125cc

Its stories like that that make you wonder why some people are allowed the vote or even allowed outside, never mind anywhere near a bike. Agree regarding the performance though. NSL is the maximum performance for most 125s so they're balls-out at that speed which implies more mechanical wear. That said, as long as the bike is looked after well and maintained fastidiously there should be no unpleasant surprises even with such use. I rather enjoy the feeling of being "at the limit" whilst still remaining within the speed limit

Interesting topic with some interesting answers! In my view there's no excuse for poor maintenance. 1) RTFM - it tells you everything you need to know and what to check, how often, how to adjust chain, how to adjust rear brake, clutch, change bulbs etc. etc. etc. The instructions are there so there's no excuse... 2) 125s are hardly technological marvels. The engineering is extremely basic and anyone with half a clue of basic (and I mean BASIC) mechanical knowledge can do most routine jobs. Plus everything's exposed so easy to get at! Most routine maint jobs take anything from 30 sec to 30 min with the manual, very basic toolkit and the appropriate lubricants etc. where appropriate. There again, if you're not good with tools and one of these folk that for whatever reason couldn't make cheese on toast or change a lightbulb then FFS be careful and don't do anything silly... but it doesn't take much time and brainpower to learn. For me, starting biking was an epiphany, as not only do I enjoy riding, but I found an interest in doing routine maintenance jobs on the bike. So much so I've used the stuff I've learned from working with the bike and started doing work on the family car. Local dealer wants £160 for an annual service on the Mondeo. Did it myself for 30 quid with an hour's work, and even that was leisurely (30 minutes of which was making sure all the oil was drained). So now I've discovered a new hobby, not only in biking, but being a home mechanic. As a final point, most 125s these days are Made In China. This indicates the overall manufacturing quality of such bikes and therefore a telling indicator as to why so many 125s have problems. A sweeping statement perhaps, but in my experience all too true.

Nothing a bit of WD40 and some T-Cut won't fix. It'll be back on the road already We all make mistakes and as a novice I'm careful not to make fun of others' misfortunes, however there are some cases where I really do wonder what goes through folks' heads. Like folk who drive cars into a flood and get shocked when they have to get rescued...

My Mandarin isn't that polished but I suspected as much My riding "style" (if you can call it that) is calm (not that there's any other option on my 125cc ball of fire) and I always maintain tyre pressures to the correct value. The front tyre centre tread still has around 4-5mm left.

Checking my bike (which has become less regular of recent I am ashamed to say) today I was rather alarmed to note the wear indicator on the centre tread getting very close to the tyre surface on my rear tyre. Its only done about 2700 miles... I'm still very much a novice in many ways so what kind of mileage should I expect from bike tyres? They're nothing special, the YS has cheap Chinese (Ching Sheng or something I think the brand is) tyres that are skinny and wouldn't look out of place on a pedal bike... Only a 125 so no exciting thrashing around, all commuting miles. Regards 125cc

Yamaha YBR 125's are made in China . Yep, so is the YS125 that succeeded the YBR. I like it but as I say the quality's not great. I'm not sure if there are any 125s that aren't Chinese made these days.

Would recommend reading the above for solutions. How is the petrol/fuel filter?

I wouldn't buy another Made In China bike. Much as I love my YS it's had a number of issues and returns to the dealer (starter solenoid, clocks, broken temp sensor). EML has come back on again within the past week, yet another return. Oh and did I mention the rust rust rust... A big fan of Yamaha's products (all Japanese bikes really) but not a fan of the Chinese quality. Next time I'll either 1) save up for something Made In Japan/UK/Etc or 2) buy a used version of 1).

Ha ha ha I suppose repainting the YS would be cheaper Snod - thanks for the honest review. Surprised as I thought Kwaks were well-built.

In all honesty its become second nature now. Tension was the worst thing. When I relaxed it made things so much easier (and enjoyable!).

Don't think it'll happen so soon. Any re-introduction of national house arrest would happen after a spike in cases. Would take a few weeks for that to happen. Hope it doesn't.

We've had snow and hail here the past few days. We've gone back in time to February! Almost tempted to put the thermals back in my trousers and jacket for the commute. 5 Degrees C yesterday... last week it was 15 which for the Highlands is a summer heatwave!

Anyone tried/own one of these? Have fancied a bright-green Kwak for a long while and have no desire to move up from 125s. A wee bit more power than the YS125 would be of use whilst on my trips round the main roads up here.

Well, who's been oot tae play in England yet? Still managing the 4.5-mile daily commute to my work on the bike which I cling on to desperately as one of the few things I can enjoy for now. Looking forward to freedom however, was planning some biking/camping trips this summer including NC500 which have along with many other things gone TU now!

I get my advice from Janey Godley. Pishin masel' laughin Genius!

Lucky for you lot... up here Queen Nicola has us telt "stay at hame". But we are allowed out more than once a day, now unlimited. So we're allowed out, but we've got to "stay at home". Confusing, contrarian and muddled? Aye, yer right there, hen. As usual. Boris' advice at least wasn't confusing, basically "use common sense". Some folk seem to not be able to do anything without someone holding their hand and a War And Peace-sized rulebook to refer to, unswervingly.

I had a very similar issue with my YS125 a few months ago. Starter solenoid was u/s (sticking).

Consistently manage 300 miles between fillups. Works out about 120-130mpg if I recall correctly. 15 quid fills the tank from fumes. Ridiculously cheap fun and environmentally friendly too. Just to get it right up the Greta Nazis

That makes sense dynax, I know that a massive number of guitars (one of my other interests, one of the few I can actually enjoy at this dastardly time as everything else is banned!) from assorted manufacturers are all made in the same factories with each other. Happens in other cheap labour countries such as Korea, Indonesia etc. I think the CB125 is made in India though? I may have that wrong.

Mine was registered new Sept 18 and has done about 2500 miles. Used mainly for commuting (5 miles round trip daily) hence the low mileage in all weathers. Keep it in the garage overnight and try to look after it - washing, drying, lube, corrosion-proofing etc. Aside from the rust & exhaust paint, I've had the starter solenoid, temp sensor and clocks all replaced under warranty. Bikes are more susceptible to problems that cars as everything's exposed but there's more gone wrong than I'd expect if I'm honest. Being something of a Japanophile I'm a fan of Yamaha's products, along with that of most other Japanese manufacturers, and not just bikes! Have had experience of Yamaha guitars, basses, keyboards, all excellent quality products and fantastic in use. I love the YS but I don't think the quality's great. That said, I also have realistic expectations; it's a budget bike, Made In China, and I'm using it year-round in the Scottish Highlands. I'm not sure how it compares to the Honda CB125 or other commuter 125s quality-wise however I'd be interested to know...

Not planning on doing any tests in all honesty. Was just going to re-sit my CBT. Quite happy with the 125 for the moment. A while away yet so not concerned, however if this stuff rumbles on past June I'll phone the local centres to see if any will do my CBT. There's 2 in my local area that I'm aware of plus another that's about 25-30 miles away. Hope you're all staying safe and keeping well. Here's hoping we'll all get thru this and we will be able to lead some sort of life soon. 125

My CBT runs out end of August. Not worrying about it right now however waiting to see what happens between now and then. The way things are, Aug is a long way off so pointless worrying. I have been designated a "key worker" and rely on the bike to get to/from work, so am keeping a close eye on this to see what happens. Common-sense approach to me would entail 1) allowing an extension on CBTs that expire whilst lockdown is in force, like what has happened with MOTs, or 2) allowing CBTs to go ahead as long as social distancing/strict hygiene protocols are adhered to. Common-sense however isn't very common right now. We shall see...

The various bolts on my YS125 are all rusting away quite merrily and the paint is bubbling/flaking off the exhaust in various places. The center stand is in a right old state. The main parts on the frame etc however seem perfect. The bike is 2 years old in September and has had use year-round since day 1. Try to wash it regularly and rustproof it but its a losing battle I'm afraid. I just put it down to it being a cheap Made In Virusland bike however its not uncommon so it seems. Same problems noticeable on cars. My 8 year-old Mondeo (had it since new) had rusty nuts 'n' bolts from 6 months old. Rest of the bodywork, underside etc is all solid however. My dad had to get new brake disks on his Ka at 2 years old due to corrosion. Unbelievable. Must be the cheap Chinese steel used these days.

Just goes to show how much fun can be had on these wee bikes! Think I may venture out and stretch my wings a bit further once I get my winter gloves in the post.

I'm just outside of Inverness but lucky for me the NC500 starts on my doorstep. Half-tempted to take a few days off in the Summer, sling the camping gear on the back and do it. Also plenty of nice roads out towards Moray and Aberdeenshire, the A939 is interesting starting from Nairn, round the back of Forres and going thru Grantown-On-Spey etc. but my little Yam would probably overheat and chuck the towel in half-way up Lecht!