Posts
922
Joined
8/9/2010
Location
Thompsons Station, TN
US
Edited Date/Time
4/4/2018 4:55pm
My son had a nasty crash over the holiday break and we will be taking a haitus for most of the 2018 season to regroup.
With that said when it’s time to come back I was considering keeping him on a 125 and from what I have been reading the new TM 125 is a great bike. I rode a 16 model a couple summers ago and was blown away.
Parts and realiability do not seem to be a problem but the bikes are pricey. On the flip side you will not need $1500 in motor Mods to make the bike competitive. Though resale could be tough?
I wanted to get some feedback or opinions of the TM.
Thanks!
With that said when it’s time to come back I was considering keeping him on a 125 and from what I have been reading the new TM 125 is a great bike. I rode a 16 model a couple summers ago and was blown away.
Parts and realiability do not seem to be a problem but the bikes are pricey. On the flip side you will not need $1500 in motor Mods to make the bike competitive. Though resale could be tough?
I wanted to get some feedback or opinions of the TM.
Thanks!
The Shop
TM's don't get stamped out by the thousands
My son is 15 but with the rule changes you can stay on a 125 in the schoolboy 1 and 125 b/c until your 17.
There are very few riders that can extract the high rpm power from a 125 efficiently. Those( 5%?) that are capable should do fine on a 250f. The vast majority of developing talent would be better served by some low end power in a 125. While a smaller lighter bike makes sense for developing talent, a light switch engine that falls on it's face with the slightest error does not.
I suspect the new Beta and Sherco, which are likely arriving on the U.S. shores this month, would make a more effective race weapon on the majority of (non hard packed) tracks and for riders learning their craft. We shall see. It is the mistakes that will catch you out, whether it is a stall or the inability to clear a big jump.
Id consider this...get a near mint yz125. leftovers or lightly used to save money. Use it to mod a bit (as i heard the yzs have good mid range so the motor might be better) suspension is the same but im sure itd be cheaper.
Use that to let him rip the crap out of it because I think you learn things on a 125 that can be transfered to a 250f. which if you go straight to the 250f you might lose a few bike skills.
Save your money buying a brand new 2019/2020 250f or 250 2t if thats the route hes going in the future.
I raced a few seasons (98-00) on them, all i ever had to replace was brake pads and top ends. Maybe one o-ring on the clutch slave cylinder. You dont have to buy parts to mod them either because they come with good rims/hubs/spokes/handlebars etc.
As said above they are hand built bikes, quality on the parts and materials are way above other manufacturers.
In short, you wont go wrong with a tm 125
Pit Row
Then comes the fact that he probably laps almost everybody here with ease so take that in to consideration.
https://italianmotorsusa.myshopify.com/collections/engines-complete-tm
They have some kart engines for over $5k.
TM 2015 Motocross Engine Package $2,998.00 USD
They increased the power again in the later model year. Can`t remember if it was 1or2 hp gained, But they got some power back again
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