Surprisingly that's pretty much exactly what I told Nathan!
And I told him to stay away from the pathetic attempt at a motorcycle that is a Hyosung GT125R
Nathanm tbh the big bore kit on the Aprillia's are pointless, they give like 2-6bhp more depending on the rest of the setup (carb sizes, jet settings, etc) and all they're really good for is eating pistons more quickly.
Just stay away from 2 strokes because for most of the time, a YZF-125 will be quicker (Aprillias only get going over 8k, trust me I had a FP07 model with a full arrow system) plus if you stick a beefy exhaust on the Yam it sounds like a half decent bike as opposed to a moped with gears.
Cagiva Mitos in good condition are rarer than hens teeth and just about as strong. Sure, as a collectors bike or something for use maybe only once or twice a month, it's great. But as a bike to ride...no.
Additionally 2 strokes, for good reliability, require the top 2 stroke oil (£12/l). If you run it on Sainsbury's 2 stroke oil (since when did they start making oil) it won't exactly last very long.
Also, Nathan, top score on choosing to get a 2 stroke in the coldest months of the year. Days of endless non starting plus cold seizing await.
I think you'll find that a lot of components for bikes (and nearly every other consumer product) from other companies are actually out sourced and made in China, I think your view of far eastern manufacturing is a little outdated (dare I say xenophobic?).
That may be true Dano however, if you care to plant your arse on a Kymco 125 or any other piddly little bike after sitting on, say, a CBF125 or a YB125, you can see and feel the difference in quality.
Sure, for £800 for a scooter to use over winter, great. To actually own as a hobby or a toy, not so good IMO.
Interesting you mention Kymco, who make parts for both Honda and BMW
But yes, some products are made "for a cost", but just because its far eastern, it doesn't mean its bad, infact, Hyosung aren't a bad bike, especially the SV wannabe.
I wonder what parts they are. Certainly not any of the major parts, suspension, bodywork. Perhaps switchgear, unsurprisingly BMW's of late have been said to have very poorly constructed indicator buttons. Probably made them!!
I had an SV650 many moons ago, the curvy one - I think RIDE testing the 650R Hyosung against the pointy SV. The SV got 4 stars, the Hyosung had 2. Something to do with cheap build quality and bad suspension. But I suppose, if you're on a budget, at least it looks half decent with USD forks, even if they are worse than the RWU forks on the SV.
Most of that SV650 you had was made by Hyosung......important things like the engine....
Hyosungs 650 is probably crap. I wouldn't know i have never ridden it. But the 250/125 are good learner bikes. Ok the 125 in a 250 chassis is gonna be shit slow (250 chassis is pretty big for a 250 anyway) but it looks good and does everything well enough to learn how to ride a bike!
Just bought this a few months ago.
1979 Suzuki Gs425.
Runs great,,only paid $300 for it, Had to get the carbs rebuilt from it sitting so long. Only has 14,000 miles on it.
I think i am gonna bobber it out and make it look something like this..
first of all decide what you want the bike to look like before you start...
the frame will be your first purchase and it will dictate the tire size fork length tank etc...
to go on the cheap a 200 or narrower rear tire, rigid frame with no stretch is the way to go..
if this is your first time i suggest a rolling chassis...it will save you $ and headaches..
there are tons of good deals on eBay..i use it a lot..
ultima cycles has some nice kits that come in many levels
JP cycles have most things you could want as does custom chrome
ps i love extreme frames from vector manufacturing in Texas
pss rebuilding a wreck can be much cheaper and saves a ton of hassles at dmv
Thanks i have been looking into making it a bobber. or possibly a cafe style racer.
Not quite sure yet.
But deff not gonna keep it the way it is.
The bike runs great the way it is.
But i dont like the look of it.
But thanks for the advice man
In this part of the world we buy our bikes ready made. And since the standard tyre sizes nowadays are 120/70 and 180/55 (190/50(55)) then of course we would get smaller than a 200.
And if you want to ride a hard tail then prepare for death real soon!
Cafe racer cafe racer cafe racer!
Single seat tail unit and some clip on handle-bars and you're halfway there with the look of the thing.
Spend on suspension, find out what parts from later bikes will fit. I suspect quite a few.
Yeah i have been lookin at both cafe and bobber parts.
i truly cant decide.
i have the money for either or.
just am not sure what what style i like best.
There are alotta parts that i can get or fab for either cafe or bobber.
So i guess its just whatever i choose to do.
The old Fazer, which I was sold 2 months ago. Nothinig special technically, but very special to me.
And some more of the new Triumph...unfortunately it's been hibernating for winter since the middle of November. As I got from new last September, it's only got about 2800 miles on the clock and I haven't had enough time to get some really nice scenery shots of it.
Been riding for about 2 weeks now, got a pic of my 91 honda 750cb nighthawk in my prevoius post, and its a blast! Almost had my first wreck yesterday back tire lock-ups are no fun lol.