A number of questions from a total newbie!

[cambsno]

Seriously considering getting a motorbike. Why? Some may say mid life crisis but it's also something I fancy doing on nice evenings (will be fair-weather) and just something else to get into. Am also learning to fly microlights so might as well do this too!

 

Interest was mainly stoked by ads for Maeving electric bikes. Probably not for all but I loved the styling, and the apparent ease of riding. I have an electric car and that sums me up, I like things to be easy and dont really want to be fiddling with things. Have no interest in tinkering and changing stuff. It's clean and easy. But as I have looked I think the basic RM1 is too slow as I do live in a village and will use as a runabout, occasional trips to the office and for fun. No plans to bike 100 miles to the coast. So the RM1S is a good option but expensive compared to petrol equivalents. 

 

And on that note, as I am booking my CBT I cant decide what direction to go in. The Maeving seems like a good easy intro and looks good. But for less money I could eventually go down the 'proper bike route'. Cheapness wise I could get a Lexmoto or AJS (like the style) for not too much and see how I get on. Longer term, I think something like the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 looks good, faster but not crazy. And I love the look! 

 

Obviously the issue is until I get my full license I cant ride anything more than 125 so do I just stick with that? Have no urge to do 0-60 in 5 seconds, just relaxed riding over relatively short distances.

 

A lot to ask but anyone in the same boat or have any suggestions?

[Hairsy]

You'll start to get more of a view of what you might enjoy once you have a little experience. I assume you're doing DAS (there's no benefit in doing any 'lower' licence If you're old enough to have a mid life crisis). During the course of that you'll get to ride a proper big bike with a relaxed engine but plenty of power.

 

So my suggestion is to keep researching but don't commit yet. If you want to get a 125 to practice on then I'd recommend a second hand standard commuter style Japanese 125 that you'll probably sell for the same as you paid for it. But if you get on OK with biking then you don't necessarily need to buy a 125. It's very much a personal thing.

 

Have fun - and share the journey with us.

[cambsno]

3 minutes ago, Hairsy said:

You'll start to get more of a view of what you might enjoy once you have a little experience. I assume you're doing DAS (there's no benefit in doing any 'lower' licence If you're old enough to have a mid life crisis). During the course of that you'll get to ride a proper big bike with a relaxed engine but plenty of power.

 

So my suggestion is to keep researching but don't commit yet. If you want to get a 125 to practice on then I'd recommend a second hand standard commuter style Japanese 125 that you'll probably sell for the same as you paid for it. But if you get on OK with biking then you don't necessarily need to buy a 125. It's very much a personal thing.

 

Have fun - and share the journey with us.

Thanks - no, plan was to do the CBT and ride on that for a bit, see how I get on etc... rather than go all out and get a license straight away and realise its not for me. 

 

I guess getting the 125 makes sense. It may not for me so as you say, it wont cost me much, or move to the electric route, or get bitten by it and go straight for an A2/Full

[RideWithStyles]

2 hours ago, cambsno said:

Seriously considering getting a motorbike. Why? Some may say mid life crisis but it's also something I fancy doing on nice evenings (will be fair-weather) and just something else to get into. Am also learning to fly microlights so might as well do this too!

 

Interest was mainly stoked by ads for Maeving electric bikes. Probably not for all but I loved the styling, and the apparent ease of riding. I have an electric car and that sums me up, I like things to be easy and dont really want to be fiddling with things. Have no interest in tinkering and changing stuff. It's clean and easy. But as I have looked I think the basic RM1 is too slow as I do live in a village and will use as a runabout, occasional trips to the office and for fun. No plans to bike 100 miles to the coast. So the RM1S is a good option but expensive compared to petrol equivalents. 

 

And on that note, as I am booking my CBT I cant decide what direction to go in. The Maeving seems like a good easy intro and looks good. But for less money I could eventually go down the 'proper bike route'. Cheapness wise I could get a Lexmoto or AJS (like the style) for not too much and see how I get on. Longer term, I think something like the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 looks good, faster but not crazy. And I love the look! 

 

Obviously the issue is until I get my full license I cant ride anything more than 125 so do I just stick with that? Have no urge to do 0-60 in 5 seconds, just relaxed riding over relatively short distances.

 

A lot to ask but anyone in the same boat or have any suggestions?

I’ll keep this short as my phone has no patience today.

Statically your more likly to be killed by biking than flying but I’m no expert in the flying matter but I’m sure ull more likly to end up terminal with flying if it goes very wrong.

 how do you know that a Rm1 will be too slow for you with no experience? Some completely shit over a 125 yet if you ride them like there meant to be as designed they certainly will surprised and teach you a lot. A 125 ridden well will beat most normal cars.

Power corrupts and makes you lazy and dependent on it. 

At the end of the day you only want pootering and posing.

we have an electric car, it has it benefits and its negatives, no great difference to a EV bike just smaller scale. If you are the right person, life style and housing set up and the correct bike with its requirements it can be but they are very narrow aspects.

if you can use it a lot (down south) and have very good EV rates its running costs outweigh its price. But EV bikes are by no means standised in anyway yet which cars are partly there yet the bikes have fell in this dump pit again yet never used the car sector as a guide to short cut these and many aspects, started off at that problem many years ago and yet the biking designers fook wits high up never caught on the the very obvious problem why it never caught on earlier.

 

at the moment you have no experience nor no stake in the ground to base any you views or what you feel is correct, go through the system and get a full license ride abit on something that looks about right for as many boxes it ticks avoid marketing bs and you lack of knowledge trying to fit into you expectations. I mean that nicely. 

Edited 23 hours ago by RideWithStyles

[Stevehessleuk]

3 hours ago, cambsno said:

Seriously considering getting a motorbike. Why? Some may say mid life crisis but it's also something I fancy doing on nice evenings (will be fair-weather) and just something else to get into. Am also learning to fly microlights so might as well do this too!

 

Interest was mainly stoked by ads for Maeving electric bikes. Probably not for all but I loved the styling, and the apparent ease of riding. I have an electric car and that sums me up, I like things to be easy and dont really want to be fiddling with things. Have no interest in tinkering and changing stuff. It's clean and easy. But as I have looked I think the basic RM1 is too slow as I do live in a village and will use as a runabout, occasional trips to the office and for fun. No plans to bike 100 miles to the coast. So the RM1S is a good option but expensive compared to petrol equivalents. 

 

And on that note, as I am booking my CBT I cant decide what direction to go in. The Maeving seems like a good easy intro and looks good. But for less money I could eventually go down the 'proper bike route'. Cheapness wise I could get a Lexmoto or AJS (like the style) for not too much and see how I get on. Longer term, I think something like the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 looks good, faster but not crazy. And I love the look! 

 

Obviously the issue is until I get my full license I cant ride anything more than 125 so do I just stick with that? Have no urge to do 0-60 in 5 seconds, just relaxed riding over relatively short distances.

 

A lot to ask but anyone in the same boat or have any suggestions?

Welcome , I’m 53 and just done my cbt in April.Hated the cbt at 1st as I’d never ridden a motorcycle in my life, got over the hurdles after 30 minutes or so. By the end of the day I loved it, got home and ordered a new Yamaha mt-125 and picked it up 6th May and absolutely love it. Going to give it about 6 months and attempt full license good luck with your journey 

[onesea]

My plan was to try a 125 for 12 months and see if I liked, I did my full licence in 6months.

 

As others have said don’t plan you journey to heavily, do your CBT buy 2nd hand 125 bike start riding and go with flow.

Not many on here will admit it but there are some that don’t like it and quit.  
 

Those on here are those that liked it and for many of us it hasn’t gone the way we planned, normally involving bigger bikes and more miles.

Edited 15 hours ago by onesea

[bonio]

All I was after was a moped to get to work cheaply. I've now got three bikes in the garage and the idea of doing anything cheaply got lost years ago.

So like the others said, hold onto your plans lightly. Get a Japanese 125 because it will be easy to sell if you want to move on, and easy to maintain if you want to keep it.

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

I'll just echo what others have already said. Go for a used Japanese bike. It will be more reliable, less servicing, and you'll get much more back when you sell it on. 

 

The critical thing is that motorcycling is a journey. Don't overthink it or try to figure out your eventual destination from the start. Once you start riding you'll figure out what suits you, what your needs are and what you enjoy. So take it one step at a time. The only way to think about bikes is to go to a dealers and sit on them. No amount of internet research will tell you what bike it right for you.

[cambsno]

Thanks for the replies so far. Popped into a local shop who sell Lexmoto and AJS bikes - had a sit on a Lexmoto, seemed much bigger than I thought a 125 would be.

 

Think the advice here is good. Do CBR, get a 125 and see how I feel in 6 months. I am torn though between the two. AJS looks just retro and cool (to me) and probably a more sedate, comfortable intro to bikes. The LX125 looks good too in a different way and is a little faster.

[RideWithStyles]

Many will say, time and again stick to a proper brand jap, European hell even a proper Italian one (not benelli as they dont count). avoid the very direct Chinese stuff if possible lexmoto.

Ajs might look nice I’ll agree from pictures but that can be deceiving. are bit like the benelli, a large proportion of the whole bike is cheap Chinese parts factory dumpster quality control bin reused with Stevie wonder on shift. don’t get me wrong they are getting better fast, just not to the same level yet. If you do go down that route the resale value that ull be wanting to use to upgrade will be absolutely low costing you more even if anyone whats to px or buy it in the first place.
 

as to the idea of a 125 sports bike for a mid life crisis rider even taking out the account if your body frame, id suggest not going for that, ergonomics are completely different , comfort and slow speed handling goes out of the window. A faired bike only really works if your going fast and in a tuck every where, as said before faster? for what???

just stick to a road bike (naked, trail, cruiser, adventure) comfort (more than 20mins) for you and ease of use would be the first choice and a better option. 

Edited 10 hours ago by RideWithStyles

[ChrisBiggsUK]

As some have mentioned, don't go down the cheap Chinese route.  While yes, some Chinese bikes are increasing in reliability and quality as the Chinese market matures, as a new rider you'll want a reliable, tried and true, simple to maintain, simple to ride and very forgiving bike.  A second hand bike from an established brand (Honda, Suzuki, etc) will see you well set up for your journey into motorcycling.  I bought myself a near 20 year old Honda CG125 and it has been perfect.  Very forgiving of me as a new rider, very simple to maintain, any repairs have been very straightforward and most able to be done myself with rudimentary knowhow (I could have done more myself, but bravery on my part is still lacking with tackling some of the jobs) and it will hold its value reasonably well if I ever come to sell it on one day (which I highly doubt I will ever do).

I have run into the guy who had it before me a couple of times now and he keeps on telling me that his dad (who had sourced the bike for him as his first bike) is still quite furious that he took the perfectly good, reliable, bulletproof CG125 and partexed it for a new Keeway Superlight which (he took it to the dealership the other day while I was there) is already rusting, running terribly and the speedo has stopped working entirely.  Could those issues be down to him not treating his new bike well?  Possibly.  All I know is that my 20 year old CG125 is in bloody good condition for a 20 year old bike, is super reliable, super fuel efficient and has a higher value to it than his less than one year old and already worse for wear Superlight.  

One other point to note as well, and again as some have mentioned and I've touched on above, if you decide somewhere down the line that biking really isn't for you, one of the tried and true brands (Honda etc) will hold their value much more than a Chinese bike will.  If you decide that biking isn't for you and want to hang your helmet up, knowing that you will be able to recoup your expenses a bit is a good thing.

And, now that that is said, I'll say this;  Get whichever bike you want.  Get a bike that you like, that you enjoy, that fits you comfortably and ride it with pride.  I'd prefer for you to get a cool CG like me, but even if you go down the Chinese route, you are still at least on two wheels and that is something that should always be encouraged.  Lets get you on two wheels in whichever way possible and then, once you are hooked, we can work on nudging you towards a better bike choice.  

And finally;

Welcome to the best forum, best community, and best lifestyle choice you will ever make!

[cambsno]

6 hours ago, ChrisBiggsUK said:

As some have mentioned, don't go down the cheap Chinese route.  While yes, some Chinese bikes are increasing in reliability and quality as the Chinese market matures, as a new rider you'll want a reliable, tried and true, simple to maintain, simple to ride and very forgiving bike.  A second hand bike from an established brand (Honda, Suzuki, etc) will see you well set up for your journey into motorcycling.  I bought myself a near 20 year old Honda CG125 and it has been perfect.  Very forgiving of me as a new rider, very simple to maintain, any repairs have been very straightforward and most able to be done myself with rudimentary knowhow (I could have done more myself, but bravery on my part is still lacking with tackling some of the jobs) and it will hold its value reasonably well if I ever come to sell it on one day (which I highly doubt I will ever do).

I have run into the guy who had it before me a couple of times now and he keeps on telling me that his dad (who had sourced the bike for him as his first bike) is still quite furious that he took the perfectly good, reliable, bulletproof CG125 and partexed it for a new Keeway Superlight which (he took it to the dealership the other day while I was there) is already rusting, running terribly and the speedo has stopped working entirely.  Could those issues be down to him not treating his new bike well?  Possibly.  All I know is that my 20 year old CG125 is in bloody good condition for a 20 year old bike, is super reliable, super fuel efficient and has a higher value to it than his less than one year old and already worse for wear Superlight.  

One other point to note as well, and again as some have mentioned and I've touched on above, if you decide somewhere down the line that biking really isn't for you, one of the tried and true brands (Honda etc) will hold their value much more than a Chinese bike will.  If you decide that biking isn't for you and want to hang your helmet up, knowing that you will be able to recoup your expenses a bit is a good thing.

And, now that that is said, I'll say this;  Get whichever bike you want.  Get a bike that you like, that you enjoy, that fits you comfortably and ride it with pride.  I'd prefer for you to get a cool CG like me, but even if you go down the Chinese route, you are still at least on two wheels and that is something that should always be encouraged.  Lets get you on two wheels in whichever way possible and then, once you are hooked, we can work on nudging you towards a better bike choice.  

And finally;

Welcome to the best forum, best community, and best lifestyle choice you will ever make!

 

Some good points. TBH I just find the Japanese 125s a bit boring to look at and my original interest was piqued by more retro stuff.

 

Benefits of new Chinese is that I know nothing and dont want to tinker, so new, and warranty is ideal. Getting a Honda say is more money and used.

 

But you are right, one of three things will happen:

 

1. I dont like it so want to sell, Chinese = harder sell and depreciation. A Honda may get me 90% of spend back

2. I do like it, too much and want to move up to a 350/400/600 bike, so similar scenario to 1

3. Its fun but happy with it and no desire to upgrade, would probably be happy with Chinese as wont be riding too much, garaged and dont plan to ride in rain!