Big Boy motorbikes

TimBru14

TimBru14

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Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape
Hi all :)

I recently taught myself to ride a motorbike (having always used cars since I got my drivers). More particularly it was a scooter..nevertheless, I've been delving into the world of motorbikes and have been looking at buying my first bike. The scooter I learnt on (and still use on occasion) is a measly 125cc and while it is good for going around the block or to the shops, it just isn't quite enough for my daily commute (between Durban and Umhlanga). I have seen these Big Boy motorbikes on the SA motorcycles website and they don't look that bad considering how cheap they are but I wanted to know from you guys whether they are actually any good. Are spares cheap and easily accessible? What sort of displacement would you look at coming from my position?

I have seen a DRT250 on Gumtree which I am kinda tempted to have a look at but I just want to get more opinions before I make any concrete plans.

Thanks :)
 
Don't do it, it's going to last 2 years or less from new.

I had a new Big Boy for almost 2 years for my daily 30km commute, until the light clusters, wires, rubber hoses, body panels, etc started breaking.

After the 2nd road side break down, I sold it.

Rather spend some more money and buy something reliable.
 
I have 2 chinese bikes, a Big Boy TSR 250 and Jonway Regal raptor 350. The big boy I bought new in 2015, nearly 20000km and has only cost me a new battery and tyres Not a days problems. The regal Raptor I bought second hand 8000km also in 2015, use it daily and I have done close to 30000km on it. Previous owner abused it a bit, so cost me a few R to get it up to standard. I use them both daily for commuting to work, doen a couple of long trips (250km+) with both as well, no problems. I get ±20km/L, so very economical. If you look after the bike, it will give you good service. Incidentally, I also have a write off DRT250 which I am using to salvage spares for the other 2 bikes. They are all some sort of Honda clone, so spares are easily available.
 
simm_card said:
Rather spend some more money and buy something reliable.
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The problem with that is, by the time you get to Honda or Suzuki or the usual "proper" bike brands, you pay a lot more money even for a tiny 125cc, compared with the Chinese brands.

I had a Bajaj for a number of years (Indian, I know, not actually sure if they still sell them here) but it worked just fine. Very simple and I serviced it myself. Sold it when I upgraded to a 600cc Honda. I also know someone who has had a fairly pleasant experience with the MotoMias.

A 2nd-hand Honda CBF250 is probably what I'd go for in your position, OP. Just be careful that you don't buy a lemon, used bikes can be dangerous if they're not looked after.
 
Ultimately you get what you pay for.

I would probably have pushed towards a KTM 390 but you could probably find a few 250's from bigger brands in the second hand market that could also do the job.
 
Durban to Umhlanga, everyday? Does it involve a lot of highway? If it does, look at something bigger than a 250cc. Duke 390, BMW 310R, Ninja 300 or something similar, at least.

I was scared of getting a bigger bike, but having the extra power if safer. If you don't want to use the power, don't twist the throttle, but it's nice to have warp drive on tap when someone is doing something stupid in your space.
 
GhostSixFour said:
I was scared of getting a bigger bike, but having the extra power if safer. If you don't want to use the power, don't twist the throttle, but it's nice to have warp drive on tap when someone is doing something stupid in your space.
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If you're used to a 125cc scooter, a 250cc might feel too powerful for a few ... hours. Once you get used to it though, it's quite manageable. And the nice thing about 250s is that you can really ring their necks and never actually get going fast enough to get into real trouble. (Yeah I know they can often do about 180, but it takes a while to get there.)

Once you start getting to 600s or 750s, that's when you can justifiably start feeling nervous... but even then, that only lasts a little while before you start wanting MOAR! :-D

At least that was my experience. It's one of the reasons I sold my bike. The other was that I got married and have a little one on the way. But yeah - this is solid advice, something like a 250cc I would consider somewhat safer than a Chinese 125. It's not actually a warp drive, you learn to control it very quickly.
 
@charlh Ah I see. I've heard horror stories from a few of my father's friends saying that they've bought cheap bikes and scooters and within 3000 or so kms they start to fall apart but I guess the way you ride and the previous owner's habits do have an effect on how the bike handles and more importantly how long it lasts. Thanks :)

@newby_investor I have also heard of the Bashan bikes (sound somewhat Indian) and many people I know have raved about how reliable they are if you service them regularly and don't abuse them. I'm also quite interested in the SyM bikes (as the scooter I currently use is a Sym Crox 125). Apparently it's a division of Suzuki and the only thing I've had go wrong was a starter solenoid which cost around R700 to replace. I would really like a CBR250 or something to that effect but the big name brands are so far out of my price range.

@GhostSixFour If I take the scooter then I will avoid the freeway and just drive on back roads through Durban North. The scooter is just not powerful enough to pull away from tailgating taxis and angry executives in 5 series Beemers. I really wanted a Duke 390 but even if you buy second hand, that's a good 60000 Rand for the bike alone. I have a car (a Nissan NP200 1.6) which I generally use to get to work and it's not particularly fuel inefficient but if I could save some money each month it would be ideal.
 
TimBru14 said:
I would really like a CBR250 or something to that effect but the big name brands are so far out of my price range.
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This is the thing.

You generally do get what you pay for though. If I compared my Bajaj with the Honda 125s that I rode at the time, the Hondas were miles ahead in terms of quality. Not that the Bajaj was bad, but the Hondas were just so much better. I felt a lot more confident on them. You don't need to get a CBR250, look at a CBF250 as well (I think they call them Twisters too?) - much cheaper, more comfortable for commuting than the sporty setup of the CBR250. You can pick them up secondhand for a reasonable amount, just as usual be sure that it's in good nick.

Oh, Bashan is Chinese too ;-) same caveats apply - some can give no problems if you look after them, some might be lemons.
 
Fsck me but quoting someone is a nightmare on the new forum.

@newby_investor yeah, I bought a F800GS as my first bike. Kinda what I was alluding to with warp drive. Don't be scared of the bigger bikes.

@TimBru14 you mention fuel efficiency - if you're buying a bike to save money, stop looking right now. Bikes aren't cheaper than cars. Also, you'll get tired of the back roads. Or it'll rain one day and you think to yourself, I'm taking the highway, its more direct. That's the day you'll regret having chosen a small chinese bike. A quick search for KTM dukes showed me a couple for R50k - second hand. Or CBR300's, hell, even a CBR500.

My point being, motorcycles are dangerous enough as it stands. Don't cheap out and gamble with your life.
 
Don't know your budget, but on Big Boy scooters site (SaMotorcycle site), they have a Bajaj NS200. That's a great bike at a budget. Have one myself for over a year and a half, now. 36km/l and service intervals at 4000km.

@GhostSixFour - just to add, you mentioned KTM, the Bajaj 200 engine is used in the KTM duke 200. Bajaj owes 47.5% of KTM.
 
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GhostSixFour said:
if you're buying a bike to save money, stop looking right now. Bikes aren't cheaper than cars.
....
My point being, motorcycles are dangerous enough as it stands. Don't cheap out and gamble with your life.
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All good points. A bike can save you a lot of fuel, but you'll have higher costs for servicing and parts and stuff. They can be expensive to repair if you have an accident, and you will fall, at some point.

Also agree 100% - a well-engineered machine can make your ride much safer.
 
@OP

Do yourself a favor. Next time you are in a parking lot, go over to where the bikes are parked. You can usually distinguish the Chinese bikes by faded plastics.

I've done a lot of reading on the subject, and read a lot of reviews. Bottom line, they not build very well.
 
Tman* said:
@OP

Do yourself a favor. Next time you are in a parking lot, go over to where the bikes are parked. You can usually distinguish the Chinese bikes by faded plastics.

I've done a lot of reading on the subject, and read a lot of reviews. Bottom line, they not build very well.
Click to expand...

Funny you should mention that. Not sure of the brand (could've been Bajaj) but I saw a bike parked by the beachfront recently. Went over to look and true as nuts the plastics (fairing as well as most of the cluster) were badly worn and faded.
 
Big Boy owner here. Going on 15,000km on my 150cc, of which about half has been freeway riding. I've had a few minor issues, but really nothing terrible. Eg the original rev counter was wildly inaccurate at high (eg 10k) revs, but that was replaced under warranty. It's a bike I hate to love and love to hate. There's bugger all special about it, but there's also nothing I can say bad about it.
 
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