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Just passed my CBT looking to get a KSR TW 125?


Alane1989
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Hi there all and thanks for having me, I live in dorset and as u can tell by the topic im new to this. Ive just passed my cbt and am now looking at getting a 125cc bike.

Ive had a look at a few and am fixed on the New KSR TW 125 £2199 with 2 year warranty, the only problem is that its a new bike and i cant seem to find much reviews, also from what ive been looking through most people say stay away from chinese made which i think these are but just based in austria. My main problem is im 6ft 8" so im sort of limted to what bike i can get as in my cbt it looked like i was riding a childs bike. Any help on the make or model itself would be muchly appreciated thanks. :)

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Hi,

I was in the same situation a few weeks ago. I'm 6ft 3 and bigger thsn normal. Needed a bike that didn't disappear up my backside. Sat on everything (including a dwarf, said sorry but he really should have put a flag or something on his chair) and for the money, a Chinese Keeway superlight 125 was the best fit.

Ordered a new one then read all the bad rep of Chinese bikes. I remember (in the car world) jap stuff getting the same kind of rep years ago. So decided to wait and see.


Bike came and it isn't half bad. Ok, build quality isn't as good as the normal makes but for a stop gap bike it does the job. Very under powered and probably couldn't pull a fart out but it's giving me the experience I need before I go for my test and a bigger bike.

If you're planning on staying on L plates for a long time you might be better spending the extra money on a jap bike.

My brother's 6'7 can could ride the bike no problem.


Sorry it's not the make you were asking about but hopefully it helped on the Chinese subject.

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Personally I'd steer clear of any Chinese bikes, yes they're cheap new but there's a reason for that. For around the £2000 mark you can pick up some low mileage Japanese 125's, take a look at the Yamaha WR125R the seat height is over a metre and its a tall Bike, I had one and loved it. Also as already mentioned the Honda Varadero 125 is one of the biggest 125's and features a v-twin engine.


Both of the mentioned bikes should sell for almost if not all of what you paid for them, jap 125's hold their value superbly. However you'd struggle to get anywhere over £1000 for the bike mentioned especially when it's a new brand that people don't know.

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Had to wait until I got to work... I hate typing up the same response every darn time someone asks about Chinese bikes so I keep my response saved as a word document on my work computer 8-)

 

I had my Chinese bike for two years, bought brand new. It was always serviced at a dealership, in line with their VERY FREQUENT service intervals. That gets expensive, I should note - writes off most of the money you saved on the bike. I also cleaned it regularly and did everything possible to keep the rust at bay.


Plastics cut into some of the wiring around the headstock after ~1 month. The CDI unit fell out the bottom of the bike after ~3 months. The intake rubber split after ~4 months. The speedo stopped working after ~6 months. The starter solenoid failed at ~2 months, ~5 months, and ~9 months. The fuel gauge never worked even remotely accurately despite several replacements. The bits with actual chrome peeled after a few months, and the varnish on the bits of fake chrome (aka varnished and painted plastic) lifted and the paint subsequently washed off leaving them a sort of matt yellowy cream colour after ~10 months. The front brake seized up after ~12 months, I tried to sort it myself but several parts had been done up so tightly that neither Tango nor I could get them off the bike, and the dealer insisted that it wasn't covered by the warranty. I contacted the manufacturer, who washed their hands of it and didn't even reply to me, just forwarded my email on to the dealer, who then got very pissed at me contacting the supplier!


After that I started servicing it myself and found a whole heap of problems, things like an ungreased axle that had rusted in place making changing the sprockets rather tricky. Also, the manufacturer had already stopped supplying many spares for the bike - had to use the front sprocket from a DR125 and stick a washer in to space it out properly. And the replacement chain (Lextek, word of warning to all) from their website was utterly dire, to the point that I was carrying a couple of spanners everywhere so I could adjust the chain on the go. Stretched like crazy despite being very well maintained.


The only bright side was that because most of the parts were discontinued so soon after I bought the bike, it was pretty much an instant write off when someone knocked me off it :lol:


Short version:

Chinese bikes are not big and they're not clever. Go Japanese.

 

On the height front, I'm 6'5" and have the problem that I look rather daft on smaller bikes.

Look at things like a Yamaha WR125 or a Honda Varadero 125, or if you want to spend a bit less aim for an Yamaha XT125 or Honda XR125L; they're your best chance of not dwarfing the bike. If that sort of bike isn't to your tastes, a Suzuki Intruder 125 or Honda Shadow 125 might not be too bad, but the low seat with legs forward still isn't the most flattering for a taller rider, especially if you're on the slimmer side. Not sure if there are many on the sports-styled front, but I would imagine the Yamaha YZF-R125 isn't a bad option as it certainly looks like a bigger bike than a normal 125. The NEW (2011 onwards) Honda CBR125 might be a cheaper option. Avoid the older one, it's downright anorexic.

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As above. Pre-written anti chinese bike rant :D


Now i do this often enough but lets state some facts about chinese bikes, and more importantly... SINNIS.


I while looking for a 125 spotted this lovely looking, cafe racer bike that was an absolute bargain for brand new! Off i wandered to TMBF to ask for recomendations.


"Don't do it" says rantmachine


"You're a fool" says Stu


"Lol" says fozzie..


Did i listen?


Lol no.




Off i wandered to the bike shop hard earned savings in hand and a short while later i rode off on my bike. My first issue came when i tried to turn the bike around a normal corner and the bike just slid out under me, apparently the tyres allow a lean of 5 degrees either way before they give up. I had ruined the tank (which was rusting anyway) and put one on order through a local bike shop. "Oh it will be about a month". "Oh well what can i do.." no... no... it was SEVEN. GOD. DAMN. MONTHS. So think of that when you think you can get replacement parts.


My next issue would be faulty electrics and crap wiring.. I often had issues with the brakes or indicators as the cable run under the seat and over the tyre.. However they would often slack off and hit the tyre thus causing the cable to rip in half. Not so great when riding at night! Though it pales in comparison to the fact that when riding to work one day i realise my indictator (left rear) was flashing fast in the console "Oh the wirings gone again.." I got to work and went to look at it and what do i find? Nothing.. The f**king indicator just fell off cause of the bolts made out of 3 week old potatoes.


Now my final major issue was my accident on the A12, now you're thinking.. "How is this the bikes fault why didnt you ride better" well.. When someone cuts you off at 50mph with not a huge amount of room, you tend to press hard on the brakes. Only as soon as i done that the brakes IMMEDIATELY siezed and threw me off the bike. Bike took several months and lots of money to fix before it developed a droning noise whenever i went about 3-4k RPM.. (see video below)


https://youtu.be/3ip7FtJq6HA


So to sum it up. Buy a chinese bike if you really want, its cheap for a reason, but when you come on here asking for help fixing it or moaning that its taking ages to get parts, don't expect a huge amount of sympathy because you've been warned.


Oh and when i sold it less than a year later with 2000miles on the clock, i'd lost 3/4 of its value.. got 500quid.

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Thank you very much for all the help in the replies, i think ill have to take a look at the bikes that some of you mentioned. My plan was to get a bike have it around a year so ive got the practice and confidence to do my main test, but as most of you have mentioned the dreaded chinese bike plague, i think ill steer clear of them, again i really appreciate all the help and welcoming. Cheers

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:laugh:


Looks like I'm too late to join the "Dear God! Stay away from Chinese 125s!" rampage :P


Glad you're looking at other bikes now mate, seriously recommend the Varedero.. They are Soo comfy!! :love:

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I'll second the Varadero. Very roomy, comfortable bike. Not great top speed, but seeing as you'll only be riding it for 6 months before you get your full licence, just get a second-hand one and learn to ride on it.

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  • 4 months later...

These bikes are Austrian built with Suzuki engines as far as I'm aware, if they go buy anything in the lines of ktm which is also an Austrian manafacturer they should be pretty good I'm very tempted into getting a tw 125 but ill give it a while to see how they hold up for people before I take the plunge they look great with all the nice bits as standard (digital speedo, rear disc brake, nice looking and well positioned exhaust etc. But we shall see....

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As regards Chines bikes.....never owned one, and I have no intention of owning one either.


But one thing I've seen thrown about is some people saying things like....."it's the same as the Jap bikes going mainstream in the mid/late 60's. They're mistrusted because they're new".


Well speaking as someone who was around back then, I can tell you that this comparison is completely ridiculous. The Jap bikes came over, and they were called "sewing machines" and not real bikes.


Unfortunately for their critics it didn't take long for the "sewing machines" to run rings round the Brit bikes in every area. Then the critics said "They don't handle"......until Yamaha totally dominated two stroke proddie racing.


Their final objection was "Japs can't build good big ones".......until the Honda CB750 turned up which wiped out all the opposition. Three years later the Z1 arrived taking everything to a different level.......and the Brit motorcycle industry was decimated.


Now.....as regards Chines bikes......do you see any similarity between that scenario and now? None at all. They're not better than offers from the Japanese......quite the opposite in fact. All you can say is they're cheap. There are no other redeeming qualities.

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  • 2 months later...

PMSL iv not long brought one.Glad i didnt read this first. Im happy with it so far,rides nice to be honest, compared to sinnis lifan and the others.Standard tyres are a bit slippy on the road . That's the only problem iv had. I'd recommend one. Sorry jap bikers I understand iv never had to push my c90 home in 12years .I'll let u all now when I push me ksr home.

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As regards Chines bikes.....never owned one, and I have no intention of owning one either.


But one thing I've seen thrown about is some people saying things like....."it's the same as the Jap bikes going mainstream in the mid/late 60's. They're mistrusted because they're new".


Well speaking as someone who was around back then, I can tell you that this comparison is completely ridiculous. The Jap bikes came over, and they were called "sewing machines" and not real bikes.


Unfortunately for their critics it didn't take long for the "sewing machines" to run rings round the Brit bikes in every area. Then the critics said "They don't handle"......until Yamaha totally dominated two stroke proddie racing.


Their final objection was "Japs can't build good big ones".......until the Honda CB750 turned up which wiped out all the opposition. Three years later the Z1 arrived taking everything to a different level.......and the Brit motorcycle industry was decimated.


Now.....as regards Chines bikes......do you see any similarity between that scenario and now? None at all. They're not better than offers from the Japanese......quite the opposite in fact. All you can say is they're cheap. There are no other redeeming qualities.

 

I might have to say this for future use X!


Great comparison :D I can't say I was about for the Japanese bike boom, so when people try to compare the two I've never been able to give examples for the debate

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There's two situations where you should never use "the cheaper the better" mentality......buying a Motorcycle and choosing a Vasectomy Clinic.


Now I'm not saying that if you buy a Chinese motorcycle the contents of your testicles will end up sliding down your inner thigh.......but why take the risk?

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Personal experience.


As with any bike if they are neglected they can be a pain in the backside, neck or any other part of the body that offends you.


If looked after, probably with more care than is required for one of the non Chinese bikes, then they will last, and last, and last.


Residuals. I know of a motorcyclist who bought one as a stop gap when he became to weak to manage a mid sized bike. He ran it for a year and it cost him £1500. He then tried to trade it in against a CB500F at the local Honda delaership. He was offered £100 for the bike on trade in, or £700 off the price for no trade in. So he took the £700 option with the view as keeping it as a commuter. He decided a couple of months later to get rid. He advertised it for £400 on ebay with no photos. We went to see it and the wife asked him the least he would take, he said that to make up for difference between what he got for no trade in and what he thinks he should have got as £300, that would do. Wife ripped arm off buying it.


One of the same type and colour was advertised where we live, 8000 more km on it, been dropped/slid at least once, only 12 months MOT not 22 months (new vehicle see, 3 years before MOT), £700! So she got an almost new bike for £300. I have ridden it a few times whilst the ER5 was being butchered by a so called mechanic and if you kept it to 50/55 it was happy as a pig in muck and would plod on for hours. A perfect B road bimbler, agile, good road holding actually, just crap lights at night, plastic reflectors and a 30/35w bulb does not make for great vision, but it is primarily designed as a city commuter.


A friend of ours bought a 4 year old one with 20k on the clock for £200, for the MOT it needed a new fork and a chain, that done, sailed through MOT. It gets him to and from work happily. He is saving up for a test and a bigger bike, being a 6 ft 7 inch 24 stone gorilla! But the Chinese bike is saving him a flaming fortune on running a fleet hire scooter at a fiver a day!


Build quality, late 70s, early 80s cheap Yamaha level I would say. Though the fastenings do have a habit of turning furry! ACF 50 is your friend (buy shares in it). Bought for what they are, not what they pretend to be these are good little bikes, the quality is rising, exponentially in some cases. They are beginning to innovate and produce better quality, don't forget some BMWs now have Chinese engines.


They are cheap as chips, almost disposable, think about it, £1500 for a new bike on the road, basically over it's lifetime if you depreciate it at a tenner a week, 3 years, buy another one, never worry about MOT again....

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  • 2 years later...

My Xena is Chinese made, i bought her new nearly 4 months ago, it has been nearly a month since i last rode her, took her out today, and she started on the button, did all the pre ride checks, tyres,oil,water,lights etc, all 100% as they should be, in short Chinese bikes do get some bad press, but then there are some nice gems out there to be had :thumb:

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My first bike was a Chinese Lexmoto Arrow and I have to say it was brilliant. The key is maintenance, regular checks regular oil changes etc. It gave me 15 months of trouble free riding. If you're handy with the spanners and can do your own maintenance then they are very cheap to run. Yes the tyres are crappy and I changed the ones on mine to Avon's for a very reasonable £120. Pennies to tax and insure and like most 125s ran on air. Parts were inexpensive too from Chinese motorcycle parts online. And I sold it for 50 quid less than I bought it for, but looking after it was the key.

If you're after a cheap run around that gets you from A to B then from my experience you can't go wrong.

Dave

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