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First bike after 125, is a 300 worth it??

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Mafioso
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PostPosted: 04:43 - 20 Jan 2020    Post subject: First bike after 125, is a 300 worth it?? Reply with quote

I passed my test last year but held onto the 125 as the insurance on a new bike was insane for some reason. But now i'm looking again. I'm not really bothered by going super fast, the boy racer stuff and super fast superbikes don't really appeal to me. I kinda like the cheap a cheerful nature of the 125 but it's just too slow on motorways and the lower gears are so short that constantly changing gears up and down when pottering around below 20 is annoying.

I visited a dealership to look at some bikes and liked the Honda CB300 since it's just a scaled up version of the CB125F i ride, but the guy there put me off it by saying it's not worth it as it only gives a slight increase in power. And even though i passed my test on a 650 a lot of the 650s i saw looked a bit big for the filtering i do in central London. Although admittedly a lot of other riders seem to do fine on them.

So basically my question is whether a 300 is a useful upgrade or should i man up and go straight for the 500CC-750CC bikes and just get used to throwing around the bigger bikes?
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Teflon-Mike
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PostPosted: 07:09 - 20 Jan 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

125's are pretty useful things and particularly good commuter tools. They tend to be more expensive to buy, pr-rata 'cos almost any-one can ride one on an L-Plate, this also makes insurance on them proportionally more expensive; but all-in, they can be pretty cheap biking, a-n-d many of them can achieve the national speed limit.. 60mph, and even the elevated limit on duel carriageways, and bang for your buck offer a heck of a lot of motorcycling for your money. Also, being so oft derided as 'kiddie bikes' you dont tend to take them so seriously, and so can bag a lot of fun for it to boot. They have a lot going for them, all in, b-u-t they aren's a 'Big Bike'.. and that lack of serious can give a derisory edge to them.

B-U-T as said many are as fast as as any bike is legally allowed to go in this country, and they can be pretty easy on the wallet, easy to live with and easy of punt off when you need to.

Motorways... I have used a 125 on the motorway, and have few qualms to do so. But then I have also had a Series III Deseasil Land-Rover and used that there too! The land-Rover wasn't so bothered by side winds... but it was moped slow especially on hills, and even with 32 gears to play with there were times I wondered if I could find one low enough! lol. Point is that a 125 is NOT the slowest thing on the roads, and it's only oif you expect to blitz duelies like an Audi would that they might be frustrating. Stick to 55mph ion the in the 'truck stack', find a freindley HGV with a big flat back to give a good 'draft' and tow you along, and you can waft along for mile after mile, with the throttle almost closed, getting even better mpg than a tee-total 125 normally manages! When I was at Uni,. I used to do Birmingham-Bristol, quite often on the M5, like that, and could usually get the 200 miles there and back on a gallon of 2* leaving me with BEER money in the middle.... boring as heck though... but then motorways are.. if you want interesting take the A-Roads.

So motorways are 'doable' on a 125. they are do-able on a 125 scooter, and chap round the corner who's been into the Northern Saul scene since the hey day of the Tic-Toc has been taking convoys of mods up the M6 for decades, but they are do-able on a 125. Main thing thoughj is the 'expectation' and the discipline to stick nit out in that truck-stack and not try get into the games with the Audicochs in the middle and outside lanes, trying to do 99 per the whole time, on the car in fronts tail lights, switching lanes every two seconds trying to get ahead. Dat be Daft, and on a bike, without side impact bars you ARE going to come out the worst off! Here a 125 DOES score in the lack of oomph that disenclines you to even try.... and even on the Seven-Fifty, IF I use an M-Way, and they can be helpful, usually coming back from some-where in the dark, they make for 'easy' stress free mile eating, but only IF you sit it out like a lorry and don't go looking for 'something' like Aidicochs to play with to alleviate the boredom of not having sharp bends or T-Juntions to contend with....

Which is suggestion that if you go for a bigger bike 'for M-Ways' you will be inclined to get into these games, which I have to say you can only loose... even quarter of a century ago, on a 150+mph motorcycle, opening the taps on a clear open m-way will NOT get you very far ahead of a padlock on your arse.. believe me.... even at seriously licence loosing velocities.. 60mph is a mile a minute... you may be able to go 30mph faster, but that;s still only 1/2 a mile minute, and it wont be long before padclok is right back up your chuff, probably all exited with 'race head' on, when you are trying to negotiate a six way multi-lane roundabout... you been warned.... B~U~T point is a 125 can contend with motorways pretty well as well ad anything, cos its not the bike, its the rider. approach and expectation.

Thunk for you; motorways make for a lot of 'progress' because they are wide, and straight and multi-lane, and keep traffic flowing. Taking the A-Roads, you would be doing well, over 100 miles to average 30mph, with junctions and stop start. on the M-Way, even not exploiting the elevated speed limit, you can pretty easily average 45-50mph so 50% more, 'just' because of the reduced traffic control... so you are saving time and risk taking one, why do you need to ramp the risk to above and beyond just to try make a tiny bit more time?

SO?!? Real question is do you NEED or want anything bigger than the 125?

Answer is almost certainly 'no', its a question of WANT not need.. now why would you want a bigger bike? Well, the Seven-Fifty is certainly more comfy. It has a bigger saddle and bigger frame, and the engine is so much more flexible... b-u-t? Is that really worth it?

Back to that expectation and approach. My Seven Fifty is, on the open market' worth about 1/2 what the 125 is. On the all up costs, they both cost approx the same to run; the 125 costs about 50% more a year to insure, but I pay old duffer insurance rates without +commuting clauses on the premium, and annual miles tend to be pretty low. For more every day, and higher mile use, the 125 starts to win, and significantly on the all-up cost comparison, by about 5ooo miles. Like for like, its small compromise to put up with the 125's smaller frame and less commodious saddle, for the £ they cost. By same token, the comfort of the 750 and the luggage caarting ability are pretty expensive indulgences, but all in, for the miles I don't do, small potatoes. How you want to cut up the camel of the compromise?

So the ultimate answer, REALLY is only one YOU can answer, and probably only really by doing it.

I would suggest, that for the small extra you'd get from a big tiddler, like a CB125F or a YBR250, the major comforts of a bigger bike, probably just aren't there, and you have a bike that is for the most part mile of a compromise with most of the drawbacks of a 125 with few if any of the advantages of a bigger bike, particularly as far as resale values go, but more as far as high mile maintainability on something not so common in the listings.

I would suggest, that something a tad more common, like a (showing my age!) an ER5, or whatever the school DAS bikes are these days, would likely offer a bit more in the all-round compromise, and the buy vs resale is likely to be a big win, whilst you get something a bit more substantial and comfortable and easier to live with in the intervening... B-U-T its your approach and expectation, and how you cut up the camel....

If you have gone and got a RWYL 'A' entitlement licence, enbd of the day you 'may' Ride What You Like.... and only you will be able to say whether its worth it..... but you will have the hanging compunction to go try... and why not?

Its spring soon... you could keep the 125 as a wok-horse / back up, and for reletively not a lot of money, go get something like an old ER5, ride it for a couple of months, decide what you like or dont about it, then chop it on against something like a ZZ6, try that, and so on for the summer... until YOU know what you do and dont like, and can make a 'better' decision on hoe you want to cut up the camel, or what colour mule to make... could be 'fun' too, especially if you still have the 125 in he shed to fall back on, and add to the final trade in in a years time...

Bottom line answer, top is it worth trading 'up' to a big tiddler?
Personally, I dont think it often is. They do have something going for them, b-u-t they are neither fish nor foul, and you;d have to work the compromise to make one work for you; B~U~T its you that's got to ride it, its you that's got to cut up the camel.. just remember you dont have to put all your eggs in one basket, or get it right first time, once and forever..
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linuxyeti
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PostPosted: 07:28 - 20 Jan 2020    Post subject: Re: First bike after 125, is a 300 worth it?? Reply with quote

Mafioso wrote:
I passed my test last year but held onto the 125 as the insurance on a new bike was insane for some reason. But now i'm looking again. I'm not really bothered by going super fast, the boy racer stuff and super fast superbikes don't really appeal to me. I kinda like the cheap a cheerful nature of the 125 but it's just too slow on motorways and the lower gears are so short that constantly changing gears up and down when pottering around below 20 is annoying.

I visited a dealership to look at some bikes and liked the Honda CB300 since it's just a scaled up version of the CB125F i ride, but the guy there put me off it by saying it's not worth it as it only gives a slight increase in power. And even though i passed my test on a 650 a lot of the 650s i saw looked a bit big for the filtering i do in central London. Although admittedly a lot of other riders seem to do fine on them.

So basically my question is whether a 300 is a useful upgrade or should i man up and go straight for the 500CC-750CC bikes and just get used to throwing around the bigger bikes?


Well, a 300 is likely to be able to comfortably mix iwth nsl traffic, whether on A roads or motorways, and, have the advantage of being in the lower ved bracket. Have a look at other manufacturers offerings in the 250-400cc range
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ThatDippyTwat
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PostPosted: 07:29 - 20 Jan 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

For the most part - ignore salesmen. The sole purpose of the job is to part you from as much money as possible.

Test ride one. You'll probably need about 1K on your card, and they'll swipe it so if you do bin it, it covers the excess on the insurance (Generalising, but common). CBR is in name only, it's really a single pot commuter - They're really not that fast or worth the premium IMHO - Older CBR250 or a Ninja 250 would be a better bet if you decide to go down that road.

Personally, I'd say it's a little small for an only bike - I have a 250 (Essentially a CBR250R), that get's ridden 80% of the time, but I also have a bigger bike for the other 20%. It will do motorways, and it will sit at 70, but I wouldn't want to do more than 10-15 mile stretches, as it's fairly wound up maintaining 70, and not a huge amount left for overtakes. Now, if I had a 600, I'd struggle a lot to justify having 2 bikes. A bit of poke to have fun with, reliable, not wallet rapingly expensive to run. Look at detuned models, CBF rather than CBR, GSX-F, not GSX-R etc.
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pepperami
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PostPosted: 09:06 - 20 Jan 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

I’m an advocate of the 250cc class of bikes.

I have a couple of 250’s and like Mr Dippy, they get used 80/90% of the time I use my bikes.
They are quick enough to get me through the traffic and agile enough to got me through the traffic.

I find bigger bikes to a bit overkill at times.
Yes big bikes are nice/easier/faster/have MOAR POWR!, But do you need that all the time?

EDIT: I have a Hyosung GT250r and have no complaints as a good little run around.
I even tour on mine and so far it has not let me down.
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Polarbear
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PostPosted: 11:00 - 20 Jan 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

I am NOT an advocate of the 250/300 class.

Don't like them.Find them underpowered and boring.

Go for a 600, ride it for a year, get used to the power, brakes etc, THEN, if you decide you don't need that size of bike, downsize to a 300.

I'd be fed up with riding one in a few days if it was my only bike.
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Easy-X
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PostPosted: 11:03 - 20 Jan 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

Manufacturers these days tend to make to class, i.e. Am, A1, A2, A.

A 300 would be the low end of A2. Maybe consider something at the higher end? e.g. CB500F. IMHO it's not till you go north of 200kg that you feel it's "a big bike" (for manual, engine-off manoeuvring at least.)

My A2 Rebel is an absolute hoot in the City Smile
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redeem ouzzer
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PostPosted: 16:44 - 20 Jan 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

Stop being a faggot and buy an LC.
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kgm
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PostPosted: 12:11 - 21 Jan 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

I like 250s and ride my crf250l most of the time, including long, multi day trips. I've never found it uncomfortable on any road and have no concerns about keeping up with traffic. It's fun, in s different way to larger bikes.

I also have a vfr800 which is the one I pick for ease of use, for example if the weather sucks. I also use that when I want to make progress or go for a fast hoon.

Both are great and I'm loath to part with either. That said as an only bike I'd like something bigger.

My suggestion would be a to look at something like a cb500 (c model would be my preference) as a good and economical all rounder. It gives you a bit of both worlds.
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Mafioso
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PostPosted: 03:30 - 26 Jan 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

kgm wrote:
I like 250s and ride my crf250l most of the time, including long, multi day trips. I've never found it uncomfortable on any road and have no concerns about keeping up with traffic. It's fun, in s different way to larger bikes.

I also have a vfr800 which is the one I pick for ease of use, for example if the weather sucks. I also use that when I want to make progress or go for a fast hoon.

Both are great and I'm loath to part with either. That said as an only bike I'd like something bigger.

My suggestion would be a to look at something like a cb500 (c model would be my preference) as a good and economical all rounder. It gives you a bit of both worlds.


I liked the idea of a crf250l til i saw one in person and realised i'd be tippy toeing on 1 leg whenever i stopped (i'm 5'9") which just doesn't seem fun in the stop-start traffic of central London. Otherwise an all rounder like that would probably suit me fine.
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Mafioso
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PostPosted: 03:37 - 26 Jan 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

Teflon-Mike wrote:
125's are pretty useful things and particularly good commuter tools. They tend to be more expensive to buy, pr-rata 'cos almost any-one can ride one on an L-Plate, this also makes insurance on them proportionally more expensive; but all-in, they can be pretty cheap biking, a-n-d many of them can achieve the national speed limit.. 60mph, and even the elevated limit on duel carriageways, and bang for your buck offer a heck of a lot of motorcycling for your money. Also, being so oft derided as 'kiddie bikes' you dont tend to take them so seriously, and so can bag a lot of fun for it to boot. They have a lot going for them, all in, b-u-t they aren's a 'Big Bike'.. and that lack of serious can give a derisory edge to them.

B-U-T as said many are as fast as as any bike is legally allowed to go in this country, and they can be pretty easy on the wallet, easy to live with and easy of punt off when you need to.

Motorways... I have used a 125 on the motorway, and have few qualms to do so. But then I have also had a Series III Deseasil Land-Rover and used that there too! The land-Rover wasn't so bothered by side winds... but it was moped slow especially on hills, and even with 32 gears to play with there were times I wondered if I could find one low enough! lol. Point is that a 125 is NOT the slowest thing on the roads, and it's only oif you expect to blitz duelies like an Audi would that they might be frustrating. Stick to 55mph ion the in the 'truck stack', find a freindley HGV with a big flat back to give a good 'draft' and tow you along, and you can waft along for mile after mile, with the throttle almost closed, getting even better mpg than a tee-total 125 normally manages! When I was at Uni,. I used to do Birmingham-Bristol, quite often on the M5, like that, and could usually get the 200 miles there and back on a gallon of 2* leaving me with BEER money in the middle.... boring as heck though... but then motorways are.. if you want interesting take the A-Roads.

So motorways are 'doable' on a 125. they are do-able on a 125 scooter, and chap round the corner who's been into the Northern Saul scene since the hey day of the Tic-Toc has been taking convoys of mods up the M6 for decades, but they are do-able on a 125. Main thing thoughj is the 'expectation' and the discipline to stick nit out in that truck-stack and not try get into the games with the Audicochs in the middle and outside lanes, trying to do 99 per the whole time, on the car in fronts tail lights, switching lanes every two seconds trying to get ahead. Dat be Daft, and on a bike, without side impact bars you ARE going to come out the worst off! Here a 125 DOES score in the lack of oomph that disenclines you to even try.... and even on the Seven-Fifty, IF I use an M-Way, and they can be helpful, usually coming back from some-where in the dark, they make for 'easy' stress free mile eating, but only IF you sit it out like a lorry and don't go looking for 'something' like Aidicochs to play with to alleviate the boredom of not having sharp bends or T-Juntions to contend with....

Which is suggestion that if you go for a bigger bike 'for M-Ways' you will be inclined to get into these games, which I have to say you can only loose... even quarter of a century ago, on a 150+mph motorcycle, opening the taps on a clear open m-way will NOT get you very far ahead of a padlock on your arse.. believe me.... even at seriously licence loosing velocities.. 60mph is a mile a minute... you may be able to go 30mph faster, but that;s still only 1/2 a mile minute, and it wont be long before padclok is right back up your chuff, probably all exited with 'race head' on, when you are trying to negotiate a six way multi-lane roundabout... you been warned.... B~U~T point is a 125 can contend with motorways pretty well as well ad anything, cos its not the bike, its the rider. approach and expectation.

Thunk for you; motorways make for a lot of 'progress' because they are wide, and straight and multi-lane, and keep traffic flowing. Taking the A-Roads, you would be doing well, over 100 miles to average 30mph, with junctions and stop start. on the M-Way, even not exploiting the elevated speed limit, you can pretty easily average 45-50mph so 50% more, 'just' because of the reduced traffic control... so you are saving time and risk taking one, why do you need to ramp the risk to above and beyond just to try make a tiny bit more time?

SO?!? Real question is do you NEED or want anything bigger than the 125?

Answer is almost certainly 'no', its a question of WANT not need.. now why would you want a bigger bike? Well, the Seven-Fifty is certainly more comfy. It has a bigger saddle and bigger frame, and the engine is so much more flexible... b-u-t? Is that really worth it?

Back to that expectation and approach. My Seven Fifty is, on the open market' worth about 1/2 what the 125 is. On the all up costs, they both cost approx the same to run; the 125 costs about 50% more a year to insure, but I pay old duffer insurance rates without +commuting clauses on the premium, and annual miles tend to be pretty low. For more every day, and higher mile use, the 125 starts to win, and significantly on the all-up cost comparison, by about 5ooo miles. Like for like, its small compromise to put up with the 125's smaller frame and less commodious saddle, for the £ they cost. By same token, the comfort of the 750 and the luggage caarting ability are pretty expensive indulgences, but all in, for the miles I don't do, small potatoes. How you want to cut up the camel of the compromise?

So the ultimate answer, REALLY is only one YOU can answer, and probably only really by doing it.

I would suggest, that for the small extra you'd get from a big tiddler, like a CB125F or a YBR250, the major comforts of a bigger bike, probably just aren't there, and you have a bike that is for the most part mile of a compromise with most of the drawbacks of a 125 with few if any of the advantages of a bigger bike, particularly as far as resale values go, but more as far as high mile maintainability on something not so common in the listings.

I would suggest, that something a tad more common, like a (showing my age!) an ER5, or whatever the school DAS bikes are these days, would likely offer a bit more in the all-round compromise, and the buy vs resale is likely to be a big win, whilst you get something a bit more substantial and comfortable and easier to live with in the intervening... B-U-T its your approach and expectation, and how you cut up the camel....

If you have gone and got a RWYL 'A' entitlement licence, enbd of the day you 'may' Ride What You Like.... and only you will be able to say whether its worth it..... but you will have the hanging compunction to go try... and why not?

Its spring soon... you could keep the 125 as a wok-horse / back up, and for reletively not a lot of money, go get something like an old ER5, ride it for a couple of months, decide what you like or dont about it, then chop it on against something like a ZZ6, try that, and so on for the summer... until YOU know what you do and dont like, and can make a 'better' decision on hoe you want to cut up the camel, or what colour mule to make... could be 'fun' too, especially if you still have the 125 in he shed to fall back on, and add to the final trade in in a years time...

Bottom line answer, top is it worth trading 'up' to a big tiddler?
Personally, I dont think it often is. They do have something going for them, b-u-t they are neither fish nor foul, and you;d have to work the compromise to make one work for you; B~U~T its you that's got to ride it, its you that's got to cut up the camel.. just remember you dont have to put all your eggs in one basket, or get it right first time, once and forever..


I've ridden on motorways too and know it can be done, so i don't "need" anything bigger. But having said that a lot of time on the faster roads i don't really feel safe with cars up my arse or when i'm trying to overtake/change lanes and something changes and i don't have the power to pull out of it and have to rely on others backing off or spotting me in their blind spots, etc.

And no offence, but going over your think your advice is for me to go for a lower powered big bike (500ish) rather than a 250-300, is that right?
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Mafioso
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PostPosted: 03:45 - 26 Jan 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

pepperami wrote:
I’m an advocate of the 250cc class of bikes.


To you and Dippy, i've never driven a sports bike, i usually prefer the look of a naked bike. It's not a bad shout to do a test ride on a ninja or something along those lines though. Other than that you got any recommendations on naked 250-300s?
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Mafioso
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PostPosted: 03:47 - 26 Jan 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

kgm wrote:
My suggestion would be a to look at something like a cb500 (c model would be my preference) as a good and economical all rounder. It gives you a bit of both worlds.


So 2 suggestions for 500ish bikes, 2 for 250ish bikes, and 1 for 600+...

Maybe this is the wrong place to try and solve my indecisiveness. Laughing
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trevor saxe-coburg-gotha
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PostPosted: 05:23 - 26 Jan 2020    Post subject: Re: First bike after 125, is a 300 worth it?? Reply with quote

Mafioso wrote:
I passed my test last year but held onto the 125 as the insurance on a new bike was insane for some reason. But now i'm looking again. I'm not really bothered by going super fast, the boy racer stuff and super fast superbikes don't really appeal to me. I kinda like the cheap a cheerful nature of the 125 but it's just too slow on motorways and the lower gears are so short that constantly changing gears up and down when pottering around below 20 is annoying.

I visited a dealership to look at some bikes and liked the Honda CB300 since it's just a scaled up version of the CB125F i ride, but the guy there put me off it by saying it's not worth it as it only gives a slight increase in power. And even though i passed my test on a 650 a lot of the 650s i saw looked a bit big for the filtering i do in central London. Although admittedly a lot of other riders seem to do fine on them.

So basically my question is whether a 300 is a useful upgrade or should i man up and go straight for the 500CC-750CC bikes and just get used to throwing around the bigger bikes?


Honestly, I think some of it comes down to build - i.e. how big and heavy you are. If you're still young, lithe and much more like a jockey than e.g. Tyson Fury, you might enjoy wringing every last ounce of power from a small, light bike like that. Then again, it's not actually *that* much lighter than e.g. a '90s cb500, which will have more accessible power and arguably be ergonomically more suited to city commuting. The 300 ninja is perhaps better at tight back lane fun stuff. How about a grey import 250 Hornet? I bet that'd be a right laugh for a small, light rider. Few and far between but still.

I really dislike heavy bikes myself. So I get why you might feel drawn to a 300. I feel like the development of the last decade or more has really neglected the weight factor - probably because the adventure category has taken over (never mind that to actually do anything properly adventurous with a bike you need it to be as light as possible). A lack of weight is a lovely thing to feel in a bike. That's partly why I got one of those ultima light cbr600s. They're a bit cramped for me, but they go and stop really well and are ten a penny. Steer like mad too.
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Last edited by trevor saxe-coburg-gotha on 12:18 - 26 Jan 2020; edited 1 time in total
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ThatDippyTwat
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PostPosted: 09:18 - 26 Jan 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

Mafioso wrote:
Other than that you got any recommendations on naked 250-300s?


I've ridden the older MT-03, Hyosung and older Honda CB250R, They're fine. Nothing exciting, but at this level, bar maybe the KTM, nothing will be.

Hyosung do the Comet 250, same motor in the GTR and Aquila 250's.
Daelim do something that's a naked 250, but I'm fucked if I can remember the model. Essentially what I have without a fairing.
KTM do a 390 that's naked. Examples I saw rusted very quickly, and it's expensive.
Honda used to do the CB250 into the early 00's. Might find one that's decent and cheap. Modern replacement is the CB300R.
Yamaha MT-03. Up to '14 it was a 660 single, now it's a 300 parallel twin. I prefer the former, it's actually fun to ride, if a bit vibey up top. I would buy a pre '14 if it was priced well.
Suzuki don't have a naked 250 these days, nearest is the wannabe adventure V-Strom 250 - I'd give it a swerve, adventure bikes tend to be heavy.
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Kentol750
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PostPosted: 10:56 - 26 Jan 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

BMW do the 310r, go try one out.
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pepperami
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PostPosted: 11:28 - 26 Jan 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

ThatDippyTwat wrote:
Mafioso wrote:
Other than that you got any recommendations on naked 250-300s?


I've ridden the older MT-03, Hyosung and older Honda CB250R, They're fine. Nothing exciting, but at this level, bar maybe the KTM, nothing will be.

Hyosung do the Comet 250, same motor in the GTR and Aquila 250's.
Daelim do something that's a naked 250, but I'm fucked if I can remember the model. Essentially what I have without a fairing.
KTM do a 390 that's naked. Examples I saw rusted very quickly, and it's expensive.
Honda used to do the CB250 into the early 00's. Might find one that's decent and cheap. Modern replacement is the CB300R.
Yamaha MT-03. Up to '14 it was a 660 single, now it's a 300 parallel twin. I prefer the former, it's actually fun to ride, if a bit vibey up top. I would buy a pre '14 if it was priced well.

Suzuki don't have a naked 250 these days, nearest is the wannabe adventure V-Strom 250 - I'd give it a swerve, adventure bikes tend to be heavy.


Another vote for what Mr Dippy said Thumbs Up
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Teflon-Mike
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PostPosted: 11:30 - 26 Jan 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

Mafioso wrote:
And no offence, but going over your think your advice is for me to go for a lower powered big bike (500ish) rather than a 250-300, is that right?

No, not really. My advice is it's your call.. stop fannying around, get decisive! But hedging your bets.. keep the 125, for now, it do de job. BUT, you lack experience, you dont really know what you want or need... eg the CRF comment.. you 'looked' at one, and oooh! Made a decission! That it was too tall for you! Err, yeah, you DO know that off-roady type bikes have soft long travel suspension that squashed down a lot when you plonk your arse-weight on the saddle, don't you?, They even tend to have an 'adjustment ring' on the shock so you can get them to squash down a bit more... and if REALLY needed, you can get shorter shocks or links to lower them some more... this is NOT really a stoppa.. but still..
SUGGESTION WAS:- why try make a once and forever, must get it right first time decision, here and now, if eva?
Carry on up the learning curve a bit, get some wider ranging experience; use the 125 as fail-safe, and invest what you might spend on chopping it in, on something second hand, old a different... and more than once! Enjoy the shmorgas board of nikes on offer; try them, see what you like, and what you don't. There's a wjhole life-time of biking infront of you, you dont have to get it right obce and for all right now.
IF trailie appeals... go for it... get one.... just keep the 125 in the shed 'juct in case'... IF the seat dont squash down enough... well, try adjusting the shock.... if it handles a bit funny, try dropping the fork jokes a few cm down the stansions to level it up... if that dont feel better, try a shorter shock or lowering-link.... use it, weigh it up... if the riding position is comfy, chalk that up as a plus; if knobbly tyres feel a bit iffy in the wet, chalk that down to a minus, and in a couple of months time? Well, if theres enough about the thing you 'like' chop it in for a bigger trailie, like a Honda NX650 Dominator.. see how that feels... of get adventurouse, try a Transalp! You might hate them all, but it could make you decide to try a BMW, who knows..... you may decide that you want a Pan Euro, so give one a go... that might make you wonder whether you have thrown the baby out with tha bath water... Oh NO, it's in the shed, 'cos you din;t chop the 125 in for alternatives... so you go back to that.... and with the experience of alternatives, you will be able to decide better what is good or bad about it, and what may better suit your aspirations.. so, give it another go... maybe for the crack you'll decide to0 sample one of these cramped up sports bikes, even though the riding position looks excruciating.... I'm 6'2" for me it usually is for anything more than a couple of miles, but still.... give it a try... who knows, you may find its not as bad as you thought, and actually for the fun to be had in the twistiest come the weekend or a sunny evening (Yeah this be Britain, who am I kidding, hugh!), makes the long list of minuses pale.
B~U~T.... you are asking us to help you make a decission, only YOU can make... and if you dont have the info to make a good decision on... GO GET IT. .. by trial and error.. otherwise called experience...
End of the day, matters not a jot what we suggest, we don't have to rode the thing, live with the thing, or pay for it's upkeep... So, if the 125 works.. keep it, whilst you explore the options.. like whether a CRF250 needed to be lowered and how it could, and whether that, would actually do the job you wanted and expected, or if that aside, it was a right royal Pain in the proverbial, cos of narrow G-String saddle... so what else might work?
ITS YOUR DECISION.. you don't HAVE to make one, but, that's also your call. And you don't 'Have' to sell off what you got to try something else... there's no laws on how many bikes you can own, or I;d be a multiple offender! As would a lot of us!
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stevo as b4
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PostPosted: 11:42 - 26 Jan 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

There's nothing especially wrong with road legal 250-300'ish cc bikes, and if they were all no good then they wouldn't make them would they?

It comes down to cost/economics/practicality and preference. What you've got to remember is that nothing that's been specifically designed in the 300 class to suit A2 regs is likely to be cheaper or as prolific as other established bigger cc bikes that have either been de-tuned to suit the regs or have been offered with a fairly easily developed restricted varient to suit the Licensing requirements. In fact a bigger bike that just needs restricting is simple lazy engineering for the manufacturer's, and so they can probably sell more bikes to a wider audience and probably more cheaply than an under 47bhp smaller cc bike that's only got one purpose or market.

Also you'll find that millenials are lazy people and while they really want everything to be electric, when it comes to bike or cars they want a lazy easy drive (like an electric vehicle) with no effort or fussiness etc.

This means emissions reasons apart, they'd have zero interest in a small fast focused bike that's involving and awkward like say a Suzuki RGV250. But they'd love a Honda CBR500 that's got all the electronics they want and a fairly torquey lazy easy to ride nature that doesn't need much gear changing or planning to make fairly good progress.

Ideally they'd like a fully auto transmission and a fast charging plug or wireless Dock instead of messing around with dirty stinky poisonous liquids all over their hands at a smelly petrol station.

Will be the same with cars too. Electric and affordable is their wet dream, but small petrol turbo engines and DSG transmission, along with auto parking, driver aids and sophisticated navigation systems are the next best thing.

In fact they don't really want to own stuff, have responsibilities and expensive upkeep of material things. They live for experiences not for possessions or running costs. I'm sure plenty would like to play racing driver for a day in a supercar or superbike, but they will then go out and rent a small eco vehicle on PCP or just rent them when they need to travel somewhere.


Last edited by stevo as b4 on 11:52 - 26 Jan 2020; edited 1 time in total
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MarJay
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PostPosted: 11:51 - 26 Jan 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

Just buy an MT-07 and be happy.
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Polarbear
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PostPosted: 13:00 - 26 Jan 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

MarJay wrote:
Just buy an MT-07 and be happy.


Just buy an MT-09 or a Stripple and be very happy. Cool
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pepperami
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PostPosted: 13:26 - 26 Jan 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

Buy a H2 and be happy Wink
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chickenstrip
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PostPosted: 13:33 - 26 Jan 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

Mafioso wrote:


So 2 suggestions for 500ish bikes, 2 for 250ish bikes, and 1 for 600+...

Maybe this is the wrong place to try and solve my indecisiveness. Laughing


What is it that you like about riding bikes?
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notabikeranym...
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PostPosted: 20:29 - 26 Jan 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

I had a 300 for 2 years. Was a big upgrade relative to a 125 and lots of fun. Didn't prepare me very much for a 600, which also didn't prepare me at all for a 1000.

But each time I upgraded to a more powerful machine I could appreciate the bike I was on. I think people who jump from 125 to something really big miss out on the little increments inbetween.

Biking should be a journey/your own journey. Choose what you want to choose and fuck what anyone else thinks of it.
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Kentol750
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PostPosted: 20:58 - 26 Jan 2020    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bikes have moved on from when a lot of us passed our tests. There were only 600cc bikes or a school type 500. 250s were rare or smoker race bikes. A decent fun bike now can be anything you want. Just factor in everything you'll ever use it for. 15k miles commuting and 1 trip round Europe wouldn't preclude a cr250l, having a garage queen to go to Italy on once a year, I'd think about a few more ponies and ccs.
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