Best 125cc in South America?
 

Hi all,

Just wondering :) -- what is the HUBB's advice with regarding to buying the best 125cc? I would hopefully be buying new in Santiago de Chile.

I was looking at the Honda CGL PRO 125cc, for a nice 799.000, but the Honda CL 150 (999.000) also caught my eye. Would this be worth the extra 200.000 Peso?

Any advice would be great as I'm not too well up on motorcycles. Someone told me that I should get Fuel Injection if I want to head up into Bolivar, which I do.

Cheers!

I don't think you can go much wrong with the 125 but quite a few people say it struggles a lot in higher altitudes. I wonder if the extra 25cc would make much of a difference.

It's not the 25cc that makes a difference but the fuel injection that you mention in your OP; FI copes well with altitude, while carburettors are "fiddly" if they are to work correctly as the air density decreases.

I have two comments:

- pay the money to get a 125cc from one of the Big Four Japanese companies. You can get the trip done on a cheaper Chinese knock-off, but there have been plenty of tales of woe posted here where the rider would have been better off with the Japanese name brands.

- three models of 125 keep cropping up over and over in the trip reports: Honda CG125, Suzuki GN125, and Yamaha YBR125. I don't think you can go wrong with one of these bikes.

We're also looking at the Honda XR125. Costs a bit more, but physically larger (if you're tall) and full size wheels.

Should be able to hold more, be more comfortable (subjective) and certainly be better off-road (larger wheels, more suspension travel, easier to stand up on etc).

We're flying in to Santiago over Christmas; will post up how we go! :scooter:

Please do keep us up-to-date. I know that I have vague plans to do something very similar in South America, someday...

Can anyone with technical knowledge tell me if it is a relatively easy/cheap proceedure to change from a carb to fuel injection on a cheap bike like a Honda CGL 125?

Thanks,

R.T.W.

Essentially, no, it would not be a cheap or easy upgrade.
If you are on a tight budget, I think you'll have to get a carbed bike and simply live with any shortcomings.

The XR125 is an excellent choice, I used one this year and it has the same engine as the CG125 in a trail bike chassis, I have just bought another.

Bruce,

Did you use the CGL to tour on? Budget is a concern for me and the Honda looks very attractive for its low-price. Would you have gone for something like the X125, a Yahama YRB 125, or a Honda Cargo 150, given the choice? Aside from the poor performance in high-alt terrain, would you agree the benefits (i.e. small, lightweight, very cheap, economical etc,) outweigh its limitations?

Also, to anyone who knows (apart from Indian Royal Enfields I don't know much about bikes I'm afraid!); when looking at say the Yamaha YBR 125G, or the Honda Cargo 150, etc, is the price difference really going to make a big difference in terms of features for an overlander? Are you basically paying for a solid engine, high quality engineering (i.e. with Honda, Yam, Suz), while the price differences are just for extra bells and whistles?

I can easily stretch my budget an extra few hundred quid, but then that money could of course be spent on better camping equipment or the odd private room in a hostel/hotel to recharge... Any advice welcome :)

Thanks,

R.T.W.