Hi all,

I'm seventeen years old and after almost a year on four wheels (all the time saving like a miser) I'm looking at getting my licence and buying my first bike.

After factoring in the costs of insurance and safety gear, I'm looking at spending as close to 3,500 as possible, and certainly not a cent over 4 grand.

From my brief forays into bikesales, the trading post and other online sites it seems that the 250s generally touted as being the best (ie, quickest) like the kawa gpx or zzr 250s and anything with a honda badge on it, are ridiculously overinflated simply because they're in demand.

As a result I'd been looking at low kilometre examples of suzuki gn 250s and older hondas (cm 250s and older cb 250s) until the honda cbr 125r caught my eye. I'm not such a hot blooded teenager that i'd spend an extra 2,000 for an extra 2 horsepower and I like the idea of having a bike that's a bit newer than most of the others in my price range.I also read that they were the best selling motorbike across the board in 2007, and judging by the number I see around (I go to sydney university and every second student owned bike seems to be a 125r) it seems plausible, so honda must be doing something right.

Unfortunately a lot of people on motorbike forums treat the cbr 125r as a scooter with a clutch - fine for pootling around the burbs or biding your time until you get your first downpayment on that 600, but useless at best and potentially dangerous on the open road. Considering that my most frequent trips to work, uni and some friends' places take me onto the motorway for half hour to forty five minute long stretches, would a 125 be able to withstand regular highway use at sane speeds without needing expensive repairs?

Thanks in advance for your help.