Varadero 125....

[kazman]

Hi all,

So despite being (plenty) old enough to do my DAS and thus get a "proper bike", I have promised my wife that I would run a 125 for a year first to "get used to bikes".

In truth this is working out pretty well. I am only commuting a short distance on fair weather days, and the CBF 125 I bought second hand does an admirable job of this.

The only issues I am finding is that:

a) At my height of 6'3" it does feel a bit small for me and its starting to make me feel a little self conscious.

b) When I take it out to my parents (20 miles away), I am having to pin it the vast majority of the time. And even then I am really only reaching an "indicated" 65mph (and that's when the wind etc is not against me).

So my question -

Is a 125cc Varadero more suitable for my needs (and worth the extra £600-700 I would probably have to chuck in)?
I no longer see myself progressing to a big bike, instead making use of a 125 as a refreshing alternative to car journeys (and therefore make it more of an event in itself).

Or am I really not going to see any real performance benefit? A lot of people claim to see a reliable 70mph on their varaderos, irrespective of gradients / wind direction etc. If I could achieve that then I think it would be ideal for my needs. If the reality however is that its speedo simply over reads by an even greater amount than the CBF (giving the false impression of additional speed) then I think I will remain content looking like a frog on a matchbox.

For reference i'm about 12 stone (starting to sound like a match.com advert now).

Thanks in advance!

[SAS Tom]

It won't make much difference. They are a bit bigger but the performance difference will be negligible. Just do your test and get a proper bike.

[kazman]

SAS Tom said:

It won't make much difference. They are a bit bigger but the performance difference will be negligible. Just do your test and get a proper bike.

Cheers, that was my suspicion.

[jhoneyball]

I had a varadero 125 for 3 months while doing my DAS/MOD1&2

Good bike. No issues with it over 1000 miles.

[CBR JGWRR]

The fastest learner legal 4 stroke 125 is a Reiju RS3 125, and it is a Spanish bike built around a Yammy YZF-R125 engine. 2nd is said Yammy YZF-R, and overall the Yammy is a better bike. A Varadero is faster than a CBF, but not as fast as the above, as they can just about do 79, 80 mph under prefect conditions, where a CBF will do maybe 70, and the Varadero (or fellow Honda stable mate CBR 125R for that matter) about 75, 76.

It may not sound like much, but being on a Yammy YZF-R vs being on a CBF is being able to pass the 50 mph dawdler and having to stay behind due to slowness.


IMO, you should at least do your DAS to at least try a big bike, and if you do decide you want to stay on a 125, you can. (you can always blag doing DAS as getting extra training in)

[jcelee]

Most bike riding schools will offer a 1 day conversion from 125cc to 600cc with no commitment to actually doing the full DAS. You would get a little time in a car park to get used to the weight and the silky smooth controls before taking to the road. After that it's your call but I'd be very surprised if you didn't far prefer a bigger bike.

[jackh707]

SAS Tom said:

It won't make much difference. They are a bit bigger but the performance difference will be negligible. Just do your test and get a proper bike.

This, you'll wonder why you spent so much time arseing about on 125s.

[kazman]

Thanks for the replies.

[Tall_Paul]

I've done 3500 miles on my varadero, great bike and it'll sit at 70/75mph on the flat, 80 with a bit of gravity assistance.

It is still a 125cc though, and after 4 months on it I'm desperate to get onto a proper bike.

Try and get a ride (even if its only for 10 minutes) on a big bike.

[Harry H]

At 6'3'' you're going to look a bit daft on any 125 I'm afraid. And what with the weight no 125 is going to feel any different.

I rode a 125 recently and to be honest I found it all a bit scary. There's just not enough power to keep yourself out of trouble.

Get your test done and get a proper bike. As has been said, big bike doesn't necessarily mean nutter. Most of the time it just means you've got the power to make your own space on the road. Rather than tootling along being surrounded by lorries one can perform a quick overtake and get ahead into some nice clear space.

[trialsta]

I had both a CBF125 and then a Varadero, the Varadero did have a bit of a top end advantage but I would say it is more down to the better fairing than the engine. I'm not as tall or as heavy as you but still no midget and the Varadero was a much more comfortable place to spend time as it's a proper sized bike with a proper . If you're planning on keeping it for a while or spending a lot of time on it and not doing your full test then I would say the comfort is worth the additional cost even though the small performance difference isn't.

[kazman]

Thanks again guys

[carmadgaz]

kazman said:

Hi all,

So despite being (plenty) old enough to do my DAS and thus get a "proper bike", I have promised my wife that I would run a 125 for a year first to "get used to bikes".

In truth this is working out pretty well. I am only commuting a short distance on fair weather days, and the CBF 125 I bought second hand does an admirable job of this.

The only issues I am finding is that:

a) At my height of 6'3" it does feel a bit small for me and its starting to make me feel a little self conscious.

b) When I take it out to my parents (20 miles away), I am having to pin it the vast majority of the time. And even then I am really only reaching an "indicated" 65mph (and that's when the wind etc is not against me).

For reference i'm about 12 stone (starting to sound like a match.com advert now).

Thanks in advance!

Same boat here (but an inch shorter and a stone heavier). Find my little GS125 great for running around and tbh I've started to become comfortable with the happy cruising speed of 50 (still seem to get stuck behind cars on the roads around here ).

Not finding it much of an issue at all.

I really want to go and try a big bike, not a 1000+ Sportsbike just a comfy commuter.

[kazman]

Well I have put the CBF up for sale (considerably cheaper than the price I paid), so hopefully someone will get a good deal.

As I said, I have no interest in moving onto a proper bike (I don't have biker mates and don't really want to spend all my free time on my own instead of with my wife / friends), and if there is not a 125cc that can still offer the super cheap commuting potential of the CBF 125 AND happily sit at 70mph all day (and be reliable) then probably its not for me.

Cheers for all the feedback though

[RizzoTheRat]

The BiL had one and is 6'5", bloke at work who's about 6'3" and probably 15 stone rides one, IMO they're about the best 125 out there for a taller rider, as they really are a full sized bike.

They do hold their value well so they'll cost more to buy but you won't lose much on it when you sell.

On the other hand if you pass your test you can get a basic 600 like a Diversion/Bandit/Fazer/etc cheaper than you can get a good 125.

If it's purely for commuting then consider looking at scooters too. 125's will do the job but again if you take your test there's a lot of slightly bigger ones out there that make fantastically comfortable and practical commuters.

[jackh707]

Duke 390, cbr500, NC700. MT07 if you want a small efficient big bike but a good commuter.

Just some suggestions. At least have a go on a bigger bike . Even a 250, would be dramatically better than 125.

[NashGT]

Covered 3000 miles on my varadero 125, great bike And great foundation for big bikes

[Nigel Worc's]

kazman said:

Well I have put the CBF up for sale (considerably cheaper than the price I paid), so hopefully someone will get a good deal.

As I said, I have no interest in moving onto a proper bike (I don't have biker mates and don't really want to spend all my free time on my own instead of with my wife / friends), and if there is not a 125cc that can still offer the super cheap commuting potential of the CBF 125 AND happily sit at 70mph all day (and be reliable) then probably its not for me.

Cheers for all the feedback though

To be fair you really need at least a 250cc to do that.

It is a pain that you are restricted to 125cc, and going bigger means a load of time hassle and money, but I doubt it'll ever change now.

IF you do get a licence you'll be amazed how little you need to spend to get a bike that is ideal for what you need, compared to the 125cc market.

[bgunn]

kazman said:

As I said, I have no interest in moving onto a proper bike (I don't have biker mates and don't really want to spend all my free time on my own instead of with my wife / friends),

Why would you be spending all of your free time on your own? Surely it'd be no different to the current situation with your existing bike, no? Seems like you're a bit fixed on a 125 when getting your full licence and therefore having more freedom to choose would be better?