green-lanes... geez, there's a chap on her put up U-Tube link of him green-laning a Gixxer though FFS! You dont need a dirt bike to ride what are public ROADS!
So if you absolutely MUST have a road bike for your barely more than walk-able commute, pretty much ANYTHING will 'do' for your needs!
What compromises around that YOU might preffer to make, and how much extra money you might be prepared to waste to fullfil your adolescent aspirations, are utterly up to you!
The advice remains... think long and hard how much you are trying to kid yourself and any-one else that you 'must' have a two-stroke 125 dirt bike to get to and from school, and do a BIT of self honesty how much you really 'want' a dirt busting toy to go play with, and don't really need for anything but that. THEN ask yourself hgow much it is really worth, and if its just a toy, just how much 'fun' it is likely to actually deliver for the dosh, compared to, well trials, moto-cross, enduro or Loraine on the back-seat of the school-bus! Oit of that I would probably rate Lorain top of diry bike fun, no motor involved!
But your call.... with a lot of hobsons of what's actually on offer, when there's only around 100,ooo motorcycles sold each year, half of them are over 125cc big-bikes, 2/3 of the rest are scooters and mopeds, and the biggest sellers of actual 125cc motorbikes are chinky made commuters.... that doesn't leave many Aprilia's KTM's or Yamahas, and even less with knobly tyres to choose from, and STILL, of what is on offer, what the buyer's guides means little after a year or two of abuse by typical L-Plate owner!
STOP looking at the buyer's guides!
Get your ducks in a row, and go see what is actually out there, for sale, you could actually ride on the road, or dirt, and decide if it is worth punting money on!
You are asking us for advice on a choie you only 'think' you actually have, in theory! Life aint theory, go see some of it for real, in the real world.
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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?'

[stevo as b4]

I'm fucking 40! And still daft as a brush and half want a stupid silly kids bike (125cc).

There's some nice supermoto bikes still available from £4500-7000 in this capacity bracket that I'd be happy with, but then I'd be just as happy with any new Motard up to say 450-500cc and the high end bikes pricing is not very capacity dependant.

The Rieju pro SM bikes look good and trick, and so do the SWM, Husqvarna and other European bikes like the KTM Exc with the factory SM kit fitted.

I'd not want a 125cc bike that's under 15bhp, but from there up there's still a few nice bikes available.

If you buy a two stroke bike instead of a four stroke, please don't fall for the trap of people saying "Brand X does 5000miles between engine re-builds, but brand Y needs constant maintenance." This is largely bollocks, and even so with any two stroke performance bike, engine life/service intervals are really missing the point anyway!

[Nobby the Bastard]

I'm 48 and I still want another Rg gamma 125.

I'm not stupid enough to try and commute on it (if I ever find one within my cost envelope), thats what the litre bike is for.
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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

[thx1138]

2 strokes are cool

2 stroke dirt bikes are very cool they are also chav/theft magnets, and most the best ones are not learner legal

[2strokebloke]

You were right , after looking further into my options for the 2t road legal 125 dirt bikes that I’m after the beta’s are largely shit and are less reliable than well made , the ktm’s and husqvarnas are under the same company bracket but are by no means equal , the husky is the right choice for me as it’s the most reliable out of these bikes . The Aprilia rx125 are supposedly great bikes though the 2019 models that I’m looking at are straight out of the ugly pit and are thusly out of the question . One of my freinds has a chinky bike , a sinnis 2t and it’s the biggest piece of shit I’ve ever seen . I’ve also seen the Yamaha wr125x 4t but there just not the same as a 2t but are by no means out of the question. At the weekend I’m going to look at some of the husqvarnas and the yamahas in person as well as an Aprilia if there’s time and I’ll post an update as your right , the internet doesnt give some bikes justice and you can’t test ride a picture .

Thank you all for your input as it has all been helpfull in basing my ideas in reality rather than in marketing wank and ancient forum posts from fanboys/haters I’d love to hear more of your wisdom on the subject

P.s on the subject of reiju , I’ve ridden (and helped fix) a reiju at college albeit the 50cc variants and from my experience I can say that this 2018 bike with 3000miles on it , ridden by a timid girl who to my mind has never really rung the bike out , was a Rickty poorly assembled piece of shit and I’ve heard nothing but bad from them from everyone who has owned one or knows someone who has , Spanish asembaly with communist build quality . Wouldn’t give one the garage space, let alone trust my life to it

[thx1138]

Old KMX125? If u can find one not trashed, or missed to not be legal.