Best Hare Scramble bikes, accessories, etc.

1986 CR 500 😉

Can’t go wrong with a 06+ yz125

A Yz125 (or any Austrian 125) will be a great bike to start racing. It’ll be quite a step up from what you’re riding now, but not so fast that it will exhaust you in a 1.5hr+ race. Add some hand guards, a bigger tank (if you don’t buy an X or XC), wear the right protective gear, buy a 1 liter USWE, and most importantly, work on your cardio. Harescrambles are a blast, and a great way to scratch that racing itch if the track isn’t an option.  

2006+ YZ125 or a 2013+ KTM/Husky 125/150. When I was your age I raced the shit out of my 2016 KTM 125 in the woods (Still do). All I did was back off my clickers and run a big tank, flag hand guards, and a skid plate. Won a harescramble championship on it and it finished every single race. Swap the tank, turn your clickers back in and go ride the MX track the next day. 

Get a smoker of whichever color you prefer.  They will all work fine.

Good point on the hydropack. Left mine at home one race day. Safe to say i wanted to die midway through that race

KDX 200 

One thing you may want to emphasize with your parents is that racing isn’t more dangerous than practice riding and in most cases is safer . On race day most tracks will have a flagger on the blind jumps and emergency services are right there on sight. And with hare scrambles , they need emergency vehicles on site to race and competitors help to get medical or mechanical help to each other out on the course. The only racing I do nowadays is out in the desert , and I know if something happens out there , I’m way better off to get hurt during a race than out there on my own with a friend or two. And the dangerous stuff on the course is marked which makes the safety factor go up. 

Go with the YZ 125. As late of year as possible. 06+. The parts availability is way better than the RM. I’m not saying the RM is a bad bike. You just want parts to be available as they wear out or, break. You don’t want to be scanning  eBay waiting for parts to pop up while the bike is parked.  
 

Racers are all trying to go in one direction, much safer than having a head on while practicing!

Welcome to Vital. 🤝

When you figure it out , post what you’re looking for in the for sale section. Members give each other pretty killer deals on used stuff. Guys in your area can also help check bikes out sometimes.

I’d post on a Hare Scrambles forum.

2024 yz125x. Support the manufacture that supports the sport

On that note, he's not wrong

Have fun man. Pay attention to the arrows and blue tape

Fifteen years ago an RM would have been a good choice, not so much now. They are still considered a solid bike but have not been produced in years. Transmission parts are scarce, as are some odds and ends. The YZ is by far your best option to get started. 

I would seriously consider a Beta 200 for 2 reasons that will make a big difference in a hare scramble. It has more bottom end and it has e start. Both would make riding easier especially as the race gets into the 2nd hour as you get tired.  I’ve raced HS my whole life and I would race that bike right now in a heartbeat. 

Those new Beta smokers are soooooo sexy !  

And never, ever follow someone close on an uphill climb.  

My brother and I restored a couple 125s last winter and raced them all summer in harescrambles, sprint enduros and the jack pine enduro. Mine a 00 kx125, his an 03 RM125. while in the super tight technical stuff no 125 is perfect but the rm125 is awesome especially compared to the kx! I cant compare how it would be compared to the yz or austrian 125s suggested here but that RM is a bad ass woods bike for a 125 

Beta has been around in the off road world for awhile as a boutique brand but the last few years they have entered the mainstream. The 200 is for sure more expensive than the YZ125X.

I would personally go yz or ktm for ease of parts availability and aftermarket support! 

YZ  sss suspension is a weapon in the woods when setup right!

Just go 06+ so you get the kyb suspension and you are set! 

125s are tricky bikes to ride sometimes.  Perhaps especially in the woods.  They make their power at very high RPMs,and require a lot of "management" by the rider to keep the engine where it makes the most power.  There is often a sudden transition from "not much power" to "a whole lot of power" which can knock inexperienced riders off balance (a bad thing in the woods).

Don't overlook that recommendation of a KDX 200.  Any 2 stroke 200 (KTM made them for a while) is going to have a lot more grunt on the bottom end, which makes it a lot easier to ride, especially if you don't have a lot of experience and especially when you are exhausted in the second half of a HS.  KDX's are berhaps looked down upon, but have a very nice engine and good enough chasis/suspension for your first woods weapon.

Having said that, I have a 98 RM125 that I've built for woods riding.  I'm not good at keeping it in the power but for flat woods riding it lugs along nicely.  I absolutely enjoy the crap out of riding it.  I run into trouble on unexpected hill climbs though, where I have to get the revs up real fast.  It's also worth noting I'm 6'2" and 180, so probably on the heavy side for a 125.  I specifically built this bike to be something manageable for long rides/races.

Many moons ago I raced a KTM 250SX in the woods, which was a VERY powerful 250 2 stroke.  I got in trouble on that bike towards the end of hare scrambles as I was flopping around exhausted and imprecise use of my right wrist nearly sent me into a tree many times.

You'll probably be surprised at how physically demanding a hare scramble is.  Sure you may think you can ride all day, but the intensity of racing in the woods is hard to understand until you've done it.  Halfway into your first couple of them, quitting looks real attractive.  Monkey butt, dripping in sweat, bloody hands from the skin disappearing from your palms, and stuck behind a bunch of people at a muddy hillclimb, not moving but stewing in your own juice....that's how you build character!

Once you get a couple races under your belt, your base fitness and level of expectations will meet nicely in the middle and you'll know how to survive the race, and then HS become incredibly fun.

Get a YZ125 or the X version. Even stock Valving works good in the woods just making clicker adjustments. A 125 will be a great skills development bike for you and will teach you to maintain momentum and brake/shift. 
Some of my fastest hare scramble lap times were on a YZ125. Gear it for woods and go racing. Once you develop more experience and skill maybe look at a 250F from Yamaha or KTM. 

They had KYB before 06. In 04 they moved to a 48mm fork from a 46mm.