Any point upgrading from one 125 to another?

[TheInternet]

As per title - is there likely to be a significant improvement in a new, 'premium' 125 over a CG125 with ~30k on the clock? Mulling a change but am not sure there's much point. Only used around inner London; ULEZ will ultimately force a change.

[WreckTangle]

nah, just changing from one slow bike to another slow bike (like mine) . Get a bigger bike, then you can go faster, and maybe use it to go touring as well as annoy the neighbors
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My wife asked me to get her something that goes from 0-100 in under 5 seconds for her birthday. ......................I got her a bathroom scale.

[lilredmachine]

The new 125s such as the RSV4 125, the wr125 and the R125 are expensive commuter bikes in drag. And elimination of little end bearings and introduction of injection so they can be screwed as lean as possible for emissions purposes makes them weak. If you had a modern 125 at 30k miles you would be looking for a new one because it had blown up, not just because.
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Bikes: too many, too much for one man to maintain anyway.

[Teflon-Mike]

There's more than one question in here, but the 'tell' is in the suggestion a swap should be an 'upgrade' implying a swap from something inferior, some-how to something 'superior' in some way.

As far as 'performance; is concerned, there is little between any make and model of 125cc motorcycle, in the greater scheme of things, they are all pretty slow motorcycles; the fastest of the fast 125's was/is, the limited production, special order 'varients' of the two stroke Cagiva Mito and Aprillia RS125, both built to homologate them for Italian domestic 'production' racing. They vied with each other for the advertising merit of being the 'fastest' 125's you could buy, but in accredited top speed tests neither could much better the 100mph mark. That does make them 'fast'-ish, if you compare to the majority of road-going 125's like a Yamaha YBR125, B-U-T its about as slow as a forty year olf Honda 250 four-stroke single.. and there's not MUCH in the buyers guides actually that slow.

B-U-T top speed is but one facet of the machine.

A fickle single minded two stroke is not usually particularly reliable, or have very long service intervals, and the necessity to add expensive two-stroke oil at a rate of around a litre per forty of petrol, can kind of make them a tad expansive per mile, before you tally in replacinng most of the moving parts of the engine, like piston, con-rod and crank, at recommended service intervals!

On that score something as 'boring; as a Kawasaki ER5 very quickly shows its economic 'superiority', even if its reputation is as being as dull as ditch-water to actually ride!

So what is an 'upgrade' what facet of superiority are you looking for? Higher performance of lower running costs, or lower service requirements, what?

For the engagement and riding dynamic, I still get a lot from ragging the crap out of a little 125, rather than going a lot faster, and probably as cheaply, on my 750, that will go pretty much as fast as I want it to, no real effort or skill required, just by twisting the right wrist a bit eagerly.

As sig and profile, I have a penchant for ancient old Honda 125 twins, b-u-t, I rather liked my little air-cooled two-stroke, have little but fond memories of the Kawasaki AR125 I bought new in 1990, and still have a desire for a round lamp, 7-speed Cagiva Mito.. B-U-T.... I would hardly consider that to be an 'upgrade' over my 750, as far as performance was concerned, or anything else.

For 'reliability' any bike old enough to have an MOT will have a level of fcukeredness that is almost entirely proportional to the level of idiocy and or incompetence of former owners, not really it's brochure specs.. so again what are you hoping to get more of out of this alleged 'upgrade'?

So the answer to the question really is NO, I have never swapped one 125cc bike for another, and where I have looked for something 'more' from my bike, it has generally come from changing and upgrading the engine displacement, not the model number on the side!

So like I said WHAT 'more' are you looking to get more of from a bike? Performance? Rider engagement? Cheapness? Serviceability? WHAT?
You don't tend to get all of them for no extra cost in one fell swoop, its the compromise only YOU, or your budget, can decide upon.
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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?'

[lilredmachine]

[NJD]

Wouldn't bother getting anything "new" until you're forced to, and even then "premium" just makes me think shiny and gone in an instant by t-leafs.

CG's an old age bike known by every mechanic worth his salt, parts available and easy/cheap to run. I wouldn't give that up.

Perhaps the emissions is a reason to move onto something bigger (up to 500) for slightly more fun but still retain the cheapness and fuel economy (not 125 standards); license permitting.

But if you're just looking to justify spending much dollar on a shitty 125 branded with fancy new plastics because new emissions rules then I'd just take a cold shower and move on from the money wasting idea.
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The do it all, T̶h̶e̶ ̶b̶r̶o̶k̶e̶n̶ ̶o̶n̶e̶,̶ ̶T̶h̶e̶ ̶b̶i̶g̶ ̶l̶u̶m̶p̶,̶ ̶C̶h̶o̶n̶g̶ ̶N̶o̶o̶d̶l̶e̶

[Easy-X]

Let's face it: outside of 2 smokes the 125 has been built as a bare-minimum stepping stone for learners for years. People lapping up sub 10bhp cheap 'n' Chinese bikes hasn't made anyone consider making "performance" 125s for a while. An EFI ULEZ friendly 125 just means the performance is even worse

Fair enough a 125 is perfectly adequate right in the City but personally I prefer having an A2 bike just to try and outpace the scooters as well as the cars If you're careful there are plenty of A2 bikes barely bigger or heavier than a 125.
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Husqvarna Vitpilen 401, Yamaha XSR700, Honda Rebel, Yamaha DT175, Suzuki SV650 (loan) Fazer 600, Keeway Superlight 125, 50cc turd scooter

[TheInternet]

Thanks for taking the time to reply. A test ride seems to be necessary to get the full picture.

[Ste]

Why are you only looking at 125cc bikes?

[Bhud]

There is no real advantage in replacing your 125 now. You're probably asking this question because you're within the ULEZ grace period, which means you have until 24 October 2021. Just save your money. You can put it towards your full licence if you don't have one, or just keep it to benefit yourself some other way. You will be able to sell your bike if you keep it until 2021. There will be demand for it in the areas surrounding London - it won't drop in value like a stone. Most people who have to ride in London have already replaced their older bikes. Look around yourself in the inner city. Luxury cars costing hundreds of thousands of pounds, and hotels costing 10k per night. That's a place to hold onto your money and save as much as you can, not to keep up with the Joneses. Just my opinion.

[Teflon-Mike]

[Nobby the Bastard]

You spelt cunt wrong. It's never been a cult bike. They were hateful things when I passed my test back in 91 and I doubt much has changed in the intervening years.
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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

[stevo as b4]

They always got the job done, and are simple light basic things that appeal for those reasons. If I was going to dare I say it, build an old twin shock air cooled 125cc cafe racer, you would have a good/ish basis for one in a CG.

The newer 125's, well some of the best Japanese premium ones look like good and big bikes. And 15bhp is enough to get around town or learn how to ride a bike from scratch. But they are so overpriced IMO. The old 90's Italian bikes deserved to be expensive with the tech and materials and components used, but over £4k for a new Honda or Yamaha, I'm well and truly out!

[craigs23]

Unless it's from a 125 commuter to something fun like a Grom or Monkey. No. Save and get a bigger bike.

Then again, back in the day, a CG125 with an "electric start" could be considered "premium".

Because.

It.

Just.

Wouldn't.

Die.

[1198]

Would a 2 stroke 125 be learner legal these days? Not sure 100% about the rules, or even if the OP has a full licence...