Hey everyone! I am an Audi technician (formerly Honda) just north of Toronto, Ontario! Just last week I was driving and saw an absolutely beautiful hayabusa, then two days later my friend came by to show off his new Suzuki SV650. Finally on my drive to work just last Thursday, I heard an add for the Honda powerhouse dealers, and I got a tingle in my *****!

I have never rode a bike in my life, but I am anxious to start! I was looking around for a decent starter bike and I think the Honda CBR125R is a wise choice. I was wondering if I can get some feed back, as I've already rumbled through any 125R posts, and being a technician, I know the 125 isn't going to blow my mind, and I've heard you get bored of it pretty fast. Yet I was curious as to upgrade-ability of the bike. I've never worked on a bike but it's sure to be a hell of a lot easier than working on a W12 with 2-inches between fenders.

So my big question is, and I apologize to any serious gear heads as I've never worked on a bike before, but are there engines I can swap into the 125? Is it worth the investment in the engine or am I better off to purchase a new bike? And what about the Ninja250R? I stand by Honda reliability, previously being a technician, but what about Kawasaki? I appreciate any and all response's!

Thanks guys!

 

Welcome to the Forum, as for the above, looking at a BUSA might do that
but a 125 might feel more like a gentle breeze on mine to me but really
that depends on the individual I guess

This being a Honda Forum you could say we'd be a bit biased towards Hondas
be they 125's or whatever on up. Generally a 250 is considered a good
"starter" bike

 

Heys! Welcome aboard.

Tough question. Wanting to start on a smaller bike is a very sensible decision. Says a lot about the kind of rider you're likely to be (aka very good and long lived ). But a 125... I can see someone outgrowing that fairly quickly.

I don't have any personal experience with the Ninja. But the Ninja 250 has always had an excellent reputation as a starter bike. And they tend to hold their value very well. You could always look into getting an older Ninja 250, saving some cash for when you're ready to upgrade again.

Brand loyalty is good. But in this case I'd say go for the bike that fits your needs. Honda (stupidly) doesn't sell 250s in the Americas. So go to who does

 

Being a former Honda tech I trust their build quality and prefer the styling of their bikes!

I was just nosing myself around Honda's site again and noticed the CMX250 Rebel. I'd prefer a sport bike, but I think I'd rather put the money into something that can hold me down until I can fix er up into something with some serious acceleration! However the price jump is (in Canada) from $3600 - $5500 MSRP between the 125R and the CMX250. I love to tool around with my toys, which is just my Audi right now, but I'm just curious as to how much I can really do to these bikes.

Thanks for the speedy response!

 

Good enough man, I did my MSF class on a rebel a few years back. Basically find what you are comfortable with to begin riding on and progress from there.

Enjoy the Forum and again welcome.