50 cc or 125 cc moped?

CLLC

Hi their

I plan on buying a Moped very shortly and I want to know what I can do on a 125cc compared to a 50cc {not allowed on certain roads etc}? . Also How much do you think Insurance may cost?

I'm 16 {Nearly 17 in March} , Live in London and currently don't have a licence or anything. I'm willing to wait to buy a 125cc in march when 17

So If you guys could issue me with some advice and/or tip's and tricks I would be grateful.

Thanks

CLLC

DaveMacD

As a learner, you won't be allowed on a motorway, regardless of which size of engine you get. Apart from that, as long as you have L plates, you can use any other road.

From a practical point of view, it is better to get a bigger engine, since it makes the scooter more usable. It also allows you to carry a little bit of luggage without killing the performance. The obvious downside is that your insurance will go up. If you can, try to avoid the Chinese 50cc hairdryers with the pram wheels. You will pay more for a Jap. scooter, but the quality is FAR better. Try to get something with a reasonable size of wheels fitted, since they make the scooter more stable, and less likely to disappear into a pot hole.

And whatever you do, don't think you can skimp on safety gear just because it isn't a 'proper' bike. Get to Aldi or Lidl for some reasonably priced kit. Read Ride or Bike magazines for recommended gloves, helmets, boots etc.

CLLC

Great response Thank you

So , Safety gear is a must have {I suppose I out to wear a high vis jacket} , Avoid Japanese scooters , Bigger engine is better {So I'm going for a 125cc} , Bigger wheels not tiny "Pushchair type ones". Any More suggestions?

Oh yes and I plan on getting a bike from this website : http://www.scooter.co.uk/125cc-scooter.html specifically planning on getting the 125cc cruiser scooter or the 125cc cobra scooter

What do you think?

Jem8472

Avoid Chinese, but Japanese is ok. Honda and such like.

Yes you need safety gear, Gloves with some sort of armour in them. (they are one of the first bits to hit the ground)

Armoured trousers and jacket, might be worth looking on gumtree you can often find good secondhand stuff, But do not buy a second hand helmet. You need to buy new and try them on. As different makes fit different heads.

http://sharp.direct.gov.uk/

That wil give you info about crash tests on helmets but not everyone agrees with the results. Mainly because a lot of expensive helmets got a lower rating.

Also remember everyone is trying to kill you, they will pull out on you, and its not plesent to be sliding down the road.

This time last year I had an early morning meeting with the road, I remember seeing the road go sliding past my nose, thankfully I had a fully face helmet on and the visor down!
Hope that is of some help

By the way that website you are looking at all the bikes are chinese which the general advice is to avoid.

Billy-no-Money

As above - 125 is far better than 50, and even at 17 insurance is unlikely to be much more. Worth the wait and a good idea to also wait until the worst of winter is over.

You'll need to get a provisional licence - if you have a passport then it's easy (but fifty quid!).
You'll also need to do a CBT, which is valid for two years - the good news is you can do this at 16 on a 50cc and it'll be valid for a 125 from your 17th birthday - the CBT trainers will hire you a scooter for the day.

Examples of reputable makes: Japanese (Yamaha, Honda, Suzuki, (I don't think Kawasaki are in this market)), Italian (Piaggio, Vespa, Gilera, Aprilia), Taiwanese (Kymco). There will be others!
It's difficult to believe how bad some of the Chinese machines can be. Seriously, avoid.

One thing to think about though - a scooter might be good in London but there's a good choice of geared bikes as well - Honda CG125, Yamaha YBR125, Suzuki EN125 to name three.

Don't worry TOO much about getting knocked off - there's a lot you can do to stop it happening and if you listen carefully at the CBT you'll learn how to take a dominant position and be seen. I've been riding 5 years without incident, though I'd got 20 years driving experience. My son has been riding a 125 bike since he was 17 (now 20) and he's only come off once - his own stupid fault!

Don't go thinking a hi-viz vest will make a big difference - the jury's been out on that for years. In theory it can do no harm, but still assume you're invisible.

Good luck!!

Radsteral

And finally, to get on the bike and on the road, you should prepare to make yourself, far better road user than the average driver out there in order to survive.
It pays to find a grown up 's bike club and met with them before you buy and after..and open your ears/eyes as much as you could.
If you manage to get on well with the bike , lots of rewards in return
if you want to be like one of these 17 year old doing wheelies and anoying every one, then thats prety easy.. you can archive that within a week .
good luck

Jem8472

Oh also one thing I would say if you are going to wait till 17 for your CBT do one on a geared bike so when you want to get onto a geared bike it wont be a big step

Kavanne

You should get your restricted license, not just your CBT. Means you can dispense with those L Plates and ride anything as long as it's restricted to 33bhp (for the first 2 years, after that the restriction is removed).

You should also buy a sturdy used Japanese 125cc geared bike for £700 rather than some rubbishy chinese crap. Stick to Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Suzuki...

I did my test a couple of years ago and stuck to a 125cc for the first year and a half, moved up to a 650cc bike now which is most enjoyable but I don't get the fuel efficiency....

Wig

How far are you going to be travelling?

There's nowt wrong with a 50cc, especially if it is a short journey. I used to ride a 50cc across London, South West to East End twice a day. And also from Central London to Hatfield every weekend. I did the same journey also on a 125. Obviously quicker on a 125 but a 50cc is adequate if that's all you can afford.

You need good bike gloves warm lined & thick leather, I wouldn't say armouring in the gloves is a necessity. Boots would be good for you but I'd say only needed on a 125 or above. I rode without boots (had normal trainers) and I came off a few times with no problems doesn't mean it's going to be the same for you though.

Trousers I just wore my jeans and had waterproof overs to put on if it it got wet.

I always wore a proper bike jacket on both bikes, big thick warm padded thing with back protection foam.

I used a cheap £50 helmet, which I never replaced even though I had a few knocks over the years, the thing is AFAIAC you don't go fast enough on a 50 or a 125 for the impact to be so severe that the really expensive helmets are needed or for you to replace your helmet after every little spillage you have especially in a built up urban environment. My 125 struggled to get to 60mph, my 50cc would do 30 and 35 downhill.

How far you want to take your clothing protection is a personal choice for you as it was for me.

Takoda

There used to be an insurance advantage if you went for a 100cc scoot as opposed to a 125cc.

DaveMacD

The thing about helmets, they should all reach a minimum safety standard (re. the protection they give your head). Even the cheapest helmet 'should' reach this standard. What you are mostly paying for after this point is for better design, lighter materials, improved ventilation, decreased noise, the name and the graphics. If these things really are important to you (ya big poser) buy a Harley Seriously though, for safety, full face is better (and warmer in winter). Seriously consider a full face that you can flip the whole front up on. It means you don't have to take the helmet off when you go to pay for petrol, which is a god-send at this time of year. At this time of year, leather gloves tend to soak up the water, and never really dry out, so leather/kevlar mix with a waterproof and thermal liner is recommended. If you want a pair of light leather ones for summer, by all means go for it, but you will suffer in the winter without a good pair of winter gloves. Boots aren't vital, but since you can get waterproof boots for not a lot of cash, it's well worth considering. Just don't think that wellies are a great choice, and under no circumstances should you be wearing steel toe-caps. It's just a really bad idea! Hi-viz can be handy sometimes (as can riding with your lights on) but some car drivers have driven into buses they haven't noticed (seriously, I know of one guy who hit a bright orange double decker, then claimed not to have seen it before hand) so presume no-one has seen you, and they are trying to knock you off. Ride defensive and you're far more likely to avoid spills. Also watch out around garages, and the first junctions after garages, since that's where you're most likely to encounter diesel spills, the eternal nemesis of all bike riders.

Re-read all the posts, and Wig is right that a 50cc might be ok, depending on where you are travelling between. But being in London, I would suggest you budget to get a really good lock and chain. Or 2. And an alarm. And a guard dog. Maybe even a security guard. Bikes and scooters by their very nature are easy to steal. If you have somewhere off street to park, all the better, but think about where you will be parking, and figure out ways to make it secure. And use your security. If it looks awkward for thieves, they'll try somewhere else. If you can't be bothered to sling the padlock and chain on every night, one day it won't be there for you in the morning.