Ktm or Yamaha.

Austin_Kupiec
Looking to buy a brand new 125. Just not sure if I should get a Ktm because I know I like them. But I’m also interested in the new gen yz125. Would just like some opinions
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FGR01
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FGR01 5/4/2022 5:46pm
5/4/2022 5:46pm
Can't go wrong. Both good. You might be lucky to find anything.
NLMB150
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NLMB150 5/5/2022 7:02am
5/5/2022 7:02am
I’m a big yami guy. And the yz125 is one of the best handling bikes ever. I put 700 hours on a yz125 in my younger years. And it always was strong. But like the comment above. Bikes hard to get. Any 125 is good. But if you go ktm. Watch out for the crank/ cdi recall issue. Whatever you get. You’ll have the most fun ever
Moto520
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Moto520 5/5/2022 7:16am
5/5/2022 7:16am
Yamaha......avoid the air fork and get the best stock suspension. The air fork will always be a thorn in the side of the KTM. Great bike but be sure to see if the air fork is something that you can tolerate. It's not bad for a certain type of riding....
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Rickyisms 5/5/2022 10:57am
5/5/2022 10:57am Edited Date/Time 5/5/2022 10:58am
This is coming from someone who was two newer KTM 125s. Great bikes, super fast and strong for a 125, but the suspension is their peg leg. I got both the KTMs when me and my dad were still really into racing competitively, but if I was riding for fun I’d get the Yamaha purely for suspension alone. I wouldn’t turn away from a clean 2018 or up YZ, as parts are available out the ass for that generation and everyone knows how to set one up.

You can’t go wrong with any kind of 125 though!

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skyrebel88
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skyrebel88 5/6/2022 8:05am
5/6/2022 8:05am
Rickyisms wrote:
This is coming from someone who was two newer KTM 125s. Great bikes, super fast and strong for a 125, but the suspension is their peg...
This is coming from someone who was two newer KTM 125s. Great bikes, super fast and strong for a 125, but the suspension is their peg leg. I got both the KTMs when me and my dad were still really into racing competitively, but if I was riding for fun I’d get the Yamaha purely for suspension alone. I wouldn’t turn away from a clean 2018 or up YZ, as parts are available out the ass for that generation and everyone knows how to set one up.

You can’t go wrong with any kind of 125 though!

Can't agree more. ktms could be the bees knees but the forks hold it back.
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jumper23
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jumper23 5/6/2022 9:45am
5/6/2022 9:45am
running a 2022 KTM 125sx for the past 10 months and have to say it has been very dependable . Just regular maintained
Moto520
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Moto520 5/6/2022 11:53am
5/6/2022 11:53am
The ktm durability is underrated. They do hold up well and are made different.
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Rickyisms 5/6/2022 12:53pm
5/6/2022 12:53pm
Moto520 wrote:
The ktm durability is underrated. They do hold up well and are made different.
I got 200 hours out of stock KTM swingarm bearings and chain sliders. I was pretty impressed.
Rider 5280
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Rider 5280 5/6/2022 1:34pm
5/6/2022 1:34pm
Moto520 wrote:
The ktm durability is underrated. They do hold up well and are made different.
Rickyisms wrote:
I got 200 hours out of stock KTM swingarm bearings and chain sliders. I was pretty impressed.
How often do you realistically need to replace the main bearings and rebuild the crank on a 125?

How about gears and bearings?
Rickyisms 5/6/2022 5:07pm
5/6/2022 5:07pm
Moto520 wrote:
The ktm durability is underrated. They do hold up well and are made different.
Rickyisms wrote:
I got 200 hours out of stock KTM swingarm bearings and chain sliders. I was pretty impressed.
Rider 5280 wrote:
How often do you realistically need to replace the main bearings and rebuild the crank on a 125?

How about gears and bearings?
I got about 130 hours out of the bottoms ends before something starts making noise. Cranks have always been in spec when torn down around those times, but replaced or rebuilt for a piece of mind. Both of my 125s have hundreds of hours on them collectively and have not needed any gears replaced, I will do them sometime soon though and was looking into some treatment options as well.
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Rider 5280
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Rider 5280 5/6/2022 9:56pm
5/6/2022 9:56pm
Rickyisms wrote:
I got 200 hours out of stock KTM swingarm bearings and chain sliders. I was pretty impressed.
Rider 5280 wrote:
How often do you realistically need to replace the main bearings and rebuild the crank on a 125?

How about gears and bearings?
Rickyisms wrote:
I got about 130 hours out of the bottoms ends before something starts making noise. Cranks have always been in spec when torn down around those...
I got about 130 hours out of the bottoms ends before something starts making noise. Cranks have always been in spec when torn down around those times, but replaced or rebuilt for a piece of mind. Both of my 125s have hundreds of hours on them collectively and have not needed any gears replaced, I will do them sometime soon though and was looking into some treatment options as well.
Got it - thanks!

FWIW, I have had great luck with ISF (Yoshimura did mine). Buttery smooth shifting.
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