125cc motorcycle running costs

Trebor16

happybiker wrote: »

The c90 supercub actually tops out at about 65 and many millions have been sold as commuter bikes. They are still in production, albeit not imported to the Uk due to euro emission regulations. It's replacement is the honda Wave 110i which is still a good commuter but harder for the diy owner to maintain.

Given that the Supercub was effectively a cosmetic upgrade with no power increase, to say they will top out at 65mph is very optimistic. A CG125 only tops out at that speed and it has 4bhp more than the C90 or Supercub.

happybiker wrote:

The c90 has a very good reputation as a ride to work machine and good low mileage ones are still available at reasonable prices but they are climbing due to the bikes seemingly aquiring cult status.

Indeed they do but the OP is looking for a bike that will manage a 60 mile round trip commute. Although he doesn't specify the type of roads he is going to be using it is fair to assume he will be using roads with national speed limits and the C90 will really show its limitations on this type of road.

A quick look on MCN showed three C90's available priced between £1200 and £1900. There are currently 25 on Ebay, but compare that with 175 CBF 125's currently for sale on Ebay and 84 on MCN.

happybiker wrote:

The Op could well buy one, maintain it, use it for a couple of years then sell it for what he paid.

With the mileage that the OP will be doing that has the potential to knock the value of the C90

happybiker wrote:

Brakes certainly can be improved by relining the shoes with better materials ( Saftek, Cleckheaton) .

They will still not be as effective as a disc brake set up on the CBF125. The narrow tyres won't give as good grip and the way the front suspension rises on the C90 will certainly have an adverse effect on both braking and handling.

happybiker wrote:

Parts are dirt cheap, easily available, maintenance is simple and these bikes will achieve very high mileages reliably provided they are looked after.
I would rather ride one of them in winter than an unprotected cruiser or an uncomfortable sports bike

Yes, parts are cheap and they are easy to work on but they will need more frequent servicing than a more modern bike (especially oil changes) to keep them going.

There are bikes around that are neither cruisers or sports bikes that will be better suited for what the OP has in mind than the C90.

vassa

Trebor16 wrote: »

Given that the Supercub was effectively a cosmetic upgrade with no power increase, to say they will top out at 65mph is very optimistic. A CG125 only tops out at that speed and it has 4bhp more than the C90 or Supercub.



Indeed they do but the OP is looking for a bike that will manage a 60 mile round trip commute. Although he doesn't specify the type of roads he is going to be using it is fair to assume he will be using roads with national speed limits and the C90 will really show its limitations on this type of road.

A quick look on MCN showed three C90's available priced between £1200 and £1900. There are currently 25 on Ebay, but compare that with 175 CBF 125's currently for sale on Ebay and 84 on MCN.



With the mileage that the OP will be doing that has the potential to knock the value of the C90



They will still not be as effective as a disc brake set up on the CBF125. The narrow tyres won't give as good grip and the way the front suspension rises on the C90 will certainly have an adverse effect on both braking and handling.



Yes, parts are cheap and they are easy to work on but they will need more frequent servicing than a more modern bike (especially oil changes) to keep them going.

There are bikes around that are neither cruisers or sports bikes that will be better suited for what the OP has in mind than the C90.

To summarise:

'Look how much i know about bikes.'

Trebor16

vassa wrote: »

To summarise:

'Look how much i know about bikes.'

If you can't add anything useful to assist the OP then the best thing you can do is keep quiet and say nothing.

MEM62

GermanShepherdLover wrote: »

Impending change in family circumstances mean I won't be able to afford the £400 a month in petrol that I have been forking out for my daily commute of 60 miles return. So I'm thinking about getting a 125cc motrobike to drive on a CBT. 30 Miles each way is a long way on a 125.

I think that the following setup costs are resoanable but would welcome any comments. The one area that seems to concern me is servicing costs since I will essentially be doing 350 miles per week factoring in weekend trips to the gym, etc.

Bike. Either new Sym or second hand Honda at £1700 on the road.
My choice from these two would be the Honda but consider a scooter as they do have very good weather protection.
Waterproof Jacket plus Trousers at £150
I'd up your budget a little if possible. Decent kit is priceless in the depths of winter. Hein-Gericke's own brand clothing is decent quality.
Helmet at £100
Gloves at £50
Boots. I already have a pair of steel capped work boots. Buy a pair of proper motorcycle boots.
Insurance at £100. I'm 55 and have maximum no claims on my car. I will be keeping the car for bad weather and holidays.

Is there anything else that I need to consider? The above costs seem to give indicate that I'll be in pocket after 6 months if you exclude service costs. If I go the second hand route then I'm quite capable of oil changes,etc myself because I'm an engineer but the new bike route probably means that the services need to be done by the dealer or similar. My local dealer has an offer of 3 years servicing for £400 regardless of the number of services required if you buy the bike from them but I'm wondering if they will baulk at what could be a service every 6 weeks if I stick to the formal service schedule?

Any thoughts?

Hi,

A few comments which I hope you find constructive. Avoid the biking 'bug' - a lot of us failed to do this and motorcycling now costs us a fortune! :rotfl:

Trebor16

MEM62 wrote: »

Hi,

A few comments which I hope you find constructive. Avoid the biking 'bug' - a lot of us failed to do this and motorcycling now costs us a fortune! :rotfl:

It's a difficult bug to ignore once it has got its teeth into you:D

GermanShepherdLover

Thanks to everone who replied. The conclusion so far seem to be to definitley up the budget on clothing and to get some proper boots. The jury seems to be out on what to ride.

Just to a add a few more things that will impact on my decisions. I'll be keeping the car for use in bad weather (mainly rain because having commuted in -30C in Canada for many years the cold doesn't affect me), holidays, etc. In fact this makes the potential saving much greater because not only will I save on fuel but there will be at leat one less service per year which was working out at £400 a time including parts had been painful and a set of tyres at £600 a time which used to last 18 months working out at £400 per year should drop to an effective less than £200 per year. This should more than compensate for any replacement parts for the bike an cover the better clothing/boots. I would also expect my insurance to drop from the £280 per year I pay for 18k miles per year.

I'm still not sure about the bike though. I don't think that scooters are my style, not bad mouthing them but just not for me.I know Hondas are reliable but the soon to be ex wife had a bad experience with the build quality of a Honda car so this has made me a little nervous. The Sym is sort of appealing because it is Malaysian rather than chinese and comes out of the same factory as the Honda. At the end of the day I'm not so worried about the value after 4-5 years since I have baseed my figures on the great savings upon the bike essentially being throw away then. I have heard that a properly maintained engine can last 80-90k miles and I definitely intend to keep it well looked after.

Norman_Castle

The Sym is sort of appealing because it is Malaysian rather than chinese and comes out of the same factory as the Honda.

But its not a Honda. For longevity and reliability buy Japanese.

vassa

Just to chip in, I know you've said you're gonna get proper boots but never ever wear steelies on a bike, they've very dangerous.

laloola

Jo_F wrote: »

If you are getting a geared bike, please do not wear steelies when riding it. They are built for working in not riding in.

Absolutely to the steel toe caps, you won't able to feel your gears, in fact when you take your CBT they wont let you wear them at all. Keep checking around Aldi and Lidl, my OH picked up a full new set of gear for under £100 last year and it's still going strong!

OH has a Yamaha YBR 125, amazing little bike, cost him £1700 ish brand new from the show room 3 years ago.

Trebor16

List price of the YBR125 is now about £2600.