I want a new bike and a 125cc..

[adam277]

Yea I dislike my R1200GSA..

I mean it is a great fucking bike, I love riding it. The torque on the thing is great I feel like I can tow a car with it haha. But I live near London so I am paranoid constantly of it getting stolen. I also rarely go above 50mph due to the traffic (yea it is a commuter )


So, I am looking for a cheap 125cc to get about with that I do not care if it gets stolen because it is well a 125cc lol.
You know a bike that you just let fall to the floor because it is not even worth the hassle of kicking the stand down.

But seriously though.. Looking for a reliable 125cc at a reasonable cost. the prices of new 125cc bikes now are a joke. Brand new CBF 125 is like £3300.... It seems the days of even getting a decent used YBR 125 for under £1000 are over as well unless you get lucky.



rants aside I am considering getting a CBF 125cc.
Heard the new ones do not even have a starter motor. But I also remember CBF's are made in India.. so what would you guys consider getting?

I am not against going used or getting a scooter. I just do not want to buy a £900 POS that I have to get work done on.
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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

[stinkwheel]

Yamaha majesty 250. Unloved and bomb-proof.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[MarJay]

IMO:

The BMW GS is similar to that of a people carrier in the car world: It's for people who have given up on life and just decided to fade into mediocrity. Similar to a brown cable nit cardigan I guess.

There are SO many more appropriate more life affirming bikes out there. I bet you'll have more fun on a 250 Burgman or similar.
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British beauty: Triumph Street Triple R; Loony stroker: KR1S; Track fun: GSXR750 L1; Commuter Missile: GSX-S1000F
Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another.

[adam277]

[adam277]

Oh and for the 125cc's I am looking for I am looking mainly at reliability + MPG.


The Honda Vision 110cc I had did do about 100+mpg which is great. But very weedy. I've heard the CBF 125 (new ones) can hit 150mpg+
Which is what appeals to me.
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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

[that_impulse_guy]

I have a shitbox that I wouldnt recommend because its a chinese shitbox, but at the same time, on over 1000miles that Ive ridden it, nothing has broken all fallen off. Of course, I do know what to keep an eye on though.

I thoroughly recommend getting a 125 because....
I went riding friday night and got lost with a mate with a fireblade, there was one section that was full throttle in top gear for around 6 minutes...flipping fantastic, but never broke 70mph:-) so much fun. I think he stayed in 2nd behind me. He got bored.

the prices of the things are ridiculous though....being the cbt size it means theyre more than they should be. I couldve got a range of nicer 250's... 400's or similar for similar money instead. And in terms of being nicked, i think theyre just as desirable, but i would stay away from the scooter variants and get a thing with gears so its less of a temptation.

Im not worried if it gets scratched or dropped, and it sips fuel. As much fun as you can legally have away from a motorway.
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Gone: Yamaha DT50lc, Suzuki DR500, Suzuki A100, Kawasaki z250ltd, RD350YPVS, Suzuki DR Big, Kawasaki AR125, Kawasaki KMX200, Suzuki GS1000S, Katana 1100, GS550M, Suzuki RGV250
Now: Suzuki GSX400X, Suzuki RF900R, NS400R

[Ayrton]

All 125s are going to be made somewhere like India or China, that's why they can sell them so cheap. Just get whatever Japanese one you find within your budget and avoid the Chinese brands.

I like Stinkwheel's suggestion of a maxi scooter. They seem to be cheaper than a 125 too. The only benefit of a 125 is it has gears but that's a bit naff when the top speed is only 65.

[adam277]

[Nobby the Bastard]

It's also how it gets to that speed....
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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

[Easy-X]

[Polarbear]

I would have thought a maxi scooter in London was as big a theft risk as the BMW, just cheaper to replace.
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Triumph Trophy Launch Edition

[WD Forte]

[BRUN]

make sure you have a sit on a few, as a lot of em are pretty small too, might be a bit cramped for you

[Fullers1845]

I think near a big city that 125's will always be massively more costly than they should be due to the delivery app guys needing them.

On that subject, I often wonder how many actually have business use insurance seeing as most of them are provisional riders...

Edit: I just found out this does exist

[Robby]

A 125 is a hateful thing to ride, oddly expensive, and easily stolen.

Your BMW is a giant barge.

There are a lot of bikes in the middle that are lighter and cheaper than the BMW, without having to resort to a 125. The 125s also may not be as cheap to run as you think, because you will need to buy parts more often.

Another way to look at the logic in a more practical way. I have my newish 850 Guzzi, and my old Honda 250. When I go into the office I take the Guzzi, because it's more powerful, nicer to ride and less likely to break down. A commuter needs to be a bike I can trust.

If it gets nicked, I have insurance.

[deadly_penguin]

My CBF125 (older, Indian) is fine, but I'm not sure I'd recommend it. The combination of fairing and cheese-grade fasteners makes maintenance a bit of a pain; I did the tappets the other day which, because the fairing bolts had seized and rounded and the rubber bungs had disintegrated, went from a 20 minute job to an almost 2-hour swear-fest. Going by the Haynes, the CB125F (newer, Chinese) makes it less bad by having a smaller fairing and being newer.

That said, the CBF125 is alright about town and will get good mpg - even down the motorway if you sit behind a lorry (I did New Forest to York on 2/3 of a tank the other weekend), though it's horribly uncomfortable for over an hour or two.

All in all, I'd probably get a 250 rather than a 125 - perhaps a CBF250 if you can find one in good nick.
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A spanner short of a toolbox

[adam277]

[slowasyoulike]

I'd suggest looking at the Honda SH300i; as good as any 125 in traffic but with a decent amount of poke. And it has big wheels, which mean better handling than the old Maj (which, to be fair, isn't a bad old scooter at all).

The only worry would be your living 'near London'. Scrotes love these and the Tmax, and unless you've got secure storage at either end of your commute I'd buy something else.

[deadly_penguin]

[adam277]

Well I am planning on buying new.

Kinda on the fence between the PCX 125 and CBF 125.
Why new? I like the PCP deal. something like £50 a month for 3 years. Also honestly, yea a 300cc would be nice. but, my daily commute is less than 5 miles. So do I want that extra power for the few times I might hop on a dual carriageway.. maybe lol. but not if it is gonna cost any extra in terms of MPG and cost of the bike. From what I have read of the SH300i (a fantastic bike) MPG is roughly half of the CBF at around 70-90mpg. still great of course, just wont be as of much as of a saving as fuel as I'll like as my beemer gets 40mpg. I want to notice the savings in my pocket lol.

Brand new honda bike should give me zero troubles for a few years and I'll prob buy it at the end of the term.

I'm not against buying used though.. it is just the hassle of potential unknowns, been stung a few times.
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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

[adam277]

I would of thrown caution to the wind on a honda CG 125 though. even though it is a little old...

seems like the cafe racer tards have inflated the price of them massively though.
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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

[Robby]

You have a 5 mile commute?

If so, that's 10 miles a day. 50 miles a week. Allowing for holidays and such, let's say 45 weeks a year, that's 2250 miles a year of commuting.

A gallon of petrol is currently about £6.30

At 150mpg on the CBF you'll burn 15 gallons of petrol in a year commuting, costing you £97.50

At 40mpg on the BMW you'll burn 56.25 gallons of petrol, costing you £354.38.

So your saving is £257 a year. To me, that isn't worth it. Or you could go full autist on fuel costs and get one of the small electric bikes like a super soco.

[WD Forte]

The buying new went past me at first was thinking sub grand shit box
( welcome to my world )

125 PCX or Forza would be my choice for 5 mile commute and shopping
trips, especially near that London traffic.
Cant see any advantages in a cbf other than perhaps a bit better mpg but you'll still be grabbing the clutch and tap dancing on the gear change all the time.
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bikers smell of wee

[adam277]

[Robby]

Buying a brand new 125 will not help you to cut costs.

Two basic things are depreciation and servicing. It will depreciate hard, and you have to get it serviced by a proper workshop, or a dealer, to maintain the warranty and the resale value.

There are a lot of bikes in between a big BMW and a 125. There are loads of A2-compliant middleweights that have pretty low running costs, and can also be bought 3-6 years old with very low miles. Someone else has paid for the depreciation, but the bike is still fairly new.