125 or 250

mjdirtbiker
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mjdirtbiker
Edited Date/Time 1/25/2012 10:40am
hey guys, im looking to get back into motocross after about 4 year absence but i have no idea what bike to get. Im not into 4 strokes but dont know either to get a 125 or 250. I used to race 85s so im not a complete beginner. At 16 im 6'3 and 190lbs, and the question is, would the 125 be too slow for me? I like the idea of having a slower bike that i could wring its neck and make me have to focus on technique and not just rely on the power of the bike, but for someone my size i dont know if the 125 is just out of the question. what do you think the better bike for me would be? Oppinions are very welcome, thanks for the feedback
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T-Fish
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T-Fish 4/28/2011 9:46pm
4/28/2011 9:46pm
KTM 150SX.
queen of spodes 4/28/2011 9:49pm
4/28/2011 9:49pm
Are you racing for cash? If so grab a 250 and run against the 250f's. Fully legal in amateur.

On the other hand if you want to have fun and could care less about money & trophies, a 125 is sooo much fun.
mjdirtbiker
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mjdirtbiker 4/28/2011 9:51pm
4/28/2011 9:51pm
yea im probably not going to race i just want to have fun, does anyone have the 150sx? i dont know if i trust the pds(linkageless) system
The art of MOTO 4/28/2011 9:56pm
4/28/2011 9:56pm
(Do you wanna be a fast rider?, get a 250. Do you wanna be a GOOD rider?, get a 125.)

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T-Fish
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T-Fish 4/28/2011 10:21pm
4/28/2011 10:21pm
mjdirtbiker wrote:
yea im probably not going to race i just want to have fun, does anyone have the 150sx? i dont know if i trust the pds(linkageless)...
yea im probably not going to race i just want to have fun, does anyone have the 150sx? i dont know if i trust the pds(linkageless) system
There is absolutely nothing wrong with their suspension.

And yes, I had one. My last three bikes have been KTM products and I'll never go back to a Japanese bike again.
lappedrider
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lappedrider 4/28/2011 10:22pm
4/28/2011 10:22pm
I have a 150SX. I love it.
Dirtysmile56
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Dirtysmile56 4/28/2011 10:26pm
4/28/2011 10:26pm
I picked up a 125 last year for my son and I have been riding it a bit more than he has, it's a helluva a lot of work to make her sing but really fun! I weigh about 200#'s with gear on and it works pretty good.
Bornhorst751
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Bornhorst751 4/28/2011 11:58pm
4/28/2011 11:58pm Edited Date/Time 4/29/2011 12:02am
get a 250 two stroke no doubt. it will last forever and also as you progress, it will have the power to go with you. you dont want to spend a few thousand bucks on a bike and wish you had more power after you have it. for a brand though, i would say yamaha. they have solid two strokes and since they still make them, getting parts isnt an issue. i would stay away from ktms for sure though. everyone that i have seen and/or talked to thought it was a good bike for a few months while it was new, but after they got some hours on it, it started breaking continuously and they grew to completely hate it. and especially for your size and age, a 250 would be perfect.
RACEGUY
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RACEGUY 4/29/2011 12:55am
4/29/2011 12:55am
Bornhorst, that little burst of verbal vomit ranks right up there with some of the most moronic things I've ever read. Do yourself a favour - save yourself the embarrassment and simply STFU.
T-Fish
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T-Fish 4/29/2011 1:28am
4/29/2011 1:28am
Bornhorst751 wrote:
get a 250 two stroke no doubt. it will last forever and also as you progress, it will have the power to go with you. you...
get a 250 two stroke no doubt. it will last forever and also as you progress, it will have the power to go with you. you dont want to spend a few thousand bucks on a bike and wish you had more power after you have it. for a brand though, i would say yamaha. they have solid two strokes and since they still make them, getting parts isnt an issue. i would stay away from ktms for sure though. everyone that i have seen and/or talked to thought it was a good bike for a few months while it was new, but after they got some hours on it, it started breaking continuously and they grew to completely hate it. and especially for your size and age, a 250 would be perfect.
So are you trying to tell me the 2009 KTM250SX that I bought brand new just over two years ago has been junk for the last year and nine months?


You should probably let the bike know so it can start breaking continuously. That'd make me completely hate it and make you right at the same time.
OldTiddler
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OldTiddler 4/29/2011 4:35am
4/29/2011 4:35am
I ride a 125 for that exact reason, I love the challenge of having to keep up my technique to stay with other riders. I'm 180lbs.; at 190 you're going to be struggling a bit to make that big double out of the corner. The good news is you won't need to change brakes very often, because you won't be using them!
seth505
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seth505 4/29/2011 5:50am
4/29/2011 5:50am
I'm only 5'9, 160lbs and ride a 250. I love it and as far as local races I can enter 250lites/open/450...basically whatever I want. That said, I really want a 125 to go with it but wouldn't get one over my 250.
DrSweden
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DrSweden 4/29/2011 6:00am
4/29/2011 6:00am
250F easier to ride and faster.
125 cheaper to own.

Have fun!
robot870
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robot870 4/29/2011 6:05am
4/29/2011 6:05am Edited Date/Time 4/29/2011 6:05am
KTM 150sx, I got one and its great!
Pitbull Equipment 4/29/2011 6:18am
4/29/2011 6:18am
Start off with a 125, you can always get a bigger bike.
newmann
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newmann 4/29/2011 6:22am
4/29/2011 6:22am
I've always liked 125's but getting older and.....fatter had me looking for something with a little more power. Never been much of a 250 2 stroke lover so when the 250F came out it seemed like the perfect bike for me. Pretty much was too. Revved enough to keep from getting too boring but then it scattered in amazing fashion. $2200.00 later and I was back in business. Decided to try the 250 F again with my kid and a CRF 250. It too had a major meltdown of epic proportions. Only cost $2000.00 to replace everything from the crank up. No more for me. When the youngest son came off the 85's, I found a like new 08 KTM144SX (later called the 150SX) and that bike is the absolute shit! Most fun bike on the planet. It has what the 125 is lacking in power and doesn't give up anything to the 250F if you keep it on in the corners. And after riding it, the 250F really is boring.
kxking
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kxking 4/29/2011 6:34am
4/29/2011 6:34am
Get a 125 and then just TRY and wipe the smile off your face.....
GODMODE
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GODMODE 4/29/2011 7:24am
4/29/2011 7:24am
eh... i know everyone loooves 125's... and i happen to own and ride one, but after riding a 250 2 stroke, i kinda hate my life, cuz if you are good on a 125, and you apply that to a 250, it's alot more fun controlling the power of one of those beasts, then trying to override a 125! just my opinion, but that bigger bikes are more fun. bigger 2 strokes i should say, but the 250f's are great too, i've never been able to just lay a bike over in a tight corner and blast through it like on a 4 stroke! soo ride all of them if you can, before you buy one. like i said, i have a 250 2 stroke i have semiregular access to riding, and i have borrowed 250f's, and they are all more fun than a 125 tiddler, just cuz you can use brute power, and not technique (:

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crashnburn11 4/29/2011 7:46am
4/29/2011 7:46am
I would get the 250. You won't be replacing the top end as much because you won't be ringing it out, especially if you aren't a higher skilled rider. With your size especially, you would be giving the 125 a good load. 125's are fun tho, so if you get set on that I'd go for it. As far as brand, get what you can get a deal on, they are all going to be fine for your purposes.
-eagle-
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-eagle- 4/29/2011 8:00am
4/29/2011 8:00am
Buy a few extra top ends and clutch packs if you decide to go 125.
They are a blast but you have to hate bang em.

250 smokers are beautiful. Cheap upkeep bike that falls between a 250f and 450.
lumpy790
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lumpy790 4/29/2011 11:22am
4/29/2011 11:22am
last racing an 85 the 125 would be an easy transition but at 190 lb .......... I would say get the 125 for now but keep saving your $$ as a 250 is in your future.
Dirtysmile56
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Dirtysmile56 4/29/2011 11:27am
4/29/2011 11:27am
lumpy790 wrote:
last racing an 85 the 125 would be an easy transition but at 190 lb .......... I would say get the 125 for now but keep...
last racing an 85 the 125 would be an easy transition but at 190 lb .......... I would say get the 125 for now but keep saving your $$ as a 250 is in your future.
I agree, the 125 is a necessary and very fun transition to the 250 two stroke. Then when you get old and burned out you can buy one for your kid and then steal it from him and feel like a kid yourself again Smile ( all without the wife knowing that really you just added another bike to your already burgeoning quiver)
FreshTopEnd
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FreshTopEnd 4/29/2011 11:42am
4/29/2011 11:42am
Alternative: find an 08 or 09 Ktm 200XC. Close ratio six speed with the (then) new frame and closed chamber forks.
rmpilot
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rmpilot 4/29/2011 2:44pm
4/29/2011 2:44pm
i say buy a 500
crashnburn11 4/29/2011 2:47pm
4/29/2011 2:47pm
FreshTopEnd wrote:
Alternative: find an 08 or 09 Ktm 200XC. Close ratio six speed with the (then) new frame and closed chamber forks.
I can agree with this, even though I recommended the 250. The 200 was for sure a fun bike when I rode it in the jungle, good balance of power on the trails atleast
nytsmaC
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nytsmaC 4/29/2011 4:03pm
4/29/2011 4:03pm
Get a 125, you're not too big for one unless you're racing at a high level. You'll have more fun and become a much better rider having done so.
KAWboy14
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KAWboy14 4/29/2011 4:05pm
4/29/2011 4:05pm
mjdirtbiker wrote:
hey guys, im looking to get back into motocross after about 4 year absence but i have no idea what bike to get. Im not into...
hey guys, im looking to get back into motocross after about 4 year absence but i have no idea what bike to get. Im not into 4 strokes but dont know either to get a 125 or 250. I used to race 85s so im not a complete beginner. At 16 im 6'3 and 190lbs, and the question is, would the 125 be too slow for me? I like the idea of having a slower bike that i could wring its neck and make me have to focus on technique and not just rely on the power of the bike, but for someone my size i dont know if the 125 is just out of the question. what do you think the better bike for me would be? Oppinions are very welcome, thanks for the feedback
ALL of the forward speed is in your right hand......so go ahead and get a 450

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