Yamaha YBR125

Yamaha YBR125, 2005, red, bought Jan 2011 for £1600, traded in June 2011 for £1200. I was its its fifth owner.

GOOD

Costs, low depreciation, easy to sell on, £16 road tax (2011) and a pretty genuine cold start short journey 90mpg without trying. I would refuel at about 210 miles. A full service including change of chain was £90 at a main dealers.

Even the standard (there is a custom version as well) has high handlebars meaning room for taller bikes to sit up more and be able to turn without hitting their knees. The long wide seat and big pegs made it comfortable, particularly after adding a small screen.

Reliable, it never failed to start even though it lived out side all of the time through freezing temperatures.

The gears, they clicked away with no issues and the clutch is light and easy to get it on the bitiing point.

Mine had both side and centre stand which makes life easy for parking and chain cleaning/adjusting.

MEDIUM

The brakes, it would dive and the rear drum brake did not inspire confidence.

Aftermarket parts are plentiful and many are generic, but that keeps the costs down. A new clutch, after I dropped mine and bent it was £9.

POOR

Robust, but prone to rust. I had mine during a terrible winter and it survived well except for small spots of rust appearing on the frame. The exhaust (the black as opposed to the chrome one) also suffered. Both were dealt with by treating with Kurust and Halfords VHT paint.

Performance. I am big and heavy which did not help, but the maximum I got according to the speedo was not quite 70mph. It would cruise at 55mph, but not with enough poke to over take on 60 mph country roads. Even for a 125cc, 11hp is not much. It did not feel nippy about town as I was expecting. There may be something in reports that have different bikes performing differently, suspicion being down to that they are an old design and made in their millions, so some are just not as fast as others.

OVERALL

I toured on mine, including doing 20mph up the Dukes Pass whilst fully laden and across Rannoch Moor in -5. People have ridden them all over the world and if you are up to travelling light and gowing slowly then can. Here I have got to Loch Katrine, well it is a start....

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2526/5733643420_e9bc66cb39_b.jpg

Would I get another one? Yes, if I needed something really cheap, comfortable and reliable to just potter about on. But I kind of hope that never happens!!!