http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...item=2450373721

God knows where Driffield is tho...

dont matter where driffield is (gloucester or humberside) its an ex training school hack-would you buy something that peeps like yourself (& considerably worse) have ridden/crashed

OOhhh nooo.. leave it... 40k is a **it load of miles for a 125, it may well be running fine, but unless it has had an engine rebuild recently it will be needing it soon, but as to its location try this..

yer tis

If it's the driffield North Yorkshire the salt water air is gonna have kicked the s**t out of it as well LEAVE IT!!

tbh I hadn't actually noticed the milage until this afternoon... Doh.

And as it is in N. Yorks... yes, tis a little far

Leon, I may be missing something here but why are you looking for a 125 anyway? Any half decent training school will hire you a bike to do your CBT and DAS and then you can ride the 200 you already have. Sure it may be peferable to be able to get some practice in but there are several folks on here that have passed their test without actually owning a bike. You will then have the freedom to choose from a much wider range of bikes without all the frustration of finding 'the one' that is close to you.

as usual, you're right.

The thing is, I don't know that a) I will actually enjoy riding and b) that my back can cope with it.

Given that the DAS is about £600, I figure that it is better to go the cheaper route and see what happens before shelling out and potentially wasting the money

I can see where you are coming from there Leon, but... Many bikes ride and feel very diferent, i think it would be a mistake to judge whether you enjoy riding on your experience of just one bike, especialy a 125,they are not renouned for inspiring. As for your back, as i have mentioned i have ostioarthritus in the base of my spine and i find some bikes more comfy than others so that can also be a variable experience.

But is the CB in rideable condition?
I know where you're coming from Leon, and I don't see anything wrong with getting a small bike - particularly if you have any problems like osteoarthritis. A small bike will be much lighter to handle, you won't destroy your back getting it on and off the centre stand (yes you do need to do this sometimes, what about adjusting the chain etc?), and anyway small bikes are FUN!
But if you want a small bike that's got enormous grin factor, I say get a 2-stroke cos they're even more fun!
This was my first bike, I rode it for 3 years and went touring in Normandy with my club on it, I loved it to biots - almost literally! ..and it's sitting in my shed waiting for me to finish stripping it down and rebuild it cos I am NEVER going to part with it!

Don't let anyone tell you that you have to have a big bike to enjoy biking, on a small bike you can ride to the limit without going fast enough to get into any trouble you can't get out of, you can get round bends FASTER than a big bike cos you can sling it around, you can park in awkward places without heaving to get it backwards uphill.......

Little bikes ROCK!!!!!

BTW, it's a Yamaha RXS100 - 100cc 2-stroke - does 70 on the flat when it's wound up. In that pic it's carrying 2 full size panniers with all my camping stuff, stove, tent, sleeping bag etc, plus a rucksack, and all that gear makes no difference to the way it performs. It does get slowed up a bit by headwinds or hills, but other than that, it will overtake a 125 4-stroke any time!

bit bigger bikes ROLL!!!

I did my CBT/DAS without owning a bike and I must confess there were a number of times that I though what the hell was I doing spending all that money when I have a warm car. But when I get on the bike, even in the pissing rain, I love it!!! I'm even now trying to work out if I really need the car!!!

I'm not a speed freek and I love the upright position of my SV and the fun of filtering in traffic. (I broke my back several years ago rock climbing so the racing crouch gives me serious problems, hence the upright SV.

Planning a trip to J&S in watford tomorrow for some boots.... total of 16 miles, but then I might drift of to M&P in oxford... round total of 120!!! all depends on the weather.

MM

Agree wholeheartedly BG small bikes do rock. In some ways I wish that more people went the more traditional route of working their way up through the capacity range getting experience as they go. This is the way I went because that was what I could afford at the time and Leon seems to be in a similar position of limited funds.

I just think that in the time its taken for Leon to look for something he could have already been well on the way to passing his test having had the chance to ride someone else's bike without all the outlay of buying and insuring and hassle of getting rid if he decides its not for him. He can get the initial taster he's looking for like this without the disappointment of not finding a bike to do it on and the probable loss on all outlay if he does not decide to continue. But if he does carry on when he has passed he then has the choice to go for whatever size he chooses, which given his budget is more likely to be small anyway but it will mean more choice. Just seems to make sense, at least to me, when he's not too sure to take that first step and be able to just walk away from it all if he wants.

That's a fair point Ian,

Leon, you could probably pick up a 250 cheaper than a 125 because there is a better market for the 125s. Most people seem to go for 400s or bigger when they pass their test. Or else you could put the old 200 on the road.

Ok.. wana see what i started my bikeing experience on ?

































No laughing.....
























I spent hours traveling on this, well it was a tad slow but none the less i did many many miles on it.

It takes a brave man to admit that.

look ace, you could buy another similar one, for old times sake...

ebay



unregistered with apparently 12 miles on the clock.

Dozer's first bike was a Puch Maxine!!

Look Messy, i might have started there but i have no intention of goin back. Thanks for the thought though...

I'll confess to having owned about 5 Honda C50'S over the years and once when times were really lean I had a Honda Camino. I didn't cover many miles on the Camino because it was constantly breaking down. It was soooo humiliating peddling it down the road but any bikes better than none.

Well this was what I started on - and it had nothing to recommend it WHATSOEVER!
It was a BSA Dandy - 70cc but it only went 30mph in top gear - and it only had 2 gears!

Dispite its qwerky image, i think it looks prety cool. Nice lines and rare too....

Yes, well, you didn't have to ride it 30 miles home at weekends, all over the Bromyard Downs in the fog and such...... and then back again on Sunday night!