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Edited Date/Time
8/27/2021 5:16am
I'm looking at both 99-01 YZ 125s as well as 02-04. I'm going to use it for occasional AHRMA racing in Millenium class, but also plan to ride it regularly as a "cross training" bike for a break from my four stroke.
I owned an 04 for a while and loved it -- does anyone know how close the 99-01 are in terms of motor and chassis performance? I sort of like the looks of the older one since it was the YoT era and I'm thinking of going that route with the cosmetics. But I don't want to give up too much performance since I"ll be riding it on modern tracks regularly.
Thanks for any thoughts or recommendations!
I owned an 04 for a while and loved it -- does anyone know how close the 99-01 are in terms of motor and chassis performance? I sort of like the looks of the older one since it was the YoT era and I'm thinking of going that route with the cosmetics. But I don't want to give up too much performance since I"ll be riding it on modern tracks regularly.
Thanks for any thoughts or recommendations!
With that explanation out of the way, I will say both generations are great. The 2000 actually was a little more broad power spread, which could be result of a 6 speed vs 5 speed. I do have a 2000 PV spring in the 03, and that helps too. The 03 is great when ridden like a 125 should be, just a tiny bit less forgiving than the 2000.
Chassis wise, I feel the 03 is a little more planted and has more front end feel than the 2000. That bike was sooo light front end wise!
Shrouds on the 2000 would catch my boots and nearly cause some craziness at least once a race. And the other benefit of the 03 is general bodywork/seat, etc is compatible thru much more recent model years.
Either bike is fantastic and in my experience loads of fun and very reliable when maintained. And so much fun.
An 03 RM 125 is now on the market and in contention as well. I find it intriguing, even though pretty much every other RM 125 of different generations has burned me in the past.
My smart brain says go back to an 04. I guess we'll see what's on the market this weekend!
The bikes that began in 1996 saw continuous improvement and were really, really good by the late '90s. When the '02 model came out, they made the transmission a 5-speed, and I felt like it was a real step backward. Yamaha must have agreed with me, because the '05 redesign featured a 6-speed again.
Of all the bikes above, the '03 was my least favorite, mostly because of that transmission.
By contrast, my '01 may be my favorite MX bike ever.
The Shop
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