Experienced opinions needed

[robbum]

Thinking of finally getting 2 wheels and need 125 but thinking of getting a Hyosung as look quite decent sized bike as 18 stone and 5'11". any other options that won't make me look like donkey kong on a scooter?

[willie2006]

only advise i could give would be to stay well clear of them chinese bikes especialy if your 18 stone, it would snap in half the first speed hump you went over. intruder vl125 is not a bad size bike, go have a sit on one at your local dealer and see what you think.

[dodgyphil]

size wise the best thing would be a trially, DR125 or Dt125, don't go for a chinky..they still got to catch up to the nips with reliability etc..
Stepson's got a GN125 and he's about your size, not too fast but never let him down!

[V2Steve]

size wise the best thing would be a trially, DR125 or Dt125, don't go for a chinky..they still got to catch up to the nips with reliability etc..
Stepson's got a GN125 and he's about your size, not too fast but never let him down!



I rekon to be totaly honest.

Find some thing that you like and ride it. Dont take no shit from any one and enjoy every minute you spend on your bike.
Gain the experience you need to progress to a bigger bike and cherrish every minute you get on the road. There are folks out there who cant afford to ride cos of family commitments and shit like that so if you can do it then for fek sake do it.

Steve

[Acker]

I just sold a Yamaha tw125
nice and chunky

[robbum]

Cheers all will go and check out a few options as have most in town.

[kitkatman]

I rekon to be totaly honest.

Find some thing that you like and ride it. Dont take no shit from any one and enjoy every minute you spend on your bike.
Gain the experience you need to progress to a bigger bike and cherrish every minute you get on the road. There are folks out there who cant afford to ride cos of family commitments and shit like that so if you can do it then for fek sake do it.

Steve

best bit of advice i have seen......ride and enjoy

[John Hopkins]

My son went the Chinese bike route, He bought two of them brand new, one is down to the frame and one wheel, everything else has gone to keep the other one on the road. He had to join the RAC because he broke down at least once a week. He is 18 stone plus. You will save money in the long run by buying a reliable second hand Japanese bike.

You will save even more by spending four or five hundred pounds on an intensive training course on a larger bike with a test booked at the end of it and a guaranteed pass, because to be honest anyone who weighs as much as you do is only going to get 30mph on average out of a 125 with a maximum of 50mph on the straight after a lot of effort, this will not allow you the safety margin you need to get away from cars that cut you up on busy roads. Also a run of three hundred miles is hard work at slow speeds so it cuts your enjoyment down.

Whatever you decide enjoy yourself, it doesn't matter if you think you look daft, riding a bike even with all the restrictions is still one of the most enjoyable things you can do out of bed.

Welcome to the forum.

John

[jabba]

varadero 125.

[kentgpz11]

My mate keeps going on about a chinese 125 cruiser for his missus to learn on. He says they're cheaper brand new than a used jap equivalent. I tell him they're cheap because they're crap, E-bay is littered with them for spares or repair. I would definately stick to a jap bike & ignore the chinese rubbish.:doh:

[trikerdrew]

Got a friend who has a kymco 125.

He wouldn't listen to me.The bike I said was a cg125 or gs.He has now replaced exhaust and half the electrics.Price difference now negated.

I'd say a 2t trail bike bit nippier.Something like a cg/gs/gn will get you everywhere-slowly:rolleyes:

drew

[frenchie]

i'm with Jopkins
fren

[Pils1969]

Definately with John Hopkins there. I'm 5'11" & when I started riding was about your weight. I hated the smaller bikes, but felt more comfortable on the bikes that were physically bigger. Good luck:thumbsu:

[matthewmosse]

I went the other way, did the DAS route, had the 1000cc bikes, my wallet is thinner for it, I'm now back on my first 125 stroker, bloody hoot, though it just ate another piston:eek: (pre ignition, pitting points we think) engine swapped for a runner in an hour and a half:thumbu: Buy used Jap is my advice, the chineese stuff is often appaling both reliability wise and safety wise, frames snapping by the headstock, not good, Hysung are Korean I belive and not quite as shit as Hong dou or the like or so I've heard but still, the big 4 from Japan build the best 125's for reliability. 18 stone, would it cope? hmm, couldn't say for definate, used to go 2 up on my 125 and was fine, that must have been best part of 16 stone and the bike (kh125 2 stoke) was just fine with that and we have lots of hills hereabouts.

[Sir Ewok]

My lad is only about 10stone & his chinese bike lasted about 5 months. The tyres are crap, threw him off on whitelines/overbanding etc. Eventually the front braked came on while he was riding and stranded him on a dark dual carriageway at 2:30 in the morning. They are a pile of crap and the best thing that happened was some moron stole it......

[trikerdrew]

Ho.Ho

Karma

snigger

drew

[Nik]

If you must buy a 125 rather than go straight for a bigger bike, then make sure it's Japanese - Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki or Yamaha - because Chinese (and Korean) ones are utter crap and will pack up on you. That's a fact. ;)

[johnr]

as a bit of an opposite view. my mrs had a lifan 50cc scooter. little chinky thing, cost under 100 quid, and she ran it for a year without having to touch it, aside from changing the oil and a spark plug. it started first touch every day, and never failed to get her to work.
the quality of the chinese stuff is patchy, but its improving. korean stuff is better, and i recon in 10 years they will be up there with the japs.
there are a few things you can do to help yourself if you get one though. chinese oil, spark plugs and batterys are crap. so, if i were you i would bin all 3 and put better on/in. change the oil regularly, and before using it for the first time, unplug all the wiring connections and clean them and spray with acf50 or similar. check all your earths and tighten everything up. they arent as bad as they get painted. ok they arent japanese quality, but thye can be a cheap alternative to the jap stuff if you look after them.

[ChopperFXR]

There used to be a bike instructor next door to my unit. Other than being the worst instructor I have ever seen and a complete wanker, he also sold the chinese stuff.

The amount of times I fixed bikes for his customers was staggering. Spares are a nightmare to get, technical spec is virtually non existant. reliability is fucking joke and the build quality is the worst I have ever seen.

I suggest you have a look at the Veradero 125, if you are determined to go the 125 route. I think you woul dbe better off going for a DAS course and getting a mid range bike. Probably safer for a bloke your size. The extra power will make riding that much easier and more fun.

Whichever way you decide to go, THE most important thing is that you have fun and enjoy your bike. You are paying for the bike and everything that goes with it. It is YOUR choice. If other people don't like what you choose then tell them to fuck off. Just get out on the road and enjoy it.

If you decide to go the used bike route and are not too familiar with mechanics, take someone with you that is more experienced when you are buying. Concentrate on the safety issues like good quality tyres, proper brakes. Cosmetics are easy to sort out as you go along. Just make sure the bike runs properly and is safe.

Good to hear of another person getting on the road. Good luck getting started.

Chopper.

[John Hopkins]

If you decide to go the used bike route and are not too familiar with mechanics, take someone with you that is more experienced when you are buying. Concentrate on the safety issues like good quality tyres, proper brakes. Cosmetics are easy to sort out as you go along. Just make sure the bike runs properly and is safe.

Chopper.

Everything chopper said is true. but on the bit above I would add.

There is no guarantee that having someone look at a bike before you buy it will offer any reliability, second hand bikes have no guarantee, they are sold as seen and you usually have to change the brake pads, oil, plugs etc. most pistons move about 100 times a second so that is a lot of wear, the larger the piston the more reliable the engine is a reasonable rule of thumb in my experience so that is another reason for getting a bigger bike, the last reason is that big bikes are usually cheaper than 125s.

John

[matthewmosse]

I've had thoughts about going for a tweaked 125 as an upgrade, unless you crash it then some derestrictions are very hard to spot, I only found out after passing my test that my first bike had a bigger carb (22mil rather than 19) fitted by PO and it was probably pushing 22hp at one point, not sure what happened to the old carb, but the engine cases had to come off to see the carb so roadside stops wouldn't see it. On the other hand if you do come a cropper the plod and insurers will throw several books at you and your insurance wouldn't be valid.

[Sir Ewok]

Everything chopper said is true. but on the bit above I would add.

There is no guarantee that having someone look at a bike before you buy it will offer any reliability, second hand bikes have no guarantee, they are sold as seen and you usually have to change the brake pads, oil, plugs etc. most pistons move about 100 times a second so that is a lot of wear, the larger the piston the more reliable the engine is a reasonable rule of thumb in my experience so that is another reason for getting a bigger bike, the last reason is that big bikes are usually cheaper than 125s.

John

Although they have no guarantee, they are covered by the 'sale of goods act' which says they should be fit for purpose. Also if bought on credit there may be some come-back through the credit company.