View Full Version : 125 for a tall rider?
My mate is 6 foot 2 and 15 stone, want's to get into biking (finally convinced him!) and currently has no preferences, he's just mostly concerned with his size on a small bike. He sat on my old NSR125 and dwarfed it!
Any suggestions of bikes? I think his best option is maybe a CBF.
He says at very most he'll have to spend on a bike is £1200, but the less he spends on the bike the more he can spend on all the biking gear he needs, which will be more important than the bike since he will move on from the 125.
Honda Varadero is a great suggestion if someone has £3000 to donate :cool:
Ben.tattooer
28-08-14, 07:11 AM
I'm 6'1" and did my cbt on an sr125. That fitted me. What about a wr? Don't know how much they go for but they are nice and tall.
Mr Speirs
28-08-14, 07:45 AM
Yamaha WR125! Super tall bike. My mate hired one with me in Mallorca and still dwarfed it but then he's 6ft 7!
It was taller than the Yamaha Xt660 I rented!
Honda VT125 - I am 6'2" and 17stone and fitted on that quite easily. Will take some searching and travel as they are not that common, but worth the search.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Honda-shadow-VT-125cc-very-good-Condition-/281419305010?pt=UK_Motorcycles&hash=item4185e5d032
My other suggestion would be the Varedero (same engine at VT), can't find older one for lot less than £3000 ???
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HONDA-VARADERO-125-/151378413826?pt=UK_Motorcycles&hash=item233edb4902
Both slightly higher than £1200 but a lot better build quality than usual 125 cheapness.
The V-twin engine has a lot more grunt than the usual 125 single, so worth going for if a slightly bigger chap. The other advantage is that they hold there money really well, so when trading in , you can get almost what you paid. My VT125 cost me £2300 and year later traded it for £2000, not bad £300 for a years riding!
NakedHound
28-08-14, 11:51 AM
Keep an eye out on gumtree and the like for a baby varadero, as bargins do pop up. Especially over winter. I bought my 04 vara in 2012 for 1200, and sold it a couple of mouths ago for 1400. nice big framed bike that often got mistaken for a 600cc, so you don't look a prat nice and nimble at town speeds. If ya choose well, you xIll Iet most of the cash back from it after a year or two.
Cheers for the replies. Varadero is a great looking bike but it seems it really will be out of his price range, especially bearing in mind £1200 is the upper upper limit, he can't really stretch that far anyway.
Alright, pros and cons about trials style bike?
He's getting a bike for fun, not necessity and he says he'll want to move onto a bigger bike, so the more he can learn from the 125 the better. I'm of the impression he'll get more valuable experience from something like a varadero or cbf than a wr125 or dtr?
For his budget he's probably better off going for a Chinese thing.
Something like the Pulse Adrenaline.
He should be able to get one a couple of years old for £1000 leaving him cash for gear.
Don't know anyone who has had such a bike but from what I have read elsewhere the build quality has improved recently and even the Honda CBF is built in (China) India these days.
Take a look at Yamaha XT125's aswell. Had one when i was learning to ride and thought it was pretty good.
Biker Biggles
28-08-14, 02:56 PM
Does he have a full license?If not Id spend the money on getting one,then buy a proper size bike like an SV650.Cheaper in the long run and saves all that 125 nonsense.
davepreston
28-08-14, 03:56 PM
Hello reply from a 6 foot 8 guy
simply put the valadero honda job is the only " road style" bike that will suit properly
option 2 is road legal off roaders, not a comfy but still you don't look like your riding a mini moto
yes he could use others but A/ will look like a **** and B/ riding it will feel bad and awkward
hth
Does he have a full license?If not Id spend the money on getting one,then buy a proper size bike like an SV650.Cheaper in the long run and saves all that 125 nonsense.
Fraid not. There is such a huge market of bikes when you get past the 125s, it's a shame. And he's really doing this on a budget, he can only afford to do his CBT first then ride with that.
Hello reply from a 6 foot 8 guy
simply put the valadero honda job is the only " road style" bike that will suit properly
option 2 is road legal off roaders, not a comfy but still you don't look like your riding a mini moto
yes he could use others but A/ will look like a **** and B/ riding it will feel bad and awkward
hth
Valadero does look like it'll fit the part, but it really is out of his price range. Plus the majority of people tend to drop or throw their 125s up the road.. it wouldn't be great to spend so much on a bike and messing it! Also he'll only be keeping the bike for a year before doing his full licence and moving up, just needs something to get started on.
Has anyone had any experience with the cbf125? He likes the look of it, just about in his price range and people reckon they're bullet proof.
I'm 6ft and not too slight, I rode about for a year on a '05 CBR125R which was fine. I don't think another two inches will change much (weheeyy)!
I'm 6ft and not too slight, I rode about for a year on a '05 CBR125R which was fine. I don't think another two inches will change much (weheeyy)!
You never felt crunched over on the cbr?
or was it just the typical, I'm on a bike, not a comfy car (and I wouldn't have it any other way)?
You never felt crunched over on the cbr?
or was it just the typical, I'm on a bike, not a comfy car (and I wouldn't have it any other way)?
Pretty much the typical! I didn't get a sore back or anything and the bike was absolutely bulletproof. The only downer to riding it was the 4-stroke 125cc barely did 70mph which made dual-carriageways just about bearable and fun :D
Nutsinatin
28-08-14, 08:14 PM
I'm only 5 10" and 13.5 stone and rode a CBF125 for a year and still ride it occasionally as I sold it to my girlfriend. I crashed it once and she has crashed it six times - it's bulletproof. I had the rear preload maxxed out so he might want to try to sit on one. Any questions, happy to answer.
Pretty much the typical! I didn't get a sore back or anything and the bike was absolutely bulletproof. The only downer to riding it was the 4-stroke 125cc barely did 70mph which made dual-carriageways just about bearable and fun :D
My 2 stroke NSR125 was derestricted, think the best the speedo read was 98 :smt040
And two months later I had a melted piston to replace :batman:
I'm only 5 10" and 13.5 stone and rode a CBF125 for a year and still ride it occasionally as I sold it to my girlfriend. I crashed it once and she has crashed it six times - it's bulletproof. I had the rear preload maxxed out so he might want to try to sit on one. Any questions, happy to answer.
Hoping it's not put your girlfriend off to have so many offs?
Is the bike fun?
STRAMASHER
29-08-14, 08:41 AM
Get the Best Yamaha DT125R he can afford. (Last models even had an electric boot.)
It will destroy any slug of a 125 4stroke. And even the new 250's.
Jayneflakes
30-08-14, 11:26 AM
Cheers for the replies. Varadero is a great looking bike but it seems it really will be out of his price range, especially bearing in mind £1200 is the upper upper limit, he can't really stretch that far anyway.
My Step Son picked up a Varadero for £900 about two years ago. It was low mileage, but had been used for commuting in London and had been down the road on both sides. Although the damage was slight, he was still able to get the price down from the £1100 originally asked. Mind you he did have us two 'orrible looking bikers with him to back him up.
These days the bike is pristine, he replaced the damaged panels with pattern ones from e-bay and resprayed the whole lot himself with a satin finish black. The result is a mean looking great bike that he still enjoys even after passing his test nearly a year ago. He also carries his Mrs on the pillion and has fitted a Scorpion Exhaust system, which does take some fitting! The result is a great bike that sounds and looks bigger than a 125 and has more than 12BHP once the work has been done.
Nutsinatin
30-08-14, 12:05 PM
Hoping it's not put your girlfriend off to have so many offs?
Is the bike fun?
Going back to the CBF from the SV is a hoot. It tops out at 66mph so you have to fight for all that speed and rev it as much as you can holding all the corner speed you can and trying to avoid touching the brakes at all. Avoid dual carriageways and you can have fun on it as you are riding at the absolute limit of the bike and that little cylinder is whirring away and the bars are vibrating the suspension is squirming with the dual rear shocks fighting each other with you tucked in as much as possible and it's fantastic. The bike is also good when ridden sensibly and very forgiving as a learner bike as well as cheap to repair. Just have to keep an eye on oil as it only has just over 1L so losing a 100ml is a much bigger deal than on a bigger bike.
However when I was riding the CBF full time I never appreciated how fun it was and just wanted something that went faster.
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