[Closed] what moped for a teenager?

Firstly, don't buy a cheap Chinese bike. It'll fall apart and be worthless very quickly. If your budget is limited, get a used Jap or Italian one instead. In fact I'd go used anyway.

Clothing - Plenty of good kit available at decent prices but FIT IS KING. Go to J&S or Infinity or similar. Decent jacket, lid and gloves should be £200-£300. Boots with ankle protection are advisable too but Doc Martens will be fine to start.
CBT £100+
Tax is buttons, fuel costs even less.
Insurance is variable and won't be cheap but it'll be less than for a car
Personally he'd be better off with something with gears as if he wants to progress he'll need to know how to use them, but a scoot will have better weather protection.....
If he's 17 then go straight to a 125 too.

thanks PP.

yep, itll be a used something or other, we dont have the pennies for new.

ill mention the gears thing, see what he thinks. hes 18 at present, so youd go for a 125 yep? is that a 125 step through ped or a 'motorbike lookalike' ped?
why do you advise 125 over a put-put-put pootlemobile? and would he still be able to get on the road with a 125 after just a cbt or would he need a test?

cheers

I'm not up on the current license and training legislation.

I started riding my Mum's automatic scooter when I was 16. It was quite 'beginner friendly', and was probably good experience without being too fast, even though it wasn't 'cool'. I learnt that decent gear is a must - even at 30mph and with scooter leg shields it was perishing cold!

My next bike was a 125, and it was quite a different beast. It took me a while to adapt to gears while riding in traffic. I'm not sure what current bikes are like, but a 125 can be really fast, and the power delivery on the more highly tuned 2-strokes can be a bit awkward to control (it all happens when the engine comes into its power band)!

For commuting I think something like the old-style Honda C90 might be a good choice. They might even be trendy nowadays! They're supposed to be very economical and reliable, and the big wheels make them more stable than the tiny scooters. (A quick web search shows the Vision and SH125 models, for example).

Definitely a 125. A 50cc is limited to 28mph which makes the rider nothing more than a hazard. CBT is a requirement regardless. Suzuki Van Van, Yamaha YBR. These will hold their value pretty well and will allow him to go further afield until he can afford a car.

Hopefully an electrical apprenticeship. Get them downlighters sorted!

Rich.

+1 for a 125, but I'd go for a scooter, and discount one of the better Chinese ones as new they can be had for just over £1000. But find a local dealer.

ill mention the gears thing, see what he thinks. hes 18 at present, so youd go for a 125 yep? is that a 125 step through ped or a 'motorbike lookalike' ped?

Either, both are available.

why do you advise 125 over a put-put-put pootlemobile? and would he still be able to get on the road with a 125 after just a cbt or would he need a test?

It'll take longer for the novelty to wear off, and it'll be far easier to keep up with the flow of traffic. Also, it'll be a 4-stroke so cleaner and more reliable, and there's a bigger choice available.
125cc is available after a CBT, yes.

He could get something far nicer too, Honda XL125 springs to mind

Suzuki Van Van, Yamaha YBR

Hopefully an electrical apprenticeship. Get them downlighters sorted!

He could get something far nicer too, Honda XL125 springs to mind

thanks

Anything that doesn't sound like a chainsaw in need of a service, there's a few round my way that sound like that, and the noise they make is infuriating.

Honda 125 for reliability, the trailies hold their price and popular with yoof. Uncool bigger wheel scooters like the sh125 or innova can be had cheap, more stable, really economical and the one one of my kids had was pretty nippy too. 125 much better, 50's are pretty much a hazard in normal traffic making people take risks trying to get past them.

had a look at suzuki van vans on gumtree and saw [url= https://www.gumtree.com/p/suzuki-motorbikes/suzuki-van-van-rv-125cc/1177656277 ]this one.[/url] looks lovely and probably what id buy meself but out of price range really.

then i saw [url= https://www.gumtree.com/p/suzuki-motorbikes/skyteam-v-raptor-125-same-as-suzuki-van-van-/1176616285 ]this one[/url] that says its same as a van van but a lot newer and cheaper. so im guessing its not the same at all?

havent even spoken to the boy yet as our paths havent crossed at home, but interested in opinions on these please. i really do like that little van van tho, its almost tempting to go for a mid-life crisis, get some hells angels leathers and go roaring down the road on one with all the pretty laydeez swooning when they see me.

Something like a C70 or C90 would be ideal but very hard to find for that money.

Italjet Dragster would be my choice but I don't think you have any chance of finding one of those 😆

The van van copy is Chinese. It will break down. Often. The van van you linked seems a good price and will be very dependable.

Buy something from a brand you've heard of more than once.

I have a Honda MSX125 for popping to the shops on and its excellent. sipps fuel, will do 70mph on the motorway and is a whole heap of fun. If I had to commute on something, I think i'd take the bus - Commuting by motorcycle is miserable unless its sunny.

Skyteam are a chinese replica of the Van Van. It may be a good deal but the key will be whether there is readily accessible parts or dealer network to help should there be a problem. It might be that Suzuki parts work but there's a good chance that the engine, though similar, will not be exactly identical and motorbike shops may shrug their shoulders and say "tough" if you want a spare bit.
The Van Van will hold it's value if looked after. They've got a bit of a cult following. Buy one, do your CBT, lend it to your son then ride it when he's progressed to a slammed Saxo in 12 months.

following on from the Lambretta thread

[img] [/img]

A geared 125 would be most fun but a twist and go 125 scooter would be most practical.

Van Vans and TW125s are really good fun but they attract thieving pikey scumbags because they have vague off-road ability and are, therefore, 'crossers' to these sort of people. I had a TW125, it was fun. I would have another one.

Four stroke for dull, monotonous, start-on-the-button reliabilty and 60mph top speeds or buy a two stroke for 70mph+, lovely smell and that will-it-start-and/or-get-me-there-without-seizing adrenaline rush 😆 Two strokes are easier to work on but require more maintenance (this is [u]not[/u] the same as being unreliable- they only become unreliable if you don't look after them properly).

edit- I might have an Aprilia Tuono 125 for sale at the end of the month...

I had use of an XL125 as my first bike, it was slow, 60-65mph with the throttle pinned to the stop in 5th and your eyeballs vibrating out of your head.

It was pretty much unkillable though, and still starts up ok, despite being abandonded in the back of my parents garage.

I'd probably go with a Honda cbf/Yamaha ybr as a commuter now, but then I'm old and sensible.

That belmbelm, sorry, vanvan, looks like a sensible option too, bear in mind that anything cheap will be older, and will most likely have had lots of 17 year old owners, most of which will not have maintained it, either through lack of funds or lack of care. As others have said, I'd steer clear of two strokes, they're fun to have as a toy, but can be a right pain if you need it every day.

For example, I've just picked up a Pegaso 125 for my dad, as he liked the engine on my RS125, but not the riding position. It was cheap, but we've spent up to the cost of a sorted one sorting it out: engine rebuild, every single bearing in the bike, new seals, new brake discs, brake bleed, new tyres (probably), fortunatley we're both pretty handy with the spanners, so we've not had to pay a garage for the labour.

From those ads it looks like your in Notts, if he gets one and wants to learn to work on it, I'd be happy to lend him a space in my garage and offer terrible advice.

thanks for the skyteam advice, ill stay clear.

just had a word with him and surprisingly he seems ahead of the game, as when i suggested some of your options it was a case of "yeah just been looking at some van vans, i need a 125 really rather than a 50. cool looking arent they" 😯

im in lincs btw, just that the nearest options for ads seemed to be notts, havent seen anything in lincs. thanks for your offer mate 🙂

ill have a look at some of those other options, TW's, XL's, theyre all just letters to me! 😆

thanks a lot

[EDIT]

I might have an Aprilia Tuono 125 for sale at the end of the month...

We live in County Durham but have bus, will travel. I haven't collected it yet though, I was going to check it over and stick an MOT on it and use it for skids and wheelies down the chippy 😆

Raleigh Wisp?
[img] [/img]

struggling for anything affordable and local right now. lads just told me to look at [url=

facebook selling site[/url] at a yellow aprillia SR50, MOT september, 'few scratches and stains', 21,000 miles, "only had 10 keepers, well looked after", 97 P reg, oil and plug changed 2 months ago.

im no expert but im thinking this may be too old, too many owners and not enough known about it. but..... its £400 and that may be all he can expect if hes happy to pay that money and thats the sort of thing his mates have too?
personally id prefer to get something a bit dearer and nearer (in case of probs, its about 30 miles away) for him but dont want to keep turning things down if theyre decent for the money. i think we both think hed be better off with a 125, and probably one of the ones youve mentioned ^^^^ so its probs best holding out for something better you think? just dont want him thinking im pooh-poohing anything he suggests.

thoughts please?

thanks

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fantic-Chopper-1973-/152165141635?hash=item236dbfcc83:g:TmkAAOSwmtJXXjD7

[img] [/img]

Not cool, but there must be a CG125 near you? They're common as muck, and spawned all the Chinese replicas for very good reason.

The engines last forever as long as you change the oil and spark plug once a year (and TBH I suspect they'd go a log way without!). Just had a look on ebay and there's some '08 models at dealers for £1295, I sold a 3 yr old one for less than that 10 years ago, so they really don't depreciate and as long as he doesn't crash it then it should be impossible to lose money on a decent privately bought one.

Dave,
You just can't be certain about any vehicle, but my gut feel is that it will be a cheap initial outlay but have the potential for being a money pit to keep reliable. Our apprentice had a step through moped (but admittedly a 20 mile trip each way to get to work). It just wasn't up to dealing with the amount of use it got and was very unreliable. In the end he went for a 50cc moped with gears (that he got derestricted despite being only 16) and this was better but still not ideal.
I don't know what type of roads he'll be commuting on but with a 28mph speed limiter I'd be really concerned about his safety if there is faster moving traffic around that he can't keep up with.
Step through mopeds are ideal for a couple of miles into town but as a regular, reliable commute I'd be less enthusiastic.
Obviously finance is an issue but I'd still think you'd be better off looking to find a good 125 around the £1000 mark which will hopefully more reliable, cheaper to run in the long term and have a resale value in 12 months time which will be close to what you paid for it.
Rich.

struggling for anything affordable and local right now. lads just told me to look at this facebook selling site at a yellow aprillia SR50,

That looks like a hound, and they always look better in photos. I'd avoid it.

Everything about that ad screams 'knackered' to me, it's only got one mirror, so has been dropped, and there's no photo of that side, so what's he hiding?

It's been resprayed, and it looks bad in the photo, which makes me wonder if the engine (it's a two stroke) has been at least fed half decent oil.

oil and plug changed 2 months ago.

Which will have cost about £10, so means absolutely nothing.

Also, if you do go and look, make sure it sounds nothing like this:

[URL= http://i1260.photobucket.com/albums/ii575/nathan_arnold1/VID_20150603_194941_zpssp30nmzx.mp4 ][IMG] http://i1260.photobucket.com/albums/ii575/nathan_arnold1/th_VID_20150603_194941_zpssp30nmzx.mp4 [/IMG][/URL]

Which is the sound of a 2t engine about to lunch itself fairly spectacularly.

thanks a lot, and thats pretty sound advice rich, thanks.

fair few bikes to look out for there, can i ask what the differences in 'all of those random letters' are in real terms please?

f'rinstance, from suzuki theres just the van van, simple, easy, nice bike 🙂

same with aprilia, theres the tuono.

move onto yamaha and we have two choices ^^^, a YBR and a TW125. whats the difference between them?

but honda?? XL125, SH125, MSX125, CG125, CBF125, plus the two C70 and C90s. wtf?? 😀

s'all just gobbledegook to me. if anyone can simplify it id be grateful.

cheers

EDIT:

Also, if you do go and look, make sure it sounds nothing like this:

All 125s are not equal. There are 2 strokes, 4 strokes, one's that are learner legal and ones that aren't (ie out and out trail bikes). The designations are not easy to decode and you'd need to google each to try and interpret what is what.
I'll try and do a summary of the various options you've got available that would suit your son so you can quickly weed out those that are not suitable.
Back in an hour or so....
Rich.

ah ok, thanks rich. so is a trail bike an off-road bike then? and he cant ride one at 17 without a proper test? why not?

i dont 'do' engines, but im getting the impression that 4 strokes will be better than 2, so i spose i dont need to know much else, a 4 stroke 125 is where we'll keep looking.

thanks a lot mate.

ah ok, thanks rich. so is a trail bike an off-road bike then? and he cant ride one at 17 without a proper test? why not?

As a general rule, 50cc will be totally legal at 17 on l plates, 4 or 2 stroke.

125 two strokes most likely won't be as they pretty much all have been de-restricted by now (they're not really made anymore) whether or not this bothers hm/you is another issue. Fwiw I'm on L-plates and my 2 stroke isn't restricted, but then I'm old and sensible now. It'll take a pretty clued up policeman to catch you.

125 four strokes will be fine as well.

Still trying to decode bike designations but a quick diversion into engines/entitlements which might help clarify your thoughts. I'm summarizing so may not be fully comprehensive but you'll get the gist of it.

ENGINES
2 strokes are generally more powerful but less reliable. Rev. higher than a 4 stroke. Requires a petrol/oil mix to provide lubrication either by mixing at fill up time or via a dedicated oil reservoir. If the reservoir isn't kept topped up or the mix correct the engine can seize.

You tend to see 2 strokes on older or performance trail bikes. Some mopeds too. Your requirement is best suited to a 4 stroke engine.

Air/Water cooled.
Engines can be cooled by air or by water in a radiator. Air cooled engines are simpler as there is no topping up/leakage to worry about. Maybe less resilient to sitting in hot conditions.
Your requirement is best suited to an air cooled engine.

Single/twin cylinder
twin/multi cylinder engines are probably smoother and more powerful but more complex.
Your requirement is best suited to a single cylinder engine.

ENTITLEMENTS
A "moped" is defined as being <50cc and limited to 28mph. You can ride a moped unaccompanied at 16 on L plates having done a CBT. (I'll avoid "grandfather rights at this stage as it's not relevant). CBT needs to be renewed every 2 years if you haven't done your test in that time.

A learner motorcycle is a motorcycle of <125cc and around 12bhp.
You can ride a learner motorcycle unaccompanied from age 17 on L plates having done a CBT.CBT time limit applies here too. Note that a 50cc moped that has been derestricted ie can do more than 28mph is no longer a moped and requires the rider to be 17 years old to ride it.

There are other classifications for bigger bikes but they are not relevant here.

Now, the fact that a bike is <125cc doesn't make it a learner motorcycle. If it's more than 12bhp which is very likely with a 2 stroke or it's been "breathed on" to get more power means a full licence is required to ride it and L plates can't be used.

The bike also needs to be road legal. ie it has a V5, is registered, an MOT where required etc. Note that a bike can be road legal but not have lights, making it only legal during the day and useless for a night commute.

So, your son can ride a bike up to 125cc and 12bhp once he's done his CBT. The optimum bike (in my opinion) would be a single cylinder air cooled 4 stroke. This bike will need to be registered and be road legal with lights etc.

Hopefully this will clarify some stuff for you. I'll be back later with some designations to look for/avoid.

Rich.

blimey, youre spending time on this mate, really appreciate it! very informative.

cant thank you enough rich, cheers.

SPEEDFIGHT! Not that they're especially great, it's just that they're the most teenager thing ever made.

Full power Aprilia RS125 or Cagiva Mito and sod the 12hp limit and any semblance of reliability. Proper 2 stroke power, sound and smell for the win, you'll be the coolest dad ever.

Serious answer, CG125, not cool, not fast but bulletproof and reliable. Mine was knocking on the door of two decades old when it got killed by a myopic securicor driver.

I have a Vespa ET4 125 4 stroke with 10,000 miles on the clock for sale
It has just had a full strip down respray and rebuild and is in as new condition
Engine fully serviced with new oil and filter
Side and centre stand powder coated
Rear carrier powder coated
New rear brake cable
New headset bearings
Both keys and code card
Workshop manual
12 months MOT
£750
[URL= http://i669.photobucket.com/albums/vv57/markm16/P1030366_zpstlzmlwhx.jp g" target="_blank">http://i669.photobucket.com/albums/vv57/markm16/P1030366_zpstlzmlwhx.jp g"/> [/IMG][/URL]

[URL= http://i669.photobucket.com/albums/vv57/markm16/P1030364_zpsmkx6tgrg.jp g" target="_blank">http://i669.photobucket.com/albums/vv57/markm16/P1030364_zpsmkx6tgrg.jp g"/> [/IMG][/URL]

A Honda CBF125 (or it's replacement, the CB125F) would get my vote. You should be able to find a very good example for circa £1K (CB125F would be more, though).

You could keep it a couple of years and probably lose very little.

They consistently top the charts of best 125s and they offer a great experience with bullet proof reliability.

[url= http://www.motorcyclenews.com/news/2015/october/mcn-awards-2015-best-125/ ]http://www.motorcyclenews.com/news/2015/october/mcn-awards-2015-best-125/[/url]

thanks dadandlad, looks lovely that, dont know if hed want a vespa but ill put it to him. we've got our eye on a localish vanvan at the moment tho, but we'll certainly consider it.

and thanks for the CBF125 recommendation GQ, thats another we'd consider.

thanks for all your advice, just bought him a black van van for £900.

cheers 🙂

Nice 😀

......aaaaaand now the reality hits home. insurance quotes! £460 for fully comp, £100 voluntary excess. i tickled the quote to go 3rd party, fire and theft, put the max vol excess in (£500), its come down to £340. pay monthly, it comes to £430! theyre all adding nearly £100 for paying monthly?
some quotes are £1100 total excess on a £900 bike??

havent looked at adding him onto my insurance yet, i was hoping to get him (hopefully) building his own no claims up, but ill ask my insurer anyway for comparisons sake.

havent started on helmets & jacket yet, this is turning out very spendy for us :-/

Try Bennetts and Carole Nash. Also, if you are thinking of doing your cbt, see what it would be with you as a named rider.

It does get a bit spendy but its an investment in the lad's future. It will build his road skills up and that might pay dividends when it comes to learning to drive a car in that he'll need less lessons as he'll have the road sense already.

ok ill try those rich ta. and these quotes were with me as a named rider 😉 wonder if that pushed it up a bit, ill try again with just him named.

[i]havent looked at adding him onto my insurance yet, i was hoping to get him (hopefully) building his own no claims up, but ill ask my insurer anyway for comparisons sake.[/i]

Don't bother, it'll be near-enough as much.

It's all location based though as my middle sons' insurance was £450 at 16 y/o whereas my youngests' was £300 at 16 y/o - nothing whatsoever to do with the value of the bike. And wait until he passes his car test... 🙂

ooooh - wish I hadn’t seen that Vespa!

Rachel

Get him building his own no claims. It is seldom transferable between bike and car in any case so unless he becomes a lifelong biker, after 2 or 3 yrs of riding, packing it in and getting a car will mean his NCD will lapse 2 yrs afterwards.
Don't be conned by bike shops telling you he needs a £500 Arai helmet. Buy on 'fit' first and foremost and have a look at the Sharp testing
http://sharp.direct.gov.uk/
Kit wise, you only realise that a manufacturer uses single stitching and poor thread when you slide down a road and it all unravels. Buy good kit and make sure he wears it all the time. It isn't cheap to set up but running costs are peanuts so in time it pans out

Get him building his own no claims. It is seldom transferable between bike and car in any case so unless he becomes a lifelong biker, after 2 or 3 yrs of riding, packing it in and getting a car will mean his NCD will lapse 2 yrs afterwards.

thanks

Don't be conned by bike shops telling you he needs a £500 Arai helmet. Buy on 'fit' first and foremost and have a look at the Sharp testing

A good bike shop will start you with the cheapest and work up to arai until they find one that fits. At least that's what they did to me when me Da bought me my first lid.

The look on his face when he realised that I ahve a totally different shaped head to him, which just happens to match up to shoei perfectly was priceless (I wasn't allowed to try on the Arai, as he already had some explaining to do to the mother bank;-)

spent all morning on this now, starting to lose the will to live. spent nearly an hour on phone to carole nash as they were trying to find an online quote i got, then trying to get it competitive, then actually raised it when a mistake was spotted and wouldnt budge, so that was the end of that.....

ive been typing in the same info on form after form yawwwwnnnn and getting the same results now so i dont think i can get any better. cheapest by around £100 is a company called 'go skippy' at £300 so i was well pleased with that. then did a quick [url= http://www.reviews.co.uk/company-reviews/store/gc-goskippy ]look at their reviews on google[/url] which has scared me now.

so the question for now is, do i go with some cheapo complete cowboys just to make my lad legal, knowing that if he prangs it its pointless trying to make contact with them anyway as the excess is so large that he may as well just buy a new bike? or actually go with someone with better customer service for er..... better customer service that he probably wont need as the excess is so large as to make it worthless claiming anyway? if you see what i mean 😀

I'd pay the extra £100, as it'll be far more straight forward for things like no-claims next year if you use a company that actually communicates with its customers!

I've always gone for TPFT, as I figured that if I have a crash that's my fault I certinally won't be claiming off of my insurance for it!

[i]better customer service that he probably wont need as the excess is so large as to make it worthless claiming anyway?[/i]

Even if the bike is a write-off he doesn't want to be claiming, the insurance is just to make him legal (ie pay for the third parties damage) - so service is irrelevant.

ebike (too late now I know)

Will stop him being a dick revving the arse off it all ASBO style. Will also stop him being cool and he will end up getting less girls pregnant. Or something like that.

Has your other half checked that his company will also insure your 18yr old on a motorbike ? I'd be very surprised if they did and personally, I'd not have him on mine and risk losing loads of money come renewal time. (All it would need would for him to slide off the bike and hit a car and claim go in) Whilts not generally transferrable between bike NCD and car NCD, he may well love biking and stick at it...in which case he'd be annoyed at having 0 NCD in a couple of years.
I used Wicked Quotes for my two bike insurance and they were cheapest and I am actually insured with a good and reputable firm. Maybe worth looking if you haven't already ?

Kit is the easiest thing to sort.

I'd pay the extra £100, as it'll be far more straight forward for things like no-claims next year if you use a company that actually communicates with its customers!

I've always gone for TPFT, as I figured that if I have a crash that's my fault I certinally won't be claiming off of my insurance for it!

Have [s]your other half[/s] you checked that his company will also insure your 18yr old on a motorbike ?

i rang my insurance company this morning, and no, they dont. which as you say may be a blessing 😀

ill have a look at wicked quotes then, thanks for the heads up.

First let's talk safety equipment.

Most moped riders don't wear much, yet you can get full on motorbike type crash damage quite easily.

There's £500 of your budget gone. I did this with my lads in the same situation, and regularly had to replace things like helmets and gloves because the earth's gravitation field seems to be a powerful attractant for young loons on motorbikes.

And get a decent small motorbike with decent handling and braking rather than a basic moped because it will all be used to the limit and any law regarding the coefficient of friction will be disregarded.

looking at sorting insurance now, im looking at him +me 😉

'licence type' is throwing me tho on the quotes. we'll have both done cbt at some point but no full test, yet theres 3 options i can see could quite easily apply, provisional bike, provisional moped or full moped. ive got a car licence already he has nothing, which licences will we hold for 125cc use?

thanks

If you've done CBT you'll have a provisional bike license. A 125cc Van Van is not a moped, so any additional moped entitlement you may/may not have is irrelevant.

thanks a lot, appreciated.

Moped = 50cc.

It doesn't cost £500 for moped gear, a decent jacket can be had for £50-£75, helmet the same again, £20 for gloves and that's the essentials covered. Trousers are a nice to have if you crash, ditto boots, but not quite as important. In context, I did 40mph on my road bike yesterday in Lycra and disco slippers, crashing would undoubtedly hurt, but I'd not likely die.

Those insurance quotes are cheaper than I ever got mine and I lived in the middle of nowhere.

Dadandlad, not sure if you got my email but my wife is interested in your Vespa if you want to send me details

sadexpunk, I seem to remember that you live near to me, I would recommend going to see Mark Phillips out on the Newark road for clothing, he's a nice bloke and carries a good range of clothing/helmets etc.

[url= http://www.markphillips-motorcycleclothing.co.uk ]http://www.markphillips-motorcycleclothing.co.uk[/url]

yep, im in lincoln so thats a good shout, thanks mate.

If you've done CBT you'll have a provisional bike license. A 125cc Van Van is not a moped, so any additional moped entitlement you may/may not have is irrelevant.

looking at both our licences, we both have dates in the A section under nos 10 and 11, i assume theyre start and finish dates. so we both have a provisional uk licence from the dates on our licence dont we?

thanks