Sukida Pharoah SK125

i bought this bike in 2008 off ebay, brand new for £400 otr, with the intention of using in as backup transport, if my car broke down etc, but after riding it for the first couple of weeks, i use it nearly every day, rain,sun,snow to go tho work on as its a lot easier than sitting in traffic. Before i bought this bike i used to own a GSXR750 SRAD, but couldnt ride it anymore due to a wrist injury. so bought thr pharaoh to keep my insurance going as well.

I have now had this bike for just over 3 years and it has only let me down once when the side stand switch shorted so wouldnt start, thats the only problem i had with it.

I have ridden this bike to work and back through some very bad weather including snow, and never had any problems breaking down (apart from the switch)

the original exhaust had to be replaced for the mot, thats the only thing it needed.

A bit of the chrome has got surface rust on it, and in places its a but pitted, but i think most bikes would be after 3 bad winters riding.

i do approx 70-80 miles a week, and a tankful lasts 2 weeks, bike has now covered 6000kms.

the other reviewer must have had a duffer, because i cannot praise my little bike high enough.

Fantastic little commuter

I was looking for a small bike to commute to work on with fuel costs being what they are. Anyway after looking around I saw this bike advertised for just £575 brand new, far cheaper than most usable secondhand Japanese 125's. Also saw that it was a CG 125 clone, a bullet proof little bike that I have always had a soft spot for.

Don't be to focused on the sticker price though as there will be around a £100 for delivery, unless you pick it up yourself, after that it will be a further £55 to register it with the DVLA plus £16 for you first years Road TAX. So that gives a total of £746 plus you will have to insure it before you can actually register it and that will be higher as only a few insurers will insure an unregistered bike. My insurance was £179 so plus £746 gave me a running total of £925 which is still pretty dam cheap to be on the road on a brand new 125 bike. But it is a lot more than the original price of £575, not complaining just saying that if this is a path you chose be aware of the extras that do mount up.

The bike itself arrived in a box and metal frame and true to the companys word it took me approximately 2 hours to assemble it.

So far I have covered just over a 1000 kilometers on the bike and have serviced it twice (300k and 1000K) and spent around £20 on parts. I have had two small failures, one indicator broke and needed a small repair at the cost of a self tapping screw and I lost the bolt that holds the speedo cable into the front hub, again it cost a small cable tie to sort that out.

Generally I am pleased with the bike, it is very cheap to run, 103 mpg, and service. I would say though that I can see that the quality of the bike is not on a par with many Japanese machines and will need proactive maintenance and ownership to ensure its longevity and reliability. Having said that though half the third world ride these things so they certainly can be reliable if looked after.

Another thing to be aware of is that the bike comes very low geared and will rev out at around 50 mph, its a simple enough fix to by a larger front sprocket to raise the gearing and should only cost around £5 but it is something to be mindful of. Oh and even after doing that 60 mph is about tops, it is only a ohv 4 stroke 125 after all, this is never going to be a speed machine, that is just not its ethos.

I am generally very pleased with the bike, if you go into the purchase with open eyes and don't expect the quality and level of service you would get with a £3000+ Japanese bike you won't be disappointed.

When you first start riding the Sukida Pharoah SK125 you will think, 'Wow £500, brand new, bargain!' It feels like a very sturdy, reasonably fast 125cc learner bike. The brakes are fairly responsive, the clutch and engine seem fine. Give it 5-7 months and the thing will have cost you twice what you paid for it in repair costs alone. My electrics went first, then the spokes on the tires starting 'pinging' off. The housing for the back brake split, the bearings in the back wheel ceased, the electrics went AGAIN!, the electric starter stopped working........ I could go on. My most recent problem is the clutch plates have gone! It does look like quite a nice bike. All in all I found this bike to be a nightmare.