Does A 125 Make Sense?

https://www.vitalmx.com/forums/moto-related/austrian-carbed-125s-holy

No shortage of old guys in this thread. 

absolutely, i just got another 125 after not having one for a while. I love it / have so much fun on it I havent even wanted to ride my 450f. 

I went from '18 crf450 to a '20 250f to '22 125 (I weight 230lbs).

My take is that the 450f was just to much power so I was always timid on it, the 250f was pretty much perfect enough power to do all the jumps and not to much to be afraid of it, the 125 is super fun but is more physically tiring and if your on a track with a lot of elevation change you need to be good at keeping your momentum up in corners or it will not be fun.

So that doesn't really answer your question but my opinion based on my history is if you bought a 125 it would be fun for a couple rides but after you will probably leave it in the corner for the 350.

Only if you want to have a lot of fun.

You can't go wrong with a 125. I am 58 240 lbs and have more fun on that bike than my 250.

I am in the exact same boat, 49 years old, 155 lbs, former mediocre B racer from way back that got back into track riding again a few years ago.  I started with an FC350 which does everything I ever want, but I still really missed wringing out a 125 (I still can) so I got a '23 TC125.  What I found is that I have a lot of fun on the 125, and I don't feel that I get wore out faster riding it (properly).  It is nice to have the option of both..  If I go to a track with hills and elevation and I want to be lazy, I bring the 350, if I am going to a track that feels like the 125 may be more fun, I take that.  I will say one is not necessarily more fun than the other, but having the choice of both sure is nice   It won't be long before we can't ride at a competitive level, take the plunge, enjoy it while you can.

My last 125 was a 1999 RM125. I raced B class with it at 175lbs. Now im 54 and 195lbs. I currently have a YZ250F. l love a 125 but i dont really feel like it would be the right bike for my current weight now.  I was on the upper side of weight when i owned it in 2000-2002. The 250F seems perfect now that im finally comfortable with my riding skills again. 

Edit: However, if you dont sound fast , you arent going  fast. 

At age 43, I still ride my YZ125 for fun and for practice.

I own a 350F and a YZ250 as well.   Get the carbureted 125 or 150 and enjoy it. 

Beware, KTM jets their carbureted two strokes like shit, you'll have some work to do.
I've ridden the latest injected TC125 with a dealer reflashed ecu and frankly it sucks compared to a jetted carb.
 

Nothing makes sense anymore!  Except a nice 125.

I had a ктм350 and a кх125 at the same time, both fun in different ways 

Sometimes riding a slow bike fast is more fun than riding a fast bike slow  

Don't buy a 125. The scent of the premix will release endorphins in your bloodstream, making you think that you're having a good time. Don't be fooled. The easily flickable, lightweight chassis will land like a feather off of the biggest jumps. You'll change direction and stop so quickly that you'll think you're a better rider than you actually are. The sweet, sweet sound of that motor will make you sound like a hero to anyone within earshot. You'll smile from ear to ear so much that your cheeks will hurt. Again; don't fall for it! You'll only think you are having a great time, when instead you should be riding a larger, heavier, hotter, stall-happy big-crash-inducing 4-stroke. Believe me, you'll be better off on that. 

Try and ride a 125 or 150 first. All that glitters is not gold and a 350 is an awesome ride.

If you can afford if and have the space then go for it.  If not, the extra work riding and maintaining a 125 might be fun, but it might take it away.

Fwiw, I've had 125s in my garage for the last two decades,  and I can be objective about ownership vs the subjectivity from people that remember them with rose tinted glasses.

Also, you'll find yourself habitually reaching for a vestigial kickstarter.

I have 1.1 hours on my new four stroke and I've caught myself trying to kick start it at least five times.
The shame I feel from my buddies at the track is ruining my confidence as a man.

My tick was always looking for the fuel tap 😂

I usually bring both a 350 and an RM125 to the track. The 125 is really fun to ride and keeps the aggression level high. It also requires a bit more maintenance to keep running and an extra gas can for the premix. The 350 isn't as exciting to ride, but it cuts seconds off of each lap and is much safer to figure out the jumps. I am not sure the 125 makes sense, but I have enough fun on it that it is worth loading into the truck every weekend.

If you want to ride all year round then a 125 is an incredible ADDITIONAL bike to have. When the conditions and track are favourable to a 125 (flowing track, decent grip, not heavy sand/mud) then 125's are awesome. 

I've recently started riding an 06 RM125 and have been having so much fun on it at smaller/easier tracks. However now winter is looming here in the UK the 125 is going to get parked and the 250 will take over.

I'm 58 and been on a 350 for 2 years . I recently bought a yz250 stroke and while I did like it , it has some sketchy moments. I have since picked up a yz 125 from a buddy and really love this this thing so the 250 will be for sale 

59 year old here. I have a YZ 144 and just love it. So much fun! Rewinding to three decades ago, one of the best things I did was selling my 250 getting a 125. Rode the hell out of that thing for years and have always had a small bore of some sort ever since. Riding a 125 is really fun and it definitely teaches you proper technique what with corner speed and the clutch.

I bought a carbed austrian 250. Best purchase in a long time. Put a flywheel weight on it. My 350 has been parked ever since.

Can your technique handle the additional effort needed to keep a 125 singing on the pipe? 

I personally tend to crash my brains out on a 125 trying to push it to keep momentum up. 

125 means learning to be constantly slipping the clutch to keep it singing in the HP sweet spot and aggressively attacking the turns. Very different than a 4 stroke.

For track riding it's hard for me to argue against a 125, cheap, plenty of power, and will keep your technique honest. 

Yes, try to borrow a 125 for a good spin first.  I have one and I love it,  but I am still able to ride it the way it's intended.  I've allowed some older guys that had the nostalgia to ride my 125's and a few got off after one lap and said "it has no power" or "how the hell do you ride this thing?"   It made them realize how bad 20 years on 450's had spoiled them.

I picked up a 2022 KTM 125 a few months ago after not riding one for close to 20 years and I've been loving it. I had a 350 last year and also ride a 2022 250 SX. Between the 3 I'm the slowest on the 125, but right now I'm having the most fun on the 125.

Here's some footage of my first race back on the 125.

125s are awesome!  I'm pretty sure I'd be faster on a 250F or 450F, but I really like the way a 125 makes you ride.  You have to time jumps perfectly and in advance, choose good lines in order to keep momentum, and always be in the right gear and power band.

To me that's a good time!!

I'm 61, and have always ridden 125s.

For racing vet classes, the bike is not the limiting factor.  Very few are pushing their bikes to the limit.  I'm not saying that having a faster bike isn't an advantage, but in my experience, a 125 is plenty competitive in the 40+ and higher C classes.

I'm hoping to race my 125 a lot next year!

Not surprising - the GasGas 125 is a full 10ths lighter than the Husky and KTM, 5lbs lighter than the YZ and has a full hp on the Husky and KTM, with 2 more than the YZ.

Sounds like the air forks on the GG give this one the power to weight ratio win 👍