Recommend me a 125

Firewalkwithme

Well it looks like I'm not going to be able to afford the CB500 after all

So, I'm looking for some advice here - what 125cc bike would you recommend. I'm just looking for something to get me to work and back each day so the main things I'm looking for in the bike are:

1. Reliability
2. Not too expensive second hand
3. Cheap insurance
4. Doesn't look too crappy but doesn't have to be a stunner either (I used to have an RXS 100 but they don't make them anymore so something along those lines would be great)

All advice would be greatly appreciated.

seamus

What's not too expensive?

Again, I vote for the bike I'm on at the moment - Honda Varadero. Comfy, reliable and quick (for a 125).

garthv

Aye I'd second the Varadero 125.
Very very nice bike to drive, upright trailie look, insurance is group 2 and can be bought pretty cheap second hand (€1,500 - 2,000)

Firewalkwithme

GaRtH_V wrote:

Aye I'd second the Varadero 125.
Very very nice bike to drive, upright trailie look, insurance is group 2 and can be bought pretty cheap second hand (€1,500 - 2,000)

Looks good alright and within budget too! I don't think I've seen that one before. Thanks lads.

omb0wyn5ehpij9

If i were in your shoes i would go for a restricted nsr125......it's in group 2 with AON. But a 4 stroke may suit your needs better!

Idleater

Honda CG125, bulletproof, Honda reliability, excellent for traffic, bogstandard so not a thief's first choice, nice and cheap to buy, tax, run and insure.
Doesn't have the street cred of the NSR or anything, but it will get the job done.

BTW, is this a first bike?

dawballz

Yamaha TDR 125.
Very quick off the mark.
Almost the same looking as the Varadero, except it's a two stroke.

Bruce Fan

Honda Varadero is a great choice alright, good reliable bike with nice up right riding position.
NSRs are a heap of shít. My bro bought a brand new one and the clutch went just after he sold it (1 years driving). Don't even think about a 2 stoke.
My first choice would be the Yamaha Virago. Beautiful bike, nice laid back riding position, very reliable. You'll pick one up pretty cheap too.

Gurgle

nereid wrote:

Honda CG125, bulletproof, Honda reliability, excellent for traffic, bogstandard so not a thief's first choice, nice and cheap to buy, tax, run and insure.

What he said!

(But why not go for a 250 ?)

Firewalkwithme

I wouldn't be interested in an NSR 125 TBH but the Yamaha TDR would probably be my second choice after the Varadero.

There's something about the CG that I just don't like - I know that doesn't make much sense from someone who used to drive an RXS but maybe that's just it - they look a bit similar.

The Virago is ok but I'd still prefer the Varadero. The only problem is that there doesn't seem to be all that many of tham for sale right now so if anyone should notice one then please do let me know.

dawballz

I have a 125 NSR now and used to have an 80 NSR.
No probs so far with the 125 and it's a 03. I have it for the last 2 months, with regular journeys of >100 miles each way.

With the 80, I had no real probs either.
Apart from stuff that was my own fault-ie not oiling the chain -> had to get new chain + sprockets after about 3 months.

Firewalkwithme

Gurgle wrote:

What he said!

(But why not go for a 250 ?)

Cost is a major factor for me, not so much the cost of the bike but the cost of the insurance. I also haven't had a bike for a few years so I'll start small before working my way up after passing the test.

delanest

I'm on a Yahama Dragster 125. Cruizer style bike, a bit cheaper than the varadero, its very reliable, its the bigest looking 125 that I know of so people think its a higher cc. Class 2 insurance. Its decent on petrol too !

If I had any gripes, one would be it can be a little slugish of the lights, prob the same as a rebel/maurader but not as quick as a varadero. Also the varadero would be quicker through traffic. I don't like the way the varadero sounds a bit 2 stroke-ish

Firewalkwithme

delanest wrote:

I'm on a Yahama Dragster 125. Cruizer style bike, a bit cheaper than the varadero, its very reliable, its the bigest looking 125 that I know of so people think its a higher cc. Class 2 insurance. Its decent on petrol too !

If I had any gripes, one would be it can be a little slugish of the lights, prob the same as a rebel/maurader but not as quick as a varadero. Also the varadero would be quicker through traffic. I don't like the way the varadero sounds a bit 2 stroke-ish

Yeah I was talking to a courier who had a Dragstar and i couldn't believe it when he said it was only a 125, it looked so much bigger. I'ts a really nice bike but not the style I'm looking for - then again, a week ago I was looking for a CB500 !

Idleater

Despatch wrote:

Cost is a major factor for me, not so much the cost of the bike but the cost of the insurance. I also haven't had a bike for a few years so I'll start small before working my way up after passing the test.

As far as I remember, the CG125 comes in new at about €3000 - which is not bad at all. Im sure you can pick one up second hand too for a bit less than that.

The one thing I would recommend is, if you are going for any 125 and applying for your test, to make sure you apply for the A licence provisional and do the test on a bike over 175cc so you dont get stung with an A1 licence and have to immediatly go back to a provisional licence when you upgrade to a bigger bike in the future.

L.

mickydoomsux

nereid wrote:

The one thing I would recommend is, if you are going for any 125 and applying for your test, to make sure you apply for the A licence provisional and do the test on a bike over 175cc so you dont get stung with an A1 licence and have to immediatly go back to a provisional licence when you upgrade to a bigger bike in the future.

Thought it was 150cc. Correct me if i'm wrong.

Still stupid though. Most beginners will start on a 125 or less and you need a bigger bike to pass your A licence test.

More VRT for the government i suppose!

murphaph

It's actually 125cc exactly, so if you do your test on a '125' you'll actually be riding a 124.xxx or something close, but under the magic number so be lumbered with an A1 licence. If you could find a bike with a 125.xxx cc engine that would suffice (but realistically you're lookin at a 250 to be readily available in this country).

The situation in the UK is better-they do their A test on bikes between 120 and 125 cc, so that's all the 125s covered, (lucky gits-if we had that here we could all have group II bikes instead of group IV just to get a licence that isn't a waste of space (the A1).

Idleater

murphaph wrote:

It's actually 125cc exactly, so if you do your test on a '125' you'll actually be riding a 124.xxx or something close, but under the magic number so be lumbered with an A1 licence.

I stand corrected, just checked my license- used it be 175?

In any case, I would not recommend applying for an A1 provisional licence, nor for that matter riding the test on a 125.
Sure by the the test date is near, you will most likely have at least a year's driving experience under your belt and the step up to a bigger bike will be no hassle to you.

L.