Have you ever had a bike that held you back?

ratonmacias
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ratonmacias 5/17/2018 10:36pm
5/17/2018 10:36pm
2002 KTM 250 exc 4 stroke. Really heavy, slow and under suspended.
Trickamoto
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Trickamoto 5/17/2018 11:14pm
5/17/2018 11:14pm
My 74 CR 125 had a rigid back end. I had to dumb down the grapes and fishers every Sunday night after moto at saddleback in a stiff epsom salt bath or I’d be wiping red till the following Friday! Shits were snagglers too! Too much love for railing ruts and banging sluts I’ll tell ya! Memories!!
H4L
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H4L 5/17/2018 11:38pm
5/17/2018 11:38pm
84 RM125 that bike had the narrowest powerband ridden to date. I was also wrenching on it all the time.
PJRAUS
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PJRAUS 5/18/2018 2:37am
5/18/2018 2:37am Edited Date/Time 5/18/2018 2:39am
My 1984 cr 125 was just too damn slow! I had the 83 and it was a rocket , should've kept it but I got all enamoured with the disc front brake and "ATAC " exhaust resonance chamber techno blingness..that thing was so gutless I raced it as hard as I could, like all slow bikes it seemed to handle well , but I kept breaking the frame on it...my 1984 cr 250 I had at the same time however, was an absolute missile...shame about the atrocious suspension..
Fast foward to today and I'm having lots of trouble with my 17 yz 450 f.
I'm too small and too light for it...bought a zeta lowering link for it which drops the back end 26 mm...run the forks right up in the clamps..feels better to sit on and less tippy in corners , but now the rear feels harsh and the forks even harsher . I will be installing softer fork springs soon, already took 20 mil of oil out of them, might try going back to stock link or a softer shock Spring ...it just beats me to death on a square edgy track...I love the motor..it's a missile, it's stable, and with that lowering link and forks up, I'm happy with the cornering but the tyres just don't follow the ground, it's beating me to death.
I get on my pristine 2013 yz 250 f which I bought second hand and it's a dream to ride, suspension wise at least. Gotta get a much smaller leak jet to cure that irritating flat spot off idle..throttle pump is set perfect..it's the leak jet for certain..
So ,yeah, my 17 yz450 is holding me back...id be doing better in the 450 class on my old 06 yz125.
Part of the fun of motocross is making your bike work the best it can for you...I will persist!

The Shop

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EZZA 95B 5/18/2018 2:50am
5/18/2018 2:50am
My '99 CR 125. I started the season on a '99 YZ 125 and switched due to a friends dad and a kind of shop/team deal. As soon as the 2000 YZ's were in stock we went and bought one and fucked that CR right off.Pinch Laughing
downard254
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downard254 5/18/2018 3:07am
5/18/2018 3:07am
ddog558 wrote:
1986 KX 125... absolutely gutless motor!
Which was still WAY faster than the ‘86 RM125 that I had. I swear it was like racing while dragging a ship anchor behind you. Would have been faster to get off and push.
Flip109
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Flip109 5/18/2018 3:16am
5/18/2018 3:16am Edited Date/Time 5/18/2018 5:05am
01 and 02 KTM 125s. Hell of an engine, but you could feel every braking bump on the track in your soul lol
Ted722
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Ted722 5/18/2018 3:36am
5/18/2018 3:36am Edited Date/Time 5/18/2018 4:32pm
I guess the old adage bringing a knife to a gun fight comes to mind. It was Fall ‘04. Bought a very clean low hour used 2004 KX250 2-stroke and raced it in my local OTHG Vet racing club. Some of the same guys I used to beat (been part of the club since ‘98 when I turned 30) were now ahead of me on their new 450 Honda’s or Yamaha’s.

Decided to fight fire with fire and bought an ‘06 RMZ-450 in Fall ‘05. Immediately, I was back near the front and had a lot of good finishes in ‘06 on an absolutely bone stock bike. Even the spring rates.

Not to say there weren’t guys who didn’t have success on their 250 2-strokes, it was just so much easier (for this aging vet) on a 450.
thrillbillie91 5/18/2018 3:42am
5/18/2018 3:42am
EZZA 95B wrote:
My '99 CR 125. I started the season on a '99 YZ 125 and switched due to a friends dad and a kind of shop/team deal...
My '99 CR 125. I started the season on a '99 YZ 125 and switched due to a friends dad and a kind of shop/team deal. As soon as the 2000 YZ's were in stock we went and bought one and fucked that CR right off.Pinch Laughing
i did the same with the 98 CR125 what a pile!

and I agree with Flip109 on the ktm too, rocketship motor but needed to be in a yz frame Smile
metal_miracle 5/18/2018 4:23am
5/18/2018 4:23am
My 02 CR250 . worst powerrband on a bike i ridden. Going from an awsome CR250 1996 to that bike was such a disappointment.

Wasn`t sure if it was me or the bike that held me back on the speed, but once i switched to sx250 i were`t in doubt that it was the bike.
Cortami79
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Cortami79 5/18/2018 4:27am
5/18/2018 4:27am
My 2014 rmz250 was slow as fuck. Never got a good start or a good result on it, even though it handled well. Got the 2016 version next year and was amazed how much faster it was. 2017 i got the new KTM250SXF and was wondering how in the world I didn't step on a KTM 2 years earlier Grinning . Those KTM's are so much faster, it is ridiculous
kb228
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kb228 5/18/2018 4:32am
5/18/2018 4:32am
92 kx125. Thing weighed as much as my 450 and had less power than an 85.
MX558
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MX558 5/18/2018 4:49am
5/18/2018 4:49am
All of them ,that's why I'm not a pro . Ha . In 03 I bought a yz450 after riding 2 strokes all my life and holy shit that bike sucked it went through 2 Kickstarters and almost killed me numerous times . I raced it a couple of times , after getting passed by hiys I used to beat handily I pulled right off the track and never rode it again . That Monday I went and bought a new 03 yz250 and was back to form( which was still slow ) , won my next race .
nascarnate326
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nascarnate326 5/18/2018 5:10am
5/18/2018 5:10am
09 CRF450. Flame out in the woods was just epic. I honestly didn't mind the handling but couldn't stand the shitty clutch and random flame out. If Honda would have put a normal 6 spring clutch and had better mapping that bike wouldn't have the shitty reputation that it has, or at least it wouldn't be as bad.
burn1986
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burn1986 5/18/2018 5:15am
5/18/2018 5:15am Edited Date/Time 5/18/2018 5:20am
83 yz125, just weirdly slow but enjoyed it, until later I got an 86 cr125. It felt like a 250 compared to the yz.
mx317
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mx317 5/18/2018 5:20am
5/18/2018 5:20am
93 YZ250 that I kept two years. I got back on my 92 CR250 that I sold to my friend and immediately went faster and had better finishes. I bought a 95 CR250 after that.
PJRAUS
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PJRAUS 5/18/2018 5:22am
5/18/2018 5:22am
EZZA 95B wrote:
My '99 CR 125. I started the season on a '99 YZ 125 and switched due to a friends dad and a kind of shop/team deal...
My '99 CR 125. I started the season on a '99 YZ 125 and switched due to a friends dad and a kind of shop/team deal. As soon as the 2000 YZ's were in stock we went and bought one and fucked that CR right off.Pinch Laughing
thrillbillie91 wrote:
i did the same with the 98 CR125 what a pile! and I agree with Flip109 on the ktm too, rocketship motor but needed to be...
i did the same with the 98 CR125 what a pile!

and I agree with Flip109 on the ktm too, rocketship motor but needed to be in a yz frame Smile
The 2000 YZ's were great , but one decent slap down/ over jump landing and you'd bend fuck out of the mid valve shims and then it was super divey, soft and bottomy fork time..
Turbojez
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Turbojez 5/18/2018 5:26am
5/18/2018 5:26am
No. I am the weakest link in this chain.

Pit Row

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cody41
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cody41 5/18/2018 5:26am
5/18/2018 5:26am
2016 450sxf. It was a junk box
MXBREWSKI
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MXBREWSKI 5/18/2018 5:36am
5/18/2018 5:36am


This POS almost made me stop racing as I felt I could not ride fast anymore. I rode my buddies RM125 Floater and was fast as ever, and he had to wave me back in to get to ride his own bike! Needless to say the POS was sold the next week and I had a watercooled RM250 Floater a couple of weeks later that I immediatley started winning on, and was bumped to Expert level 8 months later.
danman
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danman 5/18/2018 6:02am
5/18/2018 6:02am
Only my kids crf50! Not fast enough for any other bikes I've had.
Fiftyfiveracing 5/18/2018 6:21am
5/18/2018 6:21am
2014 ktm 350sxf. I just never got to the point where i was happy with it, mostly suspension. Tried many different setups and finally switched to 2014 honda crf450r. Immediatly felt comfortable and my results got much better. Then 2015 crf450 came with psf2 forks and it was hard to get suspension work well. Then 2016 was even worse and switched back to ktm. Been riding ktm since that day, with this current generation i just click with those bikes. Now riding 2018 250sx and just loving the bike.
But yeah, i could say that 2014 ktm 350sxf held me back a bit.
DavetheVintageGuy 5/18/2018 7:12am
5/18/2018 7:12am
1976 Honda CR250 & CR125. Pretty but slow, should have been called the blondes.

Damn you Suzuki engineers for releasing the RMs that year while I was stuck on the Honda. Yamaha didn't help out when the YZs were released either.

You either had yellow fever from 1976 to 1978 or you were chasing one.

RCMXracing
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RCMXracing 5/18/2018 8:59am
5/18/2018 8:59am
2010 YAMaDOG 450. Struggled for 2 years with the handling. Sick of throwing money at it, bought a used 2011 RMZ, ahh, instantly faster and more comfortable...turned so good!
KYFHO699
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KYFHO699 5/18/2018 9:40am
5/18/2018 9:40am
ddog558 wrote:
1986 KX 125... absolutely gutless motor!
downard254 wrote:
Which was still WAY faster than the ‘86 RM125 that I had. I swear it was like racing while dragging a ship anchor behind you. Would...
Which was still WAY faster than the ‘86 RM125 that I had. I swear it was like racing while dragging a ship anchor behind you. Would have been faster to get off and push.
I had the 1986 KX 125 and the engine was the worst I ever had! I had an 84 KX 125 that would totally smoke the 86 model in the engine department. The only good thing about the 86 model was that it was the first year they had the rear disc brake on it.

Wasn't the 86 RM 125 the year they painted the engines blue? My brother had one, it was a dog!
TJMX947
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TJMX947 5/18/2018 11:58am
5/18/2018 11:58am
2007 YZ450F. Came off a 2005 YZ250F which I was flying on. I was 22 at the time and I felt like it made sense to ride a 450 given that I was in the 180lb weight range. I hated the bike...I never felt fast on it...couldn't push it, and it wore me out.

About 2 months after I bought it I rode my friends 2007 YZ250F and felt 100% better and hated myself for buying the 450. I probably put 20 hours on that bike in 2007, made me not even want to ride...

At the beginning of the next season I bought a 2008 KX250F which I loved. I was instantly back to my old self.
Andy_Greenney 5/18/2018 12:04pm
5/18/2018 12:04pm
01 CR125, that thing was tuned to the max and still couldn’t pull the skin off a custard. Year after I got an 02 125sxs and couldn’t believe the power.
SPODEBOY
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SPODEBOY 5/18/2018 12:09pm
5/18/2018 12:09pm
2006 KX250 F.

So I dumped 5K into the motor (315cc) and Enzo suspension and it got worse. LOL.
samifan
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samifan 5/18/2018 12:10pm
5/18/2018 12:10pm
Jbulz wrote:
My 06 RM250 is the only bike I've felt that way on. I [I]wanted[/I] to like the bike and played with many different bar/clamp combos, spring...
My 06 RM250 is the only bike I've felt that way on. I wanted to like the bike and played with many different bar/clamp combos, spring rates, valving, etc, but I could just never get to the point where I felt comfortable. It felt like the bike was always on a mission to throw me on the ground, which was more frustrating since so many members here seem to love these bikes!

To sum it up: the engine was awesome. The transmission was not awesome, and would eat gears every 15-20 hrs. The headshake was terrifying, and the rear end would step out without any notice. It was a pretty looking bike, but so unpredictable. Good riddance.
Same here with my 03 RM 250. I never got comfortable on that bike. The motor was a rocket but I could never get it to handle. And like you said, the fact that everyone seems to love that bike just made it all the more frustrating. Moved on to a 2006 KTM 250sxf and within about 2 laps was on a different level speed-wise. Good to hear I wasn't the only one who struggled with the RM 2strokes!
H4L
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H4L 5/18/2018 12:24pm
5/18/2018 12:24pm
Jbulz wrote:
My 06 RM250 is the only bike I've felt that way on. I [I]wanted[/I] to like the bike and played with many different bar/clamp combos, spring...
My 06 RM250 is the only bike I've felt that way on. I wanted to like the bike and played with many different bar/clamp combos, spring rates, valving, etc, but I could just never get to the point where I felt comfortable. It felt like the bike was always on a mission to throw me on the ground, which was more frustrating since so many members here seem to love these bikes!

To sum it up: the engine was awesome. The transmission was not awesome, and would eat gears every 15-20 hrs. The headshake was terrifying, and the rear end would step out without any notice. It was a pretty looking bike, but so unpredictable. Good riddance.
samifan wrote:
Same here with my 03 RM 250. I never got comfortable on that bike. The motor was a rocket but I could never get it to...
Same here with my 03 RM 250. I never got comfortable on that bike. The motor was a rocket but I could never get it to handle. And like you said, the fact that everyone seems to love that bike just made it all the more frustrating. Moved on to a 2006 KTM 250sxf and within about 2 laps was on a different level speed-wise. Good to hear I wasn't the only one who struggled with the RM 2strokes!
+3 To this day I don't get what the fuss is about the RM's besides a good turning chassis. The 06 RM250 owned didn't handle very good even after I had RG3 do some work to it. Sold it about 2 months after I bought it since it was real sketchy on an mx track for me.

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