Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126009
p ick ing it back up is no p roblem at all wi th a lit tl e practice. Lowering th e b ike in the trip le clamp s would also help . In stock form the ne w 125 CR reed valve engine is pl enty quick , with it s wo rking ran ge between 5 ,000 to 9, 00 0 rpm. What's odd, is t he fact t hat t he re's a lot of p o ten tial fo r m odifying it to make it faster. The cylinder uses a fo ur p etal ' ree d. bl ock from th e m agnesium eng ine bikes, but th e pisto n isn' t p o rted fo r th e reed, only th e cy lin der . By putt ing some window ports in t he piston , power would easily be increased throughout t he rp m range. The engi ne design is b asically the alu mi n um 125 Hu sky engine that has bee n around for a co up le of yea rs now bu t with th e new ree d valve - cy linder and r adia l head . The side covers are c hanged , with the shift lever mo ved up to wo rk better in the new frame . Gear changing for t he close ra t io six speed gea rbox is sho rt and p recise . Igni tio n is provided by a Mo topl at COl un it wh ich also co ntains a lighting coi l so t he bike can be m ad e end uro legal. Hu sq varna will proba bly bring out a wid e ratio 125 la te r on, but the CR vers io n certain ly felt like it co uld do d ouble duty as a woods b ik e j ust as it is. Righ t now, Pen ton/KTM is th e o nly o ther co mpany to offer a ser io us dual purpo se race bike fo r th e 125cc class. Other t han the redesigned 125 C R engine with it's ne w gearbox ratios , up d ated changes includ e a 32 mm Bing carb wh ich breathes th ro ugh th e same magn esium airbox with Tw in Air F ilter t h at the bigger Husk ys have. Gin a described t he p o wer as, " Not at all pipey . . .no t at all like t he J ap anese bikes , an d the Elsino re in particular. Th e e ngine wo n't l o ad up . The pow erband is very smooth." Even wh en we fell o ff the bik e, it wo uld keep runn in g o n its side . D e t a ils in clude new o pa q ue type works fe nde rs on b o th ends. Wheels are sho ulderless Akronts inside of 3 .00 x 21 inch and 4 .00 x 18 inch T relleb o rg knobs . Fr on t fo rks for t he 125 are n o lon ger Beto rs, but the exc ellen t 7.5 inch travel Husky forks with new double caged roller bearings in th e steeri ng head. The new ex ha ust system is super ligh t a nd in no way interferes wi th yo ur leg, b ut it co uld b e quieter . Ther e's even a kill but ton. Other tha n perhap s a set o f yo ur favorite handlebar grip s, th er e's nothing on th e bike that has to be cha nged . : The new 125 CR will fit th e ne eds of a lot of rid ers who just can' t get alo ng with the Japanese 125s be cau se the b ikes are too small and their power isn't e asy t o con t ro l. With the Husky, everything is almos t to o easy . It is de fin itely one of the best handling bikes in t he world, and it cove rs up for yo u wh en yo u make a mis tak e . Nothing rad ica l ever happens on it. Power wise, the bike is co mp et it ive as is, but if you need more yo u can get it without ha ving to sp end an y money for trick parts. If yo u ' re looking for a full size bike , you should co nsider th e Husky 12 5 CR. • I woman racers in the Southeast. came along to help us wi th t he tes t . Gina ra ces a 17 5 GP Hu sky of her own wi th a lit tle help fro m Cycle Shack. Both o f us honestly expected th e new 125 GP to b e kind of a nicely underpowered turkey because without a lo t of power, we just didn't expe ct that bi g b ike can tilever frame to handle very w ell . It surprised us both , because the little 125 CR handled m uch b et t er than larger displacement Hu sk ys . The front fo rks, th e rear gas Girling shocks wi th their so ft er ra te springs , and the ligh t er wei gh t all com bine d to make th e bi ke feel like we could do anythi ng on it an d not fall off. Gin a w as reall y ex ci ted - "It feel s so mu ch lighter than m y 175 . 1 can really throw it down more in th e turns. The sho cks ar e really n ice.. .no t too st iff fo r me. 1 had tro uble getting m y 175 set up righ t fo r m y 115 p ound weigh t, but t his is j ust perfect. The b rakes are real goo d , esp ecially t he b ack. It hardl y takes an y pressu re at all to get it st opped, and yet you have good feel. " 1 was j ust as t urned o n . Even with my 15 5 pound .weigh t , t he little 125 CR b las ted a cross ro ugh wh o op -dees be tter than my 36 0 . I tried to ge t t he rear of the bike to co me aro und o n me a co uple o f times by landing on the front w heel out ' o f shap e, but the bike w ould just k eep track in g straight. When it co me s tim e to t urn , th e b ike is so ligh t that yo u can just t hrow it whe re you want to go. Tight turns were the only thing th at really gave me trouble, because I didn't hav e the power I usu ally had to kic k me out fro m a laid over position . The front end of the bike is so ligh t , t ho ugh , that • ONE YEAR SINGLE COpy PRICE ONE YEAR SUBSCRIPTION 12. Specifications Engine: Single cylinder 2.. troke Displacement: 124cc Bore & Stroke : 55mm x 52mm Compression ratio : 13 .5 Power transmission : 6-speed mo tocro ss gearbox Clutch : S-disc light alloy 4" Chain: SIS" x 11 Gear ratios : 1st 30.3 2nd 22.S 3rd lS .l 4th 15.3 5th 12.9 6th 11.4 Fuel system : Gas/oil mixture 1:25 (4%1 Fuel ca paci t v : 2 US gal (7.6 lit.) Tank color: Yello w Carburetor: Bing 32mm central float Electrical: Motoplat COl Frame: Swedi sh chrome-moly tubin g Rear suspension: GP-type . heat treated swingarm in rubbe r bushings. Girling gas< harged sho cks. Travel: 7.5" 11 90mm) Front fork: Husqvarna-telescopic with GP-damp ing system . Travel: 7.5" (190mm) Wheels/tires/brakes: Front : 3.00 x 21" - 120mm brakes ~ Rear: 4.00 x lS" - 120mm brakes ~ Rims : Akront light alloy Tires : Trelleborg Dimensions: Width across handlebars: 900mm (35") Height at saddle: Soomm (31'" Ground clearance: 2S0mm (10" ) Wheelbase : 1420mm (56") Weight: Approx. S9.5 kg (197 lbs] -- - ~ - I I L DEPT . SUB. P.O. BOX 498 LONG BEACH. CAUFO RNIA 90801 CYCLE NEWS WEST(1 yr.) CYCLE NEWS WEST (2 "rs.) . . CYCLE NEWS WEST (3 yrs.' Via 1st class mail for one year Via air mail for one year This is a Renewal $12.50 (J 22.00 0 30.00 0 40.00 0 50 .00 0 0 0 0 Please bill me I enclose check or money ord... Name {Plea.. print '-viblvl I I Addr . . City Zip 37