intro to biking on a budget?

[paolow]

this post, i know, has come up before but the answers sought havent so please do excuse this for being yet another 'what to buy'thread!
I commute to work only about 3 miles each way but in peak traffic this can take 20 minutes in my big old V8 rover. It costs perhaps £2 each way which is a ridiculous sum for such a trip. recent changes in personal circumstance mean that this cost is now untenable and a bike is the obvious solution. I passed my CBT 3 years ago but never got my arse into action. now, i am spurred on by the grim spectre of insolvency and really do need to retake the test and get on a bike. leaving kit aside im looking at a 125 and am temtpted by the host of chinese motorcycles available. makes such as hongdou, lifan, sunray etc fill ebay pages but i know that these cheap bikes are unresellable and problematic for spares as opposed to the usual CGs et al.
im really running against the gun at the moment in terms of cash. i cant sell the rover for personal reasons and that leaves me looking at the cheapest possible learner legal bike to get about. im looking forward to it but do need some direction. im easy as to the style but one thing i would like is a gear indicator - im easy on everything else!
Can anyone help with advice or relevant links? i know many will be thinking ah - just do the DAS - its worth it in the long run - but honestly - i just need to be mobile for now (a geared bike - no scooters ) and would welcome any advice

[hiccy]

Most of the Chinese bikes are cheap copies of Japanese designs and really not all that well made. Some may be better than others, but Jap bikes will hold their value much better so why not get the best CG125 you can afford and ride around safe in the knowledge that it's about the cheapest way onto wheels you can find?

If you get a licence before you buy a bike, CBF250, GPZ500 or any of the other middleweight twins should be reliable and cheap to buy and run.

ETA: Stuff the gear indicator, down for down, up for up, what more do you need? Pointless.

I did my CBT on Suzi GN125's and they seemed pretty reasonable too. Preferred my old CG I had as a teenager though.

Edited by hiccy on Sunday 2nd December 19:26

[Hooli]

jinlins seem quite well put together chinese bikes, they are the top end of that market though & you need to like cruisers for one.
in all honestly id probably get a hongdou or something if your just using it for commuting that short distance. i had one for a couple of weeks, put 450miles on it & sold it to a mate. he threw it down the road & then decided to ride it upright (they work better that way). hes had daft things like springs break but i dont think anything major has gone wrong. well thats exculding a bent swingarm, but i dont think 3ft of air is a good idea on them is it?
for the price, you run it till it falls apart & get another. think mine never dropped below 80mpg so with a £4 tank (probably £5 by now) thats what a month for £4?

[Brite spark]

something a bit different, though only 50cc Ithink it's european rather than chinese copy

http://www.warringtonmotorcycles.co.uk/New/Sachs/m...

Edited by Brite spark on Monday 3rd December 02:05

Edited by Brite spark on Monday 3rd December 02:07

[Istvan24]

hiccy said:

CG125

and

hiccy said:

Suzi GN125

Agreed

Which I reckon is the best way to ensure you get back a max of cash to re-invest in a mid-size once you've done your DAS. In fact you've pretty much answered your own question - stick with something that has good residual value and parts available and sell it on with relative ease once you're done with it!

Edited by Istvan24 on Monday 3rd December 08:29

[John Laverick]

No offence meant ... and not really in the spirit of the thread ... but if you are seriously looking at insolvency then maybe a push bike is a better option!

3 miles to work is nothing.

[Conian]

Yup push bike would do it!

But if you got a hankering for a powered bike, I add my voice to the CG125 option. Buy one, use it, sell it, you shouldn't lose much on it if any at all.

CBT is only valid for 2 years so you'd need to re-do that by now. But go for it, biking awaits!

[twistedsanity]

whats wrong with mopeds? jasper carrot even wrote a song about them!

[Istvan24]

The ultimate compromise then: a bike AND a moped! Not sure if it has or needs gears though....
Cheap to run and if you're out of gas then you can pedal!!

[Conian]

twistedsanity said:

whats wrong with mopeds? jasper carrot even wrote a song about them!

Aye, but you can't fix them in the kitchen, you have to do it in the gaaaardin.

[JackHolroyde]

3 miles?
The cheapest option - walk

[tfm]

A mate of mine has a Chinese copy of a CG125. I think he paid something like £800 all in (including a helmet) - brand new/taxed etc. It's an absolute exact copy of a CG and as far as I can tell, genuine CG parts will fit fine..Same I guess goes for the host of other Honda/Suzuki clones.
My 17 year old neighbour has a Sukida 50cc moped (Suzuki clone) which cost £600 brand new.
Both bikes have been 100% reliable.

2 questions:
1] Why pay more if all you need is a cheap set of wheels to buzz down to the shops/office?
2] How do these Chinese companies get away with stealing exact Honda/Suzuki designs and flogging them so cheaply?

[RemaL]

Istvan24 said:

The ultimate compromise then: a bike AND a moped! Not sure if it has or needs gears though....
Cheap to run and if you're out of gas then you can pedal!!

is that a pic of Chillie's bike

[JackHolroyde]

RemaL said:

Istvan24 said:

The ultimate compromise then: a bike AND a moped! Not sure if it has or needs gears though....
Cheap to run and if you're out of gas then you can pedal!!

is that a pic of Chillie's bike

hit it with a hammer a few times for the authentic, 'lived with' look. A sprig of privet between the handlebars, and a few leaves in the fairing will complete this truly fantastic 'chili-esque' styling.

Edited by JackHolroyde on Monday 3rd December 11:31

[Chilli]

Tis very similar, however mine has slightly bigger chicken strips!

[paolow]

thanks for the advice everyone - seems its a pays your money and takes your choice kind of deal. probably the real deal is a better bet but more expensive opposed to the chinese version which has the sting of poor resaleability. im not so skint to be able to afford motorised transport - and certainly no feckers getting me on a bus so ill have a think about what i can and cant achieve and go from there. ive always wanted a bike - so hopefully ill be on here soon ranting about near smidsys etc

[Hooli]

tfm said:

A mate of mine has a Chinese copy of a CG125. I think he paid something like £800 all in (including a helmet) - brand new/taxed etc. It's an absolute exact copy of a CG and as far as I can tell, genuine CG parts will fit fine..Same I guess goes for the host of other Honda/Suzuki clones.
My 17 year old neighbour has a Sukida 50cc moped (Suzuki clone) which cost £600 brand new.
Both bikes have been 100% reliable.

2 questions:
1] Why pay more if all you need is a cheap set of wheels to buzz down to the shops/office?
2] How do these Chinese companies get away with stealing exact Honda/Suzuki designs and flogging them so cheaply?

1) dunno
2) they are licensed copies of 'old technology' not ripoffs.

[NorthernBoy]

In terms of ease of use, I really recommend a scooter/step-through.

A "proper" new honda is £2k, which is not cheap, but they are very well put together.

On the other hand, £1,000 will get you a perfectly good used 125 scooter. 70mpg, very little maintenance, and actually much nicer in dense traffic than a bigger bike. Space under the seat for your lid, you can wear street shoes, and htey come with top boxes for your work stuff.

I feel a bit bad saying it, as a proper biker, but for what you are looking at, I really think a very reliable japanese 125 scooter is the way to go.

[Wedg1e]

Hooli said:

tfm said:

2] How do these Chinese companies get away with stealing exact Honda/Suzuki designs and flogging them so cheaply?

2) they are licensed copies of 'old technology' not ripoffs.

You'll probably find that Honda et al have sold the old tooling off, the same way the Brit car industry did to give India the old Morris Oxford and Enfield Bullet (and even the Rover SD1).
Also the same thing happens in the tyre industry; you hear people saying that Cheng Shin or Hangkook are last year's Pirelli or Continental... well that's half-right: the moulds are sold but often the rubber formula isn't, so yer Chinese copy might look like a P-Zero but don't count on it to stick like one...

[Hooli]

Wedg1e said:

Hooli said:

tfm said:

2] How do these Chinese companies get away with stealing exact Honda/Suzuki designs and flogging them so cheaply?

2) they are licensed copies of 'old technology' not ripoffs.

You'll probably find that Honda et al have sold the old tooling off, the same way the Brit car industry did to give India the old Morris Oxford and Enfield Bullet (and even the Rover SD1).
Also the same thing happens in the tyre industry; you hear people saying that Cheng Shin or Hangkook are last year's Pirelli or Continental... well that's half-right: the moulds are sold but often the rubber formula isn't, so yer Chinese copy might look like a P-Zero but don't count on it to stick like one...

same as the bikes then, they look like a CG lump but they wont last as well due to poor metals. but then for the price an engine is almost a service item anyway. i think they aint bad value.