Gilera Cougar 125

have had the 2001 one for 3,5 year (apprx. 7,5 kkm done) bought used with pretty high mileage (36 kkm). No serious faults - there is some electrical breakdown casue sometimes engine stops working at random. But quick pressing ignition button starts it again. In winter time I will review the electric circuit to find the fault. Apart from that rides well, easily revs up to 100 km/h cruise speed when needed - it is economical (2,8 l/100 km) and comfortable. I recommend that to any beginner of mid-advanced rider to use as a daily commuter or just sunday ride bike.

does anyone have a wiring diagram for the cougar as I can not find one anywhere if so email me

the block what i want is 125 or 180 please

Bought this as my first motorbike as an upgrade from a scooter at the end of October 2011 and have owned the bike for 2 and a half months now.

2 weeks in and the first cold day of the year the bike wouldn't turn over, applied the choke briefly which then stopped the ignition switch from firing. this was the beginning of a series of problems with the bike.

Took it to a garage and they replaced the starter motor. the bike worked relatively well apart from cutting out frequently between gear changes, refusing to tick over every time the bike needed turning on and backfiring on numerous occasions, scaring the s*** out of me!

After changing the spark plug and oil the bike still refused to work properly apart from on rare occasions when it ran smooth (once or if i'm lucky twice a week), THE GREATEST FEELING since the first 2 weeks of owning it.

However a month down the line the bike begins revving uncontrollably, to the point where stopping at a light involves switching between easing on and off the clutch and heavy break application to stop it taking off on its own accord. The side panels then dropped off somewhere along the road from Chester to Wrexham exposing the battery which seems to be a common problem with the bike.

Another trip to the garage revealed that on inspection the float in the carburetor was plastic (i would seriously recommend buying a new one upon purchasing or your guaranteed to run in to problems down the line) but the underlying problem was the electronic control unit. after changing both the ECU and the carburetor the bike runs smoothly... once you get the blighter running.

Further problems are also apparent-the chrome on the exhaust has bubbled and i am now looking at a new exhaust already. Break pads wear down pretty fast. It's almost impossible to find side panels once they have fallen off. there is no where to fit a 'L' plate if your a learner. Ends of the handle bars have dropped off and so have a few other little bits of trimming. i am yet to partake in a long-haul journey but I wouldn't recommend it as i don't think the bikes Yamaha YBR chinese engine copy can handle it - over heating may be a common problem.

Aside from all this when the bike runs it runs well, good acceleration - getting up to 70 Mph on straight. full tank costs around £16 and can get just under 200 miles (however i am only about 9.4 stone). pretty low center of gravity giving it reasonable handling capabilities. one of the best looking 125 cruisers i have seen (in my opinion). extremely comfy thanks to the leather Harley-look-alike seat particularly when compared with a Yamaha SR. After a 20 Mph crash due to wet mud on a bend in the road i would say its pretty robust too, picked it up and road off bar a few scratches, running smoothly.

In conclusion a comfy little run around/commuter bike,which is good for learner drivers and very economic but will require a fair amount of maintenance and care too keep it running relatively well but for the price (which i saw at around £800+ for a half decent one) you could get a better bike.. I should have bought a Yamaha YBR but the relationship i have developed with my bike over all the hardship is second to none and i love it! just make sure you point your love in the right direction and get a better bike!!!! hope you find this helpfull! -callum.

Okay first things first: The Gilera Coguar (yeah that's the actual spelling) isn't a great bike. But neither is a bad one. It looks good, has an excellent engine and has served me well.

However all the negative things you may have read are also true. The finish is poor and the chrome paint crumbles away rather rapidly leaving a rather ugly result. The electrics are a joke and every time I get it serviced (I like to do this every three months) something electrical gets fixed too. Finally the parts are indeed a nightmare to get hold of and always rather expensive.

The bad points out of the way let's celebrate what is good. Firstly it's surprisingly quick. The stories about it cruising at 75mph are unfortunately a little untrue as the top speed is, as you'd expect from a 125cc cruiser, somewhere around the low 60s but any faster than that on a naked bike is going to mean you're going to get blown about like crazy anyway.

It also looks and sounds really good. I always had nods from other cruisers as I rode the roads of South Wales and many times I also had the joy of dads with their kids coming up to ask what kind of bike had come and parked up next to them. People are always stunned when they discover it's just a 125cc!

To conclude it's a bike that I've loved dearly and thoroughly enjoyed to ride. It isn't, however, a shining example of build quality so loses in every way to the far superior Honda Shadow. But then who cares? It's much cheaper and a perfect starter bike for a future hog rider.

I bought the cougar for my wife as a first learner bike for a very reasonable price. reliability at first was great although the overall appearance of the bike was let down somewhat by the poor quality chromework (bubbles, flaking and alluminum oxide showing through, especially on the rear grab rails, exhaust very quick to rust) a few lights started blowing but this was easily sorted by cleaning and tightening connections. more recently there was an intermittent fault with the engine, an obvious electrical fault but difficult to track down. finally traced it to the very poorly placed electronic ignition box, under the tank and below the frame. was affected by water ingress, and as it's a sealed unit a bit tricky to sort. dried all the connections thoroughly and treated with wd40 then sealed it with vaseline. i then relocated the unit to alongside the rectifier above, sideways on and less prone to water and road spray (secured with tie wraps). all seems fine now. also i read on here that parts were difficult to locate but had no problem getting chain and sprocket set from a local bike shop and found them very helpful too. hope this review helps anyone experiencing similar problems. other than these minor issues a great starter bike and my wife loves it!

I have bought my Gilera 125 3 months ago.Since that moment,i've had only troubles without solutions.Sometimes pieces of chrome parts fall,and the engine runs very badly.It turns off often and there is not enough power to get on an hill with a speed of 35mph.It is too heavy but when you sit on it,it seems a sofa!comfortable and very good-looking,I recommend it for people who want to learn to ride because if you can ride this washing machine,all the other bikes will be a dream!

Talking from experience i have had several lower cc bikes and this one has to be my favourite so far.

I have had a Gilera Cougar for just over a year and have found it a great bike to learn on. They aren't as nippy as a Honda CG 125 around the town but they are a cruising bike and get up to higher speeds on the open roads i.e.75mph (with the wind in the right direction) which isn ' t bad for a 125 and unlike the CG which could only manage about 60. They are very comfortable to ride and have the feel of a bigger bike and look great. Parts are harder to get hold of but with a good bit of searching you can usually find what you are looking for, and easy to fix yourself too. I have used mine all year round and has never let me down (except for when I forget to put petrol in). I found the Cougar even started a lot easier in winter than the newer bikes. Generally I found the Cougar a great choice.

I had nothing but trouble whn i bought this Gilera Cougar 125 biike, the speedo was broken and it seems to be impossible to get hold of a new one, the electrics went weird on me, aat times when i was accelerating it would randomly put itself into neutral which could be very scarey if you had been keeping up with the cars around you ( i dont know how fast i was going when it did that because i never managed to get a working speedo!) i bought this bike after doing my cbt to learn on and ive now had to give up for the time being because in the end it just stopped turning on and as a beginner i didnt even know where to begin fixing that so i gave up and sold it on, im now looking for a more reliable learner bike. The other thing about it was that it was incredibly heavy and very hard to move, if it fell over ( which it did once in high wind...) you really need two people to pick it up again!

It looked goodand is short which is good if your quite small