RM125 or CR125 for a fresh build

Too bad we are not closer, I have a 2003 RM125 I would sell you...

I bought a new 01 RM 125 hgs srs pipe, srs trick silencer , fmf ignition toggle switch low to mid,  mid to top , carbon tech mid To top reeds, srs  piston.  It was quite a bit stronger than stock . Pro action revalve get in the rough & the bike will crash you out.  Get a cr 04 is better with inner honed forks 03,s didn’t hv that. best swingarm of all the cr,s.  I had 05,06 I like the 06 more.  They feel lighter than a 04 but they r 125,s.  05-07 r equal to yz,s just finicky jetting .  04 handles better rougher  the better & corners better than RM,s .  04 needs momentum & more clutch.  JM racing in Tx. Can turn the cr into a quick torque rocket.  He did Dungee,s RM 125 so that’s great too I,m sure. 

the honda will have more parts available

It's the other way around for OEM parts, crankcases, exhaust valves and transmission parts are no longer available for the 2005-2007 CR125...

But they are still available for the 2007 RM125...

Get an RM and do some memorial laps for my fallen friend Scott Burnworth.  You can see him ripping on his RM in the link below and you can see what he thought of Hondas in my photo below.  There was not many people who could keep up with Burner on his RM at the age of 61 at his favorite private track.  He always looked amazing on his RM, with both killer riding style and clean gear choice.  I have Hondas but I say get the Zook.

https://www.vitalmx.com/forums/Moto-Related,20/Notable-Suzuki-RM125-riders-over-the-years,1358477?page=5

I know a guy that designed the complete pv system.  The process of durability testing etc is holding it up.  The gears should b easy to manufacture.  I split my cases I didn’t see any reason why a machine shop can’t replicate the parts .  

Some parts for the 2004 RM125 are no longer available (exhaust valve), I'd go with a 2007 RM125 if you can find one.

Avoid the 2004 CR125, sorry @profeshenal125, it's a one year model, servo exhaust valve, great bike, but key OEM parts are as hard to find as unicorns!

For all you guys thinking parts are hard to get for a 2000+ bike, you should try to do a complete resto on an pre-90's bike.  Parts are out there, but some just require a more difficult scavenger hunt.  

Both bikes have discounted parts that are nla. My friend had an 06 cr125 brand new I had a 06 yz125. The thing I hated the most about the cr was the 5 speed gear box. I also don't think the Honda has that much more aftermarket parts. It might have initially back when it was new. 

But even some of that stuff has been discontinued. If that's the only reason why you're thinking honda. Then don't I kinda get the vibe you're using it as a way to talk yourself into it. 

You have memories of the 01 RM and how it rides. The cr will never have the same top end pull. It's pretty much a mid range only bike. The best mod did to the 06 my friend had was putting a pwk on it. It was often finicky with the tmx. 

I owned a brand new 01 CR125 and was seriously considering the 01 RM125. I spent all year wishing I bought the RM. I traded my cr for an 02 yz125. My friend who had an 01 cr125 also. Rode the my 02 yz125 and said it was a cheater bike. A few weeks later had an 03 ktm 125sx. Make things worse. Was I got to ride later that summer a near mint all stock 01 RM125 that had like 4 hrs on it. I probably wouldn't have gotten that yz. 

My friends 06 was better than my 01 in nearly every way. But I'd rather have the RM or YZ hell even my 04 kx125 before another Cr 125 from the early 2000's they have better engine's power bands. Bout the only plus for the CR is potentially resale value because of honda fan boys. 

i did a 2002 rm 125 last winter. there are alot of parts available for the the bike. Babbitts have alot of oem parts for suzukis and my local suzuki dealer got parts for me also.. not sure about honda parts. whatever you decide have fun and enjoy the ride when its complete.

Honda if you want to ride it hard & put it away wet…Suzuki if you  want to spend time on the internet searching for transmission gears…

5 speed tiddlers are like tits on a bull...

" Yeah you're a bit out of my area haha. But wouldn't hurt posting a pic on here and info....maybe someone will pick it up. Looks like the RM is off to a solid hole shot on this one "

We actually have 2 of them, trying to decide if we will sell both this spring or keep one. Both are 03's and we have a ton of parts as well so if we could find someone who wants to attack the 125 class we might sell both as a package deal.

I bought all the OEM power valve stuff I could get while I could and picked up a few things on EB used. The RM is the best turning and easiest to ride IMHO. Only beef I have is the PV set up changed each year for a while and the 2003 is not interchangeable so getting hard to find parts if needed.  

RM all the way. Every Honda 125 I have ever ridden has been an absolute dog. Great chassis, but man were they slow....and who gives a shit about the chassis on a 125. Years ago I built a 2005 KX125, fully ported, a bunch of compression, lightened crank, etc. My friend had a 2005 RM125 with some mild port work and a worn out ring and it was every bit as fast as my Kawasaki.

Yeah the cr,s r so slow that a 05 2 yrs in a row raced LL with mild porting . 11th in 1 moto at LL a 2nd in the fastest 125 regional .  4-5 rm,s to 1 cr the Rm,s  don’t hold up nothing on the bike is 10% quality of a cr.   RM engines there rev out but you hv to shift in the mid range because they won’t shift at high rpm. Even with a Hinson setup .  I don’t think he wants to dominate his region .  How many RM,s r being raced the last 5 yrs ?  I didn’t see any not alot of cr,s either but there’s some.  Usually in the top 5-8 of 28.  I would buy a low bike not a builder , there out there .

What the f pics won’t upload for the 2nd time. It’s a 97 rm125 like new in Fort Wayne, in. Still waiting for a ld 

Original builds... they look different now!

When it comes to restoration the Honda is a no brainer.

A aluminium frame is easier to get/hold fresh.

Buy new footpeg brackets and it will feel like new compared to a steel frame where you have to weld it.

Most of the chassis parts interchange with crf’s so it’s easy to get your hands on kit suspension from crf’s up to 2012/13.

Front wheels are the some on the crf to this day and rear wheel fit to crf 12/13 and the list goes on with foot pegs being the same to 25 etc.

The 5 speed gearbox being a ”problem” is BS if you look at the ratios the 6 speed was more or less just a extra gear and 1-5th is the same on them. And if you want a 6 speed you can fit a older gearbox in the 05-07 cases.

yes, some parts are discontinued but you can find most of it NOS on eBay. 

And regarding the power there is solutions to that to. My -07 cr144 put out 41whp/29nm on the dyno and a stock KTM 150 made around 38 on the same dyno for reference. 

I didn’t know the front wheels on 25,s fit. And rears to 13.  Etc.  fit.  I like my pegs a little farther down & back are the later pegs like that ?  You went for a mild broad engine for your girlfriend right ?  If I remember from your build thread.  My 04 built to run c12 is 38.8-  39 but it’s quick & Very wide Torque pull, super fun. Stab the clutch & bang 20 lbs of Torque . I know a rider building a 02 cr250 that used a 07 crf250 swingarm ,130 bucks . The cr250 was expensive. 

Raptor off different options for lowering and moving the peg rearward...

https://www.raptortitanium.com/shop/rx002

or you could buy lower mounts...

https://www.systemtechracing.com/product-page/footpeg-lowering-kit-1

I use the -5mm backward pegs on the -07 build to make the rider triangle a little larger. 

Yes, everything I did was to gain peak HP without sacrificing any frontside of the curve but rather gain on the frontside to.

For example I went with a 144 kit, a oval bored 36x38.5mm carb with power jet, programmable ignition and exhaust spacers and ported for a broad powerband.

Had I just went for peak HP and not cared for anything else I could have gone with a larger carb, not cared for building with a power jet, not used exhaust spacers and went for top HP on the porting. 

So surpassing 40whp with a good powerband (peaks earlier than a 125 ofc) is still good numbers for a CR so if you as a rider actually want a cr with a good engine it can be solved and no need for the old internet myth that they are dogs…

06 rm125 is my favorite bike of all time. It had some issues though, when it had problems I would borrow my brothers YZ and I fuckin hated it compared to my zook. My friend had a CR back then too that I would try that I hated more than the YZ. Both of those bikes were much more reliable than the RM but there was just something about that bike that made me want to let loose on the track, never got those feelings on the others.

I used to build those model Hondas with the same approach. Biggest gain was in the cylinder head, but that matched with mild porting, an offset bored carb and exhaust spacer made for a well balanced torquey powerband that was rider friendly yet competitive. 
To be fair though, the standard motor was a bit of a dog.

Yeah in stock form they are not much to write home about, but who builds a 125 as a project bike and keep it stock?.

My race bike in 02 had a 36x38mm bored stock TMX carb, a lowered cylinder, modified head, boyesen rad valve, Husqvarna oem piston and a FMF exhaust system.

That was it, the bike was bought from a dutch GP team and the powerband was super impressive at the time. It felt like a small 250. Really strong bottom and midrange.

So it sounds simular to what you were doing with your bikes.

Was that the one you raced with the throttle stuck WFO for a whole moto? 😄