Admin Posted December 12, 2020 Share Posted December 12, 2020 Hello MazzaMazoo, Welcome to The Motorbike forum. Please feel free to browse around and get to know the others. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask. Why not tell us a bit about yourself too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dynax Posted December 12, 2020 Share Posted December 12, 2020 Hello and welcome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MazzaMazoo Posted December 12, 2020 Share Posted December 12, 2020 Hi everyone and Hello Dynax, thanks for the welcome! I did my CBT two weeks ago and am in the process of looking for a bike to buy, I am vertically challenged at 5 feet 2....well sort of with my boots on. I have been looking for the last week at what's available and I might go for something classic, light with low seat height maybe a Suzuki SR 125. I did have a go on the usual learner fodder of a Yamaha YBR and I really didn't like it, I was on tippy toes and it felt too heavy.....so that's where I'm at, looking for a small learner bike somewhere near Manchester 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dynax Posted December 12, 2020 Share Posted December 12, 2020 Don't let your height put you off, there are techniques you can learn to deal with these problems, also some bikes can be adapted with a thinner seat, well done on getting onto two wheels you will enjoy it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MazzaMazoo Posted December 12, 2020 Share Posted December 12, 2020 (edited) 23 minutes ago, dynax said: Don't let your height put you off, there are techniques you can learn to deal with these problems, also some bikes can be adapted with a thinner seat, well done on getting onto two wheels you will enjoy it Yeah, there are adaptations or I could even get motorbike boots with a few inches of lift....but I really didn't feel confident on the YBR, so definitely want something smaller at least for now to build confidence with really. I would love a Honda grom but they can be pricey ( especially new!) , I was looking at more classic bikes too as I don't really want to buy Chinese. Now I'm at the stage where I could go and buy a bike but can't seem to find what I want near me. I thought I had...but have read some nightmare stories about that particular dealer selling death trap 125s Buying used seems daunting when you don't know much about the mechanics. Edited December 12, 2020 by MazzaMazoo .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dynax Posted December 12, 2020 Share Posted December 12, 2020 (edited) Don't let chinese put you off, my main bike is a chinese 125, benelli do a grom clone for reasonable money, try and get to some dealers and sit on some, that will give you an idea for getting on/off and how practical it will be for your needs. There are some dodgy deals out there that can catch out the unwary, for a first bike try and get one from a reputable dealer either used or new, that way you have some form of warranty, usually around 3 months on used and upto 2 years on new Edited December 12, 2020 by dynax Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MazzaMazoo Posted December 12, 2020 Share Posted December 12, 2020 10 minutes ago, dynax said: Don't let chinese put you off, my main bike is a chinese 125, benelli do a grom clone for reasonable money, try and get to some dealers and sit on some, that will give you an idea for getting on/off and how practical it will be for your needs. There are some dodgy deals out there that can catch out the unwary, for a first bike try and get one from a reputable dealer either used or new, that way you have some form of warranty, usually around 3 months on used and upto 2 years on new Yep, have been looking at the Benelli TNT and the BN 125, I like the looks of the BN between the two. .....I might go and have a look next week! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dynax Posted December 12, 2020 Share Posted December 12, 2020 Go for it, no harm in looking Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skyrider Posted December 12, 2020 Share Posted December 12, 2020 welcome to the forum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MazzaMazoo Posted December 12, 2020 Share Posted December 12, 2020 54 minutes ago, skyrider said: welcome to the forum Thankyou Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bender Posted December 12, 2020 Share Posted December 12, 2020 Welcome, Hope you have fun picking a bike, my instructor was a tiny wee fella, he was great at swiveling sideways and getting his foot down on his vstrom. Cruisers tend to have low seats, you need to get your backside on a few and see what you like Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rennie Posted December 12, 2020 Share Posted December 12, 2020 Hello and Welcome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonio Posted December 12, 2020 Share Posted December 12, 2020 Hi there and welcome in. What about a Suzuki VanVan. Not the fastest 125 on the road, but they look good, you can take the anywhere even off road (if you don't mind cleaning the spokes afterwards), they're bulletproof, and nice and low. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MazzaMazoo Posted December 13, 2020 Share Posted December 13, 2020 Hi bender and rennie @bonio. Yes I would definitely consider a VanVan. It seems they are quite hard to find. I'm guessing December/Jan is not the time of year many bikes are for sale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonio Posted December 13, 2020 Share Posted December 13, 2020 (edited) @MazzaMazoo, I think you're right. December is a dead slow month - everyone's preparing for Christmas and stuff. They're quite a common bike, though, and you should find a selection for sale by March or April as long as you're willing to travel. Edited December 13, 2020 by bonio Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MazzaMazoo Posted December 13, 2020 Share Posted December 13, 2020 2 hours ago, bonio said: @MazzaMazoo, I think you're right. December is a dead slow month - everyone's preparing for Christmas and stuff. They're quite a common bike, though, and you should find a selection for sale by March or April as long as you're willing to travel. It's a bit difficult as I don't drive, so pretty restricted really! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Six30 Posted December 13, 2020 Share Posted December 13, 2020 welcome if i could offer you only one bit of advice for the future , then this is it....... what ever you do do not buy anything Chinese, it will go wrong and let you down . 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MazzaMazoo Posted December 14, 2020 Share Posted December 14, 2020 12 hours ago, Six30 said: welcome if i could offer you only one bit of advice for the future , then this is it....... what ever you do do not buy anything Chinese, it will go wrong and let you down . Hi, thanks for the welcome. Chinese bikes, a bit like marmite it seems . One of the main reasons I would go for one is that loads of the usual learner bikes are too high and seem heavy to me, the Chinesey things offer so much choice. If you're average height you have so much more choice. I know you can learn technique, but it's difficult to learn that when you're crapping yourself thinking you will drop a bike that's too big / heavy etc that's what happened on my ( first ) CBT and I ended up going somewhere else that listened to me more and gave me a choice of smaller bikes. The other reason for choosing new and Chinese would be that it is under some sort of warranty and for a newbie you have some of peace of mind that the thing isn't going to seize up on your first ride out. I've looked for used and hardly anything comes up near me that is smaller and in my area.....so yes I would love the perfect used Japanese bike but I could be waiting a long time. I will probably go and look at some new bikes to get an idea of what I want and see what comes up in the new year 2nd hand, fingers crossed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonio Posted December 14, 2020 Share Posted December 14, 2020 40 minutes ago, MazzaMazoo said: The other reason for choosing new and Chinese would be that it is under some sort of warranty and for a newbie you have some of peace of mind that the thing isn't going to seize up on your first ride out. You'd have thought so. But judging on the number of tales of tears I've read on this forum, I'd say your brand new Chinese bike is much more likely to seize up on its first ride out than a well-maintained 10 year Honda or Yamaha. And then you will have to fight the dealer to get them to take responsibility. And wait months for the parts. If you decide to go down this route, make sure you read reviews of the bikes and the dealer so you know what you're getting yourself into. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MazzaMazoo Posted December 14, 2020 Share Posted December 14, 2020 11 minutes ago, bonio said: You'd have thought so. But judging on the number of tales of tears I've read on this forum, I'd say your brand new Chinese bike is much more likely to seize up on its first ride out than a well-maintained 10 year Honda or Yamaha. And then you will have to fight the dealer to get them to take responsibility. And wait months for the parts. If you decide to go down this route, make sure you read reviews of the bikes and the dealer so you know what you're getting yourself into. Good advice, I will do some research on the dealer. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dynax Posted December 14, 2020 Share Posted December 14, 2020 32 minutes ago, bonio said: You'd have thought so. But judging on the number of tales of tears I've read on this forum, I'd say your brand new Chinese bike is much more likely to seize up on its first ride out than a well-maintained 10 year Honda or Yamaha. And then you will have to fight the dealer to get them to take responsibility. And wait months for the parts. If you decide to go down this route, make sure you read reviews of the bikes and the dealer so you know what you're getting yourself into. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WD-40 Posted December 15, 2020 Share Posted December 15, 2020 The warranty on those bikes is a con. They set ridiculously short service schedules that you have to follow or the warranty is void. If you look at the link, you would have to pay for 7 services in the first 2 years done by a proper mechanic or the warranty is void. https://www.dundeescooters.co.uk/lexmoto-lxr125/ You can get lowering kits for bikes that drops them down a few inches and you can modify the seat to make it lower and narrower. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skyrider Posted December 16, 2020 Share Posted December 16, 2020 or you could buy a smaller bike in the first place Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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