125 vs 250?? beginners woes

[R2D2]

hello there peeps,

I'm in a bit of a dilemma, i'm planning on doing my cbt soon and am stuck between 2 bikes. The yzf r125 and the dt 125. I've hear good things about the dt but its not as pretty as the yzf r125. i'm not too fussed about going off road to be honest so i'd tend to lean towards the sports bikes - no pun intended.

so what's that got to do with 250's?

well, i asked my nan for help to buy my bike, but she's just offered to give me a couple of grand for one. which is great as i'm not made of money, or well off enough to get it myself. with that in mind, i emailed the place where they do the cbt's and they said i could do a direct access course thingy cos im 25.

so it boils down to two questions really;

1. should i stick with the 125's and get used to riding bikes?

or 2. should i spend some of that money to do the extra course and step up to a 250? ( i could go bigger i guess but i don't want to be an idiot and get something too powerful that i cant handle)

thanks for reading this convoluted post!

[R2D2]

i could add to this asking for suggestions on 250's but i won't complicate an already complicated post lol

[DirtyDT]

I would go for a 250, because you can and it will save cash in the long run. Bikes only go as fast as you twist the throttle. A lot of 125's are overpriced because it is the limit for a learner.

Which bike will depend on you. What style do you like? Can you fit on a trail bike (taller seat heights)? Do you want a 2 stroke or 4 stroke? Do you want a classic or a newer model? What can you afford? etc..................

[Tommy xs]

back in 1981 my first bike was a 250 just before they changed the learner law down to 125cc

i say go for the direct access then decide

[R2D2]

I would go for a 250, because you can and it will save cash in the long run. Bikes only go as fast as you twist the throttle. A lot of 125's are overpriced because it is the limit for a learner.

Which bike will depend on you. What style do you like? Can you fit on a trail bike (taller seat heights)? Do you want a 2 stroke or 4 stroke? Do you want a classic or a newer model? What can you afford? etc..................

the only other thing with getting the 250 is that if i do the direct acces course thing, does that include the thoery test as mine has run out

the olny experience i have on bikes is that my step father used to taek me to this place where me and all the other kids raced 50cc motocross bikes. so, as you can imagine my enginge knowlegde is quite shoddy. i hear that 2 strokes are quicker, but less reliabe and 4 strokes are the opposite. classic or newer doesn't bother me as there are loads of nice looking bikes through the ages, especially yamahas. styling wise i'd say i'm more of a sports bike type of guy, i like the streetfighter looking bikes but i know they are mainly custom things.

i think the superbike look whatever year - late 70's to present all look good in my opinion. so i think i''d definatley go for them

afford wise.... hmm well my nan said a couple of grand. the money i'd save would be for insurance tax and gear.

[R2D2]

back in 1981 my first bike was a 250 just before they changed the learner law down to 125cc

i say go for the direct access then decide

lol makes me slightly gutted that it's gone down, but i guess its for the better ...

[bippo]

Hey there, just regarding your comment about theory test, afraid you'll have to re-do that. It only lasts for 2 years just like the CBT. About 30 quid if I recall. If I was you I'd get that done after your CBT and before you start having your Direct Access lessons, that way you won't have anything holding you up. You'll basically need your CBT and Theory Test complete before you can tackle the Mods 1 & 2.

[lallasro]

I start with a 160 kg bike, cruiser style, 125 cc (ajs regal raptor) at first impression was a heavy bike for me.... that for 15 min. after 15 min I wish to have a 2000 cc bike, not 125cc and i`m not a strong man, I have 1,90m and just 65 kg. trust me, in 2 weeks you will want a bigger bike so, in my opinion, take your full licence, chose what bike you like to ride, and take it easy in first 2 weeks. you will be disappointed on the road with a 125cc. and there is a lot of factors like front wind, hills. if you want a bike for street, I don`t recommend you a less than 500cc. you will wish to have some power. I ride a few days ago (i`m preparing for mod1) a kawasaki 600 cc and I can tell you its really easy to control that bike, and have enough power... but that is just my newbie opinion, after riding 4000 miles on my AJS and 2h a kawa 600cc.

[obriens65]

I'd go for the 250 for a while. Going from no bike to 600cc in the time it takes to get your direct access might be too much. As Dirty DT says, it only goes as fast as you twist the throttle, but a small blip of a 600cc throttle is a lot more power than a small blip of a 125 throttle. You might want to get a bit more road wise before you take on a 180mph sports bike.

[KirriePete]

Direct Access is definitely the way to go ..... however, assuming you're doing it the sensible way and not having a one week 'crash' course, buying a cheapo 125 for practice (and transport) in between lessons would be a good idea. You should be able to pick up a reasonable old putt-putt for 3-400 notes, run it while getting through your test then sell it on to the next learner for about the same as you paid for it.

As for what to run after your test, bear in mind that you'll be doing your test on a 650 (or bigger), so you should have enough feel for the bike to take on something of a similar size and power level - I wouldn't recommend a supersports machine at first, too sensitive to rider inputs and more likely to spit you off if you get it wrong. You'd be better off with more of an all-rounder like a Fazer, Bandit, Hornet, ER-5/6, that sort of thing, much less likely to bite you in the arse if your machine control gets a bit marginal, but still more than capable of giving you that ear-to-ear grin.

Whatever you go for, to paraphrase what others have said - "It's the nut holding the handlebars that dictates the speed of the bike".

Enjoy!

[pilninggas]

Also remember 125cc bikes have a price premium, as they are in far more demand. Don't limit yourself to 'just' 250cc as there have not been that many to choose from since the early 80s. Just look out for bikes that are recommended for novices. A couple of grand will get you something reliable - but get quotes from insurance companies before you buy any bike (use an online search), a R125 is quite steep on insurance as loads have been crashed/pinched and the insurers aren't too keen. More CCs does not mean more expensive.

[R2D2]

Hey there, just regarding your comment about theory test, afraid you'll have to re-do that. It only lasts for 2 years just like the CBT. About 30 quid if I recall. If I was you I'd get that done after your CBT and before you start having your Direct Access lessons, that way you won't have anything holding you up. You'll basically need your CBT and Theory Test complete before you can tackle the Mods 1 & 2.

yeah i thought this was the case, thats not too bad though. as i can get a dt in the meantime - i hear they get thier value back

I start with a 160 kg bike, cruiser style, 125 cc (ajs regal raptor) at first impression was a heavy bike for me.... that for 15 min. after 15 min I wish to have a 2000 cc bike, not 125cc and i`m not a strong man, I have 1,90m and just 65 kg. trust me, in 2 weeks you will want a bigger bike so, in my opinion, take your full licence, chose what bike you like to ride, and take it easy in first 2 weeks. you will be disappointed on the road with a 125cc. and there is a lot of factors like front wind, hills. if you want a bike for street, I don`t recommend you a less than 500cc. you will wish to have some power. I ride a few days ago (i`m preparing for mod1) a kawasaki 600 cc and I can tell you its really easy to control that bike, and have enough power... but that is just my newbie opinion, after riding 4000 miles on my AJS and 2h a kawa 600cc.

thats why i thought i'd ask on here for that reason too, i know i'll want something bigger, i just dont wanna rush into getting something that'll end up throwing me off into a ravine or something lol

I'd go for the 250 for a while. Going from no bike to 600cc in the time it takes to get your direct access might be too much. As Dirty DT says, it only goes as fast as you twist the throttle, but a small blip of a 600cc throttle is a lot more power than a small blip of a 125 throttle. You might want to get a bit more road wise before you take on a 180mph sports bike.

i totally agree, i can get a bit reckless at times like most, especially if i'm on a bike., 250 would probs be best till i know what im doing

Direct Access is definitely the way to go ..... however, assuming you're doing it the sensible way and not having a one week 'crash' course, buying a cheapo 125 for practice (and transport) in between lessons would be a good idea. You should be able to pick up a reasonable old putt-putt for 3-400 notes, run it while getting through your test then sell it on to the next learner for about the same as you paid for it.

As for what to run after your test, bear in mind that you'll be doing your test on a 650 (or bigger), so you should have enough feel for the bike to take on something of a similar size and power level - I wouldn't recommend a supersports machine at first, too sensitive to rider inputs and more likely to spit you off if you get it wrong. You'd be better off with more of an all-rounder like a Fazer, Bandit, Hornet, ER-5/6, that sort of thing, much less likely to bite you in the arse if your machine control gets a bit marginal, but still more than capable of giving you that ear-to-ear grin.

Whatever you go for, to paraphrase what others have said - "It's the nut holding the handlebars that dictates the speed of the bike".

Enjoy!

see im not sure how long the course is that the place i've emailed lasts for but it might be like a week or something. thats why i thought to get the smaller 250 after the test so i have the time to gain the road expeience before inevitably getting something bigger. and i have applied for the army so i'm not sure how long i have before my time is limited to taking lessons (not sure the army would give me a bike licence?)

Also remember 125cc bikes have a price premium, as they are in far more demand. Don't limit yourself to 'just' 250cc as there have not been that many to choose from since the early 80s. Just look out for bikes that are recommended for novices. A couple of grand will get you something reliable - but get quotes from insurance companies before you buy any bike (use an online search), a R125 is quite steep on insurance as loads have been crashed/pinched and the insurers aren't too keen. More CCs does not mean more expensive.

yeah out of the bikes i've compared insurance for the r125 was like 300 quid for the year, comparing that to a ninja 250 = 180 for the year. i think the dt for me was 270 odd. i don't mind having a 125, its just the choices are limited and as you say i can insure bigger bikes for less

thanks for all these replies guys, your help is greatly appreciated!