Welcome MazzaMazoo

[Admin]

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. 

 

[dynax]

Hello and welcome

[MazzaMazoo]

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 

  

[dynax]

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

[MazzaMazoo]

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
..

[dynax]

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

[MazzaMazoo]

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!   

[dynax]

Go for it, no harm in looking

[skyrider]

welcome to the forum 

[MazzaMazoo]

54 minutes ago, skyrider said:

welcome to the forum 

Thankyou 

[Bender]

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  

[rennie]

Hello and Welcome 

[bonio]

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.

[MazzaMazoo]

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.

[bonio]

@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

[MazzaMazoo]

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! 

[Six30]

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 .

[MazzaMazoo]

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!

[bonio]

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.

[MazzaMazoo]

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. 

[dynax]

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.

[WD-40]

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.

[skyrider]

or you could buy a smaller bike in the first place