Sinnis

[Pont560]

50 something, 6'2" 16st, going through a mid life crisis! I'm looking for a 125cc to start my motorcycle life. I like the looks of the Sinnis Terrain or Hoodlum. Or Keyway Superlight. Which one should I go for? 

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

Are you tempted by the cheap cost a new bike? Chances are you will outgrow a 125 very quickly and want to upgrade, at which point you will find that Chinese bikes lose a huge amount in depreciation.

 

I'd look at a used Japanese bike. Better built and better spares availability. If you look after it you will get your money back when you trade it.

 

There are a few 125s that are better suited to a taller rider, but they might take some tracking down in the current market situation.

[fastbob]

Please do not touch the Keyway Super light with a twenty foot barge pole ! This is an utter travesty of a motorcycle . Turns into a rust bucket in one year , it's styling is totally pretentious and it's got one cylinder and two exhausts for f**k sake ! Pleas please leave this abomination alone . 

[S-Westerly]

Don't hold anything back Fastbob!

[Pont560]

1 hour ago, Mississippi Bullfrog said:

Are you tempted by the cheap cost a new bike? Chances are you will outgrow a 125 very quickly and want to upgrade, at which point you will find that Chinese bikes lose a huge amount in depreciation.

 

I'd look at a used Japanese bike. Better built and better spares availability. If you look after it you will get your money back when you trade it.

 

There are a few 125s that are better suited to a taller rider, but they might take some tracking down in the current market situation.

Thanks for the reply. I am tempted by the lost cost. My budget is limited. It's why I'm not going for my mods. That and I want to make sure biking is for me before I upset my bank manager. I like the look of the adventure style bike. Any recommendations would be gratefully received. I'll take fastbob's advice on the Keyway. 

[MikeHorton]

If you are going to buy Chinese just make sure you invest the time in looking after it. Plenty of ACF50 sprayed on it even in summer and look after the chain. A lot of chines bikes have short service intervals so as long as you can do oil and filter change and check valves that's fine otherwise it can get expensive. A Honda cb125f although not exciting looking will put out the same Hp as a sinnis and return over 180mpg, decent quality bike not such short service intervals and a 1yr old one is about £300 less than a new one, factor in the lower running costs its a winner. Sometines a lower purchase price is not always a good financial move and there's always pcp deals and hp at reasonable rates on new bikes. 

[KiwiBob]

The very first thing to do is your CBT .. 

 

I don't know anything about the Sinnis Terrain but being Chinese its value  may depreciate quite fast .. If its the look/size you like then take a look at a second hand Honda xl125 Varadero... They hold their value pretty well.

[Fozzie]

5 hours ago, Pont560 said:

50 something, 6'2" 16st, going through a mid life crisis! I'm looking for a 125cc to start my motorcycle life. I like the looks of the Sinnis Terrain or Hoodlum. Or Keyway Superlight. Which one should I go for? 

 

Sinnis bikes have come a long way in recent years, but still suffer a little being a Chinese brand. 

 

If you are set on an adventure bike, I'd suggest a Honda Varadero 125 - These hold their value, get the later injected one. It's a V-twin right on the 15BHP limit. They are utterly bomb proof, especially if you get a well serviced one. A cruiser style bike with the same engine, the Honda Shadow 125 is probably cheaper. 

 

Of the list you've given, Sinnis Terrain. It's the most popular, so will have the most parts. 

 

Avoid Keeway... Unless you are a a masochist

[fastbob]

3 hours ago, Pont560 said:

Thanks for the reply. I am tempted by the lost cost. My budget is limited. It's why I'm not going for my mods. That and I want to make sure biking is for me before I upset my bank manager. I like the look of the adventure style bike. Any recommendations would be gratefully received. I'll take fastbob's advice on the Keyway. 

The trouble with that approach is that droning along on a 125 that is essentially a miniature motorcycle will not really give you a taste of what Biking is about . A larger bike will allow you to glimpse what speed , power , road presence , comfort , noise and the sheer f**koffness * is like . Otherwise you are in danger of joining the ranks of people who say " I used to have a motorbike "    * quote : Ben Kingsley . 

[skyrider]

if it's chinese one simple statement LEAVE WELL ALONE AND WALK AWAY 

[Stu]

5 hours ago, Fozzie said:

Sinnis bikes have come a long way in recent years,

 

Yeah they have made it from China to the UK which is already too far 

[bud]

The Chinese bikes are tempting with the price. But I would not advise buying one over a second hand CBF Honda or similar. 

ok the Honda is still made in China, but build quality is much better.

my mate ran a CBF 125 for 18 months. Put 24,000 miles on it with just chain and sprockets. Lost a thousand pounds when selling it, but a lot of that was depreciation, as brought new.

another thing to consider is a lot of shops won't work on Chinese motorcycles. Check out reviews of the dealer you are buying from. My son brought from a dealer that wouldn't fix any of the many problems it developed. If he had read the dealer reviews, he would of known this.

[Davidtav]

I don’t know anything really about Chinese bikes. Except my nephew has a Chinese scooter. Sym 125 I think … it’s three years old now. He does absolutely no maintenance from what I see. It’s left outside. He doesn’t even put a cover on it. But you know it isn’t actually rusty. It starts and goes ok. I suspect the reality of Chinese bikes is a lot better than the perception. Probably right about resale values. But I think his scooter was very cheap brand new. 

[bud]

19 hours ago, Davidtav said:

I don’t know anything really about Chinese bikes. Except my nephew has a Chinese scooter. Sym 125 I think … it’s three years old now. He does absolutely no maintenance from what I see. It’s left outside. He doesn’t even put a cover on it. But you know it isn’t actually rusty. It starts and goes ok. I suspect the reality of Chinese bikes is a lot better than the perception. Probably right about resale values. But I think his scooter was very cheap brand new. 

SYM  are not chinese. They are built in Taiwan.

They have a much better build quality than the Chinese stuff. Though not quite as good as the Japanese build quality.

They also produce bike parts for some of the big players in the industry.

Edited April 30, 2022 by bud

[Davidtav]

2 hours ago, bud said:

SYM  are not chinese. They are built in Taiwan.

They have a much better build quality than the Chinese stuff. Though not quite as good as the Japanese build quality.

They also produce bike parts for some of the big players in the industry.

That’s interesting. I wasn’t aware of that. I assumed it was Chinese. 

[linuxrob]

Agree with Fastbob's comments, a 125 is just a small m/c. Get a used Japanese 125, pass tests etc get GOOD riding gear first. After a while tset out bikes you fancy build no claims, try to work on bikes yourself of keen mate, failing that find a trustworthy mechanic. Get bigger/better bike, keep 125 for winter, short trips etc. I use a Suzuki GS125 for work and short runs all year round, keeps other bikes away from salt etc and maintains my roadcraft and riding skills.

 

Welcome to the forum

 

rob b

[fastbob]

Got a van ? 

[MikeHorton]

2 minutes ago, fastbob said:

Got a van ? 

That's a bargain!

[Bender]

On 29/04/2022 at 21:29, Davidtav said:

I don’t know anything really about Chinese bikes. Except my nephew has a Chinese scooter. Sym 125 I think … it’s three years old now. He does absolutely no maintenance from what I see. It’s left outside. He doesn’t even put a cover on it. But you know it isn’t actually rusty. It starts and goes ok. I suspect the reality of Chinese bikes is a lot better than the perception. Probably right about resale values. But I think his scooter was very cheap brand new. 

No its not, he may have been lucky, someone has to be. 

 

I wouldn't touch a Chinese bike with yours as the saying goes. 

[linuxrob]

53 minutes ago, fastbob said:

Got a van ? 

buy it please buy it

[Pont560]

1 hour ago, fastbob said:

Got a van ? 

Thanks but I think it would be too small for my big frame. I'm looking out for a Honda XL varadero.

[Bender]

6 minutes ago, Pont560 said:

Thanks but I think it would be too small for my big frame. I'm looking out for a Honda XL varadero.

Good bike but hard to find a good one these days. 

[Pont560]

So I'm discovering! 

[skyrider]

1 hour ago, linuxrob said:

buy it please buy it

dont mess about someone might beat you to it buy it now

[Old-codger]

What about a Suzuki VanVan 125 they are quite large for a 125 and hold their value well if looked after.