Superbyke SBS125

Hi All,

Ok brought this bike in 2008 off a dealer in West Sussex, the bike have been used almost every day and i have clocked over 7k miles on it. It has only let me down once in very heavy rain when it refused to start until the battery had been removed. As a learner bike is great will take you from A to B as quick as a car will. However it will struggle to get to 65mph and if you are riding into a strong head wind you may only get 55/60mph out of it. Build quality is the real down side to this bike, cheap plastic which becomes weak quickly, cheap instruments and switches, Rust eating every part of metal which is exposed to air, strong vibrations over 4500rpm right up to it 8500rpm.

Good Points:

£17.51 of fuel will give you between 350/400miles.

Big frame so looks larger than a number of 125cc eg CBR125 (2004/2010)

Easy to ride and very comfortable to ride for 30/50miles.

Can be easily worked on by someone with no real bike knowledge & has a work stand.

Bad Points:

First Service Cost: £228 due to engine timing and running revs being incorrectly setup from factory.

Engine take over 10mins to warm up and requires a number of choke changes over this time.

To get over 50mph engine has to almost red line.

Alarm system when activated shorts out battery in wet conditions "never have it turned on"

Dashboard display "gear, speed, revs & fuel" simple analog displays which are all out by 10% to 15%.

Finally "Servicing the bike is a real pain in the ass, although spare parts can be obtained easily no service center wants to look at it due to being a chines bike"

But all in all, its still working and have never let me down other than that one time with the battery & not to forget this bike was only £1099.99 brand new in 2008. & only cost me £700 as a first bike you cant really go wrong.

RadeonPira

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excellent fuel consumption. Structurally sound. Pulls heavy weight easilly, great commuter.

The SBS 125 is one of the new Chinese imports that are imitating the popular cg125, and attempting to fill the market now that Honda have discontinued that model.

The SBS is one of the cheapest new 125s on the market, tipping the scales at £1095. At first they were difficult to come across, but there are now dealers springing up across the country. The bike is aimed at the new communter, or at those who are restricted to 125cc's until they have passed their full test.

The bike is relatively light, weighing in at 118kg, with a low seat height, which gives the new rider confidence. The control are light, and in particular, the clutch is a breeze to operate, and the gears move smoothly. At first there was some stiffness, but this has to be expected in a new machine, and soon fades with use. The bike is quoted in the sales brochures as being capable of 65mph (approx), which I have yet to see. I have managed a 62mph with both the wind and the road in my favour, but in realistic terms you are not likely to get more that 50-55 out of the machine during commuting on normal roads.

The petrol consumption is very good - less than the manufacturers confidence estimate of 120mpg, but still a safe 90-100mpg depending on how hard (or inefficiently) the bike is ridden. Unfortunately only a 12 litre petrol tank was allocated to the machine - it could have done with a little more.

Road handling is good - the bike is well balanced and will take nice wide corners happily, although you can't expect lean angles like the true racers. The steering is light and responsive, although I have experienced a couple of wobbles if taking a corner a little to quick.

The bike is under-powered. At 10hp, it could have done with either more horses, or an additional gear. Aimed as it is at the commuter, it will happily spring from 25mph to 35mph, as quickly as any other road user, but begins to tire on open roads that require you to accelerate beyond the 40mph - 45mph mark.

In all - for the money you have to lay out for this machine, your return is a solidly built, capable commuter, that is happiest on modest roads or in the town centre. The lack of top end power will mean that soon after taking your full test you will begin to lust after more effective power, but as a machine to learn the basics on, and to do the get-me-to-work job, it is recommended.