Looking for a 125cc for long distance traveling

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J

JDW

Wannabie Member
Hi, as I've said in the title, I'm searching for a 125cc bike for long distance traveling, I live in Liverpool (UK) and hope to travel to places such as; Devon, Cornwall, Brighton, Blackpool. I will be traveling solo and hope a 125cc bike will help me, get out and explore the country.

I drove a 49cc bike for one year, three years ago but I didn't look after it very well, it was used for getting to college, 20 miles there and back. It was quite a tough 20 miles because the maximum speed of the bike was 25mph, 28-29 going down hills and it put me off riding for a while.

Due to my lack of care and a few accidents, it ended up with some issues which lead to my not being able to ride it for a period of time. That bike had not been in use for 2 years but acutely it was stolen from my Uncle's garage, 5 months ago just when he finally figured out the problem and fixed it.

I've been saving up money from work and I hope that with the experience I have now after owning a 49cc, I will be able to truly look after and appreciate a bike much more.

I'm after a 125cc which is most importantly strong/tough, then fast enough to be able to stay on motorways at a safe speed and then comfort due to the length of journeys I hope to tackle.

I hope, with this information, you can point me in the right direction of what sort of bike would suit these goals. I would also like to know, what is the number 1 site for second hand 125cc bikes and do you advise buying a bike brand new or second hand?

My spending money is £2,000, I hope to be able to use this to buy a bike, insure it and buy necessary safety equipment.

I apologize for any unnecessary information and hope you guys can help me out!

Thanks and much love!
 
Hi and welcome along! :)

The bad news is that 125's are not best suited to motorways, but there are still some that are better than others.

The YZF-R125 is probably the fastest of the 125's that I know of, it could probably cope with motorways quite well.

But, from what I know, the Honda Varadero 125 is probably be the best of the 125's for what you need. It is a fairly substantial bike for a 125.

Also I normally buy my bikes from ebay, just because I like the feedback system.
 
The R125 isn't going to be the comfiest of bikes for long distance though...

I agree with Dave. Varadero would do you well.

What's stopping you from getting a larger bike like a 250?
 
Dave and Friz have got it in one. While the YZF will attract lots of attention it uncomfy as f*ck. I have rode one.

The Varadero on the other hand has plently of fairing to protect you from wind and it is an upright bike.

Why not get a Ninja250? Bit more power and will cope better long distance.
 
Varadero is one of the most comfortable bikes I had the honor to ride. Your back will ache after some kilometers on YZF :)
 
I have a pulse adrenaline 125, it is great for long distance and will do 75 - 80 so quick enough. Its comfortable, and if you look after it is wont fall apart. Also when you crash the handle bars the the damage not the fairing so only a little bit of cash to fix it up :] I got mine for £1,450 and insured for £450 for a year and it does stupid miles to the tank, I fill it up and can go for about 300 miles before it gets to reserve
 
Varadero has great reviews, a bit bigger than I would have liked though. I'm 5ft 7 and weigh around 11 1/2 stone, the smaller the bike, the better but I'll note it down.

The pulse looks really good but certain reviews have put me off it, how many miles do you do on that per week?


I've been looking at the Honda CG125, I really like the look of it, cheap as well.

Any thoughts on this one?

Thanks.
 
JDW said:
Varadero has great reviews, a bit bigger than I would have liked though. I'm 5ft 7 and weigh around 11 1/2 stone, the smaller the bike, the better but I'll note it down.

The pulse looks really good but certain reviews have put me off it, how many miles do you do on that per week?


I've been looking at the Honda CG125, I really like the look of it, cheap as well.

Any thoughts on this one?

Thanks.
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Honda CG is a brilliant bike along with the Yamaha YBR.

If you want a smaller bike I suggest a Honda CBF125. It's an updated Honda CG with a bit of wind protection
 
MysteriousVlogger said:
Honda CG is a brilliant bike along with the Yamaha YBR.
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Brilliant at everything except motorways! :lol:

If you're going on motorways you want the following from a bike:

Fastest top speed possible - not to use it, but so you can cruise at 80mph without the bike being stressed. If not, It will go bang.
Full fairing - don't let people tell you otherwise. Full fairing and a double-bubble screen. Otherwise you'll freeze to death and drown.

Remember that 'comfort' is entirely relative. If you've never had anything else then you'll get used to whatever you have. People say a ZXR400 is one of the most uncomfortable bikes ever made - yet I used it for courier work for up to 9 hours per day - and only the last hour of that started getting uncomfortable.

What you really need is cc's. Why does it have to be a 125cc? I bought a GPZ500s recently and it is CRAP on motorways...
 
I do about 180 miles a week... Quite a bit :P I did 600k on saturday and I crashed yesterday, took 3 hours to fix :P when you crash the handle bars and foot peg takes it all. Oh and your legs
 
@MysteriousVlogger Hi, the Honda CBF125 looks lovely, a lot more suitable for me, I think. For now, I would say it is between that and a old cheaper bike like the CG. I'm wondering is the Honda CBF ideal for motorways or journeys over 100 miles?

@NastyEvilNinja Yes, I see that the CG would not be ideal for motorways which is a big turn off but if I could grab one of them in good condition that will last me a long time, I would be tempted to go for it even if it will stop me from going on motorways, I'm sure I can readjust routes and still enjoy the ride. I guess I prefer the look of old bikes that stand out less than these big modern bikes, if money was not an issue then I wouldn't bring it up but I feel that I would be a lot more confident leaving a bike that cost me under a certain amount of money and looks less fancy. I honestly don't know why I'm not considering something over 125cc, I think because I'm a massive novice on motorcycles and I feel less bewildered when talking about 49cc/125cc bikes. I think, aswell, for my second bike I want it to be 125cc, I want to get used to causally driving at speeds of 45-55 mph and build up my experience and confidence, with a smaller engine I guess, it feels less daunting.

Ah decisions, decisions, my Kingdom for a horse...

I'm going to book a CBT test and see how that goes, then I'll seriously start thinking about coming to a final decision.

I can't thank everyone enough, for their great replies, I feel my knowledge has increased that much more.
 
Don't get me wrong - I'm a huge advocate of 'working your way up' through bikes. You learn so much more that way!

I started on 125cc bikes, and did well over 20,000 miles in my first year - and that was before I was allowed on motorways (apart from one accidental time we won't talk about... :oops: ).

You should bear in mind that a 125cc sportsbike will be just about as quick as, say, a 500cc 'commuter' bike, so it can be a bit misleading.

I wouldn't be happy on a motorway on anything that did under 80mph with ease, simply because if you're below 80mph a hell of a lot of traffic will be coming from behind you - and so it's more to worry about.

You might find that standable, but even if you do stay away from the motorways a 125 can be a lot of fun, and I'm sure you will enjoy it either way! Just don't count some of the bigger cc bikes out because you think they might be too big a jump for you - especially if you do plan on using it for long distance stuff.
 
Get your CBT done and get your test passed and get a 250. 250's are slightly faster than 125's and you will enjoy motorway riding a lot more. They are very forgiving and user friendly
 
I've just been doing some research on 250cc bikes, it turns out, you need a full bike license to drive anything over 125cc, if haven't, you can only drive 125cc with L plates.

Yeah Ninja, one of the worse things about my journeys to college on the 49cc, I had a constant flow of cars trying to overtake me, whenever I had a stretch of road to myself, a car would eventually end up in my rear view mirror, indicating to overtake me. I can imagine it will be the same thing on a motorway with a 125cc, it's no fun if you've got to constantly at your mirrors to let people pass safely etc.

Thanks for enlightening me.
 
JDW said:
I've just been doing some research on 250cc bikes, it turns out, you need a full bike license to drive anything over 125cc, if haven't, you can only drive 125cc with L plates.

Yeah Ninja, one of the worse things about my journeys to college on the 49cc, I had a constant flow of cars trying to overtake me, whenever I had a stretch of road to myself, a car would eventually end up in my rear view mirror, indicating to overtake me. I can imagine it will be the same thing on a motorway with a 125cc, it's no fun if you've got to constantly at your mirrors to let people pass safely etc.

Thanks for enlightening me.
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Then do your test. If you old enough to do DAS do it. If your not get your restricted license (before the new laws come out) and get a Ninja 250 or a CBR250
 
Crysis said:
Aprilia RS4 125 (4 stroke) maybe?
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No offense, but RS 125's are infamous for their amount of engine breakdowns, whilst I agree they are good bikes, they arn't too reliable, especially if he's going to be travelling relatively long distances.
 
Icey said:
Crysis said:
Aprilia RS4 125 (4 stroke) maybe?
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No offense, but RS 125's are infamous for their amount of engine breakdowns, whilst I agree they are good bikes, they arn't too reliable, especially if he's going to be travelling relatively long distances.
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4stroke isn't so bad.

With a 4stroke Aprilia, it's the electrics you have to watch out for ;)
 
Not sure if anyone has mentioned this yet but you know you can't go on motorways without a full license anyway. The same full license that will let you ride a 250 :P
 
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