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I'll 3rd that. Water cooled, 10 inches of travel and an absolute power house of a motor. Lethal combo. If you weren't on a KX-80 in 1983, you most likely weren't winning. Paul Dennis destroyed the field at Ponca that year on an 83' KX-80.
2003 RM 250.
RG3 suspension, eric gorr motor.
It was unbelievable, I wish I'd never sold it.
When I read the title to the post I guessed 2008 CRF450 and 2014 YZ250F ish would get mentioned quite a bit.
MX : I will go with my 2017 KTM 450SX, for some reason that bike and I gelled like no other.
Off-road : Any 2017+ KTM 300 XC would be it for me. That bike is like cheating in the rocks.
Honorable mention : My 2003 KX 250. Rode the absolute wheels off it when I was 18-22 years old with no issues. I was one of the few who loved the chassis of that gen KX.
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2006 RM250. Best turning bike on the planet
The dual injection on the 2009-2012 kx250f was great. Probably the fastest feeling 250f I’ve ridden, even compared to current Factory Editions.
2009 YZ250F was the bike I was most comfortable on MX with good suspension .
and also the first Gen crf450X is the best off road bike i've ever had.
best that I owned was my 2017 ktm sxf450, also had a 2008 crf450 that deserves an mention
best that I have ridden recently was a 22 KX250F easiest bike I have ever ridden out of the box
also have to give a shout to the Beta 300, especially the xtrainer version, for the money I dont think you will get a better off road bike.
If we're talking previous bikes it would have been. when my friend got a used 89 kdx 200 in 93. At the time we could only afford used stuff. From the 70’s early 80's. Twin shock air cooled bikes.
I had a 1980 rm125 this really nice original 1980 kdx 250. Which my friend also had one. It was the most modern bike we had ridden. Front and rear disc brakes!! Modern ergo's it was a game changer to use teens. Other than the occasional mid 80's 80cc mx bike.
Riding that 89 kdx 200 made us feel like superman.
Better bike. 08 or new yzf?
For Moto I felt most comfortable on my 2009 yz450f - it did everything really well.
Best offroad is my 2004 kdx 200 -- amazing.
If you want to get someone into woods riding, look no further than the early KDX 200.
That thing does everything right except go really fast.
My 2006 RM 250 was remarkable. I’ve had 2 different newer YZ 250s, a beta 450, 2 different 300 XC’s, a TE 300, and now a 2022 300 XC and none of them even compare to that RM 250. Don’t get me wrong, I love my 22 300 XC but that RM 250 felt so amazing with just a flywheel weight, W.E.R tuned suspension and an FMF gnarly pipe/shorty silencer. I wish I never sold it.
To those who were lucky enough to have one, those bikes were absolute weapons once handed over to Harry Klemm. The magic he performed on my 60's (also and incredible little bike that put every oem out of the 60 business for years....), and what he did to my 80's was nuts. Being 9 at the time, it was way more than I could use power wise, but easier to handle. The 83 KX 80 set the standard for all others to reach, and it took them a few years to catch up.
08. Never owned one, but rode a few..... God's Chariot for MX. Followed closely by the 83 CR 480....... Superb machines I've never owned. Now that I'm old, I want an 08 BAD, just to cross off a bucket list thing.....
I had an '85 KX80 that had a Turpin Racing Products 100 kit on it. Moving from an XR75 to that was truly eye opening. I was hooked after feeling that thing get on the pipe. Ahhh the memories!
Favorite bike though was my '05 CR250. Had some head and port work done to it, suspension dialed and it was the most stable, best turning, fastest 250 I've ridden. Regret selling the damn thing!
My 2001 YZ125.
I got my hands on a used YoT cylinder and head from 2000 and bolted it right up. It was a supercross setup, but it worked really well outdoors for me; lots of bottom, if you can believe that, and it still had that 125 "hit" in the middle and revved out pretty well. I ran it with V-Force reeds and an FMF Fatty/Shorty setup. I would say it barked, but that's an insult to this machine's throttle response. No, it didn't bark... it "Arked."
What a great bike. I had Enzo suspension and a GYTR oversized rotor on it. I could charge down the downhills at Glen Helen and outbrake anyone at the bottom. I won a lot of motos on that thing.
'86 KX125 was awesome to learn on. It was so fun to ride and had the latest cool shit from Japan, rear disk and power valve.
2002 KX250 had amazing suspension and a very user friendly low/mid power delivery. Very confidence inspiring.
1999 KTM 640 LC4 - was not a moto bike but so much fun on trails and fire roads.
2016 KTM 500 EXC - even with the stock quiet muffler it makes a TON of usable power, it sucks on a moto-x track but fun on trails
Pit Row
Nice. Nice
Whoa ... so I had a well-used 1986 KX80 that had a weird pipe on it that said "Klemm" and that name was also engraved on the cylinder, etc. Was this guy a mini super tuner?
I'll tell you what, as a total newbie to the sport, that freaking bike was soooo fast to me that I ended up, no kidding, getting so out of control exiting a berm in my backyard that the bike FLUNG ITSELF @ WFO into the door of our dog house. Literally lodged itself into the house and we had trouble pulling the bike out it was sooooo wedged/anchored. Luckily fidos (real names Domino and Sparky) were not in it at the time! Luckily the parents didn't see that one either.
I was lucky was that I rode all sand on that bike, so few opportunities to get really out of control. It gave me real respect for power, that's for sure.
Huh - I never really knew what I had on my hands.
When I went to sell it, my Mom had me broker my own deal as a learning experience and a Mini Dad totally scammed me out of fair price, telling me how many things needed to be replaced and that it was basically worthless. He probably saw "Klemm" and $hit his pants. I didn't know better and I gave him the bike for like $200. Live and learn - and honestly, totally worth it for the memories ... and telling that story now!
1974 Honda CR125...SO much better than anything else in it's class for almost 2 years. Started a whole industry of hop up shops.
1981 Maico 490...The bike all the Japanese bought and tried to copy. Best motocross engine ever. By far the best selling single year Open bike ever.
Most fun bike I ever owned is one of the slowest. 1980 Kawasaki KLX250. Take a KX125 frame and stuff a slow KL250 motor into it. You get an indestructible woods bike that handles great, is light, and had really good suspension.
I had a 85 RM 250 modified by Lucky Nichols LCS racing, that was a hole shot machine! I loved it! But probably my all time fave ( up to this point) is 2016 YZ250X, it was perfect for me right out of the gate! Won lots of XC races on that one! Currently have a 22 KX 450, that’s good, but …….
Yes. I've had around 90 dirt bikes and this must be in my top three. It was nearly perfect.
I rode a 490 twice in my life. First time 13, and stupid, scared me to death. 15, and even more stupid, but somehow wiser, and get what you mean. Understand I'd only thrown my leg over a couple open bikes for the mere thrill of it in my life just to say I'd done it (wasn't even old enough to legally drive yet, just playing at a local tracks after some practice), but that big beast was butter smooth. Nothing abrupt, just steady and always there if that makes sense.
One year later, I rode a garage queen 83 CR 480 for about 5 laps without Dad knowing at a local track, and totally got what has always been said about an open class 2 stroke..... It took an artist to make the big girls dance smoothly.
Damn they sounded good......
Falcon, I'm sure she is gone, but I envy you for the stories you probably made with her. My stock 99 was incredible... Those were fantastic 125's from that era....
Klemm Research handled Team Green bikes until Dave Miller came around in the mid 80's. His engine work was borderline frightening to a child of 9 on a KX 60 compared to a stock bike. Keep in mind, a year prior, all I knew of, as far as fast goes, was a YZ 60 (82), with a pipe, carb, and air box lid. Klemm knew horsepower.....
Moto. yz450. Light. Easy mellow power. Plush.
Offroad. 22 gagas 300ex. My first 300. Unbelievable motor. Plush as hell.
Mini. 83 rm 80. My first bike I paid for with my own money. Painted the rad shroud blue. Learned how to jet a carb. Holy rich off the bottom. Larry Brooks rode one too.
First race bike. 84 cr125. Amazing. Reliable. Easy to ride. And of course Larry brooks raced one!
I bought and restored an 83 CR480. It turned even better than my Maico and carbureted more cleanly but had less over rev so it had to be shifted more. They were very much alike and I used to vintage race them in back to back motos. Sadly, someone stole the 480 out of my enclosed trailer and it was never found.
1981 RM125.
The day that bike dropped, every other 125 ever made was instantly obsolete.
Light years ahead of every other bike in power and suspension.
100% agree. My 81 RM465 blew a shock in practice so my buddy let me ride his 81 RM125 that day. Hadn't been on a 125 in over 5 years. Went out and destroyed my class on his bike. It was too easy.
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