Advice needed on downsizing.

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.Ashley.

.Ashley.

Member
Joined
May 14, 2014
Messages
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Location
Northern Territory
Hello everyone :)

I'm a beginner rider and have only been on 3 short rides, I still can't ride a bike properly.
My current bike is a freebie TTY 150, and I'm finding that it's REALLY heavy and a bit too powerful for me. So I'm looking to downsize to a 125cc.

I know from reading through the forum that most of you would warn against buying cheap bikes online, but I'm unsure of whether I'm going to be able to learn to ride (I'm having issues with gearing down) and I have a very small budget.
I'm about 5"2 or 159cm tall, fairly skinny and have zero upper body strength :p so I'm not doing too well with my current bike.

I know this is one of the cheapest bikes, price and quality-wise that you could possibly get, but my question to you is if this bike is worth it? I want something lighter and less powerful to learn to ride on, and I'm also interested in learning how to fix my bike myself when anything goes wrong with it.

Instead of just shooting it down, if you could give me any pros and cons I would really appreciate it :)

Here's the link:
Red 125CC Dirt Bike

And the thumbnail is my 150 :)
 

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I'd stick with the bike you've got matey

it will take a bit of time but as you get more experiance you will get used to the power.
as for going down gears what issue's can you have? as long as your using the clutch and have decent body position you should be right. jump on you tube there's heaps of how to ride tutorials, cornering, brakeing and so on.
here's something for ya my 9yo son rides a ktm 65 he can use all the power yet but he does get it up into band and gets into it. and the power of the 65 scares me it's got punch.

have fun
 
Yeah that 125 is a big step down in quality! If you're after a downsize look into getting a new 125 motor...should be able to get one for about $350. Probably your best option as you can sell or keep the 150 motor for about the same money as the 125 will cost you! I doubt that bike in the photo looks anything like it actually does in real life looks like that motor is a Daytona copy....never seen a 125 that looks like that! You'll get better at riding just takes time on the bike.

As far as riding spots if you're in Darwin out the back of the army base there are thousands of tracks...didn't ride we were chasing pigs,but there were bikes and 4wds everywhere! Although take a GPS we almost got lost its a pretty large area there!!

Sent from my WT19i using Tapatalk
 
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Thanks for the replies :)

coolmodee, I'm having issues with knowing when to rev and when to gear down, I'm not very good at all with being able to hear where the engine's at, and what gear I should be in when I'm slowing down. So I usually just stall it when I'm going through a corner or rough spot on the track. But I think I'll definitely take your advice and watch some tutorials :)
I know what you mean with the power. My throttle got jammed on thanks to a dodgy handgrip and took my confidence down a few notches.

stoozo, I'm actually not really keen on the bike that I have at all, frame or engine. It weighs a tonne compared to a friends atomik 140, and is bigger all over.
I'm not sure how much I'll get into riding, so I wanted to buy something cheap just in case and then upgrade later.
Do you mean you've never seen a 125 engine that looks like that, or the frame? It's pretty funny how obviously they ripped off thumpstar, and I literally can't find any information on these thumbstars at all :p
And do you mean the RAAF base? Are you allowed out there? I'm thinking of going out this weekend or next weekend.

So is the general consensus no to the thumbstar? I understand it's the cheapest quality bike you could get, but would it be ok to learn on, especially if I don't plan on doing jumps? Or just a straight up no, and try to save for something more expensive?
 
.Ashley. said:
Thanks for the replies :)

coolmodee, I'm having issues with knowing when to rev and when to gear down, I'm not very good at all with being able to hear where the engine's at, and what gear I should be in when I'm slowing down. So I usually just stall it when I'm going through a corner or rough spot on the track. But I think I'll definitely take your advice and watch some tutorials :)
I know what you mean with the power. My throttle got jammed on thanks to a dodgy handgrip and took my confidence down a few notches.

stoozo, I'm actually not really keen on the bike that I have at all, frame or engine. It weighs a tonne compared to a friends atomik 140, and is bigger all over.
I'm not sure how much I'll get into riding, so I wanted to buy something cheap just in case and then upgrade later.
Do you mean you've never seen a 125 engine that looks like that, or the frame? It's pretty funny how obviously they ripped off thumpstar, and I literally can't find any information on these thumbstars at all :p
And do you mean the RAAF base? Are you allowed out there? I'm thinking of going out this weekend or next weekend.

So is the general consensus no to the thumbstar? I understand it's the cheapest quality bike you could get, but would it be ok to learn on, especially if I don't plan on doing jumps? Or just a straight up no, and try to save for something more expensive?
Click to expand...

Not entirely sure I think its out the back of where they do the tank training....could be the raaf base it was near some mango farms and a bit passed Palmerston....

Yeah that 125 looks strange,you want to go for a bike that is modern and common so parts are easy to find!! Definitely look at the atomik pit bikes...they have some good ones! If you're a bit hesitant on gears etc maybe look at a semi auto 110cc so you only have to worry about brakes and throttle and as you get more riding time you'll naturally want to upgrade back onto something bigger!

Have you tried to sell the 150 up there? Should be able to get $500-$600 for it then you only need another $100 or so to get yourself a new atomik or pitpro...

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Oh ok, I'll have look on Google Maps, was thinking about going out near the quarry out that way anyway.

There's only one store up here that I know of that sells pit bikes other than Hondas. I won't name the store, but they were selling 125cc pit pros for around $1,400 which I thought was a bit overpriced? So I think online will be the way to go for me. But after going through the forum people seem to not like pitpro? What would be the best 125 to get online with around $1000 as my limit?

I was actually thinking of keeping the 150 in the hopes that I would get confident enough to ride it, plus it has a bit of sentimental value, so I'm not quiiite ready to let it go yet :)
Hence the serious consideration of a $480 dollar bike :p
 
ATOMIK mate they should ship to NT!!! Good 125s with perimeter frames!! They're really good bikes!!

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That and check out a guy who races supercross called Phillipoto....he is pretty skinny ;-)

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Yeah I was keen on a Nitrous a while back, so I asked them about shipping and it was $300.
Is there much difference between the Fuse and the Nitrous? I did alright on a borrowed Nitrous on my first ride until the carby decided to ruin the ride back :p
You mean Ryan Villopoto? Or an Australian rider?
 
.Ashley. said:
Yeah I was keen on a Nitrous a while back, so I asked them about shipping and it was $300.
Is there much difference between the Fuse and the Nitrous?
You mean Ryan Villopoto? Or an Australian rider?
Click to expand...

yeah villopoto...thats the one

probably not a whole lot but you still have gears...maybe a 110 semi auto, not sure I think a couple of the atomiks are auto 125s...not sure who is going good Chinese 110s...
 
We have a semi auto 90cc for my 10 year old, he's already about 155cm and weighs about 50kg.... Runs good, it also is an easy bike for us to jump on when mines in pieces as it is at the moment, I'm just under 100kg and it gets me around pretty good. I reckon you would def be better off going for a semi auto rather than a 125cc if you're having trouble with gears. I haven't seen much around that is bigger than 110cc in a semi though.... But like I said, the 90cc is pretty good. I think it was an xmotos 90cc when it was original, it now runs on a bigger, heavier more durable frame....


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I dunno stoozo, he doesn't look skinny to me :p
I didn't realise that they didn't really do the semi-autos in higher ccs, bit disappointing. And yeah, I went to look at a completely auto 125cc atomik nitrous a while ago, but the guy had clearly thrashed it and tried to fix it over and over again. He'd even fitted a piece of bent pvc pipe to the carby as the "air filter".

Rikchick, your son is almost as tall as me, and heavier than me already haha. If it puts me wanting something smaller to learn on into perspective, I'm 159cm tall and I weigh around 45kg, all growing is done unfortunately :p
The main reason I wanted a 125 was because my partner has a big wheel 140 and I want to be able to keep up. I might look into getting a 110, but a 125 would be preferable as I probably won't feel the need to upgrade from that.

Thanks my67xr, haven't seen those ones. Actually looks pretty nice, apart from the huge wheels :p Should have mentioned I'm after a 4up gear pattern.

Thank you all for the replies, you've given me a lot of information and a fair bit to consider :) Unfortunately the company I work for has decided to shut down, so it miiight be unwise to go adding to my collection right now haha. Might have to wait a few months and stick it out with the bike I have for the moment :)
 
Not everyone has insatiable power hunger like you Stu!!

I'd agree though keep riding it and you should start to get better and you'll get used to the power eventually of the 125....everything takes practice.

I remember someone saying to me when I first got on a bike, your right side is brakes your left side is gears. That was about it!!

I guess just dont ride beyond your limits(you shouldn't ever do that anyways unless there is a lot of prize money on the line), maybe set up a practice area or something next time you go riding(or in the back yard). Might sound a bit lame but something like a slalom through cones or bushes, then a flat out bit to get you into 3rd gear, then back to the slalom.

If you set it up, think about what gear you can take the corners etc while you set it up. Then compare that to reality. Just practicing tight turns and going up from 1st to 2rd and back down again from the slalom to a flat out section, all you really need to do is get the gearing functions set into muscle memory so you will just do it automatically instead of having to think about it. It all comes back to practice and riding time. Pretty much just make yourself something similar to the driver training course to get your bike L's. Thats all mostly slow speed and gearing....practice practice practice. Its unfortunate about hte company you work for, but sounds like you'll get a bit more free time to ride :thumbup:
 
stoozo said:
Not everyone has insatiable power hunger like you Stu!!
Click to expand...

its not just about power, the torque the 150 gives you allows you to use far lower revs and just tractor around the trails. come across a steep hill you think is a little out of your league? easy solved, chuck it in second, and just gently cruise up it. once you learn that YOU control the throttle no matter how much power you have then anything becomes ride-able, the fun then comes in learning to use all that power with confidence :)
 
gottagetacheaperhobby said:
its not just about power, the torque the 150 gives you allows you to use far lower revs and just tractor around the trails. come across a steep hill you think is a little out of your league? easy solved, chuck it in second, and just gently cruise up it. once you learn that YOU control the throttle no matter how much power you have then anything becomes ride-able, the fun then comes in learning to use all that power with confidence :)
Click to expand...

Actually yeah I didnt think about that at all, you're correct, I was doing that a bit on the 160 at Morgan, kept expecting it to stall putting around in second but I only stalled it twice all weekend iirc....that was mostly being gentle on the throttle after seeing Chops almost go ass up being a little to keen with it!! That kind of why I'm liking the 125 atm in the lighter bike, can rev it as hard as I like and not have to worry about going over the back!!

The NT is generally pretty damn flat....not sure about how many 'steep' hills you'd be able to find, I'm still thinking flat ground an half a day of gear up gear down through slalom rinse and repeat, just to lock those muscle movements into the old brain box so you dont have to think about it anymore. Then just worry about not going to fast into tight corners!! :thumbup:

Heard you finally got your manifold or what ever it is coming....geez I'm kinda annoyed I was out last night...that guy sounded like a right twat!
 
yeah the carby is in the mail supposedly, but he didnt like what was said about him and decided to mouth everyone he could.

i forget that its flat up there, i only have to ride for 5 minutes to find some intricate hill climbs lol. the slalom would definitely be the best one then :)
 
Haha, yeah a 125 would be plenty powerful enough for me. Can't say I have the need for speed :p didn't think about the lower revs part though either. Thanks for the hill climb advice, I'll definitely keep it in mind if I ever come across one :)

That's actually a really good idea stoozo :) wonder if my Mum would appreciate me setting up a slalom in the driveway haha. That's definitely my issue at the moment, the true beginner part of it all and having what seems like so many things to do at once, but it's really not in the end, just like a car :)
Definitely flat up here, more than flat in most areas really. Nothing like a bit of muddy water to cool your legs down hey? :p
 
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