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sort of a follow on from this thread really https://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/what-moped-for-a-teenager/ when you helped me get my lad a suzuki vanvan as his first bike for commuting.
well, the vanvan is no more, he was knocked off it (unhurt thankfully) but the bike written off. hes got around a grand insurance payout for another one now.
the difference between this thread and the last is hes got more idea of what he'd like to replace it with now.
he was looking at a bullit spirit 125, but after looking into it (and reading the old thread) it seems wise to stay away from chinese tat. however, a lot of the bikes you recommended, he doesnt like the look of, saying they 'look crap as a 125" 😀
hes stated he wants something that looks like a crosser ideally, or a cruiser. hopefully japanese for reliability but open to advice.
any suggestions on what to look out for? if you link to any bargains, itd need to be within realistic travel distance to lincoln please 🙂
thanks a lot
Crosser or cruiser???
Yamaha DT was a good one,
KTM Duke? There was one parked in town the other day, and I was very taken with it, very sharp styling, and KTM have always made decent bikes.
The grom as mentioned above or a Varedero 125
My advice would be tell him to wait until he is 60 to get a new one.
Three people I have known with motorbikes are dead.
Another is in a wheelchair.
Another has brain damage.
can you get the Kawasaki KSX here?
They are fun, stronger than the Grom, and great for learning stunts
I wouldn’t get an MSX. they’re tiny, uncomfortable and very very slow. 55 tops.
Three people I have known with motorbikes are dead.
Another is in a wheelchair.
Another has brain damage.
I know more people in the same situations that have never been near a motorbike. Your point is?
Skiing and horse riding are at least as bad
I’ve been riding continuously for well over 20 years since my mid 20s, as has my wife, and we’re both fine thanks. And we do a LOT of miles.
But im sure you know more than me. 🙄
Whereas the sons previous Bike, a van van, was a luxurious speed rocket. He’s after a 125 they’re all going to be fairly slow
Assuming exotic road race replicas like the RS4 are out of the equation, I'd looking the direction of the little Duke.
(I'd be looking for an uncrashed RS125 if it was for me now, though. Not an easy thing to find!)
Depends on where you live, but there's too many cars nowadays. Motorbikings too dangerous.
id wait till there's more driverless cars/ substantially less car ownership before I considered buying a motorbike.
but if you really must, eBay has some 'barn-find' Yamaha dt125's.
or if you're looking for more knarr, the January issue of 'trailbikemagazine' featured a handy buyers guide to help sort your kdx from your kmx and ktx...a very enjoyable read.
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F220882816129
uncrashed RS125
Not for £1000.
Any two stroke in that price range will be old and probably thrashed, so an engine rebuild waiting to happen - not ideal for commuting on.
Have you considered another Van-van? or a.n.other Japanese/euro 4 stroke, they're all very much of a muchness, it's hard to make 12hp singles with different characters 😉
Also consider that, chinese bikes are far, far better than they used to be, and most of them have engines that are near as dammit honda cg-125 copies, so mechanically they're ok, they just don't last cosmetically - if it's a shitter for thrashing back and forth to work until he gets a car/somebody else drives into it, one might be a good shout...
Anything that's not desirable for local scrotes to razz about the fields on ..... Basically ugly boring commuter type 125s 🙂
Locally anything crosser doesn't stand a chance in the open .
ive sent him this thread to look at, thanks. ive also recommended another vanvan but even tho he really liked it he says he wants to try something different. idiot 😀
id also agree with the 'boring 125's' being a better choice, but hes a young lad, he'll not listen to common sense 😀
which of the above recommendations are 4 strokes then, i dont really know engines and wouldnt know the difference.
thanks a lot
Skyteam Ace. http://www.skyteammotorcycles.com/motorcycle-range/
I've been riding big bikes most of my life, but I reckon one of these would be bags of fun for hooning round the winding narrow roads up here. After a few wee mods of course... 🙂
They race them too. Plus there's a sneaky 300cc engine conversion.
Me want... 🙂
Depends on where you live, but there’s too many cars nowadays. Motorbikings too dangerous.
Absolute drivel.
Now Brian that's a motorbike. Love the look of that.
trail_rat
Now Brian that’s a motorbike. Love the look of that
I know. The Bealach na Bah and all those roads aren't far from here.
Been dribbling over it for the last hour or so and planning all the mods. Tyres, suspension, big bore kit, etc....
May have to dump the BMW. 🙂
As mentioned above, the KTM Duke is a nice bike. I also like the Yamaha MT-125. But I don't think you'll get one for a grand.
Honda CBF125 are great and very reliable but also very common so maybe not quite as cool as you're looking for!
I'm very tempted to bid on that above for summertime shits n' giggles....i need a few more drinks in me first though.
Dave Angel (really) at F2 has built a couple of nice modded Aces, had a lovely one up for sale recently.
http://www.f2motorcycles.ltd.uk/main.html
yes, I should have qualified that by saying that a bikers survivability vs the universe would be enhanced by going on an advanced (i.e. police motorcyclist type) of training course.
i read somewhere that the human brain just isn't designed to see cyclists/ motorbikes when driving a car.
What's the general view of Mutt? I love the style of their bikes but no idea if they are any good. Could an Rs13 be had cheaper?
https://muttmotorcycles.com/pages/rs-13-125
I've just sold my suzuSu gsx s 125 and couldn't fault it as a starter bike .Cheap to run etc well worth a look but being quite new doubt you'll pick one up for a grand. I had mine on a PCP and was about 100pm without a deposit (I think)
What’s the general view of Mutt?
never heard of them but following your link they look lovely. Spendy for a 125 though, hope they get established.
yeah, theres a few different looking bikes youve recommended, they appeal to me. not so sure about the boy tho 😀 probs a bit out of his price range anyway.
hes asked what you all think of a derbi senda? never heard of it meself......
lex666 linked to the MCN review above, reads well enough. No idea why I can't turn off italics, though. 🙁
also whats the best way of getting an HPI check done?
oh and i dont often buy motors, tend to stick with what ive got for years so not really up on paperwork. if he goes on his own to buy, what bits of logbook etc does he need to see/sign/take? whats the process for that?
thanks
EDIT: derbi senda review. thanks, id overlooked that. hes got his eye on one at the moment but has no idea about HPI, paperwork etc and im just a bit worried he's going to rush into it and get ripped off.
Have a look at the Sinnis 125 Terrain, which has had some good reviews.
http://www.sinnismotorcycles.com/motorcycle.php?motorcycle=Sinnis%20125%20Terrain
Derbi are one a of few brands now owned by Piaggio, who do an awful lot of badge engineering with their small capacity bikes, so the Senda will likely share a lot of mechanical parts with other bikes, so mechanical spares will be reasonably easy to come by if he needs tgem.
Out of interest, what category write off was the VanVan? If it was cosmetic only it'd probably be worth fixing it and keeping most of his payout towards a car/bigger bike once he's passed his full test...
well hes on his way to buy the derbi senda.
not sure what category the vanvan was, havent seen any paperwork. it was more than cosmetic tho, bent forks and the like. tbh he never looked after it anyway, was always dirty and rusty too, he probably got more for it in the end than it was worth. id hazard a guess that this one will go the same way unless he bucks his ideas up and actually decides to look after this one. its only 3 years old so itd be a shame if he lets it go to sh1t.
thanks for your advice chaps, ill let you know how he gets on and mebbes post a pic up later.
Sorry for the hijack op. That Skyteam does look fantastic, epicyclo were you thinking about with the mods? Anyone saw any interesting ones,links etc?
no probs kaiser. cant speak for epicyclo, but whilst researching the bikes here, i came across this page which lists a few mods and is quite an interesting read.
http://www.realclassic.co.uk/skyteam_ace_125_review.html
well, hes back with it now and seems happy with what hes bought. 3 years old, got it for around £900 i think and it looks good condition to an untrained eye, FSH too.
thanks for your help
Nice bike. Reminds me of the Honda CLR125 CityFly I bought to do my test.
Can’t remember the details (disappointed in myself but I think it was a 2000) bought it about 5 years old, fitted new chain and sprockets, tidied a few bits etc.... and made my money back a few thousand miles later.
I remember anything more than 40miles was a bit of a chore.
Went to an SV650 after that really didn’t have a problem covering ground.
I’m not even into motorcycles except to look at, and I think my heart just skipped a beat when I looked at that Mutt!
That looks nice and unmolested by teenagers. Try to get him to keep it that way 😉
ACF-50 over everything apart from the brake discs will hopefully stop it from rusting, and if you can stop him from fitting an aftermarket exhaust that'll be grand.
Why no aftermarket exhaust you ask? Because on a four stroke 125 the only restriction they remove is the noise limit, and riding around sounding like a slow wet fart isn't cool, no matter how much you think it is. They also tend to bugger up the fuelling/confuse the injector and ruin the fuel economy, but it looks to have a carburettor, so if he does fit one the jets can be played with to get it running right. The only advantage they have is lowering weight, which is negligable - he'd be better of having a poo before going for a ride 😉
That little Derbi looks sweet! Nice styling, looks like a great bike.
The Bullit Hero looks good. I've seen a good review of it on YouTube
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F132450214886
While there are sexier bikes out there I can't really see beyond the CBF125 for a learner 125.
I had a CBF125 as a learner, but like most Hondas the seat is very low. So simple though, as long as you don't throw it up the road there's nothing to go wrong and you get your money back when it comes time to sell. With hindsight I'd have gone for a Varadero XL125.