Good old 85's

henry157
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henry157
Edited Date/Time 4/16/2012 7:03am
Need to get a 85 but having trouble deciding which one. I am leaning towards the YZ but apparently the RM is easier to ride. What do you guys think?
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2 Trick Rick 4/13/2012 12:24pm
4/13/2012 12:24pm
I think you need to ask " What 85 would James Stewart ride" to get a reply on this board.
jndmx
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jndmx 4/13/2012 12:27pm
4/13/2012 12:27pm Edited Date/Time 4/13/2012 12:28pm
My son loved his RM 85's. We owned 3 of them and they were rock solid.
Good smooth power delivery and they turn on a dime.

He tried the KX but it felt "stiff" in the turns and the YZ has a powerband that is like a light switch.

My vote would be for the RM85 everytime.
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DoctorJD
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DoctorJD 4/13/2012 12:41pm
4/13/2012 12:41pm
jndmx wrote:
My son loved his RM 85's. We owned 3 of them and they were rock solid. Good smooth power delivery and they turn on a dime...
My son loved his RM 85's. We owned 3 of them and they were rock solid.
Good smooth power delivery and they turn on a dime.

He tried the KX but it felt "stiff" in the turns and the YZ has a powerband that is like a light switch.

My vote would be for the RM85 everytime.
Second that. My son is currently riding a RM85, and that has been a great, trouble-free, easy-to-ride bike.
newmann
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newmann 4/13/2012 12:43pm
4/13/2012 12:43pm
Our 1996 RM was an absolute blast. The 98 KX not so much. I'm betting the 96 RM would have been a better bike than the 2007 CR85 we had. If the newer RM's are anything like the 96, it would be hard to beat. Thing ripped off the bottom like no other 80/85 I'd ever been on.

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ML512
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ML512 4/13/2012 12:45pm
4/13/2012 12:45pm
Personally i had yz85's and then rm's i was racing allot at the time doing pretty well, yes the RM was easier to ride, cornered awesome but i couldn't keep the frames in one piece on them, A buddy of mine braced the frames for some of the amateur suzuki team at the time, even with them done up they were still bad... Just my opinion though. The YZ's i had never had any problems, motor is stronger in the YZ but definitely harder to ride.
mx 219
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mx 219 4/13/2012 12:53pm
4/13/2012 12:53pm
dont get your kid a YZ unless they ride like Barcia...otherwise he will leave a lot to be desired(power). That thing is all or nothing, at least my 03 was.
yz763
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yz763 4/13/2012 1:00pm
4/13/2012 1:00pm
It's been a long time since I rode an 80 but those RM85's are some of the best sounding bikes on the track.
jake64
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jake64 4/13/2012 1:02pm
4/13/2012 1:02pm
i had three yz85 and there awesome bikes but the suspension isn't the best and it doesn't have power valve which a good thing to have. the kx, rm, ktm they all have a power valve. after three years riding yz85's i got a ktm 85 and i thought i would never ride a ktm sx85 but when i tried one i was amazed on how good the bike was. it blows the doors off any of my yz85. it was fast handle awesome it was nice and thin i find the kx and rm are a little fat and the suspension was awesome. two of my friend had Suzuki and loved them but when they tried my ktm 85 that was the next bike they both bought. so you might wanna try a ktm you'll be surprised how good they are. best 85 i ever had.
Williamson425 4/13/2012 6:20pm
4/13/2012 6:20pm
My son turned down a new yz and a new kx after riding them to stay on his 3 yr old ktm 85sx. He said it was easier to ride fast and he felt safer.
Wandell
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Wandell 4/13/2012 7:19pm
4/13/2012 7:19pm
So far my son loves his KX85. They are a very solid platform.
Mxfreak24
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Mxfreak24 4/13/2012 7:34pm
4/13/2012 7:34pm
I loved my rm 85 to death. Probably my favorite bike I've ever owned. It felt great cockpit/suspension wise and the motor was awesome; nothing too crazy but great power all the way through. I've ridden all the other 85s except for KTM and I'd still go with the rm. My brother had a kx and the ergonomics of the thing just felt goofy, I could never get comfortable on it and the motor felt almost too smooth (maybe just the way we had it set up). I think the yz and cr would be better for more aggressive, faster riders. The yz really wants to get up and go so it's kind of intimidating for a beginner/novice rider, but overall it has a very good feel. The cr feels the smallest out of all of them but it really has to be ridden hard and is pretty hard to keep in the power band for the less experienced rider. Don't get me wrong if you can get going on one and get comfortable you can really move on the track.
Trauma
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Trauma 4/13/2012 7:58pm
4/13/2012 7:58pm
I had a 93 YZ80 and then a somewhat worked 96 YZ80 big wheel (bored out to 100cc) and loved em both, especially the big wheel. But the only other 80 I had back then was an clapped out 82 CR80, it was rubbish. But I can't comment on what they are like today, knowing Yamaha though they are prob not much different.
Trauma
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Trauma 4/13/2012 8:00pm
4/13/2012 8:00pm Edited Date/Time 4/13/2012 8:00pm
Williamson425 wrote:
My son turned down a new yz and a new kx after riding them to stay on his 3 yr old ktm 85sx. He said it...
My son turned down a new yz and a new kx after riding them to stay on his 3 yr old ktm 85sx. He said it was easier to ride fast and he felt safer.
Damn there's an advertisement, kid turns down not one but two shiny new toys for his trusty old steed.
PaleBlue
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PaleBlue 4/14/2012 2:37am
4/14/2012 2:37am Edited Date/Time 4/14/2012 2:38am
Williamson425 wrote:
My son turned down a new yz and a new kx after riding them to stay on his 3 yr old ktm 85sx. He said it...
My son turned down a new yz and a new kx after riding them to stay on his 3 yr old ktm 85sx. He said it was easier to ride fast and he felt safer.
Trauma wrote:
Damn there's an advertisement, kid turns down not one but two shiny new toys for his trusty old steed.
The Jap bikes are"New" as in unused but a lot older in terms of design. There's a good reason why virtually every 85 of the start gate in Europe is a KTM, and it ain't the price........
Honda aside, with thier noisy and expensive 150, the Japs have virtually given up the kid's bike market. Twenty+ year old bikes impress no-one......
Indy mxer
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Indy mxer 4/14/2012 7:19am
4/14/2012 7:19am
jndmx wrote:
My son loved his RM 85's. We owned 3 of them and they were rock solid. Good smooth power delivery and they turn on a dime...
My son loved his RM 85's. We owned 3 of them and they were rock solid.
Good smooth power delivery and they turn on a dime.

He tried the KX but it felt "stiff" in the turns and the YZ has a powerband that is like a light switch.

My vote would be for the RM85 everytime.
Well put.
Although I don't know much about the KTM.

The RM is a good choice. Definitely the easiest to ride and the best powerband.
My grandson just came off a Kaw 65 to a new RM 85. He's an average rider but does well on the new Suz.
I think the Kaw would be a good second choice.
The KTM seems to be a good bike too, according to this thread.

As jndmx said, the Yam is hard to ride except for very good riders. The powerband is very narrow.
Tracktor
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Tracktor 4/14/2012 7:36am
4/14/2012 7:36am
Honestly there isnt a bad one in the bunch just different. My son has rode them all except the CR and likes the YZ the best
He has no trouble at all with the power and didnt from the first day. The YZ is know for having great suspension & ergos. The kx & rm both have smooth power but the kx is extremely dated & feels fat. The Rm is better for larger riders and i think they fixed the frame issues on the newer ones. KTM's may be newer tech wise but are way more expensive and have well known reliability issues. Find a good deal on a clean bike and go gave fun......
yzmatt
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yzmatt 4/14/2012 8:48am
4/14/2012 8:48am
Recently purchased a 2006 RM85 for my son and he loves it. It's his first full blown motocross bike and the smooth power is great for the transition. It's plenty fast too....
steedmills 4/16/2012 2:17am
4/16/2012 2:17am Edited Date/Time 5/3/2012 9:54am
.

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motomental1
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motomental1 4/16/2012 5:30am
4/16/2012 5:30am Edited Date/Time 4/16/2012 8:37am
both my boys ride cr85s. great bikes and most parts from 96 up cr80s fit.
roughneck
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roughneck 4/16/2012 6:29am
4/16/2012 6:29am
We went through 10 of them over the years and the YZ was the best cornering bike of them all.. great bikes..and easy to get parts for cheap.....

not that I know what iam talking about..only had 10 85s
MiSledder
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MiSledder 4/16/2012 7:03am
4/16/2012 7:03am
Just bought an RM85, Wanted KX85 but decided to go with what 80% of what everyone else is riding, I cannot imagine being happier, Everyone told me the RM was the one to have even with the few issue's, They all have their issue's

BTW parts for an RM are everywhere cheap!

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