Yamaha XT125X (2005-current)

Having only passed my CBT in June 2009 and needing to learn some skills/build confidence, I bought one of these in October the same year courtesy of Yamaha's 0% finance over 3-years.

Anyway, back to the bike. Okay, it only has 10bhp, so it's never going to set the world alight in terms of performance, however for urban use and as long as you keep off dual carriageways it's pretty nippy.

Where it loses out in terms of outright performance it makes up for in handling, and does flick from side to side quite nicely. With a 100/80 tyre on a 17-inch front wheel it certainly turns in sharper than you'd think it would. At the rear is a 130/70 tyre on a 17-inch wheel, which also inspires confidence and has surprised me with how far it will lean over, even in the damp conditions that seem to be permanent this year. The standard fit seem to be Pirelli MT75's with a typical super-moto style grip pattern on them.

The front brake is certainly keen, and only using two fingers on the lever will have the forks diving, not to the point where you panic, however it certainly means you start to learn how to regulate your braking. For urban use, and at slow speed such as threading through queues and pulling up at traffic lights, the rear brake is good as this stops the 'kangaroo' look of the forks dipping under braking. This works best if you keep your speed steady and plan your approach.

With an 860mm seat height, you sit up reasonably high, and look over the tops of most cars which certainly helps when dealing with the urban jungle of towns and cities. Don't let the seat height put you off as I'm 5-feet 8-inches tall, with a 29-inch (for trousers that is) inside leg and I can get both feet nearly flat to the floor.

One slight downside is the headlight. On well lit urban roads it's not something you notice, however go down any kind of unlit road and it becomes apparent it only has 35w on both dipped and main beam.

So far, and thanks to the lovely weather we've had this year I've not had much chance to take it on any kind of longer trip to check out if the seat is any good, and if the single cylinder engine is going to be buzzy and cause vibrations through the bars etc.

In all honesty, even when I've built up the skills, taken the DSA full bike test and bought a bigger bike, I will still keep this and use it for the commute to work.

Overall impressions, if you want a bike that you can learn your road skills on, that looks reasonably cool (especially in White), then you should really consider this bike.