- This topic has 4 replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 14 years, 7 months ago by CSIMiamiAddict.
Hey from BC
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August 10, 2009 at 6:31 pm #3273jcwhiteParticipant
Hey folks, thanks for the great site. Sorry it took me so long to introduce myself. I’m a student up in BC. Couldn’t afford a car, but got very excited by the idea of a motorbike (never been on one before I got mine though). Got a CBR125 at the end of may (cheers Ben for the great review!), and am loving it. Took a safety course in June (we don’t have the same mandatory MSF system up here). I’ll be keeping my eyes out for a deal on something bigger, but for the money I can’t say enough about the 125.
I have to say that it’s very nice to find such a down-to-earth and safety conscious community. I’ve already gotten a couple of snickers for my bright yellow helmet and high-vis jacket (not that I mind, it’s just curious to me how little some riders regard their own safety)
August 11, 2009 at 3:48 pm #21507eonParticipantWelcome JC.
Glad to hear you are comfortable doing what you think is best and ignoring any snide remarks. The MSF class is not mandatory here (sadly IMO). I would have thought the Canadian licensing/training requirements were a lot tougher than the US. It’s great to hear someone starting on a 125 and loving it. That’s what my brothers started on back in the day back in the UK.August 14, 2009 at 1:30 am #21587CSIMiamiAddictParticipantHey man, I’m from BC too. How’s the bike? I was actually considering the Honda CBR125 but I’m leaning towards the Kawasaki Ninja more. I’m pretty sure both are pretty durable beginner bikes. Is it alright on the high way? Which part of BC you from?
August 14, 2009 at 5:29 pm #21607jcwhiteParticipantI’m from Nelson, in the kootenays. I’m loving the bike, but you do have to be aware that it won’t do some of the things a ninja will. I got it because it was the best and most reliable bike for my money at the time (I got an 07 with 975km for $2750. I live in a small town though, so selection was limited). If all you’re doing is highway riding on evenings and weekends, then the CBR will probably be too small for you – it’s fine in most places, but passing is slow, and you won’t be passing anyone in a 100km zone. It does have a top speed (I’ve tagged 120kmh, which is a downhill straight in a tuck).
All that being said, that’s really the only complaint I could level. The bike rides very smoothly (will sometimes slip into neutral between 4th and 5th, but it’s not a big deal), has plenty of get-up-and-go for cruising around, and is incredibly light (I’ve been known adjust my parking job by picking up the back end and moving it two feet). The gas mileage is ludicrous (I actually got 128.6mpg on one fill – I was just riding the highway to work every day, so the bike was cruising at about 4.5k rpm the whole time. I checked my math several times because I didn’t believe my result). I also think the CBR looks pretty good, but that’s just opinion. Yes, next to a bigger bike (even the new ninja 250) it looks a bit shrimpy, but it’s the only bike in my driveway and on it’s own it looks like a pretty good bike. The one complaint I’ve head against the ninja is that the riding posture is a bit too aggressive – on mine you can sit up if you want to, which is very nice for slow city traffic or parking lots.
Hope it helps – the other thing I discovered (which I really would rather have not found out) is that if you drop a CBR at very slow speeds, none of the fairings touch down. It strikes me that that’s a good quality for a beginner bike.
August 29, 2009 at 5:34 am #21995CSIMiamiAddictParticipantIt’s interesting how you say small towns have limited selections. I find that there just isn’t a lot of bikes that are for beginners in Vancouver. I thought it wouldn’t be too hard, ya know? So your opinion about this bike would be that it’s probably best to leave it for city traffic right?
Thanks for the reply btw.
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