AMERICANS: Would you buy a 125cc motorcycle for the street?

[Andy_T]

I would also say go electric!

I certainly find the Taiwanese Gogoro scooter (which is unfortunately not yet available for normal purchase outside of Taiwan and some other select places) very interesting.

I was riding a KTM Duke 200 (27 hp) for 3 years when I was living in Malaysia, simply because it was the smallest/most affordable "big bike" and I liked it a lot. (Everybody else was riding the more affordable ~125 cc Honda Innova type step-through bikes or scooters as more practical solution)

However, I only used it for commuting, and did not often feel the urge to just go out on the road for a fun trip on it (which I now feel more often on my CB 600 as I am back in Europe).

[johnathanf1lm]

I currently own 3 (1 working 2 for parts to build a secondone) all are cb125s (main one is a 1980 the other 2 are early 70s) and honestly if you dont do any highway driving at all they are great. I can barely do 60-65 at full throttle leaning in. But dont let that scare you i can still pull up to 60 pretty quick. My current one is bone stock and i use it to drive to work when the weather permits it. They are super cheap to maintain (tires are 100 together, takes 1 quart of oil and gets decent gas mileage) mpg can be better and the 6v system sucks but that's why i bought 2 parts bikes to piece together. Honestly i prefer a 250 over a 125 but i like the old school hondas (70s) and there really wasn't any 250s in the lineup.
Another thing to note is cb125 use points and drum breaks so if you want modern its not for you but i did do a head gasket on the bike last year and it took me a day watching tv to get the motor off and rebuild it and put it back on. Bigger bikes or more modern bikes that would have taken way longer. I am currently working on a cb350 but after that i plan on building a second 125. This one i plan on making it lighter and playing with the intake and exhaust to squeeze a hair more power out of it.
To sum it up if you live in an area with 40-45 mph limits a 125 is for you. Anything over then that its you going balls to the wall and getting passed out by everyone (uber dangerous)

[Frank]

My first bike was a CB125 back in the seventies. The only really small displacement bike I've had since then is an old Yamaha RD125 which I recently sold. The problem with small bikes in anything other than a low-speed city setting, is lack of torque (IMHO). You have to rev the piss out of it and do a lot of shifting to maintain speed on anything other than flat ground.

I do appreciate the advantages though: cheap to operate, good on tires, nimble, etc. but a 250 or 300 offers though attributes too, with more torque to boot.

[gasstingy]

My first motorcycle was a Kawasaki Eliminator 125 and I loved it for around town solo riding. The problem, for my usage habits, was at Wide Open Throttle (WoT), it would run 57 mph on flat ground, 60 downhill and if I hugged the tank on the two hills I had to go up, I could climb them at 50. It had about a 3.5 gallon fuel tank and returned about 64 mpg. Most drivers are intolerant of people travelling at or below the posted speed limit.

I moved up to a Kawasaki Ninja 250 and found it to be a very capable bike for all but the steepest of hills, and a top speed somewhere around 100 mph. It had more than a 4 gallon fuel tank and returned about 61 mpg. Far easier to take off from a stop, especially with my wife riding with me. I hated the riding position of the Ninja sport bike, even after installing the riser extensions, and dearly wished they'd put this water cooled engine on the small Eliminator frame.

I quit riding, but I miss it. I sometimes check to see if a lightweight, cruiser style electric motorcycle, at a reasonable price point comes to market. Everything I've seen to date is styled like either a sport bike, or a dual purpose street/trail bike.

[woodsrat]

Weight remains the biggie for me. If someone could engineer a bigger bike in a 250 lbs. or less package I'd buy it. Unfortunately anything over 125cc also start at 300+ pounds.

My K-Pipe started out around 250 lbs. and has been on a diet ever since I bought it.

My Lifan 125cc powered step thoughs weigh in around 175-180 lbs.

Weight--and the simplicity of the little horizontal motors--is why I ride them, not particularly because they're 125cc.

[Daschicken]

Originally Posted by gasstingy

My first motorcycle was a Kawasaki Eliminator 125 and I loved it for around town solo riding. The problem, for my usage habits, was at Wide Open Throttle (WoT), it would run 57 mph on flat ground, 60 downhill and if I hugged the tank on the two hills I had to go up, I could climb them at 50. It had about a 3.5 gallon fuel tank and returned about 64 mpg. Most drivers are intolerant of people travelling at or below the posted speed limit.

Sadly so very true. Its the speed LIMIT, people! At least don't tailgate people going the speed limit, pass when you can and get over it.

64 mpg doesn't sound so great for a 125, but looking on fuelly that seems correct.

[triangles]

You will never get what you want here in 'MURICA! Best bet is to build one on an already titled US frame. Otherwise good luck getting it titled and road legal in the US. If you do let me know how it goes. I know it's damned near impossible for imported cars. Not sure about bikes but I can't imagine it would be much easier.

[Daschicken]

Originally Posted by triangles

You will never get what you want here in 'MURICA! Best bet is to build one on an already titled US frame. Otherwise good luck getting it titled and road legal in the US. If you do let me know how it goes. I know it's damned near impossible for imported cars. Not sure about bikes but I can't imagine it would be much easier.

There are import regulations on engines just like there are regulations on vehicles. If I wanted to import just an engine I would have to tell the seller to take it apart and ship it like that. Besides, I would want the whole bike, not just the engine. The CBR 250 is likely designed beefier than the 125, meaning more weight. Which means an even slower bike if the 125 was swapped into it.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by johnathanf1lm

Another thing to note is cb125 use points and drum breaks so if you want modern its not for you

Points have been phased out everywhere else nowadays, but it's still possible to get a 125cc motorcycle with all-around drum brakes in most of the s#!thole countries, including mine. Well, I'd actually not feel so uncomfortable at all with drum brakes in a small motorcycle, even though it's undeniable that discs have their advantages.

but i did do a head gasket on the bike last year and it took me a day watching tv to get the motor off and rebuild it and put it back on. Bigger bikes or more modern bikes that would have taken way longer.

Saving on the cheaper replacement parts and on fewer labor required, that's a good point.

To sum it up if you live in an area with 40-45 mph limits a 125 is for you. Anything over then that its you going balls to the wall and getting passed out by everyone (uber dangerous)

In my country it's not uncommon to see 125cc motorcycles on the road due to them being used as a matter of necessity, not only for leisure like most Americans use their motorcycles.

Originally Posted by Frank

The problem with small bikes in anything other than a low-speed city setting, is lack of torque (IMHO). You have to rev the piss out of it and do a lot of shifting to maintain speed on anything other than flat ground.

Over-revving to go just a hair over the speed limit may become frightening to some extent, due to the lack of a power reserve to get away from a reckless driver.

[ProDigit]

Originally Posted by Daschicken

Just trying to see where we stand here, and if there is actually any market interest for 125cc bikes in Merica’, or if I’m the only crazy person. I love tiny engined motorcycles, they allow you to hoon the absolute crap out of them and not break laws. Even after stepping down from a VFR 800 to a CBR 250(admittedly a four cylinder ), I still find myself wanting a bike I can hoon more. A well executed launch with the 250(read: 10,000 rpm) can get it to 60 mph in about 5.5 seconds. That is not much time to ENJOY the acceleration. And that’s 60 mph, most roads around me are 45 mph speed limits, and I don’t feel comfortable doing 15 over. Then after accelerating, I find that it’s just got way more engine than I need even though it’s only a 250cc! I want a 125cc!

So now here is the problem, I want 5+ gears, fuel injection, and LIQUID COOLING. The Honda grom comes close, but it’s only got 4 gears and is air cooled. There is an aftermarket 5 speed transmission for a not unreasonable $500, but the bike is still air cooled, a deal breaker. But wait, the exact kind of bike actually exists, and is still being made and sold, just not here in America.

I am currently drooling over two 125cc bikes at the moment, the 2008+ Honda CBR 125R, and the 2007+ Honda XL125 Veradero. The CBR is just a plain LIQUID COOLED fuel injected 125cc single with 6 gears. The veradero on the other hand also features liquid cooling and fuel injection, but this baby is rocking a 125cc V-TWIN capable of 12,000 RPM! Adding to the cool factor it has air cooled looking cylinders. It is only a 5 speed, and would require ridiculous regearing to make me happy with cruising rpms(sprockets are available), but it’s still awesome. Really I would want the Veradero’s engine in the CBR, it could be a VTR 125.

The problem lies with production costs, and therefore pricing. People automatically relate engine size to price, not justifying these tiny engined bikes. However, you should consider an element of fun factor as well, if a bike would let you have more fun, wouldn’t you be willing to pay more for it? Another thing, these bikes are capable of doing 75 mph, which makes all those “are 250s able to go on highways?” videos kind of silly.

Realistically, I could see the CBR 125 priced at $4,500, and the XL125 priced at $5,500.

So let’s hear it Americans, is this a hopeless pipe dream and am I doomed to wait 14 YEARS until I can import one of these bad boys, or are you going to make me happy?

A 125cc makes a whole lot of sense in the city!
However, seeing that the majority of the US of A is suburbs, and highways, I think there's only a small demographic that might be interested in it.
Plus, you'll have competition from Honda Grom, Kawasaki Z125Pro, and a few other brands.
Yamaha discontinued their Eliminator 125, as it turns out that 125 cc is good for small bikes, but not cruiser style bikes of 400+LBS.
And their eliminator wasn't eliminating the bikes in the stable, but the one being eliminated.

For USA, a 125 with tall gears makes sense, if it's for city use.
If anywhere outside of the city, a 400cc would make a good an all rounder.