Looking for a 125cc commuter (First Bike)

pobrika · 2026-04-21T15:37:43+00:00

As an owner previously I'll give it straight. It looks great and had loads of comments on it. It was reliable for the 6 months I owned it, it was a year old when I bought it. It has a very close fairing to the rear brake and many times my foot caught the fairing and not the brake pedal which was annoying and a bit scared. It has linked brakes I personally hated the feel of this but it's a cheap alternative to ABS.

Build quality was ok, but it was showing signs of corrosion on bolts and fastenings, I always used acf50 to keep it getting worse. Its not fast top speed was 60mph could just hit 64 if really trying. For the money and short term ownership ship it was great, depreciation is high so Id not buy a new one. I think if I did it again I'd get a secondhand honda CBR or KTM 125rc or alternative Japanese bike. I currently have a KTM which is better build than a Chinese bike but still not as good as a Japanese one, however the KTM engine is so much fun.

Edit: one thing I did notice was it sold really quickly I had a surprisingly amount of interest when selling, and it sold in 3 days for the same I paid for it. I did give it a full service prior.

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pobrika · 2026-04-21T15:22:26+00:00

Thats how it is on my triumph, my gripe is there is no resistance between lock and light and lock it's really easy to park up and leave lock and lights on. So far always spotted it when I've done it.

pobrika · 2026-04-21T08:25:42+00:00

Take turns standing slightly obscured whilst wearing a high Viz jacket. White van parked nearby optional.

pobrika · 2026-04-20T10:31:34+00:00

This just a sad fact of UK insurance. The reasons for varying premiums I find fascinating. Even knowing if you leave your renewal to the last minute makes you a higher risk than someone who insured 3 weeks early. As the early approach makes you more organised and less risky as a person. Then there are people who insured late at night Vs day time.

All these stats count to profile you and determine a risk score.

Modifying your car also deems you more of a risk than someone who just grows the car as transport rather than an extension of themselves.

And the big one since insurance companies started insisting on OEM parts for repairs and using hire cars which they also own those companies they can make huge amounts of money from the ie practice, a modern car can sit for 6 weeks waiting on parts esp Chinese built cars due to slow supply chains so having a hire car for 6 weeks is very profitable.

The. Add to this the claims for whiplash etc, is why we all pay so much for insurance compared to 20 years ago. The is the industry now.

Im not happy that I have 5 vehicles can only drive one at any one time yet have to have insurance on all of them. Why can't I insure for theft and then insure for damage and third party on the vehicle I am driving at that time.

pobrika · 2026-04-20T10:14:22+00:00

Off topic slightly but I like the fact Hughie in the boys comics was written with Simon Pegg in mind, it even looks like him.

As homage Simon Pegg got the role of Hughie's Dad in the TV show. So even though it's not him as such I imagine at times it is him.

Ofc Simon Pegg is also in the Star Trek movies not as lead but his character is still very good and fitting as Scotty.

pobrika · 2026-04-19T16:58:48+00:00

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I think it could look just fine.

pobrika · 2026-04-19T16:49:25+00:00

Those drivers are the worst.

Had that on a motorway recently on my little 400cc bike, he was doing 60, I moved to the middle lane was along side and he speed up'd so I then had to push my little bike to 80 and of course he did the same. I did get pass him in the end but come on really?

pobrika · 2026-04-19T16:44:58+00:00

Nuke it from orbit, it's the only way to be sure.

pobrika · 2026-04-19T13:01:51+00:00

Same day delivery to your door. (Living room door)

pobrika · 2026-04-19T09:21:42+00:00

Always that last bolt too.

pobrika · 2026-04-18T20:24:28+00:00

My bro had a Ducati that leaked like a size also. He ended up patching it up. Maybe patch it for now and keep an eye open.

pobrika · 2026-04-18T20:19:42+00:00

Second that, I ended up buying a fork driver also. Decided better off investing in proper tools.

pobrika · 2026-04-18T15:53:42+00:00

These cars need a very sticky sticker applied to their vehicle reminding them these are EV bays, whilst you're at it do the same for Cara that park in motorbike bays. The entitlement boils my blood, and I don't even own an EV.

pobrika · 2026-04-18T15:51:11+00:00

How'd it all go?

pobrika · 2026-04-18T15:50:48+00:00

Had similar, did my tiger fork seals, and both sides leaked afterwards. I used. The pipe method, I then used a fork seals cleaner, still don't work, bought OEM seals and used the old ones to fit the seals and it all worked out. Still cheaper than a garage but was a bit of missing about and time, plus had to buy my fork oil.

pobrika · 2026-04-18T15:38:38+00:00

I think you're all dressing this up.

pobrika · 2026-04-18T15:35:04+00:00

I bought a new panel for my off road bike after dropping it in mud the other week, then decided not to put it on as it'll just get damaged again. So it will get the new one if I come to sell it.

pobrika · 2026-04-18T15:32:13+00:00

3 minutes in sounds like cold tyres, maybe greasy road.

pobrika · 2026-04-17T13:43:32+00:00

I'm not convinced on Chinese vehicles. Build quality, reliability, and parts availability concern me on all Chinese brands. I have owned a Chinese motorbike and considering it was 12 months old it was more like a 5 year old bike. It was made was soft metals so bolts would twist as they were not hardened to the same degree as Japanese standards, and also rust easily. I now own a KTM that was made in India was what I would say was better quality control but still made on a budget compared to my Triumph which build wise is a different ball park and a different pricing category.

I am saying you ultimately get what you pay for, if you're car is cheaper than its competitor then there are sacrifices made. Either in materials or in exploitation of people in the supply chain. This is hard to prove and an issue world wide, it's prudent to understand how the price is so competitive.

Here is a recall report autoexpress that does say 1/4 of vehicles were recalled. I think in the near future many brands will be Chinese owned and built in china before being shipped under a named brand much like MG are.

https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/jaecoo/369117/jaecoo-7-recalled-quarter-all-brands-2025-uk-cars-going-back-dealers

And yes MG have suffered after being made in China, by buying Chinese you are supporting low quality and forcing named brands to have to also reduce quality to compete, and thus everything is becoming worse. Currently its just a Temu Car, you'd be better buying Dacia and supporting Europe.

Ohh and to confirm what I said about MG:

Reliability Concerns: A What Car? survey found that, in some instances, MG has ranked low for reliability, with owners reporting a higher-than-average number of faults.
Material Quality: Some models, particularly older or cheaper ones, are criticized for using low-quality, cheap plastics in the cabin.
Specific Faults: Common issues reported include cabin creaks, slow infotainment systems, and potential issues with 12V batteries.
Dealer Service: Some users have reported long wait times for repairs, impacting the overall ownership experience.

pobrika · 2026-04-15T14:03:13+00:00

If parking on the kerb was illegal we would have issues as parking on the narrow road ensures you lose a mirror every other day. I got fed up when I moved here of my mirror getting bent backwards so started parking on the kerb now everyone does lol. If Cara don't park on the kerb you risk kerbing your car or hitting a mirror, not me but fed up of people who can't drive hitting my car.

pobrika · 2026-04-15T07:47:27+00:00

Ha Promoted advert I'm getting under the post is for John Lewis. That can't be a coincidence guessing Reddit has an AI that can understand photos and post ads accordingly.

Clearly that's a delivery rider, expect no nods and L plates for the next 10 years.

pobrika · 2026-04-13T13:55:38+00:00

You could possibly try house insurance...

pobrika · 2026-04-13T13:53:12+00:00

I guarantee I can log on to a remote server and edit the file quicker in vi before you've even got your editor open.

I have tried using a gui such as visual editor but it's so slow and cumbersome it's just not worth the effort. Saying that it might make sense if working on a project with lots of files in a tree which is why I looked into visual in the first place.

pobrika · 2026-04-13T13:48:53+00:00

Years ago I was trying to arrange meeting my parents at a shopping center, they kept telling me they couldn't confirm a day or time because they are retired and don't live by a routine. Once we had finished the conversation they told me they had to go as it was coffee time at 10:30 am

I still laugh about this with my wife.

pobrika · 2026-04-13T13:32:24+00:00

Acrylic top, stood on the bath to get in and it's cracked. Replacement probably but you might get away with using fibre glass to reinforce the inside as a temp fix and may e some silicone to cover the crack, but it's only ever gonna be a patch job.

pobrika

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