Cheap reliable bike

[adam277]

Yea I know oxymoron.

I'm looking for a cheap motorbike to get me from A-B no motorways mainly 30mph - 50mph roads.

I was thinking of buying a brand new Lexmoto or Sinnis 125 as they are very cheap at about £1500 brand new.

I could be tempted to buy an older bike but last time I asked this question on here I ended up buying a 97' CB500 which was a complete POS.
(I'm not great at spotting lemons although despite many bits falling off it never did let me down)

So I don't think I could be convinced on getting anything other then a 125 this time. Maybe a CBR250 at a push but I'd be really concerned that the sporty look would mean it would just get stolen(I live near London)

I could also be tempted to buy a YBR or CG 125 also but I'd need convincing as to why buying a used 2008 YBR with 20k on the clock is better then buying a brand new Lexmoto for the same price.

Also don't Lexmoto and Sinnis have a 2 year warranty?

Any tips would be appreciated. When I joined this forum back in the day I got rightly convinced that anything Chinese is bad but they have seem to improved in quality a lot in recent years so it is why I am attracted to them now.

Also my budget is ridiculously tight as I am going back to college so the high MPG and low running costs is needed.
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Bikes: Previous Bikes: Piaggio x8 125: 2012/2013, YBR 125: 2013/2013 BMW R1150GS 2013/2017, Honda CBR600RR 2017/2017, Honda CB500 2018/2018, Suzuiki Address 110cc 2019/2020, BMW R1200GS 2021-2023
Current Bike: Honda CBF 125: current

[WD Forte]

One of my lads bought a brand new Lexmoto Arrow for about a grand as I recall
just getting to work an back sort of thing and it served him well for the two yeard he had it.
It was a plain and simple 125 with unspectacular performance and no stupid
'sexy looking' plastic shite.
It just worked.

I look after a 2010 YBR125 with 20K on the clocks for a guy and they're a better bike brand new
then say the Lex Arrow but I've had to change the engine, a clutch, plus chain&sprockets and wheel bearings
and quite a lot of other wee jobs for him in the last two years
so if buying second hand be very careful you dont buy a lemon.

I'd go for simple and reliable for a working bike
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bikers smell of wee

[Easy-X]

I had a Chinese 125 to learn on and now I have a Honda so both sides of the coin first hand.

Certainly recent examples of the former are better put together than a few years ago. Essentially what you're buying is a rip-off of Japanese designs from 20 years ago but this time round made with cheaper components.

Conversely if you bought a 20 year old Honda or Yamaha you'd definitely have some work to do to keep it maintained. However second hand and pattern parts are cheap and plentiful as is the knowledge to do so.

Don't sniff at quality though. The difference between the (almost) new Keeway I had versus my new Honda is night and day! Much as I enjoyed the regular maintenance on the former there is something to be said for having complete trust in a machine. Much as I loved the look of the Superlight it cornered and accelerated like a drunken, three-legged pig

If you must buy a cheap Chinese 125 then go into it with honesty: buy it new and plan to drive it into the ground over at most a 3 year period. Expect to get nothing for it after that.

For a bit more of an "adventure" get a solid second-hand Jap bike for the same money. It'll take more work but feasibly you could keep it going forever. Or sell it for much the same as you paid for it if well maintained.
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Husqvarna Vitpilen 401, Yamaha XSR700, Honda Rebel, Yamaha DT175, Suzuki SV650 (loan) Fazer 600, Keeway Superlight 125, 50cc turd scooter

[adam277]

I'd consider a Suzuki address or honda vision on PCP.

Would that be a good alternative?
All the delivery guys seem to use them.
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Bikes: Previous Bikes: Piaggio x8 125: 2012/2013, YBR 125: 2013/2013 BMW R1150GS 2013/2017, Honda CBR600RR 2017/2017, Honda CB500 2018/2018, Suzuiki Address 110cc 2019/2020, BMW R1200GS 2021-2023
Current Bike: Honda CBF 125: current

[linuxyeti]

[WD Forte]

Got a Vision coming here tomorrow
its the YBR guys he does delveroo stuff with it
Its OK but 110cc and a bit 'lite'
PCX is much better IMO

I was going to suggest a scoot earlier but thought you might be a
"aint proper bike tho is it?" type
If all I did was flit about Bristol, a 125 scoot would be just the job
Bollox to the constant gear shifts and clutch grabbing just twist and go.
I may get one yet
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bikers smell of wee

[NJD]

Struggling to understand why you'd be looking at spending £1500 on a brand new chinese motorbike when your biking history clearly demonstrates that you've owned larger capacity bikes and therefore have a full license. So, firstly, I'd say spend that £1500 on something not only larger than 125 cc but something that isn't chinese.

Lexmoto's are known as one of the better rebadgers but part supply can become a pain once they decide to drop the model.

I had a ZR7-S that can be had for £1500 (give or take) on eBay and fits the bill of commuting and the speeds you require with ease.

Get a larger bike without all the fancy gizmo's and there's not much difference between working on that and a 125. Wouldn't really limit yourself to bikes that make between 11-15 hp just because you had one lemon in the past.

Wouldn't fall for warrenty since you have to pay to keep it up and isn't worth it beyond about the second once (when the engine is worn in). I used my warrenty on the LM Arrow plenty of times but lost every single penny I put into it, and some more.
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The do it all, T̶h̶e̶ ̶b̶r̶o̶k̶e̶n̶ ̶o̶n̶e̶,̶ ̶T̶h̶e̶ ̶b̶i̶g̶ ̶l̶u̶m̶p̶,̶ ̶C̶h̶o̶n̶g̶ ̶N̶o̶o̶d̶l̶e̶

[WD Forte]

cant fault the Arrow my lad bought, but YBR guy bought a brand new Lexmoto Urban scoot in 2018
About 9 months in he smelt petrol and swung by here
The support strut at top of the rear shock had bent upwards and punctured the tank!
WTF?
Pretty serious fault a for new machine that eh?

The waiting times for the dealer to sort it would have meant weeks of no earnings so I welded it up for him and a month later he got rear ended and it was scrapped.
Enter the Vision which he reckons is way better then the Urban.
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bikers smell of wee

[adam277]

[thx1138]

I bought a Zontes that looked wrecked for £300. Sold it for £600, after doing not much to it, other than sorting out the fact the previous owner had snapped the only ignition key in the petrol cap. Couple of years ago now . It still looks like crap, in fact it looks worse. It's still going, and the owner hasn't had any problems since I sold it to them.

Also, I agree, Lexmotos look almost appealing (budget wise that is)

edit: Also, at times I got absolutely crazy high MPG out of a Honda CBF125. Average I think was 120

https://www.fuelly.com/motorcycle/honda/cbf125/2014/senthx/375333

[someone]

i will try to be diffrent here , why dont you get the bike you want but have a professional have a look .

you can always find good 2nd hand anything .

if its a friend he/she will do it for free , if a shop it wont charge much .

you can also bargin the price better this way!
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EJ6 FOREVER AND FOREVER A HUNDRED YEARS EJ6.

[linuxyeti]

[UncleFester]

So ... a 2nd hand bike with no guarantees .... or a £1500 new chinese special with a 2 year warranty that is essentially disposable after the 2 years?

I think i'd go with the best Chinese thing i could find. Use the warranty if needed and slather the thing in ACF50 if you must use it either side of March / September.
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Module 1 and 2 passed - October 2014. Happy owner of a 2017 Z1000SX, ex owner of a YBR125 / CB500 / VFR800.

[Easy-X]

[G]

[adam277]

[Teflon-Mike]

Define 'Cheap'...

Cheap to buy or cheap to own?

My 125 costs 50% more a year to insure than my 750.... as that cost recurs each year, if I, personally, wanted cheap, as in total cost of ownership 'cheap', then NO 1256 would make the short-list....

Historically the bic biro 'cheapest' motorbike you could own was either a C90 step-thru, or a CD200 Benley.... as a C90 is subject to the 'Learner-Loading' the CD200 benley would be the baked bean budget favorite.....

RELIABILITY.... err yeah... depends on two things,
1/ the 'newness' of the behicle
2/ User standards of maintenence

User standards of maintenance are at best patchy, and the cock-roach reputation for indestructibility things like C90's and CG125's have, tends to get hyped to a reputation for 'NO' maintenance, leaving many to suffer terminal neglect.....

Back to that CD200 Benley.... I could probably rebuild one in my sleep these days.. so tackling the newness issue... take one, completely renovate it, make sure it has a full compliment of user miles in its metal..... and do enough maintenance after, and off you go..... some-one once actually calculated that mile for mile a c90 was actualy cheaper to run than a bic biro... and a CD200, mostyly thanks to that insurance allowance is even cheaper... nhow Cheap do you really want or need?

Given the all in costs of virtually ANYTHING, I wouldn't have so many qualms buying say an 'unreliable' Cagiva Mito 125 and paying the learner loading on it.... and it would prove as 'dependeable' as anything else, given £10 a litre two stroke at 40:1 to £1.60 per litre petrol..... and a propper top end rebuild every 2ooo miles and a new crank every 5ooo miles etc...... And owning a biken I actually have some enthusiasm to own, rather then mere transport.... or #I might as well just take the car!!!!

So WHAT do you really want?

There's no such thing as a free lunch!

IF you dont want to do any maintenence.. dont buy a budget generic chink.. seriuousely, the OE build quality is doen to the minimum that a developing asian market with low-labour service costs will stand.... in UK use it will either NOT be reliable as you have to keepn stopping to tighten up the mudguard bolts etc, OR it will not be 'cheap' as you have to keep paying a paid mechanic to check them nuts and bolts!!!

If you dont want to pay the learner loading on insurance DONT buy a 125... if you want to keep resale value... dont buy a commuter hack.....

So how cheap is cheap, and how reliable is reliable, and how much are you prepared to stick in the pot by way of cash or effort to get either?

Most ecconomical, most reliable washing machine like commuter wheels is probably a twist and go scoopter.... most are 125 Learner Legals, which brings the insurance loading, but also a better residua, so you would still have to frind the happiest compromise, and it STILL down to you.... there's no universal; answer to this.
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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?'

[Easy-X]

You seem to like the CD200 Tef

Is it the case that anything 175 to 250cc is a now in neglected market segment (everyone with an A2 would get >400cc) and therefore the realm of connoisseurs and statistically cheap insurance? Or is it just the Benly?
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Husqvarna Vitpilen 401, Yamaha XSR700, Honda Rebel, Yamaha DT175, Suzuki SV650 (loan) Fazer 600, Keeway Superlight 125, 50cc turd scooter

[Teflon-Mike]

[linuxyeti]

[Evil Hans]

[ThunderGuts]

I imagine with the Chinese stuff, there are two potential issues: manufacturing tolerances (probably far less of an issue than it used to be though) and quality control on the assembly line, the latter is probably going to be evident pretty soon after purchase if something is loose etc.

That said, I'd not have any enthusiasm for a Chinese bike and would rather take a CD200 . . .
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TG.

[G]

Also quality control of materials - where a few backhanders see some poorly recycled metal used, which is 30% melted plastic handles that were on the pans or whatever.

[BusterGonads]

[Ayrton]

If your budget is ridiculously tight like you said then why do you want to buy a new bike for £1500 instead of finding a nice Jap bike for £800? Bit of a backwards way to look at it.

For me the main reason not to buy a new chinese bike is that in 3 years it will be worth £400 while something like a YBR will still fetch £800. Thats a lot of money to lose just so you can say you owned a new bike. I'd also wonder if you would want a bigger bike fairly quickly and then your stuck with a new bike that nobody will buy anywhere near what you paid.

If your worried about buying a lemon then find someone who knows about bikes and mechanics and take them along with you - might even be someone here that would do it.