The Worst Bike YOU Have Ever Ridden?

Flatliner
Posts
4060
Joined
11/3/2009
Location
CA
11/9/2025 7:07am
I’m gonna revive this..I had a 97 KX125 back in the day. It was a big, wide, truck of a bike. I liked it in the...

I’m gonna revive this..

I had a 97 KX125 back in the day. It was a big, wide, truck of a bike. I liked it in the woods or anything high speed, as it did feel stable, but not anywhere near a track. I was in my teens as well so being lighter didn’t exactly help my case with it. Engine wise it was midrange only.. and it was nothing to write home about there either. Had a splitfire graphics kit and blue seat cover. I thought it was ugly. I know opinions may vary on that bike but it just didn’t jibe with me. I currently have a 2000 RM125, the RM feels and handles incredibly better. 


I had a buddy in high school who had an older all white YZ125. 93 I wanna say. That bike was such a gutless turd that I wanted to light it on fire, and it wasn’t even mine. Thing would lose steam on any uphill section and wouldn’t even pull the taller gears an anything but black top. 

For comparison purposes, my younger brother had an 01 YZ125. Power wise, it blew both my RM and KX out of the water.. way better motor. But I just love how the Suzuki feels on the track.

My 94' RM80 was faster than that 93' YZ.  They were terrible.

1
Trickamoto
Posts
632
Joined
2/6/2018
Location
Beverly Hills, CA US
11/9/2025 7:24am

worst

88 and 97 cr 250

 

slowest

98 cr 125

11/9/2025 8:00am

2005 kx 250 2stroke. Handled great until it didn’t and then you would be on the ground waking up from getting knocked out and wondering what the hell happened. Once that thing started to step out of line, you were finished, there was no saving it. 

3
kage173
Posts
2942
Joined
11/27/2015
Location
TX US
11/9/2025 8:02am

2003 YZ250F. It was fine to ride it if you could get it to start. But, you couldn't get it to start.

1

The Shop

11/9/2025 11:24am
2005 kx 250 2stroke. Handled great until it didn’t and then you would be on the ground waking up from getting knocked out and wondering what...

2005 kx 250 2stroke. Handled great until it didn’t and then you would be on the ground waking up from getting knocked out and wondering what the hell happened. Once that thing started to step out of line, you were finished, there was no saving it. 

IMG 3899 1I had one I got as new leftover in 08.. bike was a rocket and I feel it would probably give any modern 250 a run for its money, power wise. Chassis did feel odd and the rear shock I remember felt over dampened off the floor 

4
1
mxjordy127
Posts
361
Joined
9/6/2007
Location
Bakersfield/Tulare, CA US
11/10/2025 6:34am
2005 kx 250 2stroke. Handled great until it didn’t and then you would be on the ground waking up from getting knocked out and wondering what...

2005 kx 250 2stroke. Handled great until it didn’t and then you would be on the ground waking up from getting knocked out and wondering what the hell happened. Once that thing started to step out of line, you were finished, there was no saving it. 

Haha we saw it with Bubba so I don’t doubt it one bit. 

1
1
Zycki11
Posts
7675
Joined
4/1/2008
Location
Edwardsville, IL US
11/10/2025 6:56am

97 Cr125 what a slow POS lol. It vibrated like crazy because of the new aluminum frame, and the engine was absolute garbage. 

Fun little story, got a new 97 Cr125 and placed moto tassinari reeds, pro circuit expansion chamber and silencer, jetted properly, 104-93 blend gas and klotz. Downhill start Columbia Mo state series race. Ripped a great start half a length ahead of everyone and watched all Yamahas rip right by as I clicked 3rd. 

Zero torqued, dinky window to stay on the pipe, and overall just awful. 

Bought a 2003 yz125 after that and it was like a Cadillac with rockets. 

2
1
evomx244
Posts
237
Joined
1/19/2008
Location
Morrow, OH US
11/10/2025 9:24am
68 wrote:
2001 RM250.. wow
mikec265 wrote:
What was so bad about it? I had one new and loved it, especially after motor and suspension work. It was pretty good stock.
Madmax31 wrote:
I agree. I won a lot of races on an 01 RM 250. All I did was add a flywheel weight and PC pipe.

you're nuts Gary-I loved the 01 CR 250. the fix for the 84 YZ was an 83 cylinder. T-bell should've given you one with the purchased  

spinyard
Posts
67
Joined
3/3/2022
Location
San Diego, CA US
11/11/2025 5:00pm
Zycki11 wrote:
97 Cr125 what a slow POS lol. It vibrated like crazy because of the new aluminum frame, and the engine was absolute garbage. Fun little story, got...

97 Cr125 what a slow POS lol. It vibrated like crazy because of the new aluminum frame, and the engine was absolute garbage. 

Fun little story, got a new 97 Cr125 and placed moto tassinari reeds, pro circuit expansion chamber and silencer, jetted properly, 104-93 blend gas and klotz. Downhill start Columbia Mo state series race. Ripped a great start half a length ahead of everyone and watched all Yamahas rip right by as I clicked 3rd. 

Zero torqued, dinky window to stay on the pipe, and overall just awful. 

Bought a 2003 yz125 after that and it was like a Cadillac with rockets. 

97 cr125 was steel frame last year, before one ever

4
Zycki11
Posts
7675
Joined
4/1/2008
Location
Edwardsville, IL US
11/11/2025 6:38pm
Zycki11 wrote:
97 Cr125 what a slow POS lol. It vibrated like crazy because of the new aluminum frame, and the engine was absolute garbage. Fun little story, got...

97 Cr125 what a slow POS lol. It vibrated like crazy because of the new aluminum frame, and the engine was absolute garbage. 

Fun little story, got a new 97 Cr125 and placed moto tassinari reeds, pro circuit expansion chamber and silencer, jetted properly, 104-93 blend gas and klotz. Downhill start Columbia Mo state series race. Ripped a great start half a length ahead of everyone and watched all Yamahas rip right by as I clicked 3rd. 

Zero torqued, dinky window to stay on the pipe, and overall just awful. 

Bought a 2003 yz125 after that and it was like a Cadillac with rockets. 

spinyard wrote:

97 cr125 was steel frame last year, before one ever

Then it was a 98. It was aluminum frame. Either way it was a POS lol 

2
theraptur712
Posts
548
Joined
4/28/2022
Location
Victoria, TX US
11/11/2025 7:24pm

1989 KX125...suspension was great but the motor was a dud. When I got the 1990 CR125 I thought I got a supercharged bike. My buddy got a 1990 RM125 at the same and it was so slow I could pass him on any straight by the time we hit 4th gear, and I started a couple bike lengths behind. 

1988 Cagiva 125, that bike was even slower than the 89 KX125. Not much else to say.

The worst for me was a 1987 RM250, my 1987 CR125 was faster...

godog
Posts
112
Joined
8/20/2014
Location
CA
11/11/2025 10:17pm

Worst bikes I've ever ridden/owned...

Top of the list was a 1998 KTM MXC 300...it didn't do anything well...just awful.

Next was a 1995 YZ125.... I lost my job at the local dealership due to this POS...I ran out and bought a 95 CR125 from the rival shop after I couldn't get the parts needed to keep the yz alive ....I got fired and a couple weeks later my CR got stolen....my dad also got fired from that dealership after 15 years ....I got blamed and my parents kicked me out....

Next was a 1998 husky WR125....it also broke constantly....power valve governor...cranks, fork tube... unreliable with few parts available in north America..

Currently I bought a 2025 gas gas mc250 a couple months ago and this thing is giving those other bikes a run....for being a giant POS....

 

1
1
Darrin Willis
Posts
1105
Joined
11/16/2020
Location
Red Deer County, AB CA
11/12/2025 2:50am

Every 500 ive ever ridden. Never owned one but I've ridden a few.85 honda.a couple 90s kxs . an 04 kx. 2 brc bikes as well. A ktm version and a yz version. The ktm was probably the only decent bike. That brc yamaha was awful.

Rad76
Posts
401
Joined
7/17/2020
Location
Elk Grove Village, IL US
11/12/2025 3:02am

I had the "chance" to test the mighty Cannondale in enduro version. By far the worst bike ever, even with great and modern solutions on it. 

1
11/13/2025 8:24am

I not sure how I missed this thread after all these years. Anyway I have a couple. Before I really got a real MX bike I rode what ever my dad brought home. Back in 1968 he brought home a 55 (not sure of exact year) Triumph Tiger Cub 200cc single. It was my first bike. It was stripped down to only what it needed to run. It was heavy for its size and had very low power but it was my first bike so I learned a lot on it. But it was not a good dirt bike.

IMG E1810 1

Next after that in 1971 he brought home a 1964 Honda CB160 twin street bike. I took all the lights and gauges off. chopped the rear fender and exhaust. I tried to make a dirt bike out of it but it didn't work. 

IMG 3608 2.jpeg?VersionId=tGVFkgOwSweoqURDMQ3

I even took the forks off the Triumph and put them on the Honda. It actually helped but it still sucked.

Carlsbad 1979  00005 untitled 0005 0001.jpg?VersionId=y

I say that all my real MX bikes were all good. Some better than others but at the time I had them I thought they were all pretty good until I got the next one.

4
MX707#
Posts
124
Joined
2/2/2022
Location
Charlton City, MA US
11/13/2025 8:38am

Funny seing my old post of how much I hated my 01 cr125, that feeling is still there. Definitely up there as one of slowest 125s ever made in the y2k era that's for sure, sorry profesh lol. Since that post I can think of few other bikes I've had that were also terrible. 2015 Ktm 250 sx, holy balls. 50hp of vibrating mean angry 2 stroke with dreadful 4cs forks. Yeah F that bike. Funny enough i had a 2014 which had bigger flywheel then the 15 so power was little more calmed down and it had the open chamber forks that were great. I'd put those forks up against the new aer fork. Crazy what small changes can do to a bike. Another was a friend's 2015 crf450. Weird ergos for a honda, slow as balls, forks were terrible. Kinda glad I skipped that entire 13-16 crf generation. Lastly was a 2011 yz450 I borrowed from a friend, wow just wow no wonder js7 crashed that thing so much, all the power with odd handling, chunky ergos, crazy intake noise. Just doing an air filter even sucked on it

1
Cliffy615
Posts
522
Joined
9/9/2013
Location
Chester GB
11/13/2025 1:17pm

I had a tm 144, really didn’t like that bike I didn’t have it long my gosh it was stiff 

11/13/2025 1:40pm

Hard to decide between: 

1996 RM125

2001 RM250

2003 YZ450F. 

Probably the YZF. 

A 1999 KX250 broke my femur! I still loved that thing and bought a 2000 model too! 

sh274s
Posts
36
Joined
12/10/2024
Location
San Jose, CA US
11/13/2025 3:06pm
godog wrote:
Worst bikes I've ever ridden/owned...Top of the list was a 1998 KTM MXC 300...it didn't do anything well...just awful.Next was a 1995 YZ125.... I lost my...

Worst bikes I've ever ridden/owned...

Top of the list was a 1998 KTM MXC 300...it didn't do anything well...just awful.

Next was a 1995 YZ125.... I lost my job at the local dealership due to this POS...I ran out and bought a 95 CR125 from the rival shop after I couldn't get the parts needed to keep the yz alive ....I got fired and a couple weeks later my CR got stolen....my dad also got fired from that dealership after 15 years ....I got blamed and my parents kicked me out....

Next was a 1998 husky WR125....it also broke constantly....power valve governor...cranks, fork tube... unreliable with few parts available in north America..

Currently I bought a 2025 gas gas mc250 a couple months ago and this thing is giving those other bikes a run....for being a giant POS....

 

Curious what issues you're having with a 2025 MC250

2
godog
Posts
112
Joined
8/20/2014
Location
CA
11/13/2025 5:10pm

It fouls a plug with every ride. 18hrs on the clock 8 dead plugs...missing welds on front motor mounts.....lower triple clamp not machined square... nothing you could do to get the front end alignment correct....the axle won't float freely thru the lugs... I replaced both triple clamps with a new set....(From a different brand new gas gas).... everything works as normal.... 

1
11/14/2025 7:58am Edited Date/Time 11/14/2025 11:00am

86 Husquarna 250

85 Kawasaki KX500

84 Suzuki RM250

87 Yamaha YZ125

2004 Honda CR125 what a turd that engine was 

brocster
Posts
4460
Joined
6/9/2009
Location
Aliso Viejo, CA US
11/14/2025 8:01am

I would have to say my 1991 CR250 but was still happy AF to have it. 

11/14/2025 11:02am
1989 KX125...suspension was great but the motor was a dud. When I got the 1990 CR125 I thought I got a supercharged bike. My buddy got...

1989 KX125...suspension was great but the motor was a dud. When I got the 1990 CR125 I thought I got a supercharged bike. My buddy got a 1990 RM125 at the same and it was so slow I could pass him on any straight by the time we hit 4th gear, and I started a couple bike lengths behind. 

1988 Cagiva 125, that bike was even slower than the 89 KX125. Not much else to say.

The worst for me was a 1987 RM250, my 1987 CR125 was faster...

Rode a 87 Cagiva WMX125 it was slow and felt weird

11/14/2025 11:04am
2005 kx 250 2stroke. Handled great until it didn’t and then you would be on the ground waking up from getting knocked out and wondering what...

2005 kx 250 2stroke. Handled great until it didn’t and then you would be on the ground waking up from getting knocked out and wondering what the hell happened. Once that thing started to step out of line, you were finished, there was no saving it. 

It needed aftermarket triples with different offset from OEM. Engine was very potent. 

2
11/14/2025 11:05am
JPT wrote:
Unless I missed it looks like nobody in this thread ever rode a CanAm. Fast, but shook it's head like a pitbull.

They were all OVER the woods in the mid/late 80s. One of the bikes to have for racing enduro/hare scrambles. 

11/14/2025 11:13am
2005 kx 250 2stroke. Handled great until it didn’t and then you would be on the ground waking up from getting knocked out and wondering what...

2005 kx 250 2stroke. Handled great until it didn’t and then you would be on the ground waking up from getting knocked out and wondering what the hell happened. Once that thing started to step out of line, you were finished, there was no saving it. 

It needed aftermarket triples with different offset from OEM. Engine was very potent. 

Engine was very potent. It barked hard and bit even harder. 
In hindsight different offset triple clamps like you say and probably a heavier flywheel would have helped a lot to smooth out the hit. 

1
11/14/2025 11:35am
2005 kx 250 2stroke. Handled great until it didn’t and then you would be on the ground waking up from getting knocked out and wondering what...

2005 kx 250 2stroke. Handled great until it didn’t and then you would be on the ground waking up from getting knocked out and wondering what the hell happened. Once that thing started to step out of line, you were finished, there was no saving it. 

It needed aftermarket triples with different offset from OEM. Engine was very potent. 

Engine was very potent. It barked hard and bit even harder. In hindsight different offset triple clamps like you say and probably a heavier flywheel would have...

Engine was very potent. It barked hard and bit even harder. 
In hindsight different offset triple clamps like you say and probably a heavier flywheel would have helped a lot to smooth out the hit. 

By the time I did my 07 KX250 build, I couldn't find the correct offset triples in the aftermarket. You could use 2002 KX250 triples from some digging around online, but I never went in on it. I did run a 11oz flywheel weight on my 07, it helped quite a bit. It always fought me in the corners and once you got it kind of usable there, it would have a stinkbug/chopper feel. I loved the bike but to a point. 

169085089 280141367029941 7684855112208555733 n.jpg?VersionId=zc5EoFLm8b6YlfqyeA4SYF
4

Post a reply to: The Worst Bike YOU Have Ever Ridden?

The Latest