Is this a good idea? My plan for getting M license...

[kevin625]

Just a brief background. My birthday is in June, I'm 20 at the moment turning 21 this year.
I got my M2 last year in September.
My driving record is completely clean, no tickets nor accidents.

Anyways, so I heard that insurance will drop once you hit 21 and have your M2 for a year or more.

I live in Toronto but I go to school in North Bay. I was thinking about buying a CBR 125R... (Just to get some confidence and riding experience and I can't afford anything too expensive)

I may be travelling back and forth once in a while though, but mostly it's for riding around the city. (side note: commute time between Toronto and North Bay is roughly 4 hours if you go 100 km/hr)

I know that the CBR 125R doesn't have as much power as a 250 or 600 cc bike, however as long as it goes 100 km/hr it's fine for me. When I drive a car I never go over 120, I usually cruise at around 100-115...

I plan on doing this for a few months to get the hang of riding, and before the season is over, I'll be taking the M exit test.

Once I get my M license I plan on selling it again. My thoughts on this would be to sell the bike, because I won't be riding again until I'm 25, and then once I start saving up some more money, I was thinking about buying a 250cc bike.

Would this be a good idea? I'm pretty patient and I haven't been in a rush with anything. I've done a lot of research on the CBR 125R and a lot of people have commuted on the highway before at speeds of 130-140 km. If I were to go on the highway, I'd most likely go at an earlier time (however up north there are deer and moose around, and I've never experienced emergency braking on the highway)

tl;dr planning on getting M exit, going to buy CBR 125R to practice, will go on highway several times and when I get my M I plan on selling the bike and wait until I'm 25... good idea?

[jeffjones]

I know State Farm drops when you have had your G license for 5 years not when your 21 and drops big when your 25 and Jevco I believe drops when you have had your M2 for a year but haven't heard a company that discounts for 21.
Only thing is I believe you have to wait 18 months to get your M and iff you got your M2 last year you would have to wait till next year to get your M.

[chin.r]

yes it is a good idea.

start with beginner bike, then upgrade to 600cc after u become 25.

i have my 2008 white cbr125 listed for sale, if interested pm me.

[Mael]

ya 125 will do that no problem but you get really blown around on the highway on such a light bike
I like riding my 125r but have found myself 2 lanes over in the blink of the eye from cross winds on the highway
its not a bad plan though just be aware
and think about a few short med highway trips to get you used to it
im just west of scarb off the danforth ill go riding if you want

[drax666]

What??? CBR 125 will not do you on that trip. It will barely make 100km/h and when you are in the hills, forget it. You will be putting yourself in excessive danger on the 11 hwy. I do that trip all the time k/w to north bay, on my R6.
GET A 250...

[Bweixz]

if you weigh like 100 lbs then yeah the 125 will do you fine on the hwy . . . but honestly insurance on the 250 is not that more than a 125. If your going to do a lot of highway commuting then you should definately go with at least a 250. If you need to accelerate on the hwy .. dont think the 125 is gonna cut it.

[skapan]

I didn't think that anything under a 250 was allowed on 400 series highways? Or did I miss something?

[Hammer]

check out sport touring bikes...

see with insurance before purchasing any bikes...

I bought a 600 katana as a first bike, never rode previously either, it was cheap, cheap insurance and is more bike then i need...

probably less $$ then a 250 also... again check insurance though before making any purchases

[jeffjones]

I didn't think that anything under a 250 was allowed on 400 series highways? Or did I miss something?

I think anything over 49cc is allowed if it can make the speed.

[jeffjones]

check out sport touring bikes...

see with insurance before purchasing any bikes...

I bought a 600 katana as a first bike, never rode previously either, it was cheap, cheap insurance and is more bike then i need...

probably less $$ then a 250 also... again check insurance though before making any purchases

I Katana is a decent starter bike although it is a heavy bike which might be more difficult for a newb at slow speeds, It also would be definitely more to insure then a 250.

[cbcanada]

I started on a 125 and moved to a 250. If i had to do it all over u would just start with the 250.

[supahtim]

I love my 125. I take it on the highway all the time. Just don't plan on passing too many people, and enjoy your 90+mpg. I'm a skinny 6'1" at 150lbs and have no problems with cross winds. If you find yourself blowing over 2 lanes, you have more problems than just the size of the bike. There are a lot of people that commute AND travel long distances with their 125. Check out some 125 forums. There are mods you can do to make the bike a little more 6th gear friendly.

As for insurance, I am pretty sure that 25 is when you get your "age discount". Get quotes on different bikes of different CC's from different companies before buying. I didn't because I'm lazy and I over payed big time.

[AF4iK]

I agree with the 250 recommendations. Nothing wrong with a 125cc bike but I think you'll find the torque to be lacking, especially on the highway. The other reason I'd recommend at least a 250 is to get used to the feeling of a larger bike. Those 125cc machines are tiny. I was walking through a bike shop one day and saw a 250 (CBR I think) lined up next to a bunch of 600s and it wasn't that much smaller body-wise. Think it would make a good transition bike instead of going with the bikes they use in training. Either way, you're in for a crap load of fun your first season! This will only be my second season riding and I can barely contain myself. Thank god snowboarding keeps me distracted in the meantime

[Baggsy]

Sounds like a plan. A friend took a 250 cruiser across Canada.
You'll have to figure out how to shift properly to get the most out of the small engine, and that is definitely not a bad thing.
The wind won't be an issue on a smaller bike when you learn to grip the bars properly. (The weight difference between a 125 @127 kg and a 600 @202 kg won't make a big difference).

[kevin625]

Thanks for the input everyone!

As for the 250 thoughts, I have looked into it and have spend a large amount of time considering it. I was thinking more of having the CBR125 to start off with (this is just going to be a temp. bike until I get my M) and once I hit 25 I'll get a 250cc bike. A CBR125 I've seen cost less than $2000, and a used Ninja 250 are just way too expensive at around the mid $3000 range...

I'm not really confident with touring bikes at the moment. When I went for my motorcycle safety course I tried out a CBR125 and some cruising bike... I think it may have been the Nighthawk. I wasn't used to the turning of a cruiser vs. the sport bike (I'm pretty sure if I practice long enough I'll definitely get the hang of it, but I loved the feel of being on a sport bike!)

As for the problem with a CBR125 on the highway, I was thinking about being more defensive, staying in the right lane, keeping my distance between cars, and watching out for drivers who recklessly merge without signalling... I've been driving on the highway for less than a year (not much experience to be honest), but I have noticed that I never had to accelerate like crazy to merge.

I also heard that even with a 250, you may be a bit more heavier and stronger than a CBR125, but you'd still feel cross-winds and those huge trucks zoom past you! :P

I'm getting mixed messages about insurance. I do know for a fact that when you hit 25 you get a discount in age. Recently I heard that there is also a drop (it's a very small drop, but hey it's better than nothing right?) from being 19 vs. 21 years old. I'm not sure if this is true or if it's just a rumour, but I also checked the insurance thread and noticed the flow chart http://i982.photobucket.com/albums/a...sionTree12.jpg mentioning being 21+ instead of 25+...

All in all, I guess it doesn't hurt to spend some time calling around asking for insurance rates! I definitely plan on doing that before buying a bike. Again, thanks everyone for the help!

[jeffjones]

and enjoy your 90+mpg.

Really?? So your bike gets about 375-400km per tank?
I knew it was good but didn't think that good.

[Shaft]

Sounds good but I would suggest the 250, I know price is an issue but im sure you could shop around kikiji and find an older 250 for your price range.

+1 for North Bay. I love Grecos on Algonquin and Ivans french fries. Go Bears!

[gwelfmike]

What about the Kabuki house....

+1 for North Bay. I love Grecos on Algonquin and Ivans french fries. Go Bears![/QUOTE]

[mimico_polak]

I went through the same thing late last year when I decided to take up riding. I bought a used 125 for a good price and frankly I'm quite happy with what I got out of it (primarily the knowledge I want to pursue riding further).
The 125 is a great bike around the city, and it'll do on the highway but it's wrung out to the max and leaves very little for passing. Wind was also an issue for me and there were days I couldn't clear 100kph on slight inclines on the QEW.

I recently bought the CBR250 because I find that I do need the highway more than I originally thought and I didn't feel fully comfortable with the 125 at 100-120kph speeds.

Get what you're comfortable with and you'll sell it for not much less than you bought it for (mine's for sale currently 2008 125 white - shameless plug lol).
As for insurance...for me (31/m/Toronto) the difference b/w 125/250 is about $100/year with SF.

[flummox]

Keep in mind your M2 will last 5 years....
And can you really give up riding for THE NEXT FOUR YEARS!!!! ???

Crap. I'm Jones-ing like a mo-fo and it's been 4 months.