I have been driving a car for many years, and although I have had a motorbike I have only ever ridden it when the weather is good.
I want to save money on motoring and am considering the use of my 125cc motorbike as my main form of transport. The savings are very significant, for example tax is £15 vs. £160, insurance is £100 vs. £600 etc.
I drive about 10,000 miles per year with some longer distances. Would a 125cc motor that is well serviced etc last long enough to be viable?
What are other motorbike riders opinion on this? Is it a good idea in the long run?
Your thoughts would be much appreciated.
Gregory
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Greg
Most bike schools have 125 bikes that are ridden 5 or 6 days out of 7. In answer to your question, I believe the answer is yes, the bike could stand it, but could you? Ask yourself if a 125 is suitable for the journeys you are going to throw at it. When I did my DAS in 2002 the school's 125 could barely reach 60 mph with 6' 2" 16 stone me on board. I guess that you would find the extra zip of a 500 makes better use of the bikes smaller silhouette in traffic and gives you more overtaking opportunities on the open road.
I passed my DAS a year ago today and use a 600 for local travel for handyman work when the weather is fine, but I doubt if I would enjoy it as much on a 125, and I am very glad to be inside a car when it's 6 below and the ungritted road is like a sheet of glass.
Good luck and let us know how you get on.
Hawkeye
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Stranger in a strange land
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I am not a motorcylist, but I do know that the larger the engine, the more miles you'll get out of it (generally speaking)
If you have your full motorbike licence, why not go for a larger sized engine, say 250cc or 400cc tourer, have a more comfortable ride and have it last longer?
Many of my friends who have ridden older 50s and 125s tended to have a lot of problems with them. As soon as they hit the 250s they saw a different side of motorcycling.
Finally, if you're worried about road tax, there's always the Reliat Robin!
H
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Honda's CB500 should fit the bill. Reliable (100k plus), economical (50-60mpg without too much bother), cheap consumables (tyres, chains etc), and you would probably be surprised at how cheap the ins quote would be compared to your 125. The 'S' model with the nose fairing would be best for the open road at higher speeds.
There are even dedicated online forums for it.
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The Kawasaki ER5 is a cheaper alternatyive to the Honda CB500 its quite a bit cheaper, its unfaired though and generally retails around £2995 new, alternatively the Kawasaki GPz500S is a better 500 and has a small fairing and can be picked up around £3400 or less.
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I agree with the other posters on this. Get yourself some cc's, running cost increases will be marginal, and the greater power will make your commute both more manageable, probably safer (more power to get out of trouble), and since the machine will be less stressed it is less likely to break down or wear out soon.
Consider also your "road presence". I happen to believe big bikes are safer because they convey a perception of power and importance to other road users. A 125 cc is what pizza pilots ride.
If you want to combine your commute with some weekend fun you could always get a Bandit or similar.
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...and take a Motorcycle Foundation Safety Course please or something similar...
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If you're going to be doing 50 miles a day regularly on a motorbike comfort is essential and a 500cc model is the smallest I think you could live with, any smaller than that and you'll be back to a car pretty soon! The bigger the bike the safer you are. Of the 500cc bikes the Honda CB500 is probably the best and the Honda dealers are definitely a superior breed. .
My recommendation : get a BMW RT ,it's a shaft drive model with full fairing BMW made up to 1995, either 800cc or 1000cc, totally reliable with real road presence . A good looking 1991 800 cc model with 40,000 miles was just sold on ebay for £1,500.
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I agre with the previous posts - if you can afford it and have the full licence then the 500cc makes more sense. 125cc bikes are great for town work and quite nippy, but once on dual carriageways and in windy conditions you are left at the mercy of other road users with 65mph max speed.
I had a CG125 that I used for learning before I passed my test and it was great up to a point. However I tried a few 500cc bikes from the training schools and they felt far easier to ride, less hard work. The centre of gravity on 125cc bikes is raised when you sit on them, instead on 500cc bikes which carry their weight lower down you feel more 'planted'.
You may pay more in insurance and fuel but long term you will probably get more satisfaction and not grow out of the bike too soon. The CB500 is rated as pick of the bunch, ER5 less accomplished, and Suzuki GS500 cheapest option but prone to corrosion and not as well made as the Honda.
Good luck!
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You'll never get me on one, but check out..........
www.forcemotorcycles.com
Have a chat with Nick, he's well up on the machines he sells & has a very good reputation.They're all ex Police/MOD so well maintained & well presented too.
& don't forget to put your thermals on!!
VB
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I wonder if the two NHS bikes will be sold with the blue lights and paint job? The police bikes all seem to be de-fuzzed.
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Although I now only normally ride a bike for pleasure, I used to commute all year on one, except on the odd day when the weather was really vile and/or icy, when I would fall back on the family car, for safety as much as comfort. I appreciate that there are people who don't have this choice, but if you do, you'd need a good reason not to, IMHO.
The rub is that you then have to tax and insure a car for at least half the year, which rather defeats the original object, if you have no other use for it. Your current situation (using the bike when it is pleasant to do so) would seem to be a happier compromise, but perhaps I'm just a big wuss...
BTW, the currently fashionable 125cc scooters look like a half-way sensible solution, if you can bring yourself to be seen on one!
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Totally agree with J Bonington Jagworth. I tried it and still ended up forking out for a car.
One bit of advice if you going to do it, fit handlebar heaters. Transforms winter riding.
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if you are planning on doing a 10,000 miles a year commute on one thats about an average of 250 hours in the saddle. So you want one thats comfortable. 250 hours comfortable.
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I took the plunge last year to sell the car and commute by bike but we still have (my wife's) car around for the odd trip where you need a car.
The amount I saved on parking every day at the railway station (£60 per month!) and petrol more than compensates for it being a bit chilly sometimes. Get the right clothing and you're never wet in the rain and if I was doing a longer commute I'd get enough warm clothes too. Traffic jams are things that happen to other people.
Hondas or BMWs seem to stand up to hard use the best, 500cc or above will be comfortable performance, 600cc is quicker over a quarter mile than all but a McLaren F1.
Good luck and stay safe
Gareth
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I used to commute into the centre of Nottingham (about 17 miles from home) on a CG125. I absolutely loved it, although it saved me loads of money it was also time it saved that made it so appealing. And I actually used to look forward to my journey home!
Having said that, it was pushing the little bike to the limit, i agree with others that a slightly bigger bike (CB500 ideal) will make things far more comfortable, give you more road presence making you safer and will not cost much more to run.
I've moved jobs now so no longer have the bike, but i still miss it, especially when i go into Nottingham by car!
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A 125 is certainly up to the job but ask yourself if your backside is?
A good tip is to talk to the local motorcycle couriers if you can catch one or find them off duty. They often sit at fixed points like taxi drivers or at try local bacon sarnie joint.
Most of these guys are OK guys and don't be put off by appearances .
They are all motorcycle experts . Whatever it is they have it will be probably shaft drive , comfortable , reliable and cheap to run and insure.
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