hi

im thinking of gettin bike and learning to ride, iv always loved cruiser bikes and after searching the net found i could get a cruiser that i could ride just on a cbt until i pass my test.

so here are my questions for anyone who would like to help me out, what 125 cruiser would you reccomend. im gonna buy second hand just incase i do get bored of small bike after i pass my test wont loose too much money on it then and secondly a queery about getting a full licence, should i get loadsa lessons or should i just ride to learn and get like a couple of lessons along the way?? i would be plannin on keeping my 125 for a fair amount of time unless like i said i get bored of a small bike

on any bikes u reccomend can u suggest how much i should look to be spending as well cheers

i know the test is changing in october so im thinking maybe pass before then??

any help would be great thanks

sam

yes do ur test before october

prices will go up and the test fee is £85

as for cruisers, i have no idea as i ride a 125 varadero trailie

also welocme to the forum

hi mate, welcome to the forum. I take it as your asking about a 125 then your under age to do the DAS?..anyway i'll try and help you with your questions, dont know how much help i'll be though..buying 2nd hand the price of what you can afford is going to be based on a few thing. 1 its a learner bike, so will hold its price. this is good for when you come to sell on as you wont lose too much dosh on the deal. 2 prices of second hand 125s will vary with year/condition/milage, and you'll pay top dollar for a newish 125 in good condition with low milage...the big 4 jap manufacturers all make cruisers ( and to me they all look the same) so you will find plenty of choice from all years and prices. One thing i can say is to stay away from the Chinese made bikes. they have a bad reputation, which im told they rightly deserve. Nothing wrong with riding the roads to learn your roadcraft, but i would advise that you get as much training as you can afford, not only will it help you in passing your test, it will also make you a more confident and compident rider. i hope this has been of some help to you mate...

honda vt125 shadow nice cruserish 125

i was about to say that. The Honda Shadows are perfect bikes.

I don't know the rules for under 21s (assuming you are under 21) ... so not sure if you could buy a slightly larger cruiser and then get it restricted to the required horsepower... but i don't know if that's an option. Depends on your age.

Lesson-wise. I'm over 21 and took my CBT on one day, then the week later i took 2 DAS lessons at the weekend, and then the following weekend i took another 2 DAS lessons, then on the following tuesday I passed my test.

Some recommend you take longer between CBT and further lessons to learn to use the bike on the road etc, but I've been driving since i was 17, so know how the roads work so it was just a case of getting used to the bike. But if you've never used the roads before I'd probably recommend riding on your own after the CBT and get some roadsense before planning to move up to a bigger bike license.

Good choice for the cruiser though

How bout an AJS EOS 125? The only commercially available 125 chopper AFAIK.

haha, what an odd looking bike!
is it just me or does that look like it'll fall to pieces if it goes over a speedbump?

i think choppers in that shape only look good with a beefy engine. a 125 would look odd. For resale value (which i assume you'd want after passing) i can't fault the Honda Shadow.

... but that AJS would definitely catch people's attention!

This Regal Raptor is the type I liked the look of but not much going in the way of reviews.

what about hyosung criuse 11 , nothing fancy but cheap , i got a 53 reg for 200 quid ,

not what you asked but my first bike was a 400, i did my CBT, 10 hours of lessons then i passed, you will get bored of the 125.

you gould get a middleweight cruiser and restrict it to 33 BHP, and most of the 400's only kick out 40ish anyway, so you wont notice the difference.

As the general mainstay of 125 Cruisers, the Big Four offer you;

1/. Suzuki Marauder
2/. Suzuki Intruder
3/. Honda Shadow
4/. Kawasaki Eliminator
5/. Yamaha Dragstar
6/. Yamaha Virago

1/. Is good if you want reasonable reliability and all-round performance, maintenance, behaviour etc. Bit small, but capable and well thought out. Very easy to ride.

2/. Is as above, but with different styling. Suits the slightly more aggressive rider.

3/. Brilliant all-rounder. Has the famed Honda reliability and a quiet happiness to every aspect. Good choice for the long-limbed rider too. My second choice.

4/. Kwak have basically taken every Cruiser characteristic they could think of and whacked it onto this bike. It's an absolute cliche and a pile of pants. Talks the talk and doesn't shut up. Doesn't so much walk the walk as limp like a demented hippo.

5/. Gentle classic Cruiser styling with workhorse performance and quiet rockstar pretentions. Designed from the older generation of Cruiser looks. Heaviest and beefiest of the 125 Cruisers. Again, good for long limbs and my own personal preference.

6/. Tiny 125 cruiser version of Yamaha's early 535 model. Good reputation. Still earns respect and is very good for smaller riders. Handles reasonably, if it's been looked after.


Expected prices for low mileage, good nick (2nd hand);

1/. 1200
2/. 1400
3/. 1500 - 3000 (much coveted bike, here)
4/. 2000
5/. 1500 - 2500 (holds value well)
6/. 1500



These are just my opinions of the main vanguards.
Try them out yourself.

There are others, as mentioned, but I have yet to even see most of them. I saw one Hyosung a couple of years ago and I'd personally rather walk. Their reputation is improving, though...

hehehe, that Suzuki always amuses me.

What man in his right mind would want something between his legs (that wasn't attached to him) called "The Intruder" ... *shudders at the concept*

I didnt know you had ridden so many bikes woody, but are you sure your correct about the kwak?...the Motorcycle safety foundation rate them very highly as a good allround bike, and use them for beginners on their courses.

Well, there's this fella in Reading called Stuart......
Embarrassing names aside, Suzuki's are quite good by all accounts I've heard.


I've test-ridden all of the above mentioned earlier this year and have further experience riding 1 and 5, the latter for several months. I'm also extrapolating from all the general opinions/experiences of owners I know and the reviews and bits I used to spend ages reading, back when I was a desperate, whiny, bike-less noob with nothing better to do than drool over what I could not have.

I'm correct in so far as this is my personal opinion of them. I found several hard to get on with due to being cramped up.

Kwak-wise, I personally thought the styling was awful and a last minute, half-arrisd attempt to emulate everything Kwak liked about all the other cruisers. The handling was a bit awkward too and the whole thing felt very light and flimsy compared to the others. By comparison, the Shadow felt light too but nowhere near as delicate.

I may not have had a top-nick model, but I did say "These are just my opinions of the main vanguards. Try them out yourself".
If nothing else, it's fun to do!!

Shadow 125 . I brought my wife a new one before she gave up.

what...me on a 125? ....me on a 125 cruiser? ....i'd rather stick red hot nails into my japs eye

No, not you, Silly Billy!!!
That was for Sam. Let him try 'em out and see which one he feels best about.

Mind you, I'd pay to see you on a 125, Billy!!

How 'bout a CBR125 or whatever it was that Stooey had

Stooeys was a stroker...so its not really a 125...so i'd gladly have one of these Aprilia RS 125's...proper bike that is

You can have a blast on my VanVan next time if you want Billy

That's assuming I still have it of course

Isnt it about time for your test then Dead boy?.......you better pass, or we'll all rip the piss out of you...

Yup- it's in 8 days and counting.

And i'd be shocked if you DIDN'T rip the piss

Good Luck. I passed mine 3 years ago. 6 minors.

125's suck once you pass. Even my 600 bandit feels like a slow old donkey now.

cheers for all your comments i do like the look and sound of a shadow, will look into that one more i think and just for thoses who wondered i am under 21 what is it that has given the chinese bikes a bad rep, just as a thort if i was gonna buy a 125 simply until i had passed my test and got a bigger one then it seemed a fairly smart way to go .........apparently not

have you actually looked at a chinese 125 in person? If not, go look at a honda or similar first, and then look at a replica. Look at the metal its made out of. It should be obvious - I had the misfortune to see one of these copies up close after being tempted in by the idea of a new bike for under £1000, and I was shocked at just how cheap it looked, you didnt have to ask any questions really, it looked like the same quality of manufacture you get out of christmas crackers! i think it was the rear brake lever that looked like you could snap it off by catching it heavily with your boot, and that scared me enough without worrying about spares or what else might fall off on the way out of the showroom (that looked likely as well!)

p.s. years of buying cheap old cars has taught me that an older vehicle thats from a better made brand is often more reliable than a new one from a "cheap" manufacturer.

To give an example of this, I had a 10 year old VW and was given a 2 year old renault laguna company car at one job. The VW was on its original exhaust, and still going strong. The renaults exhaust fell off on the motorway a few months later. it had done less miles too. Lesson learned - you get what you pay for when you buy new, but what often happens is people sell them on before theyve had a chance to reap the benefits of buying a better built vehicle, so you end up with two secondhand "bargains" one of which is a few years old and about to fail an MOT and another which is 10 years old and still going strong, for the same price because its devalued from a higher starting point over a longer time.

I have ridden both. There is a reason why they are cheap. Honda 70 no probs. Kinroad 50 if you are lucky. Im 15st btw.

As with cars. Why spend 5K on a new Kia when you can buy a nice celica or 328 for the same money 6 years later.

I think the 125 is the only way for you to go if your in your teens, so you wouldnt really have an option on that. the chinese bikes are at the mo, very poorly made as pointed out in some of the other replys. there is also a big issue with the reliability and parts supply of chinese bikes. good luck on finding the bike you want, and good luck when it come round to your test time

oh and dont let others scoff at your choice style of bike, ride/own what you want, not what others think you should own and ride.

The worst problem with the chineses bikes is the spares supply - or complete lack of!

As a new rider I would say the main thing to look for would be any of the cruisers made by the 'Big 4' ie Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Yamaha, that's in good nick and that fits your budget. Don't forget the budget needs to include tax and insurance, helmet, boots, gloves, jacket and preferably trousers though heavy duty jeans will do at a pinch but won't protect you in an accident, even a minor one.

It's easy for everyone to say 'you'll get bored with a 125' but thats not always the case. When I started riding I had a 100cc 2 stroke and rode it for 3½ years including going touring in Normandy. It was all I could afford at the time and the longer you ride a small bike the more you find out how to 'wind it up' and get the best out of it.

tbh, I don't think it really matters whether or not you will be 'bored' in a few months of riding a 125.

I bought my bike for road experience, cheap fuel, cheap insurance, reliability, building up NCB, practicing for my test etc.

I believe that if you buy something that isn't exiciting then it gives you more of a push to pass your test.

Looks was at the bottom of my considerations when I bought my bike.

In a couple of years I will have loads of riding experience, a no claims built up (hopefully) and will have gotten there with the least money spent.

Then i'll be able to buy a real bike.

My History over the last 5 years or so.

New 50cc Kymko : Rubbish. Boring. De restricted it. Still Boring. Kept it 6 months and lost £700

Used CBR125 : Excellent bike. Kept it until I took my test 12 months later.

Used CBR600 : As soon as I passed. Scary fast for a beginner. Uncomfortable and boring at low speeds.

Used (Just) 883 Sportster : The love of torque over power begins. And shiny. Still have it now.

New 125 Shadow : Brought for wife and I rode it over winter. Good 125 but I have been used to bigger bikes. ^ months later Traded in for.

Used 600 Bandit : Perfect winter hack. Bike no 2 I have kept

Used Speed triple : I missed the handling and speed of the CBR. But this is comfortable and far from boring. A real torque monster. The third bike I have kept.

Next: For no 4 A bigger Touring harley hopefully.

Have you looked at Hyosung? http://www.hyosung.co.uk/main.php They've got 125 cruisers for £2.5k and they've got a decent rep. They look pretty good too. And, don't worry, they're Korean not chinese and are a good manufacturer that's been around for 30 years making bits for Suzuki as well as their own stuff.

"Have you looked at Hyosung? http://www.hyosung.co.uk/main.php They've got 125 cruisers for £2.5k"

cant you get a new Suzuki Marader for 2250?

GZs £1999 loads of other places I've looked at.