So lots of people have suggested that getting a YZF-R1 as my first bike is not the most sensible idea! 

The YZF-R125 caught my eye as a very nice looking bike & is a lot cheaper too so I could get a set of wheels sooner & on a CBT.  But how restricted is a 125 going to feel?  I plan to clock up a lot of miles on the bike & use it for work repping round the bike shops of Britain so I'll be on it all day several days a week, town & motorway driving.  I also want to use the bike to head back up to the house in wales, which is a 3/3.5 hour drive.  Is a 125 going to cope with this or will it drive me mad pootling about? 

hi jonesie,

dont think u can go on motorways with a 125, not 100% sure but i would check first before u do
                                                                                                                                                                             

You can ride a 125cc bike on the motorways but not on a CBT, you need to have passed your test.   I think you'd get pretty frustrated doing those kind of distances on a 125 to be honest. Once I'd passed my test I found the 15 mile commute to work on the motorway frustrating.                                                                                                                                                                             

Hi Jonesie,   I got my bike (an SV 650) whilst doing my DAS course, however on 2nd day I did a left turn in the rain onto a duel carrageway & lost the back of the bike, the tank landed on my ankle & damaged the ligaments, so after 5 weeks, I thought I would get a lil 125 for pootleing about on.   That was 10 weeks ago & my ankle is still not healed enough for me to get on my big bike yet, I am however having great fun on the 125 I got a Skyjet (CBR 125 replica), have now had it 4 weeks & have just hit the 1000km on it, picked that one for couple of reasons, its similar in size to the SV & only 50kg lighter, brand new on the road with a 12 month parts & labour it was only £1300 & lastly that if my son ever get off his ass & does his CBT there will be a bike he can use that I know the history of.   Like you I have decided that once I do pass I will use the lil bike to pootle to & from work etc as its a 60 mile round trip each day to & from work & I dont want to rack up the miles on my SV, most of that is motorways , provided that you hold a full bike licence & dont have L plates you can use them.                                                                                                                                                                             

jonesie,

A 3.5 hour drive in a car is probably clipping 80's and 90's or more. On a 125 flat out at 70 down hill with the wind behind, you would probably turn this into a 6 hour ride, a total nightmare and that's if you've passed your test and can use the motorway otherwise take some camping gear for the A roads!
                                                                                                                                                                             

Yes you can use a 125 on the motorway once you've passed your test, but rk is right about the 6 hour drive.

Distances of up to 50 miles on a regular basis will be fine, but even on the yam, you're not likely to get anywhere near the speeds you get in the car.

You will, however have great fun, and smile big smiles! :-)

ok thanks for the feedback guys, back to the less sensible route then                                                                                                                                                                               

the only restriction for motorway apart from having a full licence is the vehicle cant be under 50cc. If you passed your car test prior to February 2001 you can  ride  a 50cc  moped without L plates so in theory you can ride a 50cc on the motorway with just a car licence
trouble is finding a 50cc. most peds are 49cc so banned from motorway and if its 51cc or over you need L plates so banned again
                                                                                                                                                                             

get some training and pass your test! the 125 will drive you nuts on those sorts of distances                                                                                                                                                                             

Go for your DAS if your looking at doing those kind of distances. I would also recommend getting something like an SV 650 as a first bike. The only reason for that is your are more than likely going to drop it and plastics are expensive to replace.   The SV is a fun bike to ride with a lot of tork as it is a v-twin so sounds nice too. I have had one as a hire bike and loved it to bits. my only complaint was no center stand and no fuel guage on the one I had. The other good thing about the SV is that Suzuki have designed it with the women in mind and the geometry of the riding position is very comfortable so I have been told. Any input shell u got one.                                                                                                                                                                             

thanks pagan, some good points to think about.                                                                                                                                                                                

Pass your test and go for a bike around the 600 ish mark.   SV's are great bikes, but try a test ride 1st, some people cannot get on with a V twin, as there is a lot of engine braking, my brother-in-law bought one, and then sold it, got a few years biking under his belt and then bought a Firestorm a few years aftger, he said the SV as a first bike did his riding more harm than good.    I would personally recomment an inline 4 for a first big bike (like i did to the BiL ) such as a CBF6, hornet or an earlier fazer (pre R6 engine) or a parallel twin such as the ER6n or ER6f.  All of them are light weight, low-ish seat heights, easy to ride but with a fun side for when you get a bit more confident.  I have ridden all of them, the only thing I would say is if you plan on long miles, discount the ER6n & hornet as they are both naked bikes (and the hornet has a peanut for a tank) and go with a faired or half faired bike.                                                                                                                                                                             

Good advice fraglette, my mate has just got a mile SV1000 and hates the engine braking, never knows what gear to be in on roundabouts as it's all or nothing!                                                                                                                                                                              

did you say you were thinking of a yzf-R1.....this is just about as close to a bsb superbike as you can get, i dont doubt your riding skills but thats a bit harsh i feel, plus really uncomfortable on long journeys IMO                                                                                                                                                                             

I am a big fan of engine braking you do a hell of a lot of on ambulances as it give the patient a much smother ride, so it didn't bother me on the SV. I have also had a half faired CBF600 with ABS also a good bike. I have had naked half faired and fully faired bikes. If your doing long distances then anything to keep the wind off you and make the ride more comfortable.

I'd agree with everything Frag has said.  Very good advice indeed.  Pass your test and get something around 500/600cc.   Short distance commutes to work on a 125 can be a great way of gaining riding experience for your test, but once passed you'll be itching for something bigger.   As far as regular long distance runs are concerned, they can be fun on a 125 if you're doing them purely for leisure and you're not bothered about time.  Otherwise, the thing could put you off bikes forever and that would be a terrible shame.  Me and my mates used to take ours to the east coast every couple of weeks and we loved it as each trip there and back was like an adventure lol!  But wasn't I amazed when I did the same trip on my first big bike!!   Also, yes, the SV is a pretty good machine, but just as Frag says, many can't put up with the low rev engine braking of a V-twin.  I had a Firestorm for nearly ten years and one of my friends who had a VFR at the time was so impressed with it that he took one for a test ride.  He told me later that he couldn't do with the engine braking at all.   Also, whereas the naked SV has quite a comfortable riding position, the faired version has lower bars and many can't put up with these because the pegs and seat are still in the same position.  See Ride magazines review; good bike, wierd riding position.   I find that bikes are like helmets.  You need to try a few on before you find one that fits right.  But yes, if you're going to travel by bike, well done you, but you'll find the experience far more enjoyable on a faired/half faired 600.                                                                                                                                                                             

I agree completely with Geoff's last statement and when you find what fits you, it will be totally wrong for someone else.   I sat on a SV and knew it wasn't for me. Sat on a CBR and it felt right. Sat on a CBF and felt unsure. Sat on a GSX650F and LOVED it but knew it was too heavy. Sit on a few bikes and go from there. You may not be able to get a test ride depending on what test you pass so a sit may be the only way you can make up your mind.   I was lucky, feeling right turned out to be right but only after lots of miles and we're still getting to know each other.                                                                                                                                                                              

some of us prefer nekkid! but def dont rush into anything!

I'm with Julie on the Naked style bikes, cheaper if you drop it cheaper to maintain because you are not paying for the plastic to be stripped off it 1st, have herd the SV with a full tank is very top heavy so is a pain in slow/town traffic, plus Geoff is right about larger capacity v's having a lot of engine braking too which for a novice rider can be tricky to get used too.   Julie has a CB500 twin and suits her for now but i know she'll get something bigger as soon as she's ready. I have had an ER6n (naked) for a short while and found it to be light but powerful enough to entertain me. Fuel economy good and as stated before lower running/buying cost than the ER6F (faired) if you use a bike over long distance then a multi cylindered bike is usually more relaxed to ride due to smoother power delivey and less vibrations transferred to mirrors and rider. A naked can be made more comphortable to ride longer distance by adding a (bigger) screen than may be fitted as a std part.   Everyone will allways agree on one thing though and it's been mentioned before. ALWAYS try a bike before you buy if possable and certainly sit on as many differant ones you can to see what feels good under you, remember if you seam to be over reaching to the bars that will make a bike a pain to live with (long distances will put a strain on your wrists possably your back too and balancing in slow traffic a real balancing act you just do not need to cope with.)                                                                                                                                                                             

good advice hulls, big jump from 125 to a r1, i loved my naked gsx 1400...but and its a big but, i agree re costs, but if you dont want blowing around like a kite....how about a cbr600f....good bike, sports cruiser....bang a double bubble screen on it.......................simples