125s

[Tigs]

If you are new to biking.. is it best to 'try' a range before you buy one or are they pretty similar? I used to own an MZ125.. years ago - but am looking to start over - have started looking around - I just want 'reliable' and comfy to ride.. i'm 5ft 8... but have fairly long legs.. does that make one bike better than another - any advice?

(I'm going for a 'trial - on Saturday - but no idea which bike the school will have.. ) Planning to book a CBT for the first slot I can do =- looks like it will be late October.. (trust me to wait till its cold to learn!)

[Rockburner]

For learning, one the 125 or even the 500s which you'll have access to - they're all pretty similar and it'll depend more on what your budget, colour and style preferences are. You also may find it somewhat difficult to get test-rides from dealers.....

Once past your test and with a few thousand miles of experience under your belt you'll be in a better position to know what bike you're looking for.

(imho, natch).

[G.P]

you can't got wrong with a Jap four stroke 125 - look after it and it won't really depreciate.

[KungFooBob]

If you want a 'big' 125, buy a Honda Varadero 125.
If you want a cheap 125, buy a Honda CBF125.
If you want a racey, sporty number, then it's either a Yamaha R125 or a Suzuki GSX-R125.

Now you've started a 125 thread you're gonna get a load of people telling you to stay away from the Chinese bikes.

Stay away from the Chinese bikes.

[Dodgy69]

Ktm.

[Bigyin]

At our place we use Suzuki GN125 custom style bikes as they suit most people and especially those short of leg length and are fairly bombproof engine wise. We also have a couple of YBR 125's for the taller blokes/girls.

Some schools will use brand new bikes especially if affiliated to a dealership but they really really dont want you dropping the bike at all as it will lose a lot of value in one tip over so will cover them in all sorts of crash bars etc. Our bikes are a bit older and while we also dont want you dropping them, we dont get too precious over them as we have spare levers and indicators etc.

For a beginner i always suggest a second hand Honda CBF125 and Yamaha YBF125 as good allrounders with a decent reliability and wont depreciate much if you keep it in good nick to sell on later

Chinese bikes have improved recently but be very careful should you decide that route as initially they cost less but depreciate faster than a falling stone

Tigs, from what i can see of SMT online images they all seem to be of Honda's from moped to bigger bikes so a guess at CBF or CB125's

[The Spin Doctor]

For learning, one the 125 or even the 500s which you'll have access to - they're all pretty similar and it'll depend more on what your budget, colour and style preferences are. You also may find it somewhat difficult to get test-rides from dealers.....

Once past your test and with a few thousand miles of experience under your belt you'll be in a better position to know what bike you're looking for.

(imho, natch).

Main problem right now is finding an ATB that can actually book a test slot!

The DVSA's struggling to provide slots to training schools.

[Tigs]

I was assuming that if I got a CBT now - I would not get a mod 1/2 test for a while.. so might as well get a 125 and commute on that..

I will try to get a Honda or a Yamaha.. will it be like a car - in that I will have to get insurance before I can ride it home?

[Horse]

will it be like a car - in that I will have to get insurance before I can ride it home?

Yes. Even if you get someone else to ride it for you, who has their own bike with 'ride other bikes' insurance cover, you will still need to have cover for your bike.

[Bigyin]

Main problem right now is finding an ATB that can actually book a test slot!

The DVSA's struggling to provide slots to training schools.

Pre lockdown we would get 6-8 tests a week each for Mod 1 and Mod 2 .....next week we got 1 Mod 1 and 4 Mod 2 tests .....really fucking useful as the 3 spare Mod 2 we have to chuck back in for other ATB's as we have put all our passed Mod 1 riders through already and need more of those tests

The situation isnt helped by some other ATB's sending people in for tests they are not ready for ..... woman last week was there for her 5th attempt at Mod 1 in 8 weeks and failed again which is 5 tests that could have used by 5 other people while she did more training to pass it properly. We currently have about 25-30 people wanting to get through Mod 1 and Mod 2 but some of them wont get a test till next year if the DVSA dont start providing more and i can see it going the opposite way in all honesty

The examiners are pissed off as they want to provide more but DVSA are not allowing it and its going to end up killing off a few ATB's as DAS training makes more money than CBT's

[Horse]

will it be like a car - in that I will have to get insurance before I can ride it home?

Yes. Even if you get someone else to ride it for you, who has their own bike with 'ride other bikes' insurance cover, you will still need to have cover for your bike.

Oh - the road tax ends as soon as a vehicle is sold, so you'll need to do that too.

https://www.gov.uk/vehicle-tax

[Bigjawa]

I have a CBF125 for pottering to work on that I inherited from my lad when he did his DAS. Despite being a Honda, it's built in India so they look tatty, very quickly. Fast it is not, figure 65 or so with my fat arse on it but it'll sit all day at 55 and give a true 100mpg. It's pretty much what Honda do best, small engine that always starts and as long as it has oil, it'll keep going.

Mate's lad has an R125 Yamaha, it's supposed to be physically bigger than an R6. I can believe it.

Stay away from Chinese 125s

[Supermofo]

The examiners are pissed off as they want to provide more but DVSA are not allowing it and its going to end up killing off a few ATB's as DAS training makes more money than CBT's

Was chatting to my brothers mate last week as he came on the ride to Southwold. He is a bike examiner and he said it's all a bit nuts at the minute. He told us some amusing stories of tests too which was very enjoyable

[The Spin Doctor]

Pre lockdown we would get 6-8 tests a week each for Mod 1 and Mod 2 .....next week we got 1 Mod 1 and 4 Mod 2 tests .....really fucking useful as the 3 spare Mod 2 we have to chuck back in for other ATB's as we have put all our passed Mod 1 riders through already and need more of those tests

That is the sort of thing I am hearing - a total imbalance in the provision of tests... plus certain centres being closed, and some ATBs being unable to book tests at other centres as they are at the back of the queue.

The situation isnt helped by some other ATB's sending people in for tests they are not ready for ..... woman last week was there for her 5th attempt at Mod 1 in 8 weeks and failed again which is 5 tests that could have used by 5 other people while she did more training to pass it properly. We currently have about 25-30 people wanting to get through Mod 1 and Mod 2 but some of them wont get a test till next year if the DVSA dont start providing more and i can see it going the opposite way in all honesty

The examiners are pissed off as they want to provide more but DVSA are not allowing it and its going to end up killing off a few ATB's as DAS training makes more money than CBT's

I would normally never suggest just doing CBT then getting a 125, but I can't seen an alternative right now. I can see a lot of schools going out of business thanks to being unable to provide the tests at the end of the training. I know that the tests are being released to the public further ahead than they are to ATBs, but I'm guessing that even if you can get a trainee to book their own test, you're going to have to be escorting them to test at random times, tying up an instructor. Maybe you could just employ a van driver to deliver the bike to the test centre for the test, then van it home again.

If any of these new candidates are looking to commute during the epidemic, any mileage in suggesting train people to ride a tricycle on their car licence - the Piaggio MP3s, for example? I suggested this on a FB instructor group the other day and was met with the equivalent of blank looks. But if schools are struggling to make ends meet and there are people who NEED a bike as transport rather than a giggle, surely anything is better than nothing.

[The Spin Doctor]

I have a CBF125 for pottering to work on that I inherited from my lad when he did his DAS. Despite being a Honda, it's built in India so they look tatty, very quickly. Fast it is not, figure 65 or so with my fat arse on it but it'll sit all day at 55 and give a true 100mpg. It's pretty much what Honda do best, small engine that always starts and as long as it has oil, it'll keep going.

Mate's lad has an R125 Yamaha, it's supposed to be physically bigger than an R6. I can believe it.

Stay away from Chinese 125s

65 is about par for a 12hp 125... it's what my 1975 CB125S topped out at. The limit is set at 14.6 hp / 11 kw, and that'll just about top 70.

Relatively few Hondas are built in Japan these days.

[Bigjawa]

I have a CBF125 for pottering to work on that I inherited from my lad when he did his DAS. Despite being a Honda, it's built in India so they look tatty, very quickly. Fast it is not, figure 65 or so with my fat arse on it but it'll sit all day at 55 and give a true 100mpg. It's pretty much what Honda do best, small engine that always starts and as long as it has oil, it'll keep going.

Mate's lad has an R125 Yamaha, it's supposed to be physically bigger than an R6. I can believe it.

Stay away from Chinese 125s

65 is about par for a 12hp 125... it's what my 1975 CB125S topped out at. The limit is set at 14.6 hp / 11 kw, and that'll just about top 70.

Relatively few Hondas are built in Japan these days.

That's indicated speed, Honda claim 11bhp and the latest incarnation a wee bit less. It had 26k in the hands of learners before I got it and I know my lad gave it utter death in the 2 years he had it so I doubt it even makes that now. I'm half tempted to put the 150cc kit into it, but while it still rattles onward, I'll probably not bother.