Which 125?

Nice thread. I wish I had read it before I bought my first bike.... may have gone for the Varadero rather than the CBF, especially as my commute is 20 miles per day.

Depends on what type of roads you are riding on mate.

If you are using big dual carriage ways or 50mph+ roads yes the Varadero is the better bet.

However if it is just bopping between towns on main roads with a few sections of 40-50 then the CBF will do you just fine

My first 125 Suzuki Intruder and its easy to ride and comfortable touched 60 on my first outing nice new road and wet but felt she could give a bit more in the dry and less wind against me. but handled really well made me smile and a good looking bike.Will post a decent photo when the weather cheers up.

Controls set out nice and what ever I move on to I know she will never be forgotten

Going to likely add on to this... Will have the first post as 125 guide of 2011.

As a lot of new little bikes have come along... So will do some posts on them and title them properly.

This forum will be the undisputed guide for 125s...

Thinking of a first big bike thread... Got a lot of ideas, would help divert so many questions I see on here

I would really really recommend the YBR125.

Having never ridden anything before (a geared bike or a scooter) and coming straight from a geared Honda on my CBT, the YBR125 is a gorgeous machine. It's smooth as silk and incredibly capable. I have a 2012 model in black and red and I love it - planning to take it across counties this weekend (weather permitting!) and really, really looking forward to riding it later in the summer. It prefers life at ~40-50mph but I have taken her up to 60 and could very easily do 70-75 without any issue at all. If there are any newbies looking for a zippy, trusty starter bike - I would guarantee this one.

All from a newbie perspective, mind you! More seasoned riders may have other ideas

Nice topic. I have a Honda CG125

I would really really recommend the YBR125.

Having never ridden anything before (a geared bike or a scooter) and coming straight from a geared Honda on my CBT, the YBR125 is a gorgeous machine. It's smooth as silk and incredibly capable. I have a 2012 model in black and red and I love it - planning to take it across counties this weekend (weather permitting!) and really, really looking forward to riding it later in the summer. It prefers life at ~40-50mph but I have taken her up to 60 and could very easily do 70-75 without any issue at all. If there are any newbies looking for a zippy, trusty starter bike - I would guarantee this one.

All from a newbie perspective, mind you! More seasoned riders may have other ideas

Generally I hear the Honda CBF is now the one to have, whereas before the YBR was much the same as the CG.

Shame there isn't a tzr on the list but !! Them gilera sc125 mostly came out with yamah 4hw 4dl tzr 125r engines!! So I'd happly pick that lol

I would really really recommend the YBR125.

Having never ridden anything before (a geared bike or a scooter) and coming straight from a geared Honda on my CBT, the YBR125 is a gorgeous machine. It's smooth as silk and incredibly capable. I have a 2012 model in black and red and I love it - planning to take it across counties this weekend (weather permitting!) and really, really looking forward to riding it later in the summer. It prefers life at ~40-50mph but I have taken her up to 60 and could very easily do 70-75 without any issue at all. If there are any newbies looking for a zippy, trusty starter bike - I would guarantee this one.

All from a newbie perspective, mind you! More seasoned riders may have other ideas

 

Generally I hear the Honda CBF is now the one to have, whereas before the YBR was much the same as the CG.

My experience with my YBR was the same as Frank's it's great fun little machine

I can echo comments on the YBR 125, I got one having used one for my CBT. For someone like me who scraped through a CBT (no falls etc but not a natural rider and no experience) and has been out in all weathers daily for the past month or so it has been very forgiving! Parts are cheap as well.

I'ld seriously suggest any newbie spending 4 grand on a 125 as a first bike to think again. I love seeing the new 125s coming out on the market but as a learner I doubt you can fully appreciate the bike, especially not when its wrapped round a lamp post. (myself included)

I chose the cbf125 instead....I don't regret the cbf125 at all but I will say this....be very bloody careful in the wet. the tyres are crap (as fozzie quite rightly pointed out) and the tyre size is very uncommon amongst tyre manufactures. Think the ContiGo tyres are the best you'll find but I haven't upgraded so cant comment, I decided to learn how to be careful instead.

Just wondering why the Suzuki GN125 never seems to get a mention in these lists. That's what I've got...have very little to compare it to but it is very forgiving of me as a newbie, is a good make, does the job and looks pretty good. Well I think it does anyway. So why do they so rarely get a mention? I'm genuinely curious...anyone any ideas?

gonna say my Kymco is pretty excellent

CK1 125 Naked worth every bit of its £1999 price tag. replaced the Kymco KR sport as of 2014

gonna say my Kymco is pretty excellent

CK1 125 Naked worth every bit of its £1999 price tag. replaced the Kymco KR sport as of 2014

How long have you had it? I'd give it at least a year or so before putting it up as a recommended bike, the amount of Made Of Cheese bikes that are bargains and seem good to start with, but then rapidly go downhill... . Unless lots of trusted bike magazine/website reviews and others that say the same.

...it may be amazing, but give it the test of time first, just in case!

6 months and no rust, i leave it outside

was reviewed in MCN the other week against the Cb125f and the ktmduke 125 and did ok

plus its Taiwanese not chinese

Just wondering why the Suzuki GN125 never seems to get a mention in these lists. That's what I've got...have very little to compare it to but it is very forgiving of me as a newbie, is a good make, does the job and looks pretty good. Well I think it does anyway. So why do they so rarely get a mention? I'm genuinely curious...anyone any ideas?

I learnt on one of these and can say it's a poor mans CG125.

It does everything the same as a CG, but slightly worse. So it's ok as a beginner bike, but of all the beginner bikes you can get much better for not that much extra dosh.

gonna say my Kymco is pretty excellent

CK1 125 Naked worth every bit of its £1999 price tag. replaced the Kymco KR sport as of 2014

How long have you had it? I'd give it at least a year or so before putting it up as a recommended bike, the amount of Made Of Cheese bikes that are bargains and seem good to start with, but then rapidly go downhill... . Unless lots of trusted bike magazine/website reviews and others that say the same.

...it may be amazing, but give it the test of time first, just in case!

yet again another non japanese bike disliker....each to there own... cheaper than jap bikes, more expensive than chinese bikes, Kymco are the equivalent of nissan in the 90's, kia and hyundai of the 2000's, bet you wouldn't hesitate to buy one of them now.

without people buy these "cheese" bikes, the main producers would increase there prices as no competition, yes they may be made from cheese, but everynow and again a manufacturer springs up and surprises the market, I believe Kymco is such a manufacturer.

There early bike where probably as you say "cheese" but this current generation is a step above, there scooter range is as good as honda by reviews here and there on the internet etc.

Without "cheese" bike, jap bikes would not be reveered as being the dogs bollocks and the ones to have....

My Kymco was bought for a purpose (to gain experience for my bike test, its of the right size for my short dumpy legs and its green) and will be traded when I buy my choice of big bike. If i had more cash i would have looked at the mt125, but then fitting might have been an issue.

We all have our opinions and yes perhaps the test of time will prove me wrong, but what if these Kymco's are different and they prove you wrong, prove they are not made of Cheese.. will the world end no, will it change your opinions, probably not... but it does what it says on the box. Lots of people have had bad experiences with cheap chinese bikes I get that, but without those cheap bikes, how are companies gonna improve and provide competition to the jap bikes, whom without that competition would be charging more than they do now.

In the end its a cheap reliable nice looking 125 that gets me to work and i can improve my skills for when i pass my mod2 in a few weeks.

what else is a 125 really for?

also just for reference:

KYMCO or Kwang Yang Motor Co, Ltd (Chinese: 光陽工業; pinyin: Guāng Yáng Gōng Yè), is a Taiwanese company that manufactures motor scooters, motorcycles, and ATVs for worldwide distribution. Founded in 1963 after splitting from Honda, KYMCO originally made parts for Honda. The company built its first complete scooter in 1970 and began marketing under the "KYMCO" brand name in 1992. In the 2000s, Kymco became the largest scooter manufacturer in Taiwan, and the fifth largest scooter manufacturer worldwide.[1] KYMCO's headquarters and factory are located in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, with about 3000 employees, and producing more than 570,000 vehicles per year. The company has production facilities in Jakarta, Petaling Jaya, Shanghai, Changsha and Chengdu.

In early 2008, KYMCO was chosen by BMW to supply the engines for their G450 X Enduro bike.[2]

In late 2013, Kawasaki announced that their new J300 scooter is manufactured in partnership with Kymco. It is based on a Kymco Downtown 300i.

so to the OP about what to buy..... Get what you like, fit on and will enjoy riding regardless of everyone elses opinion or just be a sheep

Just a little FYI though, Moo started out on a Kymco Zing (later owned to death by Petrolhead) and saw all the fun of my Lexmoto first hand, so she's speaking from personal experience rather than prejudice. My feelings are known on Chinese/Taiwanese bikes, so will keep quiet apart from that.

In the meanwhile, please enjoy this photo of a FIVE YEAR OLD CBF125 taken at the Connington bike meet last night:

Note that the exhaust is now held on by willpower alone as the bit it should attach to has snapped off the engine.

Just a little FYI though, Moo started out on a Kymco Zing (later owned to death by Petrolhead) and saw all the fun of my Lexmoto first hand, so she's speaking from personal experience rather than prejudice. My feelings are known on Chinese/Taiwanese bikes, so will keep quiet apart from that.

In the meanwhile, please enjoy this photo of a FIVE YEAR OLD CBF125 taken at the Connington bike meet last night:

[attachment=0]CBF.jpg[/attachment]

Note that the exhaust is now held on by willpower alone as the bit it should attach to has snapped off the engine.

its not directed at moo, far from it.... and agree previous models and "cheese" bikes deserve there bad reputation. But a forum is a place for open discussion and tbh If Kawasaki are happy with the bikes enough to re badge them they cant be all bad.

So cheap, just but two and use the second one for spares.

I can say this with confidence: If you spend the same amount of money on a new Chinese bike or an old BMW, it's a lot cheaper and easier to keep the Chinese bike running

I'm going to overhaul this thread.

Been saying it for about a year but now I've managed to sample a whole range of new 125s, and a lot on here are now irrelevant.

I will list what I'm changing.

2-stroke bikes are being removed, and replaced with a small section outlining their higher running cost, along with a small list of them ranked by reliability. They are no longer produced, and spares are becoming harder to find so may as well reflect that. They are a dying breed.

I’m removing the Rieju bikes, Suzuki DR125, Derbi GPR125, Hyosung GT125R, Derbi Terra and Daelim Roadtwin. They were popular amongst the 125 crowd when this thread was written, but times change, and so must the thread to reflect it.

The budget section is going to get an overhaul with new bikes mentioned, this will be where I place some bikes like the DR125 that are now cheap run arounds, it will include a bigger section on YBR’s, CG’s and CBF’s. As there are owners on here with all kinds of CG and YBR I may draw on your input to reference against my own experience of them. As I’ve only ridden the standard models.

I will mention a few old bikes that remain popular in this section as well.

The Cruiser section is going to be shortened. The bike world seems to have left the 125 cruiser in the past now. So will mention the ones still popular but it will be smaller.

End result will be a smaller post, but with clearer, higher quality info.

I will be adding pieces on the new MT-125, updated piece on the KTM Duke 125, as they are the new boys on the block really.

I will pad out the Chinese 125 section, basically show Kymco as more reliable if you do, and then highlight Sinnis/Lexmoto issues with a big warning at the end.

Any other suggestions will be included if it’s a good idea

Maybe add the range of small 125 bikes such as the MSX ? Great for people with short legs, and fantastic fun. I've written a review of mine in the readers rides sections of the forum if you want an overview.

There are a few other smaller bikes like this around. Not sure if the Kawasaki version is coming to the UK yet.

Maybe add the range of small 125 bikes such as the MSX ? Great for people with short legs, and fantastic fun. I've written a review of mine in the readers rides sections of the forum if you want an overview.

There are a few other smaller bikes like this around. Not sure if the Kawasaki version is coming to the UK yet.

I've had a go on one, way back when they came out. They are good fun!

I'll do a small mini bike section, as the Kymco K-pipe seems half decent and makes up part of that market now developing a hunger for them

I've got an RC125 if you want some input from me, although I haven't seen a single person on one except me since I came back to the UK!

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