Dancing the Polka

(Editor’s note: This article was written from the archives in 2013, right at the beginning of my motorcycling journey. If you are currently agonising over whether to buy a 125cc learner bike or hold out for something bigger, this is exactly what went through my head.)

Not long into the motorcycle-obsession journey a person starts mentally cataloging which bike he or she wants. No doubt I’m quite common in this: when I run through those daydreams I find myself with a list of motorcycles. Indeed, part of the fun is constantly rearranging a particular bike’s place on that list.

I like organising things. Yeah, ladies: I know how to party.

You get what I mean. In the throes of motorcycle excitement you’re not going to set your mind on just one bike. Especially if, like me, you’re keen to take a staggered approach to motorcycling proficiency. Like a high school kid rating girls, I have my eye on machines of all sizes and styles. One of the first bikes to catch my fancy was a Yamaha YBR125 Custom.

I’m a practical fella. I didn’t always used to be. But one day, in my late 20s, I found myself driving the speed limit and realising that an honest assessment of limitations can actually help me accomplish goals. As such, I’m honest enough with myself to know I am not going to be awesome first time I get on a motorcycle. Sure, I may like the look and sound of a Victory but getting on one at this stage would almost certainly result in death, serious injury and/or unceasing ridicule from friends. Better to start small.It doesn’t get much smaller than a 125. That’s the bike on which people are first trained in the UK. Manageable and forgiving, a 125 is ideal for learning but has, too, all the power one really needs for getting around a European city.

“That’s what I’ll do,” I told myself. “I’ll get a 125, ride it until I’m totally confident, then move up.”

Why Yamaha’s 125 is a good idea

Because of the way UK licensing works, the 125 is a popular class, and there are a number of super-cheap options. But with low price comes questionable quality, and I’m not exactly renown for my mechanical ability. So, I found myself gravitating toward the Japanese big four. Price ruled out some bikes, and looks some others. Eventually, I settled on the YBR125 Custom.

Yamaha’s website says it’s got a “genuine American cruiser look.” That’s ambitious. To me, it’s got the neutral feel of a bike that doesn’t really say anything about the rider. It’s not a statement, which is exactly what I want from a utilitarian machine.

The bike is relatively affordable, has good reviews and is known to be reliable – probably all I’d need for getting around in Cardiff.

The problem with 125cc bikes: Hills and passengers

But I’ve decided I don’t want it. A 125 may be a tad small. In those reviews I’ve read, there is acknowledgment the bike doesn’t like hills. So, any attempt to take it beyond city limits might be less than enjoyable. I worry, too, that even within city confines it might not be happy on occasions I have a passenger.

I don’t know, though. Maybe I’m buying too much into the idea that big engines are always good. Maybe I don’t need anything bigger. And maybe, just maybe, if the price is right, I’ll end up getting one anyway.

(Spoiler alert: It didn’t happen. Here’s the bike that I actually ended up buying)

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