The quest for the perfect bike

I seemed to be getting nowhere fast with my bike search, and I was worried that the uncomfortable feel of the Marauder was something to do with me being quite tall and having stupidly long legs. Whichever bike I decided to go for really had to be comfortable, and my legs did cramp up a few times on the CBT, so I decided to do some research into which was the best 125cc for people with long legs. I decided to drop SMC Bikes a line to see if they could advise me. I got a call back from a very helpful chap called Tony who invited me to pop down and try out various models, which I did that very lunchtime.

Tony was great, very friendly and helpful, hoping to make a sale of course but not pushy at all which I very much appreciated. The first model I sat on was a shiny brand new Marauder. It was still gorgeous but still didn't feel particularly comfortable. I then tried some of the motocross style bikes, which Tony thought I might be a bit more comfortable on as they're pretty high up and ideal for someone with long legs. I tried the Yamaha WR 125 X, and whilst my legs definitely didn't feel as cramped, I really didn't like the look of the bike. You may say looks aren't that important, but when you're spending this much money on something, it's got to be something you want to look at! Next I tried the Yamaha YBR 125 which was ok, but it didn't particuarly grab me. Then I tried a second hand Honda Varadero 125, again a slightly bigger bike more suited to taller riders, and again it didn't particularly grab me, although it did feel pretty comfortable. The last bike I tried was a Yamaha YBR 125 Custom. You'll have to excuse the cliché, but pretty much as soon as I sat on it, I knew it was the bike for me. It's sort of a halfway house between a normal bike and a custom, so it had the comfort but the looks as well. I tried the Marauder once more just to make absolutely certain, but it was definitely the YBR custom for me. I had to go back to work, so thanked Tony for his time and told him I'd be in touch. 2 hours later I'd phoned him to say "I'll take it" and, having paid my deposit, had thus crossed the point of no return.