Top Ten Bikes 2003: Episode 9 - Learner Legals - video Dailymotion

Men and Motors

In this new series of Top Ten Bikes, presented by Louise Brady, we look at the best bikes around in the biking world as voted for by our Men & Motors panel.  Today we take a look at the top ten Learner Legals of 2003. Which one will hit the number one spot?  Don't forget to subscribe to our channel and hit the notification bell so you never miss a video!  ------------------ Enjoyed this video? Don't forget to LIKE and SHARE the video and get involved with our community by leaving a COMMENT below the video!   Check out what else our channel has to offer and don't forget to SUBSCRIBE to Men & Motors for more classic car and motorbike content! Why not? It is free after all!  ---- Social Media ----  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/menandmotors/ Instagram: @menandmotorstv Twitter: @menandmotorstv  If you have any questions, e-mail us at talk@menandmotors.com  © Men and Motors - One Media iP 2023

Transcript

00:00 Hello there, I'm Louise Brady welcoming you to another edition of Top Ten Bikes 2003.

00:21 We've assembled a panel of experts who between them have years of experience. Now they voted

00:26 for the bikes in this year's series to bring you our guide to the best bikes of 2003.

00:33 Well here is the coveted award that will be presented to the manufacturer of this week's

00:37 number one bike. Stay with us to find out who will be this week's winner.

00:42 Enough of the talking, let's bring on those learner legal bikes.

00:46 Starting us off in 10th position is the Kimco Pulsar Lux 125. If you're not familiar with

00:53 the name Kimco, it's not surprising as it's a Taiwanese firm making inroads into the European

00:59 market. So what has the Pulsar Lux got going for it apart from an unusual name? Well it's

01:06 price tag for a start, it costs 1,695 on the road. How does that grab you? For less than

01:14 two grand, you get one of the best equipped small bikes out there. You've got an electric

01:18 and kickstart, a fuel gauge, a tool kit, automatic choke, rev counter, high and wide mirrors

01:26 and a rear carrier to strap your shopping to. The Lux comes with a little fairing which

01:30 helps diffuse wind blast. It's different to everything else out there so that will appeal

01:35 to some people too. It's a fairly well built workhorse. Fit and finish is a bit slap happy

01:41 though but you do get what you pay for.

01:44 The Pulsar Lux, yes, it's not very Lux at all really. It's a basic commuting 125 and

01:55 it really does feel like it. It used to have a big price advantage over the Honda CG and

02:00 the CG now is much, much closer on price and the Kimco's electric starts, well the Honda's

02:06 got one now. The engine has to be revved hard, it's buzzy, the suspension's very, very choppy,

02:13 the brakes are grabby. I couldn't really recommend that one.

02:17 Good bike to learn off, good bike to commute on but not a bike to love and cherish.

02:23 So the combined scores of the panel for each of those categories including street cred,

02:29 build quality, performance, comfort and value give the Kimco Pulsar Lux 125 a total score

02:36 of 54% putting it firmly at the bottom of our chart in 10th place.

02:42 In at 9 is the first scooter of the bunch, the Peugeot Jet Force. Now the Jet Force comes

02:48 in a 50cc and 125cc version. The 50 is a fuel injected 2-stroke and the 125 is a fuel injected

02:56 4-stroke. Both machines come with a double beam frame just like proper sports bikes.

03:02 They've got link brakes, rev counter and immobilisers as standard and if you really want to be hauled

03:07 to a stop you can get the 125 version with servo assisted anti-lock brakes. Serious stopping

03:14 power for a scooter. The 50cc costs just over 2 grand and the 125 comes in just under 3.

03:21 But if you fancy those anti-lock brakes then you're going to have to fork out just over

03:25 3 grand. For some reason Peugeot didn't give the Jet Force its built in bow a lot which

03:30 is a big shame. You're never going to have a great deal of

03:33 fun riding around on it but it's a good introduction. The Jet Force has got a Peugeot badge. Now

03:39 that's actually important because there are loads and loads of dealers and the quality

03:43 of Peugeot has gone up a lot in the last 2 or 3 years I should think.

03:48 Looks great, stops on the 6th with its link brakes, goes well enough. What more do you

03:52 want when you're 16 from a scooter? Well it looks good but it is heavy and it's

03:56 packed full of features that some people might not need. That standard engine is just not

04:01 quite powerful enough to really keep things moving around town.

04:06 So adding up the panel scores for each category gives the Peugeot Jet Force a total score

04:11 of 57% placing it 9th in our top 10 chart. The number 8 spot has been hijacked by the

04:18 Germans. No it's not another BMW, it's the Sachs XTC 125.

04:24 If you fancy yourself as a Ducati person once you've passed your test then the Sachs is

04:29 the starter machine for you. Race by, good looks, a Ducati-esque trellis

04:35 style frame and undersea exhaust. It could be mistaken for a Duke at a distance.

04:41 Very good looking but with the look comes a premium. You'll have to fork out a whopping

04:46 4 grand for this baby. The racy riding position isn't the most comfortable

04:51 and if you're a newbie it might take some getting used to. The seat has no padding to

04:56 speak of and it's a very tall bike. Other than that it handles, looks good and will

05:02 get you lots of street cred. The XTC 125 is actually a really good looking

05:08 little bike. Some people will find it's a bit tall and if you're lucky you'll be mistaken

05:16 for a Ducati rider. The build quality I'm afraid is not good from Sachs and they need

05:23 to improve on that before I could say yes go and get one of these.

05:26 The Sachs XTC 125 looks great, costs a fortune and it's build quality leads you to believe

05:32 that it won't be around much more than a few years so probably best left alone.

05:37 Well I think the little Sachs looks fabulous and you'll be hard pushed to see it's a 125

05:42 before you fire her up. When you do there is an element of disappointment because this

05:47 machine couldn't pull the skin off a rice pudding and it will be beaten on the streets

05:52 by everything this side of a street sweeper. So the sexy Sachs XTC 125 is in 8th place

05:59 in our learner legals chart with a total score of 64% from our panel.

06:05 Wheedling in at 7 is the Suzuki Van Van. This bike is pitched firmly at the camping crew.

06:11 Strap your Van Van on the back of your camper and off you go. Essentially it's a beach bike.

06:16 The wide fat tyres are ideal for coping with sand. And if you're using it as a commuter

06:22 I'm sure it'll be very useful. The engine is a softly 4 stroke single so it won't bite

06:28 back which is good if you're a beginner but it is a bit gutless if you do intend to commute

06:32 with it. It's tiny in height and very light in weight so if you're on the little side

06:37 the Van Van could be a good option. It handles well and has been very popular with riding

06:43 schools. It's as easy to ride as they come so if you fancy a bike that's a little bit

06:48 different the quirky Van Van is worth a look. Good fun but you could probably do better

06:54 for a learner 125 for sure. Especially because of those balloon tyres make handling a little

06:58 bit interesting. The Van Van, where did that come from? Well I actually think they look

07:05 quite cool but nobody else seems to. I mean they don't sell very well at all. It may look

07:10 like something that dropped out of the 70s but it actually works as an urban 125 runaround.

07:17 The little Van Van comes dressed with the most ridiculous balloon tyres I've ever seen

07:21 fitted to a motorcycle. And another problem is the engine. It just won't wake up. It drags

07:27 you round half asleep. So our panel of experts have scored the Suzuki Van Van a total of

07:33 64% placing it 7th place in our top 10 chart. Coasting in to 6th position in our top 10

07:41 runners is the baby drag star, the Yamaha XVS 125. If you're a wannabe Harley owner

07:47 then this is a good starting point for you. The V-Twin 125 looks a much bigger bike, especially

07:53 with its twin chromed exhaust. It is a touch on the heavy side but the low seat makes it

07:58 manageable. The V-Twin engine has been donated by the Verago but reworked for more power.

08:06 However, even with this, the engine runs out of puff when tackling hills. The relaxed riding

08:12 position is comfy if you've got a bit of a commute and the styling and machine layout

08:17 will keep people guessing as to the size of your engine. It's a small bike that has the

08:23 looks and feel of a much bigger machine. So as a learner you can hold your head high and

08:28 pretend you've been riding for years. XVS 125. 125 customs are not exciting generally

08:34 but the XVS is actually pretty good. Yamaha as a rule makes the best of the Japanese custom

08:39 bikes and the XVS is quite a cool looking little machine and it goes reasonably well

08:45 and yeah I think it does the job actually. It's quite a good one. The Yamaha XVS 125

08:50 doesn't feel like a 125, it feels like a real motorbike, it feels like a real Verago, one

08:54 of its bigger siblings and for that reason alone it's proved very popular. The Harley

09:00 wannabe drag star is just that. It's dressed up to look like something else but a great

09:05 little bike to learn on. So our panel's total final scores for the Yamaha drag star is 67%,

09:13 putting it firmly into 6th place in our top 10 chart. Well we're halfway through our chart

09:18 of top 10 learner legals and it's time now for a quick break but please don't go anywhere

09:23 as coming up in part 2 we reveal the bike that's taken the number one spot. See you

09:33 then.

09:35 Welcome back to top 10 bikes. I'm Louise Brady guiding you through the top 10 learner legals

09:40 of 2003 as voted for by our panel of experts. Right let's recap on the chart so far. In

09:47 at 10 the Kimco Pulsar Lux 125. At 9 the Peugeot Jet Force. Slotting in at 8 we've Saks XTC

09:56 125. The Suzuki Van Van, the RV 125 sits at 7. And at number 6 it's the Yamaha XVS 125.

10:08 So on with our chart from 5 down to 1. Racing into 5th position it's the Durabee GPR 50.

10:16 Now this 50cc 2 stroke engine is fine for beginners, but experienced riders will soon

10:21 become frustrated. The GPR handles, brakes and has a superb chassis, just the same it's

10:27 got such a teeny weeny engine. That 6 speed box will keep you left foot and hand really

10:33 busy as you hurtle towards 50mph. It's a fine looking machine and for about 2 and a half

10:39 grand you can have one of the most beautiful little bikes out there. Weighing in at only

10:45 98kg you could almost pick it up and carry it if you need to. The fuel tank is a dummy

10:50 cover which can be used for storage. Very useful if you don't want to carry your lid

10:56 everywhere. It's an agile little machine and extremely stable. Add in a cool paint job

11:01 and tons of street cred, the Durabee is a bit of a winner. It's a bike to love and cherish

11:07 until you're ready to move onto bigger things or bigger engines. The good thing is if you

11:13 are 16 and you want to look good then the Durabee is probably one of the best looking

11:18 50cc you can get. Certainly better than a C50 or a step through. So if you're a young

11:24 lad this is the thing to get. And the bikes are pretty good, like a lot of 50cc the suspension

11:29 is a bit bouncy and things but the engine works well and it's worth considering definitely.

11:33 Perhaps it's pushing the boat out a bit too much, trying to make a 50cc look like a sports

11:38 bike. Yes, ok the engine's gutless but it is an absolute who for playing about on. Just

11:44 don't take yourself too seriously. So those combined scores for each category of street

11:49 cred, build quality, performance, comfort and value give the Durabee GPR50 a total score

11:56 of 68%. Right we're onto number 4 now and it's a rather sexy Italian. It's the Piaggio

12:03 Vespa GT 125. GT stands for Gran Turismo so this is the one little bike that you need

12:10 to get out and about on. The styling is classic Vespa all the way. Curvy, sexy and a little

12:17 bit different. The 4 stroke engine is responsive and the GT is very nippy. With twin discs

12:23 up front and a very good rear brake means you can manage some great slides. The suspension

12:29 is typical for a scooter. Hit a bump and you'll be all over the place but it does handle well

12:35 the most scoots. It has lots of leg room for the taller rider and a roomy seat so you can

12:40 take a passenger in comfort. You'll even get funky little chromed fold out foot pegs. The

12:46 advantage of owning a scooter is the under seat storage. Very handy when you nip into

12:51 the shops but on the GT you'll need to take your lid with you when you're buying one as

12:57 some helmets don't fit under the seat which is a bit of a drawback. The seat also has

13:01 an electric lock which is operated by a button on the leg shield. However it's still possible

13:07 to operate the lock without the key in the ignition unless the ignition is set to lock.

13:14 One little quote to be aware of. It isn't too badly priced either. At £2,599 on the

13:19 road you can own a classy piece of the Italian bike world. If you like your motorcycling

13:24 in a Jamie Oliver style this is the bike for you. Step this way. The GT 125 Vespa. Now

13:31 here's a bike that actually carries the Vespa badge very very well. The new GT series have

13:39 taken on board all the old Vespa values I think and modernised them and brought them

13:43 up to date and they work very well. It's a solid, it's a little bit tall again like a

13:48 lot of scooters but it handles nicely, goes well, very very well made and looks like a

13:53 Vespa and it's cool. Nobody can make a retro Vespa better than Vespa. Now although this

14:00 machine has a capable engine it is wrapped in styling that says otherwise and I'm not

14:04 a big fan. I'd rather have a more sporty, funky looking scooter. So the Piaggio Vespa

14:10 GT 125 has a total score of 71% putting it firmly in fourth place in our chart by our

14:18 panel of experts. At three is a sporty little Honda in the form of the NSR 125. This is

14:25 a big time learner favourite. It looks like a sports bike that people aspire to buy so

14:31 as you can imagine it's been a very popular bike in its time. The pocket rocket is a feisty

14:37 little two stroke so it's quick off the mark and can leave a few people standing at the

14:42 lights. But being a two stroke it does need its oil topping up on a regular basis and

14:48 Honda in their wisdom decided to locate the oil reservoir under the petrol tank. Not exactly

14:54 ideal for ease of access is it? The NSR is roomy enough for taller riders but the riding

15:00 position does put a lot of weight through your arms. The bike isn't great at low speeds

15:06 and you turns aren't easy either. All that said though it does handle well and is one

15:11 of the few restricted 125's that doesn't suffer too badly from the restriction. It's

15:17 recently had a price cut and currently costs just over three grand on the road. But it's

15:22 going to be replaced next year by the CBR 125 and I'm sure there'll be many a heavy

15:27 heart to see the NSR go. It's a bit strange this, Honda have got this great racing heritage

15:33 and have done over the years but their 125's have never really looked as good as say Aprilia's

15:39 have or Kojiva's. Yeah the NSR 125 now that suffers from the fact it's about to be superseded

15:45 which doesn't help. Also it's slower than the Aprilia and it costs more than the Aprilia

15:51 and it doesn't look as cool as the Aprilia. Apart from that it's really good. Honda NSR

15:56 125's is a lot of money for what it is but again it's Honda built it will last even given

16:01 the usual 17 year old abuse. So from that point of view it's a winner. What a great

16:07 little bike to learn to ride on. Now in restricted form it's a pussy cat but it'll bring a smile

16:13 to all those spotty 16 year old's faces when those restrictors come off. So the panels

16:18 combined scores for each category give the well loved Honda NSR 125 a total score of

16:23 72% placing it in third spot of our chart. In the runner up spot it's Aprilia's RS 125

16:32 costing a whopping £3,599. You'll have to really want this bike to part with your cash.

16:38 The handling is superb and the brakes are fantastic and it looks sublime. The wicked

16:44 two stroke power band is an absolute giggle but you do have to be in the right gear all

16:50 the time to get the best from this pipe sized Italian. It's racy disposition can make it

16:55 hard for beginners to get to grips with but once you get the hang of it the fun really

16:59 starts. It sticks to the road like glue and will inspire your cornering confidence. Size

17:06 wise it looks quite large for a 125 but once you straddle it everything falls into place.

17:11 The restricted version is mooted to reach a cool 85 miles an hour which is more than

17:16 enough if you're just starting out in biking. This Aprilia is a grin machine. It oozes with

17:22 street cred and Italian cool and has the presence of a much bigger machine. The Aprilia RS 125

17:29 is the ultimate bike for any 17 year old. It is the full GP replica. What you see racing

17:34 in MotoGP on a Sunday you can then go and ride yourself. You can get your knee down

17:38 on it, you can pose on it. It's the real deal. If you choose a bike like the Aprilia RS 125

17:43 as your introduction to motorcycling it's going to spoil you something rotten. All your

17:47 expectations are going to be based around that screamy little two stroke engine which

17:52 is going to leave you at the end of every journey with a huge grin on your face stinking

17:57 two stroke. The RS 125 rocks. I love that bike. I would have one of those as a second

18:02 bike. It's fantastic. Learners, I mean you don't know what you've got when you've got

18:07 one of those. You've got one of the best bikes on the road. Seriously. You have so much fun

18:11 on the RS. It's fast, it makes just the right noises, the handling's great, the brakes are

18:16 brilliant. Just get one. Now this is about as close as it gets to riding a 125 GP bike

18:21 on the road. Don't be put off by that little 125 engine. Okay, I know these bikes aren't

18:27 cheap to buy but you're going to have an absolute blast flying up and down that gearbox at the

18:32 speed of light and rewards are huge with great cornering. Oh, you'll get some fabulous lean

18:38 angles. So our panel have placed the Aprilia RS 125 in second place in our learner legal

18:44 chart with a total score of 75%. But before we find out what the number one learner legal

18:51 is, let's run down the top 10 charts so far from 10 to 2. In at 10, the very plain Kimco

18:58 Pulsar Lux 125. At 9, the stylish Peugeot Jet Force. Slotting in at 8, we've the sexy

19:06 Saxx XCC 125 and the Suzuki RV 125 Van Van sits at 7. At number 6, Yamaha's XVS 125,

19:18 while the Derby GPR 50 is in at 5. At 4, the retro Piaggio Vespa GT 125. So in the top

19:28 3, and at 3, Honda's NSR 125. At number 2, bags of Italian fun with the Aprilia RS 125.

19:39 Well here we are at the number one spot and it goes to a very close relative of the RS

19:43 125, the Aprilia Tuono 125. Now as you've probably guessed, the little Tuono has been

19:50 inspired by its big brother, the 1000cc Tuono. Basically, it's an RS with the bodywork removed.

19:57 The big advantage the Tuono 125 has over the RS is its riding position. It has all the

20:03 performance of the RS, but much comfier. The high wide bars give you good control over

20:09 this racy little beastie. The tail of the Tuono has a lockable storage area, dead handy

20:14 for your lock and waterproofs. Another sensible feature is the 14 litre fuel tank which is

20:20 shaped perfectly for you to wrap yourself around during one of those chin on the clock

20:24 moments. They've even designed the swing arm so the exhaust can stay close to the bike

20:29 to stop you grounding it out when cornering. This machine really stands out in the crowd,

20:35 just like the 1000cc Tuono does. It'll turn heads and I'm sure you'll fool some people

20:41 into thinking that it is the bigger Tuono. This bike is as cool as a learner legal bike

20:47 can be. It's Italian, it's slick and it's our number one.

20:52 The Aprilia Tuono 125, a street-fighted version of the RS 125, loads of attitude, loads of

20:58 noise, perfect for a 17 year old.

21:00 The Tuono 125, yeah, now if the RS 125 rocks, then the Tuono rocks. It's an RS 125 and it's

21:09 got high bars and no fairing and you just find it's completely brilliant round town.

21:14 Fantastic bike, love it. Yeah, this is my favourite of the whole lot.

21:19 So congratulations to Aprilia. I've personally yet to see this little marvel, but if it's

21:24 anything like its bigger brother, it'll be hilarious.

21:27 I would like to thank Mene Motors for this award and for the continuous support to the

21:32 motorcycle industries in this country. Thank you.

21:36 So it's time to look at those combined scores for each of those categories of street cred,

21:41 build quality, performance, comfort and value. And they give the Aprilia Tuono 125 a total

21:49 score of 82%.

21:51 Well that's it for this week and our chart of top 10 learner legals. All that's left

21:56 to do is say a big thanks for watching and join me again next week for another chart

22:00 of top 10 bikes. See you then.

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Top Ten Bikes 2003: Episode 9 - Learner Legals

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