Hey dude, I've had my CBF 125 for just over a year now after doing my CBT so I'll give you my opinion.
For a first bike this thing is perfect, it's reliable (never had any engine problems) and easy to handle. It gets to around 60mph easily and can go up to 65-70mph at a push (with a slight tailwind and downhill of course
) so it's fine for riding on dual carriageways and main roads. I can't give you a figure for fuel economy but I can say it's high, I fill it up for around 15 quid and can go well over 150 miles before I need to think about refuelling. That's a rough estimate, I've never actually measured the distance between fill ups because it has a fuel gauge. I recall seeing a figure around 100-120 MGP though.
For thrashing it round bends it's a good beginner bike too, the fact it doesn't do much above 60 means you aren't going to get a fine during a ride around North Yorkshire easily and won't be going too fast to injure yourself if you mess up. A few weeks ago I messed up a little round a bend but the bike is so light it was easy to get up and stop safely on.
With a bit of love it could last forever, I bought a chain and sprocket set for mine last week for around 40 quid which ain't bad and it was fitted relatively easily.
Of course, a bike as cheap and cheerful as this does have some downfalls, mainly the chroming on certain parts. I don't have a car so used my CBF through winter and it suffered a bit from the salt on the roads. Even with weekly washes it was difficult to stay on top of the rust. This thing rusts like hell without proper care. I wash it regularly though so it hasn't been too much of a problem for me. To be honest that's the only problem I've had.
The tyres are plastic so pretty durable, 7500 miles and no signs of wear at all yet! The seat is mega comfy for long journeys and is low down for a small dude like myself to ride easily but allows comfort to bigger folk too.
I've carried loads on the back before, loaded it with drum equipment for gigs and camping stuff for a weekend a few weeks ago and it stays steady and still gets up to speed just as easily. It carries a pillion comfortably (I've sat pillion before and it's as comfy as being on a bigger bike) so you have that option too.
Got my mod 2 test tomorrow so will be getting a 250 or restricted 400 soon if I pass so might be selling it. If I do I can message you before I list it to see if you're still looking.
Oh and one last thing, the insurance is dirt cheap. The guy I bought it from (in his late thirties I'd guess) paid 70 quid for his insurance. Mine was 495 quid for my first year and is 350 quid this year. I'm 18 so that's pretty cheap!
As I said before, with a little love and careful riding CBF 125s are awesome!
