eselway Posted July 7, 2008 Posted July 7, 2008 YZF R125, RS125, or RS250? Getting my first bike early next year (I know that's ages away ) but not sure what to go for. Love the R125 but the noise it makes seems a bit pony..on the other hand not really been a fan of the screaming 2 strokes. Will probably be trekking the 65 miles I one way to work fairly often so need something capable of that and seeing as most of that trip is A14 I could do with something that won't dawdle. Also will need something reliable. Does anyone have any views or suggestions?
R1Mad Posted July 7, 2008 Posted July 7, 2008 YZF R125, RS125, or RS250? Getting my first bike early next year (I know that's ages away ) but not sure what to go for. Love the R125 but the noise it makes seems a bit pony..on the other hand not really been a fan of the screaming 2 strokes. Will probably be trekking the 65 miles I one way to work fairly often so need something capable of that and seeing as most of that trip is A14 I could do with something that won't dawdle. Also will need something reliable. Does anyone have any views or suggestions? If you're getting a full licence then don't get any of them , get a 400 - 600 cc bike, I don't think you'll like a 125-250 very much after doing 120 + miles in a day.
eselway Posted July 7, 2008 Author Posted July 7, 2008 Hmmm..if I were to get a 400-600 then I'd have to get an R6, I love the superbike look. But what would insurance be like on a restricted 600? Best I got quoted for the r125 was £700.
mr benn Posted July 7, 2008 Posted July 7, 2008 don't get an R6. it's that simple. you want reliability yet you're looking at 2-strokes. hellooooooo?????? buy what you need, not what you like the look of.
eselway Posted July 7, 2008 Author Posted July 7, 2008 I don't NEED anything, it's more what I WANT. I usually go for looks with cars and bikes, performance is definatley always a good thing too. I want to get an R6 at some point..why do you reckon that's a bad move?
mr benn Posted July 7, 2008 Posted July 7, 2008 Isn't this what you said in another post? "I daren't get anything bigger.. I'm not meant to be 'allowed' a bike so thinking something smaller might have been a better idea.. " So there's one reason. Another is you can't afford to insure it, as you got quoted £700 for a 125. Thirdly, having owned 2 R6s, I'd suggest that they are not ideal for someone who just passed their test. And if you want performance why are you looking at 125s?
R1Mad Posted July 7, 2008 Posted July 7, 2008 Hmmm..if I were to get a 400-600 then I'd have to get an R6, I love the superbike look. But what would insurance be like on a restricted 600? Best I got quoted for the r125 was £700. WOW £700 for a R125, that's a lot, R6 is going to be a lot more most likely, personally I hate the insurance companies for the prices they are charging but that's another story, R6, not the best but not the worst first bike (I started with a 750 ninja, and I know people who started out with a 1000), but I always say it's the rider who controls the bike and not the other way, so if you're good at self control and smart about your riding go for the R6 (if you can put up with the insurance price), just take it very slow and easy at the beginning, it's a fast bike, fazers are pretty good too.
pilninggas Posted July 7, 2008 Posted July 7, 2008 i would be looking at a 600, but go for something 'cooking', a gsr600 will cost a fraction of an r6 to insure yet will be as good or better 90% of the time. Remember full on sports bikes,don't tend to be as good at commuting. You may find insurance limits you anyway. R6s tend to be silly money to insure. look at fazers, gsxf650s etc. these will be better bikes restricted as well, if you have to have a 33bhp bike. An R6 restricted seems a bit daft to me! good luck and at least you can buy in the winter for the best discount!
swiftyhernandez Posted July 8, 2008 Posted July 8, 2008 In your title seem to be asking for suggestions on your "first road bike" and in your opening remarks you seem to be asking for suggestions on your "first bike." Which is it? First road bike or first ever bike? If you have dirtbike experience then, I think a 400 would be a good place to start. I believe it is best to learn to ride a bike off-road first. Learn what it feels like to operate a two-wheeled, gas-engined, vehicle. Learn what it feels like to turn at speed. Learn what to do when traction is lost. Burn around, have fun, see if you can make it to the top of that hill! Crash. A few times. Nothing serious mind you, but know what it feels like to "go down" because it will happen. Do you have ANY motorcycle riding experience, at all? Or, have you ridden in the dirt before? It is (usually) less painful on the body and the wallet to fall off in the dirt. Know this: you will fall down.
eselway Posted July 12, 2008 Author Posted July 12, 2008 In your title seem to be asking for suggestions on your "first road bike" and in your opening remarks you seem to be asking for suggestions on your "first bike." Which is it? First road bike or first ever bike? If you have dirtbike experience then, I think a 400 would be a good place to start. I believe it is best to learn to ride a bike off-road first. Learn what it feels like to operate a two-wheeled, gas-engined, vehicle. Learn what it feels like to turn at speed. Learn what to do when traction is lost. Burn around, have fun, see if you can make it to the top of that hill! Crash. A few times. Nothing serious mind you, but know what it feels like to "go down" because it will happen. Do you have ANY motorcycle riding experience, at all? Or, have you ridden in the dirt before? It is (usually) less painful on the body and the wallet to fall off in the dirt. Know this: you will fall down. I have already riden motocross bikes, did that for a couple of years and now I ride 125 pit bikes..nothing special but a quick little bike for the race paddocks!
DebtMan Posted July 18, 2008 Posted July 18, 2008 I'm with the majority here. Sportsbikes are hopeless for commuting. That's not to say they can't but it's not their ideal role, plus as I suspect you already know, the insurance will be astronomical. Avoid the RS bikes like the plague unless you're very VERY clued up on 2 strokes, esp the RS125. They're a maintenance nightmare, temperamental and very sensitive to warm ups, fluids, etc. Blown top ends and motors are common. As a first bike, I bought and rode for 4 years, a Kawasaki ZR550 Zephyr. Ideal first bike imho, taught me a hell of a lot about riding and about my own capabilities and limitations. Not very glamorous, but true 115mph capable, handles excellently and insurance cheap to reasonable. Go with a 400-600cc middleweight. Try to avoid sports bikes til later on. My 51 plate FZ600 Fazer is excellent and you can get them very cheap indeed. Even restricted, they'll be good, plus when you de-restrict, you'll get known handling capabilities with more power...a great learning curve. This also applies to other middleweights, Hornet, Bandit, etc - all good machines, cheap to run, very reliable, easy to maintain, comfortable, reasonable insurance and cheap to buy. If you've got the money, buy a cheap commuter (shafties good...GT550, Deauville, etc) and cut your teeath on those til your restriction is up, then buy your sports bike after that. HTH DM
fifetojo Posted July 31, 2008 Posted July 31, 2008 I'm with the majority here. Sportsbikes are hopeless for commuting. That's not to say they can't but it's not their ideal role, plus as I suspect you already know, the insurance will be astronomical. Avoid the RS bikes like the plague unless you're very VERY clued up on 2 strokes, esp the RS125. They're a maintenance nightmare, temperamental and very sensitive to warm ups, fluids, etc. Blown top ends and motors are common. As a first bike, I bought and rode for 4 years, a Kawasaki ZR550 Zephyr. Ideal first bike imho, taught me a hell of a lot about riding and about my own capabilities and limitations. Not very glamorous, but true 115mph capable, handles excellently and insurance cheap to reasonable. Go with a 400-600cc middleweight. Try to avoid sports bikes til later on. My 51 plate FZ600 Fazer is excellent and you can get them very cheap indeed. Even restricted, they'll be good, plus when you de-restrict, you'll get known handling capabilities with more power...a great learning curve. This also applies to other middleweights, Hornet, Bandit, etc - all good machines, cheap to run, very reliable, easy to maintain, comfortable, reasonable insurance and cheap to buy. If you've got the money, buy a cheap commuter (shafties good...GT550, Deauville, etc) and cut your teeath on those til your restriction is up, then buy your sports bike after that. HTH DM Some sound advice there and in some of the other responses. Personally though, i'd steer clear of newer R6's n 600 fazers, as they really like to be reved to make good progress. My first bike was a ZX6R, but a right old one, with a decent riding position so commuting was ok. And like someone said, you WILL fall off (i ditched my zx a couple of times), so better to have something that you mind less about damaging, and can cost less to fix. 650 Bandit, or an SZ650 would be great places to start, and Suzuki's are pretty damn cheap at the moment. Good luck anyway.
midnightrider56 Posted August 5, 2008 Posted August 5, 2008 YZF R125, RS125, or RS250? Getting my first bike early next year (I know that's ages away ) but not sure what to go for. Love the R125 but the noise it makes seems a bit pony..on the other hand not really been a fan of the screaming 2 strokes. Will probably be trekking the 65 miles I one way to work fairly often so need something capable of that and seeing as most of that trip is A14 I could do with something that won't dawdle. Also will need something reliable. Does anyone have any views or suggestions? I always think that the smaller bikes are more dangerous than the bigger ones, and i suggest you look at some of the chinese 125's i think you will find they are larger and have bigger tyres and brakes and much more comforable than any jap bikes and they are much cheaper if you buy them before they catch on over here and you probably will be able to insure them for less, im on my 43rd bike now a xjr 1300 and just helped a friend get his first bike which was a honda cg125 which is very reliable and cheap but extremely boring,(not my choice) i did sit on a chinese custom thingy 125 and the difference was amazing, it felt like a 500 and was comfortable and was a 4 stroke and cheap with trick paint and loads of extras as standard, good luck, enjoy yourself.
ShoKz Posted August 5, 2008 Posted August 5, 2008 my friend has a 600 fazer, he does 130 miles to work and back and he loves the bike so i would recomend one of them, like the other guys said, 125 are fine for learning on but not for making big journeys like yours, dont buy a small bike get a lience and get a big bike!
grizzlydan Posted August 6, 2008 Posted August 6, 2008 YZF R125, RS125, or RS250? Getting my first bike early next year (I know that's ages away ) but not sure what to go for. Love the R125 but the noise it makes seems a bit pony..on the other hand not really been a fan of the screaming 2 strokes. Will probably be trekking the 65 miles I one way to work fairly often so need something capable of that and seeing as most of that trip is A14 I could do with something that won't dawdle. Also will need something reliable. Does anyone have any views or suggestions? What you want is a decent middle weight (400/600cc), something thats comfortable not race rep. The race style is great for blatting about a couple of times a week with ya pals but when it come to commuting you want comfort! As a ex-courier trust me when i say that when your doing kin loads of miles per day you want a bike that you don't mind riding day in, day out 24/7. Race style however will hurt, sore back, sore wrists, sore shoulders & sore pockets at the end of the week (ya just can't resist the throttle). Get some thing that sits you in a basic upright position (XJ series are good), 4 stroke for reliability (may be boring but it gets there) & also learn a bit about mechanics coz at some point you will need to do a bit of roadside maintenance. Ok i've now got a FZ600 which is race styled but then the furthest i been on it is southampton & blow me my wrists hurt for a good few days afterwards, then again when i had my XJ 600 i went every where, cornwall, scotland, up the north coast of England & eire. Now that was a comfortable bike just a shame i wrote it off in London.
jamesmorgan Posted August 6, 2008 Posted August 6, 2008 YZF R125, RS125, or RS250? Getting my first bike early next year (I know that's ages away ) but not sure what to go for. Love the R125 but the noise it makes seems a bit pony..on the other hand not really been a fan of the screaming 2 strokes. Will probably be trekking the 65 miles I one way to work fairly often so need something capable of that and seeing as most of that trip is A14 I could do with something that won't dawdle. Also will need something reliable. Does anyone have any views or suggestions? ZXR 400 if you can find a nice one - make a very nice first bike - though if you want to do that kind of miles each way then a 600 Fazer is the commuter bike of choice..........
Moderator mervin Posted August 7, 2008 Moderator Posted August 7, 2008 ZXR 400 if you can find a nice one - make a very nice first bike - though if you want to do that kind of miles each way then a 600 Fazer is the commuter bike of choice.......... Ok are you on a restricted license/ if so get a GS500 CB 500 twin and restrict it cheap to buy reliable bullet proof commuter should not be too expensive to insure, dive right in with bigger 4 pot bikes etc you will pay i have now had my full licence 5 years am 49 years old though and have a a Honda SLR 650 funduro a RD250 RD400 and a Aprilia RX50 (now sold) full comp with Carole nash £126 Merv
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