Chinjab
Member
Today was the day!
I finally picked up my CT125.
I'm a bigger fella, 6'2" of old man flabby muscle ... was a bit worried about how this thing would work out. But even if it didn't, I figured I was on the waiting list for so long, someone else would buy it if I didn't like it.
I have to say... it was happily better than I imagined!
Like the rest of us, I have read a few posts here where people complain about this or that, so I was a tad apprehensive.
The dealer sales guy explained the whacky shifter, and I was off. A 100km ride home through twisty country roads, a nice dinner at a roadside cafe, and a few hours later I had 'er home with me.
I figure 2.5+ hours of twisty roads in the rain wearing full leathers gave me a bit of a feel for the bike.
Comfort: Better than my Triumph Scrambler. Seriously. I rode my Scram for 3 weeks across the continent. Spent days in bed after I made it home, it was so gnarly. This bike feels better at the first go. Will be even better with a new seat and a box as a backrest. Main comfort problem seems to be a totally upright seating position with no back support. Easy fix.
Speed: I was surprised. I had two 3-4 minute long stretches on a 90km/h highway where everyone does 115km/h (Canadians know what I'm talking about). While I never once cranked the throttle full on (break in period and all that) I was easily able to keep up in the slow lane. Power was juicier than I thought it would be.
Performance: Very nimble. Like an e-bike with a motor and a heavier chassis. Easy to stand on the pegs and get a stretch in. Snappy enough on the throttle off a light. After an hour I had the shifting down (tip: Hold the shifter in position and rev a bit, and it downshifts are buttery smooth). Very happy with the power of this little cranker. Hit a couple of speed bumps and it crushed them at speed.
Cost: I paid full price with no haggling as I figured I had been waiting for more than a year for it... and this thing is cheap. Maybe like the cheapest adult bike at the dealership. How can ya have this much fun for less money? The guy in the six figure Corvette who passed me... he ain't having this much fun, poor fella.
Attention: I had to take a ferry, and stopped for dinner. Four times people said stuff to me, like, 'hey, nice Hunter" (homeless dude) and "I took one of those to the top of Mount Wherever when I was 18"... blah blah. Seems like a lot of folks remember these bikes from back in the day. Considering I'm coming off a Russian URAL where you can't go anywhere without eyeballs on you, this bike attracted just about the same amount of attention. I was surprised at that.
Next up: This bike is going to be a keeper, so time to add some racks and accessories.
Thanks for all the inspiration fellas.
I finally picked up my CT125.
I'm a bigger fella, 6'2" of old man flabby muscle ... was a bit worried about how this thing would work out. But even if it didn't, I figured I was on the waiting list for so long, someone else would buy it if I didn't like it.
I have to say... it was happily better than I imagined!
Like the rest of us, I have read a few posts here where people complain about this or that, so I was a tad apprehensive.
The dealer sales guy explained the whacky shifter, and I was off. A 100km ride home through twisty country roads, a nice dinner at a roadside cafe, and a few hours later I had 'er home with me.
I figure 2.5+ hours of twisty roads in the rain wearing full leathers gave me a bit of a feel for the bike.
Comfort: Better than my Triumph Scrambler. Seriously. I rode my Scram for 3 weeks across the continent. Spent days in bed after I made it home, it was so gnarly. This bike feels better at the first go. Will be even better with a new seat and a box as a backrest. Main comfort problem seems to be a totally upright seating position with no back support. Easy fix.
Speed: I was surprised. I had two 3-4 minute long stretches on a 90km/h highway where everyone does 115km/h (Canadians know what I'm talking about). While I never once cranked the throttle full on (break in period and all that) I was easily able to keep up in the slow lane. Power was juicier than I thought it would be.
Performance: Very nimble. Like an e-bike with a motor and a heavier chassis. Easy to stand on the pegs and get a stretch in. Snappy enough on the throttle off a light. After an hour I had the shifting down (tip: Hold the shifter in position and rev a bit, and it downshifts are buttery smooth). Very happy with the power of this little cranker. Hit a couple of speed bumps and it crushed them at speed.
Cost: I paid full price with no haggling as I figured I had been waiting for more than a year for it... and this thing is cheap. Maybe like the cheapest adult bike at the dealership. How can ya have this much fun for less money? The guy in the six figure Corvette who passed me... he ain't having this much fun, poor fella.
Attention: I had to take a ferry, and stopped for dinner. Four times people said stuff to me, like, 'hey, nice Hunter" (homeless dude) and "I took one of those to the top of Mount Wherever when I was 18"... blah blah. Seems like a lot of folks remember these bikes from back in the day. Considering I'm coming off a Russian URAL where you can't go anywhere without eyeballs on you, this bike attracted just about the same amount of attention. I was surprised at that.
Next up: This bike is going to be a keeper, so time to add some racks and accessories.
Thanks for all the inspiration fellas.
