Pbassred

I use a 125 to practice everything I got wrong during my lessons. I could focus on all the things I knew I was shaky at. That way I doubled my training time and had something to practice lane splitting like a pizza delivery boy! I would caution against a 1200 CC bike as a first bike. I also learned on the ER-6N. Once you have really opened that up you won't want more for a while. I actually found it too upright. I downsized to a CBR500R which has plenty of power (>100mph) and more suited to my stance (like road cycling). In the Battle of Britain most fighter pilots were killed on their first 5 sorties. If they lived through that, there was a much higher chance of staying alive. Think of it like that. Throw a 125 into a couple of corners too fast and see how that scares you, or drop it and live. Then think that you will have a bike 50% heavier with 10 times the power.

You can't charge a 12V battery from a 12V battery unless its very discharged. You need a voltage difference in order to pass current. Lets say that your dead battery measures 11v and you are charging from 12V, that's a 1V difference. If the internal resistance is 2Ohm, then using Ohm's law:- I=V/R : 1/2= 0.5Amp. If you have a 5A/H battery it would take 10hours to fully charge .....except that the voltage differential would not stay a full volt for long. As it charges the voltage would rise and the charge rate would drop. Completely guessed numbers but you get the point.

If you can afford to wait a few weeks then it might. If it only makes a 5% difference, it might not. Ideally:- buy low, sell high

I passed my test so its time to send the CBR125 to a good home.............. except we are just about to hit January - The worst time to sell anything! Should I wait? Does anyone know how long the low point lasts?

That's not a generator. That's a battery. I don't think you can charge from that but you could jump start the bike from it. If that's all you need, you could just buy a battery and jumper cables. https://www.halfords.com/motoring/bulbs-blades-batteries/car-batteries/halfords-hb063-lead-acid-12v-car-battery-3-year-guarantee For 2/3 the cost, it is 4 times the capacity of your bike. you might find cheaper if you look around.

No reason to not use a generator. 12V DC is fine although you actually need 13 -14V to actually charge. That said, my dad used to charge his boat like that. 2 weeks isn't very long for a battery to discharge. Are you sure its OK? have you used an optimate to test it? Is the bikes charging circuit OK? You say you use heated grips. Perhaps you should switch them off for a few minutes before you finish riding to top up the battery. Could you start the bike from jump leads from your car? Any way I think about it, using your bike to charge itself has to be more efficient, faster and less outlay than buying a generator.

Yeah I wasn't complaining. Just curious about how that works. I suppose the silver lining is that its actually impossible to thrash that engine. Underrev it to death, but not thrash.

I've only had mine for 100miles, and that was the delivery ride. I only took it to 95 and it was like; "would you like some more sir?" The horse power is restricted to 47HP but not the speed. I suppose if you get your head down and go for it, it will keep going faster, but what is the point? Anyway, back to the topic, I already have an alarmed disc lock and a big chain when its at home. ~The next sequence (not the importance will be:- Reflective strips (hey you!!), Short bar ends (so I can wheel it through the door) Ebay?, Datatool alarm (The local dealer doesn't open until the new year.) um.....?

The thing about 125s is that they have lots of rotating mass but not much power. When you pull in the clutch without releasing the throttle you get loads of revs. When you dump the clutch all the slack gets taken up quickly so it snatches, but the revs drop sharply because there is no power. Practice slow speed clutch control, motojitsu style, in first. Then transfer that skill into the change between 1st and 2nd.The trick it to slip the clutch more than seems necessary without loosing all the revs. It's harder with a 125 than a bigger bike. Or repeated slamming the gears really has worn all the contact, points. How old is the bike (miles)?

Is there an actual shop where I can buy a manual for a CBR500R or is it only online now?

Actually, I don't know. The bike thing snowballed after some jobs came up in some of the NW industrial areas. I didn't get any of them, but It snowballed from there. I Play samba in Waterloo. I already have an Abus granite alarm disk lock, and as soon as I can book it in It will get a Datatool S4 Red alarm along side its HISS2 immobilizer.

I'm going to pick up my first grown up bike tomorrow (I'm 57!). A 2015 CRB500R. I passed my full "A" license, so could have bought something bigger but quite frankly, I'm not looking for more power. Its all I need for sports touring and commuting into London. Its completely stock right now. My priorities are going to be: Security, Being seen, seeing, handling, phone/GPS mount. What would you guys add 1st /2nd /3rd?

You can't simply shove a lithium cell into a lead acid circuit. The charging technologies are different. The currents are different and the voltages are different. http://www.enerdrive.com.au/can-charge-lithium-battery-lead-acid-charger/

My dad (a one time Spitfire mechanic) always says that power is basically the amount of fuel you can burn x the number of times you can do it. so a Honda water cooled 125cc makes 13 HP. 13/125= 0.104hp/cc at 11500RPM, but allowing for revs (9.043 x e-5 per rev) and a Honda water cooled 500cc makes 47HP. 47/500 = 0.094hp/cc at 8500RPM, but allowing for revs (11.06 x e-5 per rev) so the 500 is less efficient than the 125 but it would be MORE efficient if it was allowed to rev as fast as the 125. Is that what they do with the Australian model? Opening up the rev limit?

So sorry to read this. Actually i think that off road/ trail riding aught to be part of the training to build up familiarity with the feel of a loose back end. The trouble with the tyres on a sports bike is that they grip really well until they don't. Trial bike have really knobbly tyres that grip, loose it and then grip again. I remember riding in the 80s and never felt concerned. On a positive note, I went out on Sunday for my last lesson before the test. I made such a hash of one roundabout (planning) that I grabbed a hand full of front brake and locked the front. Somehow I stayed up. Then my instructor didn't think I was quick enough then I was over doing the lifesavers. An absolute mare. I had a word with myself and put in another 40 miles on the 125. Thursday: MOD2, clean sheet and I was convinced that I had failed. I guess the lesson is that you really can't judge yourself and you can't drive for the examiner. You just have to ride the bike for you. Say to your instructor "what do I need to work on to pass this test" and then do some work on the CBR until you get it down pat. Plan early, junction and corner slower than you would on a CBR, show power by grapping a handful OUT of corners. The next test is a completely fresh page. Best of luck.

So Anyway, I passed Mod2 but that's not why I'm posting. I was thinking about my next bike and wanted to ask MCE a question about security, so I called them and started the conversation with: "I just passed my full license ....." and the reply was: "I need to update your details .. that will be £40 please". "What? Can't I just NOT tell you?" "No because you need to keep your details up to date otherwise your insurance would be invalid". (conversation shortened for clarity) So there you have it. Passing your test costs another 40 quid, but you MUST tell them.

This post is really old and now the test rules have changed. Specifically the split between Mod 1 and 2 any chance it could be rewritten?

I went out for my last lesson before my test. Forking disaster! I nearly lost the bike at one point. My problems are driving to impress the instructor when I aught to be driving for myself and also unnecessary lifesavers when I aught to be looking ahead and riding the bike. So help me structure myself please. When turning left:- Mirror, signal, slow for the turn, life saver left, turn. OK? Going ahead at the lights:- my instructor is saying mirrors only. (or I'm misunderstanding him). Going ahead at a roundabout:- enter the roundabout, life saver right, signal left. turn left? (I really want to life save left as well). Obviously there is situational awareness at all times, but I'm talking about specific lifesaver moments.

Thank you. Well the exhaust is only one side and the mirrors fold up so........ handlebars

My 125's widest point is the handlebars, so I figure the the 500 would have similar proportions. Cool! What motorcycle in that class is narrower than a CBR500R? When I said shed I was being architecturally simplistic. Its a brick opening with a hardwood doorway. Neither the brick of the frame are negotiable. COOL! That's what I thought. How do I do that? I might be able to find 30-40mm by changing to really short bar ends.

My CBR125R has a handlebar width of 700mm. I keep it in a shed behind a doorway that is 730mm wide. I cant change it and its quite deep so wiggling is difficult. However I have 30mm of clearance so its all good. My next bike will be a CBR500R which has a handlebar width of 750mm. How can I loose 20mm?

I understand your reasoning especially around town. However there are a couple of reason why you might want to think slightly bigger:- My CBR is about as fast as a 125cc will go and it only gets up to about 60MPH in a straight line and takes a while to get there. There is always the temptation to corner quicker since to takes time to get back up to speed, so the additional head room of power would be less effort, safety, and put less stress on the mechanical. The other thing is bike cost. I looked at swapping my 125 for a used 500 and the cost difference is £500. A 125 is the upper limit for small bikes so they are in demand. There is probably less demand for a 250cc since its not on the limit but would do 70 MPH easily without being aggressive.

I understand your reasoning especially around town. However there are a couple of reason why you might want to think slightly bigger:- My CBR is about as fast as a 125cc will go and it only gets up to about 60MPH in a straight line and takes a while to get there. There is always the temptation to corner quicker since to takes time to get back up to speed, so the additional head room of power would be less effort, safety, and put less stress on the mechanical. The other thing is bike cost. I looked at swapping my 125 for a used 500 and the cost difference is £500. A 125 is the upper limit for small bikes so they are in demand. There is probably less demand for a 250cc since its not on the limit but would do 70 MPH easily without being aggressive.

good for you. Keep it up. I had mine out on Sunday. Mooching around the test area. The weight of the bike isn't an issue. Its all about road sense - learning to pick up on road signs on unfamiliar roads. I did some cool U turns - its all Motojitsu now.

I don't know about all plastics but polycarbonate blocks UV.