Hello. I am thinking of ditching the ever more expensive train for a scooter to take me to work. Its a 40 mile round trip per day. Would a 125cc be able to cope with that, on mainly 30-40 mph roads. Can anybody recommend a good 2nd hand make, which would be reliable and fairly cheap to run. I appreciate any advice, thanks
Depending on budget, a Honda Pantheon would be a good match for your needs.
(Just posted a longer answer to this question on another forum, BTW)
I suggest dropping by Maxi-Muppets too. www.maxi-muppets.co.uk
Its traditional round here as a newbie to intraduce yourself in the Newbies part of the forum. However to answer your question, why stop at a scooter. Do your CBT on a geared bike then buy a 125CC bike. More responsive and will hold it’s value longer than a scooter.
I recomend a Honda CBF125 or Honda CG
It doesn’t mater what you do your CBT on - geared or auto - there is only one CBT.
As for a geared bike - a Pantheon/X9/X8/Burgman etc etc will all be more comfortable, have more storage, provide more weather protection and have more road presence (and will probably perform better) than any geared 125. They are also much easier to ride in heavy traffic.
Apologies for not introducing myself, i didnt know the etiquette. Im David, and Im a newbie from London.
thanks for your advice. Although in future I might progress to something a bit more impressive than a scooter, for the time being (and until I know whether its my preferred choice of transport) i would rather have a scooter, as I can’t afford the full bike license I think.
I support the scooter versus geared bike. If you are a newbie to 2 wheels and really only going to use the bike for commuting, then a scooter is a no-brainer.You want the least fuss with regards to riding the machine and so more brain power to keeping your wits about you and maintaining situational awareness. My scooter, a Peugeot Satelis, has linked ABS brakes as well the auto box. Therefore the major controls (setting aside indicators, horn etc) are thus:
Right hand = Go.
Left hand = Stop.
No mucking about with clutch, gears and all that rubbish. Just twist and go, as they say.
If you get the biking bug, you can always get a crotch-rocket for fun later on. But keep the scoot for commuting.
Thanks Big Pug, they were my thoughts too really. I would probably be scared out of my wits first few rides, and would end up all fingers, thumbs and feet if i had to change gears.
I had a Suzuki Burgman 125 to commute on when I was on L plates and loved it, I didn’t even need a topbox, I could fit my lid, jacket and gloves all under the seat.
The only thing is you tend to pick up a few bad habits on a scoot that are hard to get rid of when you come to take your test later on.
If you go for a Burgman go for a later fuel injected one, as the earlier carb models were prone to cutting out!
I would say do your CBT on a geared bike (so you know what they’re like), then get cheap second hand scoot and try it out for a couple of months. You’ll see how you’ll like it. Maybe you’ll want a bigger scoot, or a big bike, small geared bike … So don’t spend too much on your first.
I personally loved my Vespa PX125 as a first “bike” (and PX200 after that). It’s got loads of character and is fun but it’s an “old school” 2-stroke geared scoot, so not as “practical” as the modern twist and go.
Before you do the actual commute it is worth doing a couple of dry runs when the roads are quiet - say a summer sunday evening or early morning. That will help a lot when you do it for real. Also expect a long commute to be very tiring for the first few weeks but it gets much easier and ends up less tiring than public transport.
good advice Giuliano. I have tried to imagine what a 20 mile journey might be like on a scooter, and I can guess its would be both physically and mentally tiring until I get used to it. So a dry run would be the best thing to do, just to get an idea of the journey.
Any other tips?
cheers
Try and pick as simple a route as possible at first, you can always refine it later. If you drive you could do the route in the car on a Sunday, to see the lie of the road.
Don’t try and keep up with others, ride at your own speed. Just try not to get in the way of others who may be in a rush!
If at first you are not happy filtering - don’t. It will come to you. But again, make sure you do not block filtering lines for others.
Keep out of the gutter, and sit approximately mid-way out from the kerb, ensuring you keep an arms length away from parked cars.
Watch out for cyclists and pedestrians - especially ones with earphones!
If you are riding on L-plates own your bit of road do not ride in the gutter as people will pass you not always politely.
If you start to feel confident enough to filter but need some help; when a big bike passes you jump in its slip stream and see what they do but if doing this remember still to make your own decisions- just because a big bike took a gap does not mean it is safe or wise or big enough for you to do so.
I fell into that trap, my scoot may be narrower than bigger bikes but my mirrors are at the exact same height as all cars’ and vans’ so I have to judge ever gap for myself.
Enjoy it, all the talk of being careful and riding can be tiring is important but dont let it put you off, when done safely riding is great fun. 
Not too much experince with second hand scoots but if you go with a proper make (honda, vespa, piaggio ect.) then you may have to pay a few more £s but you should have an easier life.
Thanks for all the advice. I am more convinced about getting a scooter now. Ive read about how dangerous it can be, but like any form of transport, without proper awareness of the road accidents can happen. I have ridden a cycle through London now for 10 years, so i have some idea of the dangers posed to ‘smaller’ road users.
thanks again for all the advice. Ive taken it all on board.
Sorry, but any recommendations about where to buy 2nd scooters? Ive looked on ebay. Any other ideas?
thanks
Scooters in Fulham have lots of 2nd hand scooters that used to belong to Italian business men who have left town.
As for a recommendation a Honda PS125 is the only one I’ve ever ridden and it’s an absolute riot. I prefer it to my bike around town. You can get very competitive finance too. It does come with a sanity bypass free of charge though so beware of that.
It will do 0 - 30 faster than almost anything and the centrifugic clutch ensures a great launch every time. I got 65 flat out and about a million miles to a tank.
Can totally recommend the ps125i. I’ve had one for a year and a half and it is great for londons traffic as well as zipping to the shops and parking it anywhere. Has never gone wrong ever, cheapish to service and petrol is £5-6 for 100 plus miles. Then there is the ride and chuckability, quick acceleration and beaming headlight which gives this scoot real presence. Also I notice that all ps125 owners nod to each other in some strange mystic way as they all know what a great scoot it is. Only downside is storage but buy a big topbox and your sorted.
just a shame that it does not have a bigger engine otherwise I would stick with it (am buying sh300i later this year) and i will miss it quite alot sob sob
I do like the look of the PS125. And i very much like the look of the Xevo…
I (well my GF mainly) have the PS its brilliant… (as i have posted a number of time - do a search 
)
What sort of life span do 125’s have? Bearing in mind its going to be doing 40-odd miles a day, 5 days a week. I realise it will depend on regular servicing and maintenance? Are they easy to service and maintain yourself?
And yes, you can gather I know absolutely diddly-squat about bikes?