at last a active forum.

hello there.

i looking to buy a 125cc "pre cbt" i am over 21yrs and im not sure what kind of bike i should buy ?

i do like the honda NSR but being a race style bike i think the engine will be killed and for 900 i could ad 200 and buy a brand new chopper/cruiser that i have a soft spot for, i seen plenty on e-bay that seem a good buy "interchangable part's with honda". diablo, renegade, vulcan to name a few

but a chap pointed out turning circle and wheel base on choppers can be a prob on cbts U turns. will instructor take this in to concideration on test ?

also this sva reg stuff , is it as simple as seller claim it to be ?

i seen a few scramblers to that are great deals for a new bike but makers info is very limited if none at all " and i dont really like the noise these bikes make lol.

so what is a good first time bike?

iv read the intro on home page and it tought me alot, but 8yr 2nd hander at 500/600up or a brand new 900/1000, id be happy to pay extra for new.

thanks greeser's
i hope to smell of unleaded too

p.s

more close to 30yrs, could i buy a 500cc restricted to 33bhp on CBT licence?

Welcome Slowcc,

If you're nearer 30 (over 21), you could go for your DAS, which will allow you to have the choice of any bike, so long as you can afford it. If you fancied one of the bigger cruisers, that might be the way to go.

DAS and the bigger bikes are fine as long as you approach it sensibly. We usually try a discourage new riders going straight to sportsbikes but something which isn't on knife edge handling like the sporters should be okay. Just maybe get something that isn't too heavy, which you get used to it.

If you still decided to go for the 125 route, it sounds like your after a four stroke, rather than the two strokes that most trail bikes are these days. I'm not sure about the crusiers and stuff which are made by the companies outside of Japan but there for been a couple of people on here reporting that the build quality isn't the best and getting parts isn't as easy as the Japanese companies. I suppose it depends how long you want to keep it for. If you were thinking of maybe getting something for a year to get some experience, then the CG125 would suit you, plus a few others. Get it cheaper and flog it a year later without losing too much money. If you are going to keep it for a while longer, then go for a new one but they lose value something hellish.

thanks bikerdave

i would rather be safe with gaining experience on a 125cc CBT " i havnt ridden a bike since teens "that was m8s HONDA cg 50 i think" for now 60/70mph is fast enough, i think i will keep the bike for 2yrs+ maybe even a 2nd cbt, i think actual rideing of bike is pretty easy but its all the assholes in cars who dont look "even at 15mph on a moutain bike is bad enough".

i totaly understand the point of poor made cruisers "brand new at £900 has me concernd" 100% of these £900 cruiser's are chineese built and i thought of pound shop tools and oxygen filled shatter metels "hence the need for advice". ( i think il keep away from them )

iv seen a few yamaha sm125 at good price 2nd hand they seem to have a classic/semi cruiser look while still being practical motor bike (bit of crome to polish lol) are these bikes any good, shops want 995, i seen a few private at £500/£600

i guess il go with 2nd hander as i have scratched off them cheap cruisers, im pushing my limits with £1000,
£3000 for a proper make new bike , no can do.

"" 1 day i will own a proper cruiser but thats like christmas, something to look forward too ""

thanks loads for advice dave "have a cold 1 on me m8"

You may be suprised, once you get back on a bike again. Especially if you've been using the mountain, it's a bit of a head start because at least you'll already be wary of the cagers.

There's good 125's out there. They're like buses though. You'll spend a month looking for one, then find three at the same time. Don't discount something a bit bigger, they can be easier to ride than the small bike and not a hell of a lot faster.

I had an XBR500 a few years ago. It was over the 33bhp limit but the top speed would have been around 90and if you did get there, you knew all about it. It had plenty of torque though and never had any problems pulling my frame uphills or a wee bit of extra power for over taking.

You cannot ride anything more than a 125 on your CBT. You need to do your test to ride anything bigger. As Dave has said if you do DAS as you're over 21 you can then ride anything but sit your test on the 125 and you'll be restricted to 33bhp for two years.

welcome slowcc

secondhand 125's are holding their value well at the moment, the chances are you could run it for a year and still get your money back, but new..erm you lose a 1/3 of its value the second you stick the key into its ignition !! personally i wouldn't get a motoX style one unless you want to attract the thieving bast*rds, believe me you'll spend a year just trying to keep hold of it! but this goes for most 125's..
the little CG's, SR's etc are tough little things and you can't go far wrong, everyone falls off at some point and you pick em up and ride away.. and NSR won't fair so well!
buy something cheap, 4 stroke and get a few miles under your belt, then decide which route to take

good luck with whatever you choose m8

thanks for the input guys.

iv been scanning net also bike trader/loot the past 3+weeks bigest problem is finding a private sale in 50miles radious of c-london (no transport ecp pedel power ) most ppl wont deliver, and trade all seem to want twice the amount of private, i did see a gilera apache warrior trade 5000miles 2yr old for £1250 looks sexy for a on/off,"" but as woods said (((thieving bast*rds))) my area "just east of city" is plagued with little s**ts and the nasty filth that comes with it.

i think the yam-sr 125 (I THINK)is only 12bhp any ideas what tops this bike will do ?

ian , thanks for clearing the 33bhp up,

beers all round

all the learner legal 125's are 12bhp, most 4 strokes are built to produce 12bhp and can't easily be improved on, 2 strokes are normally restricted therefore can be made to go faster but as a learner this is a big no no, you can end up in big sh*t if the law find out, they have the power to take your bike and run it on a dyno if its over 12bhp you get done and your insurance and everything is void, a cg or sr will do low to mid 60's

If you are just going to run around the city the 125's will be fine. They probably top out between 65 and 75mph. Even in the twisties they can be good fun but if you've motorway stuff to do they can be a bit of a pain.

and get yourself a really decent chain + lock...... cos 125's are really easy to nick!
They even cut through my chain last time to nick my bike + it's not even worth anything!! They didn't even manage to start it!!

so all bikes that are 125s 33bhp even tho they say L legal are wise to keep clear of ?

dave, 70mph, probley be a buzz after rideing a push bike, il be hitting A roads to get out london for a spot of light fishing in heartford, motorways! will i be allowed on L plates.?

just found cruiser 125s

1997 HONDA CA125
Rebel, good condition, black, taxed & tested June 2005. Datatagged, garaged, dry use only. Reliable & economical. Learner legal or ideal commuter. 9500 miles. £925.

are these any good?

messymuppet.
cheers, im thinking more of 2, locks allready got a massive roller link for push bike also il ad a freeze proof D lock,

kids round here carry bolt cutters and dry ice

this is 1 of the main reasons a cruiser style, i aint seen many on the local river bed "even tho i do love the looks"..
mopeds and on/offs, its sick the amount of good new bikes iv seen dumped.

If it's a 33bhp power 125, it sounds like an unrestricted model. 125's on L plates have to be restricted to approx 12bhp. You won't get on the motorways on L plates, which is a bit of a pain in the butt because it means you have a think about your route, instead of just going. It's not a show stopper though and you'll be able to get the bike places, that you couldn't with a car.

The rebel sounds like it's worth a look.

yeah think the kids round here must've started carrying bolt croppers too!!!!

hopefully it being a cruiser style might deter them, but i think they'll nick whatever they can get their hands on, just to blat around streets + fields for a bit + just for a laugh i think.......



yeah, don't know much about the rebel, but sounds ok..... worth a look!! Got any bikers mates who can go with you?? Or ask on here, see if there's anyone in u're area who could go along with u to take a look....... (can't think who's over that way)

hmmmm looks nice if u like that kinda thing (i'm not a fan of cruisers or chrome... far too much effort involved in cleaning them!!!)

If you like cruiser style, I saw a nice little Kawasaki Eliminator 125 the other day..

On the other hand if you're doing a lot of commuting you'd be better with something a little taller.

Then again, if you're going for a secondhand 125, you'll prolly have to take what you can find as they sell very fast and aften are not advertised!

cheers dave i think some of the L 33bhp must be restricted but some clearly says 100mph l-legal I guess thay are trying to sell at all costs.

sadly only bikers i know "1 whos local is now blind and real old" 2nd was m8s dad he lives near newcastle now,

only real info on checking a bike is from this months biketrader mag, its this info thats stoped me bidding on 125s on e-bay (bid u buy) i wanna see what im buying i dont want to end up with a heap of scrap metal, lol


bikergran, how much and how far from london
Kawasaki Eliminator 125 looks a bit like the suzuki Marauder any that i have seen has been well out of my budget,.

il look into the honda " i just hope its a gooden "

I just want to make sure your clear with the test you'll face to be able to ride different bikes.



The CBT (Compulsory Basic Training) has to be done by everybody starting out. You need that before you can get on the road as a learner and you can only ride up to a 125cc, once you passed the CBT.

You'll need to do the CBT, just to be able to ride a 125 12bhp machine on the road. You can't ride anything bigger than 125cc or more powerful than 12bhp with just the CBT.




The bikes restricted to 33bhp are for people who have passed their full bike test but do not qualify for DAS. If someone needs a bike restricted to 33bhp, they're either under 21 or have passed their test on a 125cc bike.

If you sat your full test on the 125, you'd then be entitled to ride a bigger bike, so long as it doesn't exceed the 33bhp limit.



The DAS test is just the same test that someone on the restricted license would sit, except that they sit the test on a larger machine. Usually a 500cc bike.

You sit this test, you can ride anything.



If you see something you fancy, it might be worthwhile posting the location on here. There might be somebody in the area, who can go along and have a look at it with you.

ah ha , i totaly understand now.

is it the same places that do CBT that will do full licence after theory or is it more like a car test a dvla test center thingy?

i used ec1 postcode as im walking distance of city (hackney) and the bike shows private seller 13miles distance, new ad from today, i didnt find ad till gone 10.30pm i thought it might be a little late to go phoneing "i.e sleeping kid's / early birds /stoners to parranoid to pick up phone, lol, so im not 100% on actual location yet.

just hopeing its north of river s-london is b+++cks to get to,

cheers dave il post location when i find out.

Normally you're training centre will do you CBT. The CBT is there just to make sure you're safe enough to go out on the road on your own. The instrutor will take you through the basics and try and give you an idea of how to handle yourself on the road. It's only a day or two training, so even with the best instrutors, you only learn so much. The CBT covers everything from what to wear, to how to get the bike on the stand. Once that's been covered you'll do some work in an enclosed area away from traffic. It's to try and get you used to the bike before you go on the road. The instructor will probably take you through a few exercises to help with control. Once you've cracked that, he'll take you on the road, It means that there is somebody experienced with you for a bit of protection on your first time out.

When you go for the full test, it's closer to the normal car test idea, only the examiner will follow you on a bike or car. They will get you to stop at various locations and do the u-turns and stuff. Normally your instructor will have a reasonable knowledge of how the examiner likes to do things. he/she will probably take you around the test routes before you go for the test.

you're restricted to a 14.6 bhp 125cc on a cbt. the cbt centre will be only too happy to give you direct access training (DAS)-why not do the cbt & das on their bike & look around for a bigger bike when you pass the test?
just a thought.
you'll probably pay as much for training as you willl for a used 125-makes sense (at your age) to do the full license thing & the world(insurance permitting) is your oyster.

Sorry slow, I didn't mean I saw one for sale, just a general observation on types of bike.....

honda rebel is in "epping",
v5 and no crashes/stolen history.
even got £75 off asking price

can go and view as soon as tomorrow,

" i think cbt on 125 might be a wise to get a bit of confidence


thanks guys

Take your full test now mate before they get rid of das and restrict everyone of 33 horsies. Buy a fazer 600 for about two grand - plenty about - and live with it for years, youll love it. chain it up and if you live in central ondon fully comp it despite cost.

im going to pop in a local test center monday, and enquire about cbt+Das combined

il offer the bloke 300 for an instant pass , lol

i knoticed in the back of biketrader loads of test places " £350 to £550 all in hire and stuff 4/5 day intencive " some say gaurentee, i take it this is 100% pass ?


thanks ppl

I you want somebody to go along with you to look at the rebel, you'd need to stick up a post requesting some help. I'm not sure if anybody is in that area. It's way too far for me.. 400 miles far..

You don't say if it has tax and MOT....

DON'T buy a bike with no MOT - if it would pass one they would put it in for the test cos it's not expensive and they know they will get more for it.

Whatever reason you are given for it not having an MOT - WALK AWAY!

1997 HONDA CA125
Rebel, good condition, black, taxed & tested June 2005. Datatagged, garaged, dry use only. Reliable & economical. Learner legal or ideal commuter. 9500 miles. £925.

bikergran its was on page 1 sorry,

something i seen in pic, in pic editor, look like top half of forks could be rusty that actual bit the drop in to oil for suspension.

il try and zoom and upload pic to be viewed in 2 mins or so

pic 1 if it will upload

pic 2 brighter,, zoom is pixelated

sorry for the pile up.

reading the bike trader tips , it says this bit must be oil free with no nic's or it will rip seals, with oil on this area means seals have allready gone

the 1st pic clearly shows orange at that distance, i think it saved me a jurney.

bikergran, i see an aprilla af1 on ebay BUY IT NOW at 650, opening at 500. i asked seller question? do you have V5 ? reply: no i have papers with frame,engine numbers and i have forms to get the v5, i spent alot on serviceing the bike, he gos on to say £20 will get you the logbook from dvla, this sent bellsringing" £20 more aint much,,, also , learner legal at 33bhp, dave and devil cleard this up, bike seems dodgy lol,

anyways, waffle waffle...

do you see the rust on them pics ?