how much roughly does it cost to run a 125cc??

Sid_Wolf

Looking into getting my own runabout, cant afford a car as at my age the insurance is stupid :eek: so thinking about a 125cc bike...

Anyone know roughly the premiums for a 20 year old on one of these?
How much roughly is road tax??
How much d'ya think it would cost in petrol for about 20-30 miles a week??

thanks guys

victor2

Look at one of the online insurance sites for that. There's too many factors to even give you an estimate here.
Road tax for a 125 motorbike is £15/year.
You could expect around 60-70 mpg from a bike that size.

Don't forget all the protective gear you need to ride a motorbike. You can pretty much guarantee that you will fall off at some point. That's when good gear can make all the difference - it doesn't matter whose fault it is. You will of course get the people telling you how much more dangerous than cars motorbikes are, but I assume you are aware of that.
By the questions you are asking, it appears that you don't have any experience with bikes. In which case look into the cost of training you will need. Suddenly a car might look more affordable!

Sid_Wolf

The training I can save up for (planning to take my CBT after xmas) but the monthly costs of running a car are outta my price range

Gunna spend about as much on gear as I do on a 2nd hand bike! Get a good jacket, gloves and helmet minimum! Not gunna be one of them tw*ts who ride around with shorts and a t-shirt on :eek:

I have some experience of bikes, but have never ridden one, so CBT is 1st step, well actually finding a bike I like and having a sit on it to make sure im not too small would probably be the 1st!! :rotfl:

Yea I know how dangerous bikes are, and Im prepared to come off, not looking forward to that bit but its pretty much guarenteed! lol

exup

there is a wide range of 125's you could be going anywhere from a 125 scooter - to something like the R1 replica YZF125.
with a scooter, filling up the tank then doing about 20-30 miles a week may last a month or more, probably looking about 15 - 20 quid (squeezing last drop in) to fill a tank, maybe less on a scooter than a motorbike. The YZF could probably be half that for mileage

Insurance? depends on where you go, shop around like most things - there are bike comparison websites, but motorcycle direct can give you a pretty good idea of what the average price could be (theres others - Carole Nash, Bike insurer etc)

could be looking anywhere between 200 - 1000 depending on the bike and area, and of course your own driving record, whatever that may be.

Don't forget about the correct gear if you don't already have it, but see it as an investment - Look to pay 150 - 200 quid for a decent helmet, don't worry about the hyped up expensive brands such as Arai and Shoei as they are good, but no better than the other brands such as Lazer, FM (if you can find any FM) Bell, Nolan etc. If you get a cheaper helmet for under £80 chances are its a polycarbonate, and while they get tested the same, the poly shell outside wont last much longer than 2 or 3 years.

Leathers or Synthetics? your choice but no matter what you do with leathers they will leak in the wet so you may need a waterproof suit (can get decent ones for about £20 which roll up into their own bag and clip round your waist)
Look around for clothing too, from bike shops (the bigger ones may have alot of stuff they want rid off at the back of the shop). Also Hein Gericke can do some good deals, for example on last seasons suits that they want rid of. I got my girlfriend a Triumph jacket in their sale for £25 and her matching trousers for £50 so checking stuff in the bikes shops sales you can get a bargain
Remember even though its a 125, if you come off at 40 or 50 mph, its the same as a bigger bike, it can hurt just as much so you need decent gear - including boots and gloves.

let us know what you are thinking of getting :cool:

Wig

http://www.hastingsdirect.com/motorbike-insurance

Purchase a bike used or new. This should help you decide which one
http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/bikereviews/searchresults/?N=60+189&Rpp=50&Ns=P-SORT_%3aSITE%3a_Rating%7c1

The CG125 does 95mpg so would cost £1.70 per 30 miles driven

Road tax £15 per year

MOT £24 per year (plus necessary repairs, servicing and tyres etc)

Then you will have all your safety gear to buy, You can buy cheap as long as they do the same job. Clothing will mostly be a one off purchase, unless you grow bigger.
http://www.mandp.co.uk/products/Clothing-and-Helmets

Helmet £25 - £60
Not much point buying £100+ helmets for use on a 125 in inner city environment, the cheaper ones are still up to standard that's what I bought, and I was fine (even when I came off, more than once )

Gloves £30+
Need good padded warm waterproof breathable gloves

Boots £50
Need to be strong waterproof warm

Jacket £70 - £200
Need to be tough waterproof, I had one with built in back support mine would probably be in the £150 - £200 range, it was bulky but it was warm and dry, never let me down and I always felt safe with it on - money well spent.

Extra back protection £20

Water proof trousers, £20
I used a pair of nylon over trousers over my jeans, easy to take off, fold up and store in the bike box. Mine were not 'bike specific' they were just sailing/outdoors waterproofs. This is where I was lacking in protection, but I felt I was ok, you may think different

Bike license £???

My most serious injury and still in evidence to this day, was the 3 rightmost fingers of my right hand the little finger being the worst affected, I was overtaking in the dark and a car wing mirror coming in the other direction hit my hand, smashed my little fingers top knuckle to bits, Dr said he thought I'd be lucky to re-gain any movement in that knuckle. As it turned out I re-gained full movement of the knuckle but it just looks a little mishaped. I had very good gloves on with good finger protection. How much worse it would have been with crappy skiing gloves?

forgotmyname

Depends on how many insurance claims you make as well, My brother in law has had 3 bikes stolen. Even chained up
in the back garden. Considered buying a car but insurance quotes in excess of £2000 now because of those claims.

Mate had his garage broken into just for the scooter, Lots of valuable tools etc but only took the scooter.

Where will you keep it day and night? If they want to steal it they will.

King_Nothing

exup wrote: »

there is a wide range of 125's you could be going anywhere from a 125 scooter - to something like the R1 replica YZF125.
with a scooter, filling up the tank then doing about 20-30 miles a week may last a month or more, probably looking about 15 - 20 quid (squeezing last drop in) to fill a tank, maybe less on a scooter than a motorbike. The YZF could probably be half that for mileage

I have A YZF-R125, costs about £15-20 to fill depending on where I go for petrol, I get about 260 miles to a tank if I ride in conservatively, so that works out on average about 85 MPG for a brimmed tank. As said, tax is always £15, first years insurance was around £450, and similar this year, even though I had one years no claims, lol.

Norman_Castle

https://www.geton.co.uk/ is a good place to start. You will do more than 30 miles per week. Protective trousers are as important as gloves,jacket etc. However, if I had worn them I would never have found out what my kneecap looked like. Some insurers give discounts for using certain locks and chains.

Sid_Wolf

I dont want a scooter, either a normal bike or one of the off road (lookalike) ones, not too bothered on make, any suggestions??

Wow that is cheap petrol! Thank god for that lol

I live in a quite village full of oldies, will keep it in the back garden with a lock and cover

Rossy.

Also depends on what sort of bike you want to ride

i.e super bike replica or a motocross looking bike

I had a Yamaha DT125 (motocross looking) a few years ago. Sat nice and high. Was manual 6 speed gearing. Had plenty of power. It was cheap as chips to run and was extremely reliable

Infact i may look in the new year at buying one again

Billy-no-Money

Some good advice on here - I'll add what I can. My son got a 125 bike when he was 17, he's now 21 and about to take his full test - no interest in cars whatsoever.

For something like a Honda CG125 or Yamaha YBR125 you'll be looking at 80mpg+, and the servicing costs are pretty low too - tyres on a 125 are cheap and last for ages, same goes for chains.
My daughter paid about £425 for her first year's insurance, it comes down rapidly if you don't claim.

I'd say you need to spend £1000 - £1500 to get a decent bike, maybe less if you've got a mate who knows what to look for. Ride it for a couple of years, look after it, and you'll get most of that back.

Security - scooters are more likely to be nicked than geared bikes, simply because any old scrote can ride one. You'll still need to chain it up though.

Gear - loads of options, Hein Gericke are convenient but not that cheap - but if you do go there, take out basic AA membership (with cashback!) and you'll get 15% discount. They do an interest free deal if your credit rating's ok which can be handy. My local Honda main dealer has a good value shop that's cheaper and has a better range than Hein Gericke, so don't assume they'll be expensive.


While the startup cost of a 125 isn't as cheap as you'd think, it's MUCH cheaper than a car, and a £1000 car is likely to need lots of work doing to keep it on the road.

At this time of year you'll be surprised how cold it can get - I'd strongly recommend a heated vest - Keis X4s are on ebay new for about £80. It sounds a lot but for a year-round rider it can literally be a lifesaver, and makes the whole experience much more pleasant.

Finally - if it's icy or snowy, get the bus!!!