Thanks very much, it is nice to know people like it. I've got something in the offing now that should be really interesting, so hopefully I will be able to scribble some more stuff for your amusement.

It's the reliable pony with the heart of a Shirehorse, the bearing of a pure bred Arab, and the speed of a, er..., um, pot of glue?

Birdy

The only 2 bad things about the CG125 IMHO is the front drum brake in most of the Brazilian CG125s and those bikes are really targeted by thieves in Brazil. Besides that is a really good bike indeed.

BKM,
thank you for giving advice regarding 125 ccm bikes. A friend owned a GN 125 as well and has nothing but praise for it. For the moment I will go with my scooter, though. If I only had the money to buy all the rigs I want to!

Got the funds for riding gear now and am looking to spend ze cash ASAP ... :thumbup1:

Birdy,
always looking forward to reading your comments and writing. That speed comment about the CG125 was a bit depressing, though ... :biggrin:

Raided the closest Polo SuperStore this evening. Got a hot discount on a cold winter night. 425 Euros for everything sounds OK to me. Nice and knowledgable staff, I have never been disappointed when shopping at Polo!

Jacket, boots, pants and new gloves, damn, that stuff is heavy. Maybe I need to leave the beer out of the future luggage and drink locally ...

Hi Pete,

just a quick comment about Yamaha XT225/250 Serows.

My 250 covered 75,000 miles in 3.5 years (before being written off in a hit n run accident). I couldn't afford a new 250 replacement but managed to source a new XT225. The 225 is now 22 months old and has just passed 45,000 miles.

These bikes will go forever, if given regular oil changes and basic maintenance.

They'll cruise fully loaded at 55 to 60 mph, give great fuel economy and will handle the off road elements with ease.

Regards

The Cameraman,

thank you for the hint. I have a soft spot for low ccm bikes and I found myself looking at 250 ccm enduros quite often! Good to know your Yamahas performed so well.

Seems like the supply of new 250 ccm Yamaha enduros dried out in Germany in the early nineties? Still going through mobile.de ...

My moped was a Yamaha DT 50 M and I loved that thing. If I only had the space to store it. Sold it about 15 years ago.

Lots more choice above 125cc
 

Well Pete3, you are moving up a bit in CCs with the small XTs, but I have to agree with The Cameraman - the Serow XT225 is a great small bike with simple mechanics and a low state of tune which should be good for a long engine life, as per Cameramans' experience.
Of course it is not the fastest machine on the road and, personally, I would not want to run mine at up to 60 MPH for too long (major highway work is not it's strength).

It is easy on self maintenance and has very few weak points; it has a very small oil content in the sump so that needs to be monitored closely.
It was never imported into the UK officially (maybe imported officially elsewhere in Europe?) but there are a few around in the UK having been brought here from Japan.
The latest version is now a 250cc capacity and these are also being imported here - they can be found in ebay for example.

Just returning from my shopping trip to the Polo-Store. Bought soft luggage (40 ltr) and a duffle bag (65 ltr) for my scooter. Together with the storage compartment under my seat (ca. 35 ltr) I now have 140 ltr of space!

The round trip itself was awesome. I rode my scooter and I gained so much confidence in my ride. Very capable little machine. It runs well on National Roads (Bundesstrassen), not to mention in the city (Stuttgart). On country roads I´d honestly prefer a motorbike with bigger wheels, but so what.

Still grinning and having a bier!