80 miles one way commuting - 125cc

[karan99]

hi all,

I am new to this forum and starting new job in april.
As of now all is from home but it will require some commute in near future. My car training stopped due to covid and wont be ready till year end.

woking to bournemouth:
I am thinking of doing cbt and get on 125 cc for one way ... stay overnight and come back next evening..

any suggestions pls.. on if it is possible- which bike will be better - pros-cons..

thanks for the help

[AceOfHearts]

Definitely possible but won't be very pleasant. I have done 250 mile trips with my other half on her 125 so they are up for doing the distance.

If you do decide to do it, get something Japanese. Having worked on plenty of small bikes and scooters (dealership mechanic), even the other 'good' brands like Kymco etc are still a long way from the likes of Honda. I'm sure the extra few hundred spent up front will save money in the long run with depreciation and repairs, plus will be nicer to ride.

[GadgeS3C]

Possible, but won't be fun.

Are you just going to be in the office for two days a week?

Are you planning to do it just through summer or will it be all year round?

I'm not clued up on current 125 offerings but be good to understand the answers to the above. 160 miles across 2 days a week in summer isn't the end of the world. Doing it more than that or through winter would push the need for more weather protection.

[hiccy18]

Two hours, get a nice CG125 and you'll use less than 1.5 gallons for the round trip. Headlights could be an issue if you're travelling in the evenings, not sure what 125's have decent headlights.

[karan99]

thanks for the responses ..

yes it will be probably 2 days a week in office... and doing 160 mile round trip is not worth at all..
i will be moving to car once have licence sorted ..

i have still not sorted out the route , motorway is out of thee question without full licence..

So the japan one kymko or honda verdaro or CG125..

any idea on the price/maintenance pls? ,

[Harry H]

Personally I'd go for the one with the biggest screen/ protection. So maybe some sort of scooter. Accept it's not gonna be racey, get some decent ear buds for music and just enjoy the cruise. Make a few calls you've been meaning to do. You'll be there before you know it.

Edited by Harry H on Monday 8th March 13:03

[Donbot]

Any modern 4 stroke will be fine with that and should be reliable.

You just need to be very careful going past slip roads, and not be afraid to change lanes into a gap, even if you have to slow someone else down briefly.

I'd go for a Varadeoro for the higher top speed.

[karan99]

Harry H said:

Personally I'd go for the one with the biggest screen/ protection. So maybe some sort of scooter. Accept it's not gonna be racey, get some decent ear buds for music and just enjoy the cruise. Make a few calls you've been meaning to do. You'll be there before you know it.

Edited by Harry H on Monday 8th March 13:03

Hmmm.. nice idea .. i never thought of scooter... as i feel they are a bit flimsy on A roads... any suggestion which are well made/reviewed please

[Harry H]

karan99 said:

Harry H said:

Personally I'd go for the one with the biggest screen/ protection. So maybe some sort of scooter. Accept it's not gonna be racey, get some decent ear buds for music and just enjoy the cruise. Make a few calls you've been meaning to do. You'll be there before you know it.

Edited by Harry H on Monday 8th March 13:03

Hmmm.. nice idea .. i never thought of scooter... as i feel they are a bit flimsy on A roads... any suggestion which are well made/reviewed please

Honda Forza 125 with a big after market screen would be where I'd start. I have no experience of 125's in the last 30 yrs but imagine it'd cruise at 60-65mph quite happily and it's a Honda. What ever you go for it isn't going to be exciting so you may as well go all out for comfort/ practicality.

Edited to add

Or that Suzuki listed above would be just perfect. All the major manufacturers make this type of thing as they sell by the bucket load for commuting.

Edited by Harry H on Monday 8th March 13:36

[karan99]

yes ,, vardaro is not available and a bit costly..
BMW a high on cost as well
so out of contention


yup suzuki and honda one looks good... what would be the best way to buy those ?
i can afford around 3k on it for the new one ... as i have zero knowledge to buy used one and a bit afraid of rip off..

Cheers

[karan99]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

hahaha.. sure at home i have locked garage but will defo needed for outside..

[jonindorset]

I echo what the others say about not recommending it will will add that the bigger scooters are likely to be least painful. A Honda PCX 125 would be a good cheaper option too.You would have to leave a bit more time and accept that on a 125 its never going to be a race! These longer regular journeys best suit a litre bike in my opinion.

[wa16]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

or work remotely, you'll end up being stuck behind slow traffic with little prospect of an overtake and the section from winchester to the end of the M27 will be a real PIA to navigate

[A500leroy]

100% scooter, something along the lines of a Yamaha nmax, personally id go for an older one and just insure it 3rd party. ( if you insure it for theft the excess is normally 3/4 of the scooters value and not really worth doing), Wouldnt be spending any more than 1500 quid as it probably get nicked at some point.

[GG33]

Many years ago (very many) I had to commute from Hampton to Ipswich on a Honda CD 175. It was out on Sunday Morning, returning on Friday Evening, than back again on Sunday. Only lasted for 5 weeks, but it was in March/April. I was only 17 at the time, but remember it being very unpleasant, mainly due to traffic/roads, lack of performance and weather. Not sure I could have stuck it out on a semi permanent basis. Good luck

GG33

[HairyMaclary]

You could do 80 miles each way in a day on a 125 just expect it to take time. 160 miles on a 125 will cost 7 quid compared to the hotel room.

I did 34,000 on a PCX 125 with a big screen in and out of London for 3 and a half years. I don't know how I managed it now. Not being on the train was enough for me! I bought the thing for 2400 in 2016 and sold it for 1200 with that milage in 2019..

Forget the CG125 idea imo. The newest ones are properly old. If you want that type of thing look at cb125f or cbf125.

125s are fine on bigger roads you just need patience and balls.. I swapped the Pcx for a cbf125 to learn gears for my test. The Pcx has much better weather protection but you'll get the piss mercifully ripped for riding a scooter. The cbf will do 70ish and 140mpg but is like a mountain bike with an engine.

Both served their purpose and enabled me to get off the train and onto two wheels. I also dug myself out of a mountain of debt by reducing my weekly commute from 110 quid a week to less than a tenner

If I had to do it again I would probably go for a Forza 125. I nearly got one in 2016 but it had only just been launched and was well over a grand more than the Pcx at the time.

Good luck finding a 125 right now. They are going for crazy money due to no imports and covid.

[hiccy18]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Two hours on A roads cruising at 60 mph twice a week doesn't sound particularly horrible compared to 90 mins on the motorway.

[hiccy18]

I looked at it, Google reckoned two hours avoiding motorways, I usually find it pretty accurate. Route looks mostly like the A31, is it that bad?

[TheThing]

Big comfy scooter with the biggest screen money can buy. Also get the best set of waterproofs you can afford. Two hours of lashing rain is enough to make anyone go insane.

[OverSteery]

CBT has been closed for ages, and starts again 29 March. there is a significant backlog....

A 125 is not ideal and I doubt you will enjoy it. Of the 125s I am familiar with... Forget the CG, CBF would be better, but I'd say the PCX is the best bet...

I am not sure what you are planning? 1 return trip a week? I used to weekly commute double that, but on a 1200cc.

Don't forget to budget for some decent kit - you will need it.

Edited by OverSteery on Monday 8th March 20:42