Fozzie

18....Why I'm speaking in relative terms. A 125cc 4-stroke has didily squat compared to even a 125cc 2-stroke. Just, in comparison with a Honda CBR125 the Rieju is much more powerful.

only one bike can be reliable but offers the levels of fun an rs125 does. The Rieju RS2 125. Its reliable and wont die on you like the rs125. It goes very fast and will do your 50 mile trip easy.

If your buying a 4-stroke 125cc then go for a Rieju RS2 125. Cheap because its spanish. But it has 17 HP if you go for the pro version and it handles like a dream. It has a big bike sound and it is very well sized. The engine comes from yamaha which means it will give plenty of speed and it can easily be tuned as its a ttr engine so 160cc kits can be put on the bike. The cbr is dull looking, its ugly. It makes a lot of noise but only has 13HP so thats 1 more than my RS50 if you see where i'm going here. My old RS50 beat one in a straight race. It doesnt handle very well and it cant take hills very well at all. The Rieju RS2 on the other hand left me at the starting line in a race and went all the way to 80mph before it leveled out. It now goes 100mph with the 160cc kit on it and bigger sprockets, carb and a power valve on the exhaust. Its very light, very good looking, very fast and is good for long trips and has the torque to take 2 people. It was designed for 2 people looking at the large pillion seat and their rare in this country so you have some exclusivity.

I read an article on the GT650. They had bad words for it but when they did the long term test on it they found that the brakes began to work alot better and it has that awesome power band that you don't find untill you go into 2-strokes. The bike can handle high speeds very well, the acceleration is good and the top speed is comfortable for most. It does look like the bike got a *** start report. Good but lacking in some areas. I saw no mention of bad build quality common in the chinese motorbikes so thats a good point. There was nothing wrong with it so it didnt get given a mention. I'd have one over the suzuki but tbh i dont go near suzuki's after a little stunt they pulled on my child hood dreams.

How long term was that?? I think the problem is that the bikes various bolts can rust but only to a certain point and then it all stops. I know a dealer than can sell me any size nut or bolt in stainless steel so for less than £10 I could make the bike get a glowing report in build quality. They don't give it a full in depth analysis i.e the materials the bike is made of and too many assumptions are made. This is why I want to be a motorbike journalist lol. So I can put these rumors to rest with nothing but sheer knowledge.

If it were made of cr@p then why would my friends last for over 2 years and cover tens of thousands of miles without failing or breaking apart???

Yes but they only depreciate so far. When you get the 250 its usually a long term commitment because they are long term bikes with exceptional reliability no review could point out, (They just make assumptions...as usual) and the bike can easily be modified to give more power so after it gets boring it can be tuned up. Its fuel injected to performance chips are an option. The reviews say nothing. They make general assumptions and related the bike to other chinese manufacturers even though it can compete with Suzuki and Honda in terms on performance and reliability. The straight fact is the bike is underrated and rare on the road because of this. This means cheap insurance and that compensates for the depreciation.

Don't get the GT125R get the GT250R otherwise you will regret it. The 125 is to heavy so it wont pull past 75mph.

The GT250R EFI model is brilliant. It handles brilliantly, its built like a big bike and it goes like stink. I had a friends at 115mph on an old runway. Does 0-60mph in 5.5 seconds and whatever you've heard about its build quality is wrong. It was designed and built by 2 chief engineers from Suzuki and the claim was based on some rusty bolts, which to be fair will rust on any bike because if their not holding the entire bike up and giving it structural support then they dont need to be rust resistant.

To be honest I think it would be just easier to get a set of nice new clocks just to make it your own. They are easy to set up. If they are new clocks then there are usually instructions to help you hook it up. If it is just a set of clocks for the same model then just simply connect the wires to the same place the other speedo was connected to. Tell the guy to fix the speedo otherwise you won't pay full price. Simple say "look, i know your busy but you did say you would fix it up, i'll give you full price if you fix the speedometre". Just keep it simple and civil. Just to change their mind. 8)

I'm down to three bikes 1) Aprilia RS125 - new model 2) Aprilia RS125 - old silver/grey limited edition model 3) Cagiva Raptor 125 4) Aprilia RS250 Still thinking about it hard. The Raptor is great for taking 2 people which i will be doing alot with friends living all over the place and taking an extra person always comes up. The old RS125 is great because it can be sporty but carry 2 people easily and comfortably and the new RS125 is great for one person but not so good for 2 people.

Last time I had one it came with a pretty good decal that said "K&N Filter Charged". Fancy words but well written because the bike felt like it had a turbo charger on it. It was 2-stroke though....It had a deeper note and the mid-range was much better and the top-end was mind blowing in comparison. They really work on the little strokers.

Try to find a cagiva dealer. I'm sure they can get the parts in. A Cagiva planet is basically the same as a Cagiva Raptor. If not phone up various garages and ask if they can get the parts in. Hope to see you riding one day when I get my 125cc 2-stroke

Buying a new choke cable will be easy to fit. Its easier when you get a new lever with it for easier fitting but you can just put a new cable in where the snapped one was. Also the lights that aren't lighting up on the panel is due to a bulb failure. My neutral light failed to. I just went down to Halfords and bought a new one for £2. And its worked for over a year so far. The panel doesn't detect when there is something wrong apart from low fuel or oil. Its usually you that finds out something is wrong when the bike plays up.

I recommend Oxford Sprint luggage holders. They have some that can attach to the tank and even better some that attach to the pillion seat. They are a good size and don't get in the way. You can also add sections to a rear bag as well just in case your going on a big trip. I used one and they come with a headphone port so the radio was in the bag and i was talking to my dad without the lumpy radio in my pocket that made lying flat on the tank at speed really uncomfortable.

Some parts can't be seen as being visually in need of replacement. The crank case seals for example. Mine blew, there was a sudden loss of power and the rear wheel locked up momentarily making me drop gears quickly and pull in. The only advantage is to this happening is that your bike will still function but it will stutter past 7000rpm and won't gain power and half speed will be lucky. So you can wait for the seals to go but its more risky because the back wheel can lock up under the severe decceleration so just be prepared to suddenly brake and clutch in. Pull over then limp home. If the top end blows then be prepared to push it home. If you look after a 2-stroke properly which it sounds like you have then give it a top end rebuild every 15,000 miles or so and the engine will just keep going. Taking it apart is a good idea especially to decarbonise the cylinder, which is easy to DIY every 5000 miles. Its a one hour job.

It could probably do with a top end rebuild (Costs £150 but its worth it). If its already had one recently then have a crank case engine rebuild. The crank case seals wear out pretty fast after 15,000 miles. It will probably cost more but either will improve the engines life drastically. Its not much to pay. I only do 3000 miles a year so I didn't have trouble forking out on it. The other option is just to splash out £300 on a new engine and spend 5 hours yourself fitting it and start again. Gives you the chance to run it in your own way and get 15000 miles before a top end rebuild is needed.

I had this problem on my old rs50. To stop it i switched it on with the choke then i gave it a rev upto about 5000rpm and then switch the choke off immediately and the revs drop to about 1,500rpm untill a minute or two later when it goes up to about 2,500rpm.

Wow, I take it its cheap to insure? My RS50 cost me £500 to insure third party fire and theft with a cbt but with full licence it costs me £200. Is an RS125 much different to that?

When are you selling it? I may be interested....Also how much would you sell it for?

You do know about the c.d.i restriction dont you. Do that and it makes it run smoother. Put a race carb and exhaust on it and new sprockets and it should do 110mph with it doing 79 at 7000rpm. Makes motorway travelling easy when its derestricted. Also stick a power valve on it and then you'll be cruisin.

Its so damn complicated to give a 125cc 4-stroke more power. A 2-stroke, you just put a new exhaust, carb, air filter and race reeds and the power doubles. I'm probably going to sack the idea of a 4-stroke.

How fast does the new model go kneejouster. And at what RPM??? Just doing some comparisons between the new and old to see which is better lol.

I was talking to my uncle, who has a cbr600 and he said if I gave him a 125cc 4-stroke engine he could change the power output from 15 to 25 hp if i gave him 3 hours and £50 using nothing but tools. I asked how and he just said two words "valve timing". Can anyone validate that this may be possible? lol

kneejouster, the new rs125 always has the lights on for safety reasons... I test rided one recently and i have to ask. How do you live with it lol. It has no powerband and it splutters when i get to 5,500 rpm. It can't compete with the older model in power and its really uncomfortable to ride especially over a long distance.