Advice: Motorbikes

freeferrarisdonotexist

freeferrarisdonotexist

I'm not stupid - I'm British!
Joined
Nov 4, 2008
Messages
1,143
Location
Somewhere in the South of England, UK.
Car(s)
Yamaha YBR125 (touring), FG 29er touring bike
To be honest, I've been bored as hell after I finished my Miata's restoration. My trip to the US has now been postponed until summer, my manager refuses to give me many hours at work, and racetracks are too many miles away to visit often. So, I need a new project.

I am considering a motorbike (when I was younger I had a bicycle with a little 2-stroke mounted on the frame, so I know what the basics are) and I want a little advice. I'm looking for a very simple, lightweight 10-25hp motorbike, something that is basically a cycle with disc brakes, a gearbox and an engine.

My budget is ?500 (yes, I know, it's not much. But I still need a daily driver for the US) and the thing doesn't need to look nice, it just needs to move. Any help on what kinds of bike to look for, problems to expect, etc would be greatly appreciated.

Also, any tips on riding and not getting myself killed would help. :D

EDIT: I would prefer a Honda, if I have a choice of brands.
 
avanti said:
get a piaggio ciao and trick it out!

http://img384.imageshack.**/img384/1833/ciaoxg4.jpg
Click to expand...

Didn't the Vietnam Special teach you anything? DON'T BUY ITALIAN SCOOTERS!

:mrgreen::lol::mrgreen:

Seriously, though, is there really any other choice but a Honda Super Cub?
 
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^^I was thinking about a Super Cub, but still wanted some options.
^Looks very appealing, but probably costs alot more than ?500.:p
 
Don't bet on it. That exact same design has been made since 1988.
 
I guess a used Yamaha YBR125 for 500-ish pounds could be possible to find, and I like mine plenty.
It's very simple (designed for South American/Chinese market), doesn't weigh much, and is said to be very reliable (mine's only got a bit over 2000km without fault so far, but other reviews praise the reliability too).
Thing is though, it isn't fast. It'll happy move in the region up to 70-80 kph without problem, but if you try to get above 90, it'll be a struggle. But if you keep off the motorway and stick to urban areas and occasional A or B roads, it should be fine.
 
shad_68 said:
I guess a used Yamaha YBR125 for 500-ish pounds could be possible to find, and I like mine plenty.
It's very simple (designed for South American/Chinese market), doesn't weigh much, and is said to be very reliable (mine's only got a bit over 2000km without fault so far, but other reviews praise the reliability too).
Thing is though, it isn't fast. It'll happy move in the region up to 70-80 kph without problem, but if you try to get above 90, it'll be a struggle. But if you keep off the motorway and stick to urban areas and occasional A or B roads, it should be fine.
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Looks like a nice bike; I'll look to see how much they sell for here in the UK.
Knowing me, I'll probably try a performance mod; know of any Yamaha/(YBR?) specific forums or data on the subject?

@Blind_IO: I'll be checking out Ninjas as well; if they've been made since 1988 there must be a good runner for a small amount of money.
 
Hey I only spent a 137 USD on my bike... :p

and it is a 750

too bad it doesn't run yet :cry:
 
freeferrarisdonotexist said:
Yamaha/(YBR?) specific forums or data on the subject?
Click to expand...

I had one. It's got about 12bhp, it'll do around 65mph and a quite astounding amount of miles to the gallon.. I loved mine.. Lovely little ride around. It's got good brakes (front disc), you can chuck it around in the corners and it's good fun as i've said. I miss mine slightly, it had character.:|
 
Jon said:
I had one. It's got about 12bhp, it'll do around 65mph and a quite astounding amount of miles to the gallon..
Click to expand...
Yeah, you can check the spritmonitor links in my sig for the kind of economy you can get. :)

I loved mine.. Lovely little ride around. It's got good brakes (front disc), you can chuck it around in the corners and it's good fun as i've said. I miss mine slightly, it had character.:|
Click to expand...
Which is why I hope to keep it when I buy a big bike, 'cause it's just such a nice and fun ride, a perfect city runaround too.
 
You could look at old enduros as well. My Honda XL250 was $500. It could get up to 60-70mph and was easy to throw around town. Anyway, old 4 stroke enduros: Great gas mileage, you can fix anything with a handful of tools, insurance is cheap and parts are fairly abundant. Plus if you feel like jumping a curb and tearing up someone's yard you're more than able to :D.
 
Aprillia 125, we can't get them in the US :(
 
You can quite easily get 1980s-1990s 2 stroke or 4 stroke on ebay and biketrader. The boring choice would be a Superdream

Suzuki SBs were very popular back when people could ride 250s without full licenses: Suzuki SB along with the Kawas Zs
 
tianluo said:
You can quite easily get 1980s-1990s 2 stroke or 4 stroke on ebay and biketrader. The boring choice would be a Superdream

Suzuki SBs were very popular back when people could ride 250s without full licenses: Suzuki SB along with the Kawas Zs
Click to expand...

All three are the style of bike I was looking for, the Kawasaki seems the nicest. I might get it. Hmm...
 
Big update: saw a lightly disassembled Yamaha YBR125 in the classifieds, and just took the leap and bought it. Going to pick it up tomorrow; it's in west Sussex. It's currently a non-runner but the pics showed all the parts, and they were in good nick so I'll just clean and reassemble.

Here is the ad:

Yamaha YBR125, 10.5hp single-cylinder, increased to 12hp with exhaust replacement, calculating based on weight the top speed has been increased to 60mph. Good brakes, exhaust, engine, tyres, gearbox, gauges and misc. items. Engine off the bike, brakes in bits but all clean and there. Good candidate for reassembly or restoration, could get it running in 2 days or less. Was a runabout that I was restoring but moving and need to sell quick. ?340 OBO.

I talked him down to an even ?300 on the phone. I still have ?200 to play with, so I'll be looking for some performance upgrades, maybe to make the top speed 80mph or so to give it motorway viability.

Sadly, I can't post pics because I haven't got a camera, but I'll keep everyone informed.

Any ideas for simple performance mods?
 
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