best lightweight motorcycle?

[graham48]

Can you suggest a good lightweight motor cycle, up to 125cc to be used in conjunction with a motorhome, either to be hung on the back, or towed?

 

[Ivory55]

Some people get on well with the Chinese bikes for not a lot of money, I think jaws used to have one.

 

[Silver-Fox]

Monkey bike

 

[tonka]

First if you plan to hang one off the back, you need to establish how much weight you can add to the back of your motorhome. So maybe a visit to a weighbridge and get the weight as it now in regular running order and compare with the max axle weight on your plate.

 

[Stealaway]

You'll need around 150 Kg payload spare to be able to carry a bike legally.

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[Vansflyer]

We use a Honda MSX 125 (Grom) in the garage of our van. I did a lot of searching and settled on it for a few reasons.... "out of the box" it is about 101KG, however with a few easy mods (tail tidy & exhaust swop) you can loose a few KG. Parts are plentiful and cheap ish, it's a Honda and built well, not as good as the bigger bikes but much better than the Chinese stuff.
Finally it is a hoot to ride, very nimble in traffic and small enough to park anywhere. Solo it's good for about 60 on the flat ( I am a big lad @ 100KG+), with my Mrs on the back (Built like Kylie) it drops to 55. Modified a rack for a Skip on the back for chain etc and we love it. A bit cosy 2 up but the benefits far outway the negative, easy do 100 miles over a long weekend on the bike just having a look around the area.
What Tonka said about weight is V important, 100kg on the back of any van can make a big difference to loading..
Good luck.

 

[Richard n Ann]

We bought the Honda Vision 110cc automatic scooter(103kg). But the suzuki address 110 is superior in every way 98kg has +1bhp, a kick start and is a couple hundred cheaper.

But having said all that, the KTM Duke 390 is brilliant fun if it's a possibility in your case

 

[vwalan]

i use a easyrider dax 90cc . really its a jincheng . had it for 17 yrs now . it lives in my fifth wheel trailer . carries two if you both not too fat. hee hee . great little bike . most places in the eu and morocco with it . on troads ,tracks , beaches , through streams etc . gets lots of abuse . does carry two fatties but ideal if your a bit thinner.
my mate decided it worked that well he bought a 110cc lifan .
we are like little kids now terrorizing the neighborhood where ever we are now . ha ha .

 

[Jands]

Honda CB 125 about 128kgs,
The MSX125 is ideal but a bit short for two.
The CB 125 is more of a traditional bike.
Am torn between the two though. If the MSX was a bit longer would be the one, but 2 up with a nervous passenger will start of looking at the CB125.
If it doesn't fit then it's the MSX
The Chinese bikes look a bit heavier and slightly less power, but heard from owners they are good basic machines.

 

[Vansflyer]

My Mrs wouldn't ride pillion for 29 of our 31years .. she now sits on our 1200 Trophy or Grom no problem. Top box on Grom helps with the pillion security blanket... I would love a bigger bike in the van but simply don't have the weight free. The little Honda does a great job, yes it's cosy but I keep her warm

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[Jands]

My wife hasn't ever gone on my bikes after knowing her for 42 years.
She reluctantly has said she will go on the back of a MH bike as I said it was the only way of getting to see some places, 7.5m van too big for some European towns also saves upcamping for a small trip out.
As I said am torn between the preferred CB and the smaller and lighter MSX.
Liked the wave 110 cross between bike and scooter, light and big.
Will have a top box with back rest to keep her feeling safe.
An addition for next spring as not getting the MH till September.

 

[injebreck99]

On our recent trip to Germany and Holland we used a Yamaha YBR125 motorcycle, it went fairly well with the two of us on it, cruising the backroads at around 40-45mph, it coped well and was very economical as well.

 

[Hettie's Crew]

Have you looked at the Sym 125, there’s one that’s only 107kg.

 

[scotzsue]

As a sometimes nervous pillion, can confirm that a top box is a great 'security blanket' they can be heavy though, am now just as confident with a canvas rear bag, don't know right name.

 

[Yorick]

Avoid anything Chinese. Japanese are bullet proof.

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[Geistguy]

I'm old enough to remember when Japanese bikes were considered all "rubbish" - that opinion very quickly changed !

I agree that the first generation ( OK and the second ) Chinese bikes were pretty poor but quality is improving and reliability is pretty good. The worst criticism was how quickly they rusted in bad weather, to be honest how many of us would ride in winter conditions ? Considering most of us will keep our bikes in garages and only ride in decent weather Chinese may be worth considering.

Cheap as chips to buy and spares available and cheap.

 

[MikeD]

Do u want to go off road or just to the shops?

Shops - Japanese - really Honda is the place to look. It will take any amount of abuse and still wash up like new after five years.

Off road - probably Spain, maybe Italy. ps: it will look like crap after five years but still ride well.

 

[peterc10]

We have a Suzuki Address. 100kg and can take 2 up. We don't use it for long trips, or motorways, but great to go 20 or 30 miles on to see the sites.

 

[captainscarlett]

Another vote for the Grom! Not Sure about 2 up though.

 

[Gaston aires]

We have a SYM jet 4 125 comes in at 108 kg and has plenty of power to pull 180 kgs. (see Hetties crew) Had it for years and never missed a beat. Great little scooter.
Much to recommend.
Phil

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[Paul and Jeannette]

I had a chinese Liflan before I retired, 125cc great little scooter only a couple of minor things went wrong but easily fixed. brought it off ebay brand new £400 plus reg and deliver £140 sold it when I retired 4 years later for £280 on ebay. It did rust but to be fair I never cleaned it as it was a means to an end used it in all weathers all year round.
I will give a word of warning about modern scooter/bikes, we have a honda Innova now 125cc and on both the panels are a nightmare to get on and off compared to the simple Honda C90 of which I had many.

 

[TheDogMan]

I had a honda vision.. underpowered, changed it for a Honda SH125 great scooter but I wanted a bit more power so changed it for a Honda SH300, love Honda's but that was a mistake, after 2 years just PX'ed it for a Kawaski J300 which is based on a Kymco Downtown, its 190k BUT I have it in a trailer so weight is not an issue.

 

[csd4t]

Here's mine doing the TT (didn't win though) Ohlins front and back, akraprovic, airbox mods, conti 365 tyres plus a few other trinkets,

can't fault it. Made by Honda in Thailand

 

[Mr Mousy]

Here's mine doing the TT

Daft question ~ do the mods make a real difference to the ride /performance

@csd4t

 

[csd4t]

Absolutely, original suspension is not the best, exhaust weighs a ton, original tyre are useless and I wouldn't dare to think how they performed in the wet. I've had it on the rev limiter in top gear on the descent from the Creg, speedo showing 80mph so probably a true 73-74ish. The tuning parts you can get for these are endless, big bore, 4 valve heads etc etc take a look here https://bikerzbits.com/honda/msx125/
and here http://finbrogarage.com/

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[brianno5]

The Suzuki Address has it all for us, GreatlittleScooter!

 

[Snowbird]

My mate had a Suzuki Van Van that I thought was ideal for a motorhome. Big tyres, and quite a nice looking thing.

 

[vwalan]

My mate had a Suzuki Van Van that I thought was ideal for a motorhome. Big tyres, and quite a nice looking thing.

mind there is also the sky team v-raptor . same bike but different engine and cheaper i believe .
used to see lots of them in spain .http://www.skyteammotorcycles.com/motorcycle-range/vraptor250
heres the 125cc

 

[Stewart J]

Peugeot Kisbee 103cc scooter, dry weight 92kg, 120+mpg, great for shopping trips and local sightseeing 55mph two up on the flat.

 

[airwave]

Another one with a dax . Mine is a 125cc , actually i'm still running it in . Now if ya promise to put your sun glasses on , i'll show ya a pic ,

now i can't honestly say i'm thrilled with the colour either , but that's just a means to an end , it's not a forever colour . The bike itself , well first off it only weighs in at 80 kg , on my van thats a total load of 125 kg on my back axle . Now i can't honestly remember what it take's off the front , but i seem to recall , it was something like 25 kgs , i can look it up if ya want . Yes it is chinese , however it's a copy of an original 70's honda . As you can see it's got a rack , and i've also got some throw over pannier's too . I don't honestly know it's range , but it carries 5.5 ltrs of fuel , and to date , i've travelled just over 70 mile on that , i would expect to go over 100 and a bit more . It's fitted with a low fuel warning light , both electric and kick start , and 12v electric's . To be fair , it's a little strange to ride , rather like a step through , you can't brace your knee against the fuel tank as your sat on the thing , and it's not as gyroscopically stable as a larger wheeled machine , but i've never found that to be a problem upto now , road holding is excellent . As i'm still running the bike in , top speed is at present unrecorded . I've let it go up to a shade over 50 , though i have heard of these thing's hitting the 60 mark .

It sit's on the back of my 6m van quite nicely , 3.5 ton , replated to 3.7 , though i don't carry it regularly , i can't secure it properly just yet , work in progress ya understand . Oh and when i picked it up , it was IN the back of the blue car in the first pic , and that was with a passenger , hah , i kid you not ! .

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