Looking to do my bike test and just want something to potter around on before going for my test. Been looking at something like a CG125 and got to thinking, is there such a thing as a cool 125cc? They, to me seem to all look a bit crap? I remember the cagiva planet looked quite cool and I know the race bikes look pretty tidy! But what else?

R125?
Varadero?
both look like real bikes IMHO

Aprilla

no

There are yamaha and honda 4 stoke 'sports' 125's now so you can get the look but without the 6000 mile engine rebuilds. CBF 125 looks a long way from the CG125 as well.

But its largely pointless, the restriction is in power (hence no legitimate market for a proper sporty 125) so the sporty ones are no quicker than the CG's.

i would get a trailie so that you can have a wee bit of fun off road too.

I got 80 out of an R125 a while ago… which was errrrr interesting, shall we say?:)

Save your money and just book a direct access 5 day course then buy a real bike

Hmmm merits and demerits id say… temptation to open up a big bike while you are still brand new is a recipe for disaster, but its less farting around for certain

My first bike was a DT175 Yamaha

I had it for 8 weeks, passed my test & bought a 900 Kawasaki 🙂

I didn't mean really big I meant a 600 like a Fazer, ER6, Hornet or SV650 sort of thing

Oh no not intending on getting anything brilliant just wonderedif there were any cool 125's I think not, I am intending on doing DAS but would like to get out on the road just toget back into the swing of it all!

Sure are.

Not much good to you though.

Yes there is…

and this is how you use one

Iain

All 125's are cool!!!!

They're soooo much fun, but in a completely different way to proper bikes… What ever you get, forget about what you look like on it and just concentrate on having fun! Much like on a mountain bike!

Oh Yes !

Such as this one

you can't get much cooler than an LI125

Which 125 trail bike then old is good!

How about a classic?

Now you're talking!

Yes, many…

I'll stop there but there are many many more….

Wish I'd never parted with my old KMX for the couple of hundred £'s I got for it. Stupid chav that bought it stuffed it into wall at Asda in Tamworth as far as I know. I'd fitted a KMX200 manifold, exhaust & few other bits. Christ could it fly (well up to 60mph anyway) 🙂

Get one of these for a bit of allround fun.

Don't waste the cash. You'll be frystrated at it's shortcomings pretty quickly, if your going to be doing your test reasonably soon.

Me, I was never interested in motorbikes at all really, but bought a simple 125 to get to work on, as 90mpg appealed when my alfa was giving me 23…

But within a couple of months, the wind blowing you off the road, the other motorists riding on your rear wheel, and the lack of get up and go, or proper stopping, meant I did a test simply to get a more stable comfortable bike.

I was a "nervous" biker, but still regret taking so long getting round to doing my test, doing 8 months from the cbt one august bank holiday, to my first test and DAS course the following easter.

It's hard to be cool on a 125, so don't bother.

Have you actually gone looking for one? There are hundreds out there.

Why are all those cool race bikes shown riderless?

Because any normal sized person make them look like the kids toys they are.

Might get away without looking like dad riding his kids pushbike on 1 of the trail type bikes though.

Nope, R125, CBR 125 and Varadero 125 are all full size bikes. Almost copies of there bigger brothers. The Honda is almost at first glance indistinguishable from its XL1000 brother, if i can be arsed ill take a photo of the Xl1000 later. screen, twin disc rather than single etc are the real give away if you de badge them…
I cant say about the others, never worked on em ridden em or come across em really
But the 125 Moto is a great idea too for the OP, mega fun to be had, and only recently quit riding honda xr and chinky copies of the honda xr! A mate even fitted a honda engine and box in to a chink copy, it was a direct fit

I did the same thing and bought a Honda Cityfly. Same as an xl125 before cost cutting took place.

Depends what you want, I got a trail style as its got good visibilty and did a few trails around here and a honda as its bulletproof. Kept up with the traffic and could do 60-65mph all day at 100mpg. Lost nothing on it when i sold it 9 months later.
The italian 2 strokes are very good but generally expensive or knacked.

A 125 is unlikely to be cool especially with other bikers, particularly the bellends with a gsxr in the garage used on sunny days for wheelieing in 30zones. but you will enjoy it and may even keep the 125 for running around on after your test.

Do a search on biketrader for upto 125 and see what comes up.

No one mentioned the Husky 125?

125s are brilliant fun you just have to learn to ride them, have zero sympathy for the mechanicals, rev it till you think it is going to go bang and then rev it some more. Dont slow down for corners carry as much speed as is possible. You will be changing gear so often and abusing the clutch that people will want to prosecute you for vehicular abuse. It will help if you are a midget as well.

When you move up to a bigger bike forget how you ride a 125 otherwise you will hurt yourself.

some old honda XLl25 on ebay

IMHO I'd say that finish/quality wise Honda are best, cool is something a fridge does, also consider running costs(insurance), parts cost, service costs, reliability record, ability to get spares (esp from breakers yard as they're cheaper)

from a purely practical perspective if you drop a traile, you don't have reams of expensive bodywork to repair.

Suzuki has a couple of models:

The TF125:

And of course the mighty Van Van:

I like the Van Van. Not many other people who don't own a caravan do, though!

Deus Motorcycles (expensive Aussie custom house) do a lot of their work on the basis of Van Vans…
http://www.deus.com.au/

Pigface – I have a Husky 125, it's quicker than my mates 250 4 stroke.

As quick at the KTM, and it pisses over all the Jap bikes.

love the van van and the TF – both remind me of the style of bike i had when i was younger for field work 😉

i was looking for a tzr 125 for a project bike not so long ago – till i realised due to them being one of the faster and easier to tune 125s(of the 80s) – they are nearly all gone – blown up or written off and thus fetch silly money second hand

If its quicker than a 250 its illegal for a learner! ( or the 250 is knackered)

I say get a cheapo bike and save your money for something a bit bigger when you get a full licence. Sporty ones will devalue a fair bit especially if you drop it and damage the fairings, trail style ones are slow if learner legal, a CG is as fast as any of the 125s give or take a fraction.

Or get a scooter.

If you're going to look like you're riding a key-ring, make it stylish…..

U31 – Member

Nope, R125, CBR 125 and Varadero 125 are all full size bikes

The Varadero is not far off full size making it very heavy and slow, the others are like 3/4 scale models. Very nice bikes but they are not full size

Last year I had a 1953 BSA Bantam D1 125cc which was very cool I thought, not the best if you want something to use every day though. And it really was not the quickest bike about luckily as the brakes were really really bad.

CBR 125 is a toy bike , i cant even get behind the fairing at 6 foot 3 !