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9/27/2024
Location
Matthews, NC, USA
So I have a Klx140rL, I’m 5’6” or 7” about 120 pounds pretty skinny guy. I got my 140 a year ago today and about 6 months in I started getting a little bored of the 140’s speed and I started riding around on my dads klx300r. Now, I’m starting to get bored of the 300 too and I want to start doing motocross. I fit well on a KX85 but I can barely touch ground on a 250. I’m having a hard time finding a bike that would be a good fit that will satisfy my want for speed and my skill level. What should my next step be?
A YZ125 (Light, and if you are still growing - grow into it.)
A Yz125 for many reasons. The Yz125 doesn't have the fastest motor stock, but from what people say, it's the best handling.
I ride a Yz125 and love it, but I haven't ridden the other brands.
A 125 in general will help you develop good habits. In order to go fast, you have to choose good lines and always be in the right gear so that you keep your momentum. You can't be lazy, and go slow in the corners, and fast in the straightaways like some do on 4 strokes.
They say that if you can ride fast on a 125, you can ride any bike fast.
Plus, they're a lot of fun.
If your concerned about your height and how tall the bike is, the Husqvarna TC125 has shorter suspension which brings the seat height down almost an inch.
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DeCal Works Huge Plastic Inventory of UFO and Polisport kits.
Luxon 4-Post Bar Mounts
$189.95 - $239.95
This is the correct answer.
^
Yeah - I nearly said “CR500”.
Just knew it would go there.
Smoker.....
125 for sure . The 2019 yz125 would be better than a 2020, 24 . Not as tall & better quicker low to mid , a pc pipe would give ya more top when your ready for that. The 05-07 cr125 is equal to a 19 yz125. And much cheaper much better handling the front end sticks like glue. Better quality bolts, etc. a 04 cr125 has the best handling of all the bikes . A little harder to ride you must keep momentum. Real slow or stopping in corners it suffers, low to mid is dead. But it has a Great hit just above the low end and a strong mid pull a ton of ovr rev but it’s flat. Very fun to ride you can blitz deep square holes like there nothing. 3,200 4 this clean 1.
I don't know about handling of the CR compared to the YZ, but when the 2005 Yz125 came out, it was the 125 to have.
I've also heard that the CR125s were slow during that period.
Buy the newest model year YZ125 you can afford. Don't worry about the power being enough, track is different than woods/field riding. A 125 will be plenty of fun with obstacles.
Cheap parts, easy to work on, lots fo availabilty. Learn you will, hmmm.
Tell him about the Tara gieger mod pro
Kinda funny how many have suggested Yamahas when the OP is clearly a Kawasaki man.
I heard the picture as much as I saw it. Nice.
I am indeed a Kawasaki person but id be open to another bike for a little while until I upgrade to a kx250
Get a yz125. You’ll outgrow a 85-100 by the spring.
A late 90's-early 2000's kx125 would make you a very happy camper.
They were total dogs. The meth Profeshenal is on makes it feel like those Honda's are really fast though.
Pit Row
"The 05-07 cr125 is equal to a 19 yz125"
As someone who has owned both, I completely disagree with this statement.... but any 125 two stroke will be fun and a good next step.
I'm real close to your size/wheight and race moto. I just tried out the YZ125X and like the powerband better than the yz125 on the track. The more linear powerband of the X made it easier to ride and less prone to bogging if u missed a shift or got off the throttle too much. Suspension is soft for lighter riders from the start.
Dirt rider 05 tested both bikes with Keither on board and another So cal. Pro. They said there equal but the Honda,s jetting is more finicky & a little hard to get on the pipe. That’s where rider talent comes in to even them up. The cr is the closest feeling to a kx.
Even as a Honda guy with a couple of cr125’s in the collection i would never advice anyone to buy a cr125 unless it was ment to be a project bike.
As many have said the yz125 is the way to go. Plenty of them out there and you can still get parts for them.
My last cr125 build is a -07 that i bought in boxes and there was plenty of parts discontinued at Honda when i needed new OEM parts and had to go on a eBay hunt to get them.
That’s not the life you want for your daily bike.
As far for the CR125 being a dog, there is solutions to that. My -07 with a 144 kit on it now made more hp than what a stock ktm 150 did on the same dyno with better bottom to mid. But it was a expensive way to get there and once again, nothing i would do on a non-project bike.
Yea, putting a big bore kit on a dog is definitely a solution.
You can lead a horse to water....😂
I remember riding a YZ125 back then and being surprised that it had bottom end power. For all I know it was a big bore or something. But it looked stock. At the time I was a Honda guy. I was not as heavy as I am now. 230ish or so back then and 6'9" . I had a blast riding 125's. But I had a CR250 2 stroke and CRF450 of my own. I rode a riding buddies KX 125 and CR 125 around the same time. All of the bikes were pretty new at the time. The KX and CR were a couple hours of riding time old and 100% stock. I did not know the owner of the the YZ as well at the time so I'm not sure if his bike was stock or not. But I rode his after riding those other bikes and I was blown away that it had some bottom end power. The KX and CR were not very noticeable different power wise. But I rode the CR on a natural sand track with no real jumps and the KX and YZ on harder packed dirt with more jumps.
I only spent a short amount of time on all 3 bikes and that was my first impression of them from that long ago. So take it for what it is.
I would also say to go with a YZ125 out of all the 125's. There are a ton of parts available for them . If You are still growing, You could get a second seat with short foam, and a lowering link and it would be easy to reverse back to stock. If You are full grown, You could have the suspension modified to lower the seat height, reversing that would be more expensive but it can be put back to stock too.
A 125 will not have the same style power the 4 strokes have, but it will make You a better rider . The chassis would support Your want for speed, and if Your skilled enough the engine can take you to the speeds You desire. And as a bonus since You have to ride a 125 a certain way, if You get tired and make a mistake its less likely to cause a big crash than a 4 stroke that has big power and response.
I also agree with basically everyone else.
A 125 is going to be your best best. Good introduction to a true race bike.
Crf150r
Yeah. And then comparing it to a bike with the same CC’s…
The 05 CR125 came out late and wasn’t apart of the shootouts. When it did finally come out it put out more HP than the 05 YZ125. The CR was always praised for its chassis.
My 06 cr125 ran stronger than my 05. The stock reeds flutter throw a rad valve in and it’s a torque boost bottom to mid then stronger mid. 03 hgs kx pipe the bike easily pulls a carbed Ktm . Rv, iKat , kx hgs pipe more bottom stronger and much longer mid into a 2 more ovr rev that stills pulls. The Ky. Kid raced a pretty stock sounding 07 cr125 at LL 2 yrs in a row. He got 11th in 1 moto. People that say there slow r lost. Guy Cooper I,m sure could ride any bike he wanted. Cooper rides a 05 cr125. A 04 is better in a gnarly rough square holed track , it goes straight threw . And the frontend sticks like glue.
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