Learner Bikes

[NiteW4tcher]

helloooo

my girlfriend is doing her CBT on 5th feb, so i will be looking for a 125 for her to gain confidence and skill on.

she is 5ft 2" short ;)

so the bikes outthere for consideration. i dont belive weight is a problem as being a 125 they dont have considerable weight to them, i guess it comes down to centre of gravity of the bike and ride height.

she has sat on a yamaha xt125 and it was nearly perfect for her. obviously we have the obvious choices

cg125
ybr125

i was wondering about a drz125sm or a dt125sm , but being trailies maybe too high for her.

no scooters ;D

then after a year be looking @ something a little quicker lowering kits???

opinions please?

she has never ridden before hence starting on a 125 if she had riddenbeforeid say jump on a 600 , but id rather she learns the basics and gain confidence on a 125

Cheers

Dan

[Squashed_Fly]

I would have a little chat with Toph.... ;)

[Kevinb]

What about the ybr custom?

[crewy]

Aprillia do a RS125 (Race style bike), RX125 (traillie type of bike) or a tuono 125 more of a naked version of the RS and a bit more up right. hope this helps

[Taylor86]

I learnt on a Suzuki Vanvan (I'm 5'5) and I found it plenty low enough and very easy to ride. It was alittle lacking when it came to getting up to the required 50kph on mod 1 though, so I used the bikes of the riding school instead.

As for bigger bikes I've got a Suzuki Gladius 650 (I'm not that mad on Suzuki's really...) which I've lowered (kit cost £15) and find that a good height. It didn't affect the handling too badly either. The lowering kits available were 30mm and 50mm but I only needed the 30mm.

[Jacde]

I'm 5'1" and I did my CBT on a CG125, I was pretty much on tip toes but as it wasn't a heavy bike I didn't struggle too much.
I have ridden a Vanvan too and that was a smidg lower, but as Gladelicious said, it didn't have much poke, but they are good bikes and hold their value.
I went straight from CBT to DAS and I ride a yamaha diversion xj6s, had it lowered, but still struggled with it as it's a heavy bike, I've now got Daytona Ladystar boots (they have a raised insole) and they make a big difference.
Vivi has a honda 125 not sure of the model but it's a nice white one :-[ ;D ;D and I've sat on it and leg length wasn't too bad.
Really depends on if your girlfriend is leggy or stumpy (like me ;D)

[silly_simon]

I believe Vivi has the Honda cbf 125 :)
like this

http://indianautosblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/2010-Honda-CBF125-white-and-black-1.jpg

The DT 125sm I wouldn't have thought would be much different to the XT in height to be honest, but I may be wrong.

It really depends on what youre looking to pay for one as Kawasaki do the D-tracker and KLX in 125 size
info here
http://www.kawasaki.co.uk/news.asp?Id=340E092BCCE

[Jacde]

That's the badger Simon [smiley=thumbsup.gif]
see I said it was a nice white bike ;D

[Curses4u]

Depending on how she feels, but I felt in my CBT and DA course I found that the 125's felt really unstable, it was a bit easier to turn.. but i found my er6n is easier to ride, more stable and a bit more weigh too it.. and more power when i needed it..
Also less gear changing due to the wider speed range per gears.. just a thought...

But if she is only doing a CBT then yeah she restricted to a 125 :)

[Beamer]

Im one of the WB shorties and I have a YBR 125..... Its a good bike and copes with 'drops' really well ( hehe 6 to be precise)... if you are local to Trowbridge she is more than welcome to try it out for size.

Good luck with the CBT.... please tell her if an old 44 year old like me can do it, anyone can ;D ;D ;D ;D

[NiteW4tcher]

cheers for all your comments.

i guess the only real way is to get her to sit on mentioned machines and see how she feels.

problem with a dt125r would be.....................me ;D i grew up riding them and they slowy grew into a obbsession.

jacde......ive seen the thread on them boots they do sound like a good piece of kit.

[Loops]

She's welcome to have a sit on my old CG too if you are ever over this way - although I imagine you will probably be looking for something newer so that may not be much help ;D

[Toph]

I've got an Aprilia Classic 125,(google it!!) It's a 125 water cooled 2 stroke cruiser, same engine(rotax 122) as the rs 125 but slightly detuned.
very low seat height, like riding your favourite armchair, I've had it 4 years, use it every day, never let me down!!
perfect for the short of leg!!! ;D ;D

[Green Man]

I've got an Aprilia Classic 125,(google it!!) It's a 125 water cooled 2 stroke cruiser, same engine(rotax 122) as the rs 125 but slightly detuned.
very low seat height, like riding your favourite armchair, I've had it 4 years, use it every day, never let me down!!
perfect for the short of leg!!! ;D ;D


I can vouch for toph bike it would be ideal for a learner first bike [smiley=thumbsup.gif] [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

[Jon_W]

CG125.... one word, indestructable!!!

Will do 70 on a good day, and take any amount of punisment.

Ask Mark..... :D

[Squashed_Fly]

CG125.... one word, indestructable!!!



There's a reason why pretty much every riding school the world over uses them for training learners on!

[Mark_Able]

CG125.... one word, indestructable!!!

Will do 70 on a good day, and take any amount of punisment.

Ask Mark..... :D

Yep... ;)

Toph's bike looks to be a good 'un though. Could be ideal for a shorty... :)

[Nooj]

I learnt on a Yamaha SR125. It was ****. Open the throttle too quick and it would stall, and the rear suspension may as well have not been there. Avoid!

[Loops]

CG125.... one word, indestructable!!!

I beg to differ....

Actually to be fair to the little thing, it has taken a fair amount of punishment from me with only minor niggles ;D

[Jon_W]

CG125.... one word, indestructable!!!

I beg to differ....

Actually to be fair to the little thing, it has taken a fair amount of punishment from me with only minor niggles ;D

Ok MOSTLY indestructable.... ;D

Odd you had troubles with your SR Nooj? A mate has one and loves it.... must be very inconsistant in the build...

[Kes123]

I learnt on a Yamaha SR125. It was ****. Open the throttle too quick and it would stall, and the rear suspension may as well have not been there. Avoid!


Probably needed a bit of fettling, they are normally pretty good bikes.
Others worth looking at are the Suzuki GS & GN125's

[Loops]

I did my CBT on a Yamaha SR125 too, I liked it. The engine was a lot more 'thumpy' than my CG, but it didn't strike me as an awful bike.


Although that was my first time on a proper geared bike, maybe I had rose-tinted specs on ;D

[Scotty]

When I lived in Leicester, a work colleague also ran a training school in Hinckley and I took several friends up to him when he was pensioning off the odd GS125 - they were all consistent and pretty good. Later, for reasons of economy he started using Chinese Kangda 125s - looked identical to the GS but had a copied CG125 engine. The last time I took someone to look for one there were four Kangdas to choose from so I test rode them all and we chose the one that was the lesser of the evils - one had lousy brakes, another had a ropey gearbox and the third had a horrible clutch. The fourth wasn't perfect but it was better than the other three... With the Suzukis, a test ride was a formality, they were all decent bikes. The Kangda experience was a bit of a shock, something that looked identical to a GS at a glance could be so different to ride and own. I guess that the Chinese will get there eventually with their quality control, but they're light years from the Japanese at the moment...
In answer to the original question, pretty much any Japanese 125 will make a decent learner bike, they're all pretty dependable, which one depends on seat height and things like colour preference... ::)