Good for you, mate. The freedom of two wheels and an engine will soon be yours, and you’ll never look back. Have to say I’ve never heard of this Chinese company, although like Hyosung, I suspect we’ll be seeing a hell of a lot more of them.
You may well be the victim of snobbery as a result of ignorance, but f**k 'em. You won’t find a brand new bike with a year’s warranty for that price from any other manufacturer.
My main worry would be the sell on value, as I’m pretty sure nobody will have a clue what it is. The top speed doesn’t sound much either, even for a 125, but I suspect it’s been restricted, so a bit of tinkering will unlock a few more mph, although this might invalidate the warranty.
Not having to worry about an MOT for three years is a real bonus though.
Have you seen one in the flesh? Would be worth trying to do so. I can’t find any dealers in London, so you might have to travel a bit.
You might well find yourself at the vanguard of the Chinese revolution!
Personally I’d think twice about buying any of the chinese/ malaysian ‘pattern’ bikes. While usually based on older Japanese blueprints the materials used are often substandard and quality control is almost non- existant. While financially they look like a good deal, if you were to spend the equivalent on a secondhand Jap (one of the ones that the chinese are doing the licenced copies of, CG, GS, SR etc), not only would you be buying a more reliable bike despite it’s secondhand-ness, but barring wrecking it you would probably lose much less money on it when you come to re- sell. You get what you pay for at the end of the day, and quality secondhand is always better that cheap and cheerful brand new.
Nick makes a fair point - build quality might well be an issue, which is why you’d do well to have a look yourself, preferably with someone who knows their stuff.
The thing is you’re really testing uncharted territory here, don’t think these bikes have been around long enough in this country for there to be much history.
If you think about it, most of the stuff we buy on a day to day basis is from China anyway, where ever the head office might be, or what the name is on the label. And that’s as true of motorbikes as it is anything else.
Lol joking that looks fairly tidy, but you might have problems when it comes to buying parts etc, it seems like a fairly unknown company and likely that their dealer network is non-existent
not too bothered about reselling losses, the MAIN issue is insurance, and this is the only bike i’ve been offered less than £950 on (been quoted just short of 500)
with 1 year warrenty, and the offer to increase warrenty to 3 years for quite a small price… the manufacturer must have quite a lot of confidence in the bikes… and… its shiny!
Fair point, if it’s the insurance that’s the deciding factor then go for it, the Chinese bikes are always gonna be less nickable than their Jap counterparts. As for the warranty, it’s parts only, not really worth anything on a small single as it’s the labour that will cost you.
I second Nick – steer clear of getting a bike from an unknown chinese company.
While cheap chinese crap is great for stuff like hair dryers you can just chuck in the bin when they break, remember here that a motorcycle failing on you will result in you coming off and possible injury and/or death.
While working at ScooterMan, one of my colleagues had a fancy Chinese 125 he was bragging about, bought brand new. Within two weeks he came off when the front brake seized on the A40 at 40mph and he was lucky not to get seriously hurt.
The bottom line is, spend the extra money and get a genuine Honda CG125. Second hand, if you can’t afford new. They’ll give you decades of service and Honda just rules for quality. Your safety is worth it.
Insurance wise just get a cheap secondhand bike and then just go with 3rd party insurance. Try www.ebikeinsurance.com, they cost less than most.
Don’t get dazzled by a new bike’s shinyness, as it’s your first bike it’s pretty likely it will get dropped, scuffed, and knocked over sooner or later anyhow so again I say go used Honda. You’re very likely to become a Honda fan for life.
As for worrying about reliability, I wouldnt mate. Have you seen how long these bikes last in china! They are all older than most of the bikes you see here and still going strong. Plus they usually have to transport a family of 5 as well! Get out there and enjoy it fella!
Ps dont buy a Mito it spend more time off the road than on it!
which will let you try some off-roading. I can introduce you to some of the green lanes near Croydon, and you can ride to nearby motocross tracks such as Chuchill Farm.
Like the one you suggested it seems to be based on a copy of Suzuki’s GS125 engine which was one of the toughest 125cc engines ever. If it’s only half as good it will be good value.
i will be looking at a few more bikes and insurance companies, but i’m DEFINITLY getting one now, the chinese one is GOOD ENOUGH, if i can find better then… yay until now i hadnt found anything good enough thats cheap enough.
i prefered the 2nd bike there because of the front light >< but perhaps i’ll go for the first one, as it seems far better for off roading.
Congrats on your first bike and all, but like a few other people I would go for a known make with a decent dealer network - Yam, Honda etc, maybe hyosung at a push. A warranty isn’t much good if you don’t have a dealer at least semi-local.
There are loads of cheap CG’s on ebay and loads of cheap parts as well. You don’t want to get your first bike and have to be off the road for ages at the first breakdown cos parts are unavailable.
As for insurance I would second the e-bike advise. They saved me over £800 and I’m a liability - no garage, west london, previous accidents etc.
CBT - I did mine at metropolis and thought they were excellent.
Good luck! It’s a bit of a minefield but there’s plenty of advise going for free round here.
i just got a quote from ebikes for that honda, and its 750 (apposed to the 495 offered to me by Rampdale for the Lifan)… i’ll see what Rampdale quote me on the honda later today
The learner legal honda trail bike is the XR125. Same engine as the CG125.
At this point I should point out that you will need a decent lock and must always use it when you leave the bike. Trail bikes have always been popular among bike thieves.
I am actuallt 2 strokes rock! I used to have access to a KR1S 250 and I loved it so much! Always liked the Mito but always to poor to buy one just to have a go.
Should have got a Mito!! 
