[BlueTiger]

Currently I’m debating whether to get the Honda or the Yamaha as my first bike.
The Yamaha looks a lot nicer and apparently performs better but the Honda is cheaper and is classed as a better bike for novices (like me).
Does anyone have any comments on these bikes or any suggestions of other bikes that might be worth considering?

[eon]

I don’t think either of those bikes are available here in the USA and most of the contributors here are from the States, so I’m not sure you will get a great answer here.

What makes people say the Honda is better than the Yamaha for beginners?
In the States the Ninja 250 seems to be in a class of its own for beginners interested in sport bikes. There really isn’t any competition in the <= 250cc bracket. Are you limited in engine size or HP by legislation in your country?

[WeaponZero]

It’s hard to say because neither bike is available in US or canada. As far as which one is more user friendly as a beginner bike, I’d say they’re both great. I’ve read lots of reviews saying nothing but good things about the YZF but the CBR I haven’t heard much about.

[Jeff in Kentucky]

This video compares the Aprilia 2-stroke 125 with the Honda and Yamaha 4-stroke 125s:

[eternal05]

Jeff, I was just about to post this myself. Good comparo.

[BlueTiger]

Novices are limited to 125cc for two years before they can progress up to the next level. They can’t ride anything above 33bhp.
People say the Honda is better because it is a best selling first bike, but the Yamaha seems to have just come into the spotlight over here.
Thanks for the video, certainly useful. The Yamaha certainly seems to be getting some good reviews

[MikeCalgaryClassic]

You can in fact get the 125 CBR in canada. I don’t know much about it other than Honda has an awesome financing program for it. $200 down and 150 a month (i think) and it comes with leathers. One downside to it as far as i’m aware is that some stupid companies up here consider it a sport bike for insurance purposes so you pay more for it insurance wise than you would for say an sv650 or shadow 750. I have heard a lot of good things about it though. It is a Honda of course so reliability is never going to be an issue, and the reviews i’ve read have been overall very positive.

[BlueTiger]

Would you reckon the insurance company’s consider it a sport bike just based on its looks, surely they must have deeper reasons?

[jcwhite]

I’ve been riding a CBR125 for almost 10 000km now, through all manner of conditions (everything short of snow, but including a few patches of ice). I’ve never seen Yamaha’s 125 outside of a computer screen, so I can’t really compare the two honestly, but I love my CBR.

The comments in the video about lacking top end and struggling up hills have some truth: I won’t pass anybody once they’re going over 100km/h because I don’t have the rapid acceleration at that speed, but I’ve been up to 140km/h. I’m not sure you’re going to get much more than that from most affordable 125s. If I’m not in the power band already, I’ll usually downshift to go up hills between 6k and 9k rpm. Sure it’s a small engine, but it’s a small bike too, so it does OK. It’s worth noting that I only weigh 140lbs, I have heard of bigger guys having some issues and not really using 6th gear.

The Yamaha looks like it has a pretty sporty riding position. I’m not sure what you’re looking for, but one thing that I’ve noticed on my bike (that I like) is that I can easily sit up in a very comfortable standard position for commuting, and yet there’s enough length to the seat that I can also slide my butt back a bit and get into a pretty good tuck if I want to push it through a bendy stretch.

Regarding handling, I’ve had no complaints at all. For city riding, it’s great fun to have a bike that weighs so little, because I can nip into any little space if I have to, and it flicks so quickly into a swerve if I have to. It would be nice at times to have a bit more juice, but as far as I know you wouldn’t get that from the YZF, and that’s never actually been a problem.

Regarding insurance, I pay about $60CAN a month for a reasonable coverage. If I wanted to have big-time insurance for every nick and scrape I would have been paying half the bike’s value every year. I didn’t compare that to any other little bikes, because I didn’t have the option of purchasing them.

One thing that doesn’t affect handling at all, but that I like, is that the CBR has a full catalytic converter in the exhaust system. I probably wouldn’t ride a 2-stroke because I’d rather not be burning more oil than I have to, and the CBR is crazy better than any emission standards that I’ve seen (I think. I haven’t done too much research on that.)

Hope it helps, and good luck

(Oh, and http://www.cbr125r.ca is a canada-wide forum with some good folks on it. They may have found a way to try the yamaha, although it doesn’t seem to be available here. There’s also some fun stuff about riding through 6 inches of snow, with studded dirt bike tires).

[BlueTiger]

I probably will go for the CBR, there are a lot of good reviews and you seem to really like it (like a lot of CBR riders!).
There isn’t much info on the Yamaha as there is on the CBR, although I’ve heard that taller riders are going for it instead of the CBR.
I’m about 140lb as well so it should perform similarly with me.
Did you buy it new or second hand?

[jcwhite]

I got mine lightly used (under 1000kms, never dropped. it’s an 07 that I got in the summer of 09). I’ve heard of a couple people being very happy with Honda’s financing/gear deal, but it wasn’t cost effective for me to get a new one (and I didn’t want any of the gear they had available). I’ll let someone else take the sticker hit any day, I’m not desperate to have the newest and best.

[BlueTiger]

Yeh I’ll probably get a used bike, preferably with a low mileage. It’ll probably be more cost effective.

[Author]

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