Courier 125cc scooter bike - advice needed in London

bigjl

As i would always say the same as above.

Honda every time.

I like the look of the new model Scooters that Honda do, S Wing looks good.

Don't they also do a super motard style 125 called the Varadero? I am sure i seen it when browsing through a mates MCN a while ago.

For use round London i would say and automatic scooter is the way to go.

What is the ybr125, is that the correct name for one of the scooters or is a road style bike?

kwaks

Varadero is a larger bike, although still 125. So good if you are above 5'10". However the CG is still the bike to get for this sort of mileage.

King_Nothing

bigjl wrote: »

What is the ybr125, is that the correct name for one of the scooters or is a road style bike?

It's a Yamaha 125 bike, pretty much the basic standard bike they do, good commuter, and cheap.

pogofish

King_Nothing wrote: »

YBR and CG are good shouts, bomb proof Japanese bikes, avoid Chinese 125's like the plague.

As long as you keep up with the servicing, and look after it, I think 20k a year is possible, I don't know what would be the first thing to majorly fail and cause a big bill though, parts a plentiful and can be cheap, and if you're mechanically minded most can be fixed yourself. But be aware, I have a YZF-R125 that will be similar to the YBR for servicing, so if you do 20k miles in a year, you will have to have at least 5 services in that space of time, which you may wish to factor in.

This - With knobs on!

Avoid the Chinese clones like the plague.

For simple servicing, economy and outright longevity, the CG is well ahead in the 125 stakes. Its basic pushrod engine just goes and goes if you don't neglect the oil changes (3-5k miles/6 months OTOH, takes minutes) and a full service is quick and easy with the standard toolkit. CGs will also easily do the miles you require as they were originally designed for practical use in third world countries. Places with conditions a lot tougher than here.

I had one for many years and kept it on as a town/backup bike long after I'd graduated to more exotic machines - It was so cheap to tax, insure and keep on the road that I never felt any difficulty in doing so. I rue the day I sold it (for the same as I'd paid for it) to that attractive and persuasive young nurse! Recently, I have been considering getting another one. The only major running expenses in that period were tyres, chains, and a front mudguard/exhaust lost to rust. All pretty cheap and easily fixed myself.

However, all the 125s from the main manufacturers are well up to the job and quality machines. Albeit that some are a little trickier to service and have more to damage in a prang. The fancier-looking ones are also more attractive to thieves IME.

Again, if you are a larger/taller person, I would seriously consider the Varadero 125 - It is a better size for starters and looks like a well made serious contender for a small courier bike with carrying capacity. Although its v-twin engine and some fairly hi-tech parts will probably make it more of a challenge to service.

Trebor16

Honda CG125's are good reliable bikes. I have used them for training purposes and they take a lot of stick with very few problems. They do need a regular check on the oil level between services as they do burn a little bit of oil. Apart from that there is little to worry about on them.