cd.thomson
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| posted on 14/5/09 at 08:18 AM |
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OT: 125cc commuter
I'm having to move back to burton in July and with my job being in Nottingham and my car being a 205 its going to cost me a fortune to
commute.
I was wondering if anyone knew the best way to get a disgustingly cheap, yet reasonably reliable 125cc bike? Ideally it needs to pay for itself in
fuel savings as quickly as possible.
I mean i love the v-twin suzuki maruader vl125, but I imagine I'll have to go for a letter reg honda cb125 etc.. What are my options? Dare I say
chinese?
Craig
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balidey
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| posted on 14/5/09 at 08:29 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by cd.thomson
Dare I say chinese?
I know they are cheap, but I would never trust my life with something using chinese steel. Its shocking how poor the materials used are. I have
recently been testing steel samples from our supplier (who bought items from China) and soggy cardboard is stronger.
They have been importing good quality Corus steel from us for years, how the hell can you turn it into the sh!t they send back to us?
I have worked on a couple of chinese copy bikes, and you can see why they are so cheap. I would have an older good bike than a new chinese crap copy
any day
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iank
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| posted on 14/5/09 at 08:31 AM |
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60 miles a day on a 125cc doesn't sound like much fun.
I'd buy a cheap (sub £500) diesel personally.
How long are you intending to do it BTW, I was commuting around that per day and depending on the roads that can be 2 hours a day out of your life -
no fun.
--
Never argue with an idiot. They drag you down to their level, then beat you with experience.
Anonymous
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dinosaurjuice
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| posted on 14/5/09 at 08:36 AM |
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i bought a M reg yamaha SR125 last year for £500. it had only done 12k but needed a few things tidying up and sorting out. i would much prefer to buy
an old honda/yamaha over chinese CR*P. keep a look out in local paper or bargain pages is my advice.
wil
edit:  60 miles? get a pug 306 1.9d
[Edited on 14/5/09 by dinosaurjuice]
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cd.thomson
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| posted on 14/5/09 at 08:36 AM |
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I thought that might be the response iank, thats the main issue, it would need to do at least 60mph. I've done the commute in the past and it
does obliterate my day, but I have no choice - there are no other jobs. I'll be doing it for a year before I go back to uni.
I take your point on the diesel, but with running costs, high price of diesel, road tax and insurance it would work out much, much more expensive -
and I couldnt filter through all that stationary traffic 
Craig
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Mr Whippy
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| posted on 14/5/09 at 08:38 AM |
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I have two 125's, a 10 year old CG125 and an almost new CBR125R (only 2 months old now), both are superb around town the CBR is fine on the dual
carriageway but the CG will only do 60mph. If it’s just a hack to drive round town I'd say the CG is best, it’s very hard to break mechanically
but it’s not as light or nimble as the CBR through traffic. I'd say stay away from the 2-strokes and they simply are not worth the hassle. Spare
parts availably and quality of the cheapo bikes is garbage, there’s no way I’d touch one.
I’ve been coming to work every day on the CBR and there’s masses of bikes on the road now. Not surprising as the fuel economy of mine is simply
bonkers, a tank of fuel a week (£6!!!) and I’ve done 1k on the CBR in just the last month and a half, at rate the bikes going to pay itself off in 1
year 
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cd.thomson
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| posted on 14/5/09 at 08:45 AM |
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I think from the sounds of things IF this is the way I decide to go then paying slightly more for a bike would work out well in the end so something
like:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/2001-SUZUKI-VL-125-Y-SILVER_W0QQitemZ180355953454QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Motorcycles?hash=item180355953454
may be in the works.
Insurance looking at £100 quid, tax £20.
Craig
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Omni
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| posted on 14/5/09 at 09:01 AM |
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Or this
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Gillera-Runner-125_W0QQitemZ120419
173054QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Motorcycles?hash=item120419173054&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1683%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A131
8%7C301%3A1%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50
It is in Nottingham too
O
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Mr Whippy
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| posted on 14/5/09 at 09:10 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by cd.thomson
I think from the sounds of things IF this is the way I decide to go then paying slightly more for a bike would work out well in the end so something
like:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/2001-SUZUKI-VL-125-Y-SILVER_W0QQitemZ180355953454QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Motorcycles?hash=item180355953454
may be in the works.
Insurance looking at £100 quid, tax £20.
you know, when I first decided to get a bike it was going to be a cruiser just like that and nothing whatsoever else interested me, especially not one
of the sports bike things.
But when I looked at the performance of a 125 cruiser (lame) it was not even close to being any use, what’s worse they tend to have drum brakes and
less than impressive handling (more a straight line thing rather than ride round town), the more I looked at it I just went off the whole idea of one.
In the end I bought a sports type instead! and I’m very glad I did. I recommend you try both types before you buy.
[Edited on 14/5/09 by Mr Whippy]
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paul the 6th
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| posted on 14/5/09 at 09:49 AM |
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bit of a long shot but if you're doing it for a year, maybe the cost of doing your test and then getting one of these would be around a similar
price...
honda cb500 - there's one on bike trader for £650 at the mo. No photos but 16,000 miles - they're bullet proof, all the bike training
schools use them as they're one of the cheapest, loads of spares, ridiculously easy to control and enough power to get you out of trouble if you
need it
(http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-uk/www/bikes/HONDA+CB/Ne-2-4-7-8-27-64-104-133-146-236,N-12-239-4294965097-4294966904/advert.action?R=2009183336419
32&distance=167&postcode=bd19+3qu&channel=BIKES&make=HONDA&model=CB&min_pr=&max_pr=1000&max_mileage=&vehicleYearOf
Manufacture=1993&vehicleRegLetter=K)
or there's an older 125cc version, also for 650:
http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-uk/www/bikes/HONDA+CB/Ne-2-4-7-8-27-64-104-133-146-236,N-12-239-4294965097-4294966904/advert.action?R=20091711333913
6&distance=21&postcode=bd19+3qu&channel=BIKES&make=HONDA&model=CB&min_pr=&max_pr=1000&max_mileage=&vehicleYearOfMa
nufacture=1985&vehicleRegLetter=B
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NOTE:This user is registered as a LocostBuilders trader and may offer commercial services to other users
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cd.thomson
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| posted on 14/5/09 at 09:57 AM |
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now this is something im struggling with, ideally if I could get a bigger bike (albeit one with v.sensible fuel economy) then the commute would be
much easier. I'd quite like Bandit!
When a CBT lasting 2 years is £80 though and a test is £700 - is it an overly expensive and unnecessary step?
Also - NO scooters! I'll only drive something with manual gears 
[Edited on 14/5/09 by cd.thomson]
[Edited on 14/5/09 by cd.thomson]
Craig
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Peteff
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| posted on 14/5/09 at 10:08 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by iank
I was commuting around that per day and depending on the roads that can be 2 hours a day out of your life - no fun.
Honda CG125 or a City Runner would do the job. Was that 2 hours a day in a car? My niece travels to work on her bike whenever possible as it knocks
1.5 hours off her total daily travel time to Sheffield.
yours, Pete
I went into the RSPCA office the other day. It was so small you could hardly swing a cat in there.
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iank
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| posted on 14/5/09 at 10:20 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Peteff
quote:
Originally posted by iank
I was commuting around that per day and depending on the roads that can be 2 hours a day out of your life - no fun.
Honda CG125 or a City Runner would do the job. Was that 2 hours a day in a car? My niece travels to work on her bike whenever possible as it knocks
1.5 hours off her total daily travel time to Sheffield.
My commute up and down the A10 was around an hour each way, it was probably a little further (45miles each way) but you can average a much faster
speed than a 125cc on a fast A road in a mondeo.
I don't believe a 125cc is going to be much use on a road like that, which from google maps seems to be a similar road cross country. Small
bikes are fine when in the city nipping in and out of queues but dangerous on a twisty A road with tired commuters trying to get home in time for some
sad TV programme IMO.
--
Never argue with an idiot. They drag you down to their level, then beat you with experience.
Anonymous
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Mr Whippy
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| posted on 14/5/09 at 10:37 AM |
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my bike does a depressing 1 ½ hour car commute in just 25 minutes , alternatively it takes 2hrs on a bus while using 4 separate busses a day and
costs almost £60 a week on bus fare!
For me it’s totally brought back the joy of driving.
I’d agree about a large capacity bike for high speed roads, the 125’s are a bit underpowered unless thrashed to death (part of the fun for me though),
my CBR usually sits 1000rpm off the red line at 70mph. My next bike will be a Ninja 250 (I’ll paint it red), I think that does about 70mpg. No way I’m
going to buy a 600cc bike as with that kind of hopeless fuel economy I’d have been just as well taking the car.
saying that I drive dual carriageway to work and just keep to the speed limit and stick earplugs in my ears it’s actually quite pleasant ,
really what I want is noise cancelling earphones for my i-pod
[Edited on 14/5/09 by Mr Whippy]
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MikeRJ
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| posted on 14/5/09 at 11:20 AM |
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Get a genuine Honda CG125 and avoid the poxy Chinese copies like the plague. They are temptingly cheap...but for a good reason.
The CG has been around for donkeys years, they are supremely reliable, very economic and dead easy to service. Pretty much the perfect small commuter
bike if you want something with a bit more go than the C70/C90 step throughs (though these give better weather protection).
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tomprescott
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| posted on 14/5/09 at 02:33 PM |
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Yeah get a bandit, picked mine up yesterday, only a 400 but more powerful then my car and a decent size to, I'm heavy set 6ft and feel sturdy on
it. I wish I had my licence already - having it sat at home doing nothing is so annoying. The temptation to say f*ck tha po-lice and become an outlaw
biker is growing every second! Haha
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MikeRJ
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| posted on 14/5/09 at 04:10 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Mr Whippy
No way I’m going to buy a 600cc bike as with that kind of hopeless fuel economy I’d have been just as well taking the car.
My brother was getting ~55mpg from his CBR600FS the first week he started riding it. Soon fell though
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