Going to be doing my bike test next year probably and thought i might do my CBT and get a little 125 to learn to learn to ride on before embarking on a full test… thing is, al the 125's look a bit weedy (the commuter types) , small (the sports types) or silly (the cruiser types). do ny manufacturers make a normal size bike in 125? I'd ideally like something old and cheap and not pretty (i quite like the late 70's early 80's look) as I live inbradford (where they steal soil if its not locked up) and don't have a garage (though I do have a gated yard).

Suggestions? Am I stuck with a moto X lookalike bike?

Moto X look alikes are a reasonable bet but I beleiev 7 of the 10 most commonly stolen bikes are 125 crossers. Honda Varadero might fit the bill.

As an ex motorcycle instructor, if you're old enough and physically big enough to do the DAS course, do that on the schools bike and then get a 500cc machine. Easier to live with and just as cheap as 125s.

+1 for Onzadog.
The 125's are a bit rough and ready and you'll find it easier to ride a 500 as they're a bit more forgiving but you'd need it restricting to 33bhp if you want to ride it with L's on.
Just go the direct access route and forget 125's and you'll have access to any bike you want then.

A scooter is better than a 125 IMO – but doing direct access is better

I was thinking of getting a bit of experience before shelling out for a direct access course. can any bike be restricted? How is this done? is it 33bhp at 125cc? So many numbers and i'm all confused!

You can't ride a 33bhp bike on Ls. The only thing you can ride is upto 125. Once you pass the test on a 125, you can ride anything upto 33bhp without Ls. Bigger than that and you need to pass the DAS course or hold onto that 125 pass for two years.

C90?

I know it seems like a good/sensible way of doing it but it's much cheaper in the end to just do the DAS. 125cc aren't cheap to buy, you'll probably spend money on lessons anyway and you'll be tempted just to do the 125 test (= 2 years at 33bhp :roll:). Just wait till you're ready then go LARGE!

DAS all the way, soon as you pass you'll want a bigger bike so you might as well just get on with it.

We all started off on CM or CB 125 from the early '80s.
They are proper sized twin cylinder 4 strokes that were very very reliable.
Must be still some about you could pick up cheaply till your ready to upgrade.

Another vote for the Direct Access way…

Might seem expensive to start (£500 or so) but it's cheaper and better in the long run.

125cc bikes are rubbish basically, unless you just want a scooter for commuting round town. The "proper" 125cc bikes with gears (ie. not a twist and go scooter) are no cheaper to buy than 500cc bikes which are a world apart when it comes to having passed your test.

Best way to do it IMO is to do your Direct Access, then when you've actually passed your test, go out and buy a bike. If you buy a 125 and pass on that, you're going to be restricted to 33bhp for 2 years after all, which you won't be if you go the Direct Access route…

dt 125 and a hd chain and padlock, reliable, plentiful and good fun

I started off on CBT and 125ccs, have to say I doubt I could have passed DAS easily- I'd never driven either and it's a lot to take on. I assumed cycling experience would help but if anything it was a hindrance.

One thing, used 125s don't devalue much, so if you buy one and sell it after a year you're unlikely to lose out unless you buy badly, or destroy it. Personally if I was doing it again I'd get a DT125 or similiar, the downside is that they're commonly stolen as Onzadog says but they're pretty capable machines- light, good riding position for traffic, and they don't look like scale models. A good introduction to real bikes. The race rep 125s are pretty much all horrible, except for the RS125 but even then only when derestricted.

Or here's always the riding school classics, SR125s and the like. Not much fun but at least they look "right", they're indestructible and they're cheap.

I see people say "DAS + 500", I'm not sure that's good advice, most 500s on the market are basically stoneage. They can be good fun but as a rule, they're not. Someone usually says "they race cb500s" and it's true but then they also race Harleys and mopeds. Personally, I reckon if you're going to go DAS it makes more sense to look at an SV650 or a Honda Hornet, or a Fazer/Diversion- all much better bikes than the 500cc competition and not drastically more expensive (sometimes cheaper, you can get a surprisingly decent SV650 for under a grand these days, it'll look like it's been in the sea but it'll work)

I did DAS – two days on a 125 and two on a 500 then the test. I remember the relief that I felt at getting on a 500 for the first time because the 125s were just horrible. They'll do over 60mph but they're so light, they bounce and rattle about and you'll swear you're going to die. The 500 is just so stable by comparison. In 4 days, I had a licence and a new Bandit 600. I bought the Bandit because I was advised to by the saleswoman at the bike shop – she said I'd be bored rigid by the 500s within a couple of months. She was right.

Buy a naked 600cc bike (Bandit, Hornet, CB600F) so that there are no fairings to get scraped badly if you drop it. And you WILL drop it. Not proper, chuck-it-down-the-road crashes but slow or no speed, loss-of-balance-when-you-stall-it drops that bend levers and dent pride.

Ian

I agree with the last 2 posts, my Fazer 600 is awesome, perfect for across town commutes at slow speeds and good for 128mph at which point i bottled out and eased off however i did also love my ER5 which i redlined everywhere for 2 years before it got nicked

Once you have your 600, may I suggest you do a track-day once the weather has cleared up & you have some real miles under your belt?
You'll learn heaps and it might be the best day out imaginable.

At 39, with no interest in m'bikes and having sold my DT175 aged 18, finding myself with £3k burning a hole in my jeans, I bought a 600 one summers day, completely out of the blue, then 3 weeks later chopped it for a 900, then 3 weeks later traded it in for a 748, went on a track day that next week and simply never looked back.

125 Varadero is the obvious choice – have a flick through this month's Ride, there's a big article extolling their virtues.