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/127180
the larger feel will make it more appealing to taller riders. The Yamaha has a Ilatter seat layout; which is nice , but the handlebars, although better than last -year's, cou ld be better. right up there, too, with smooth action and stable feeling. T he Yam aha's inverted fork is one of the best inverted forks we've felt on any bi ke this year, but it just doesn't have that plush feeling like th e Kawasaki 's and Suzuki 's do . Although th e initial part of tra vel 'is smo o th, th ere's a harsh feeling in mid-stroke. This is noticed mostly over med ium-sized bumps. But over the sma ller bumps and on heavy impacts, the YZ's forks feel solid and smooth. The on ly fork we really didn 't care for was the H onda's. It just felt a little harsher throughout the stroke th an th e o ther three. Basic Maintenance Rear suspension All four of th e 125s hav e rear suspensions that ar e hard to fault , but we felt the KX's Uni-Trak was superior over the group. The Kawasaki 's rear suspe nsion is very stable and plush . T he back end rare ly strays far off th e grou nd no matter how bum py the terrain . You can just twi st open th e thro ttl e and motor th rough th e choppy stu ff with ou t w orrying a bo u t lo sing control of the rear end. Very smooth. But hanging right in there with the KX is the RM. It, too, is very controlla ble and sta ble, bu t it isn't q ui te as pl ush as th e Kawasaki 's. The back tire stays close to the ground. T he Yamaha's rea r suspe nsion is the best ever seen on th e yz. Like the Kawasa ki's a nd Suzuki's back end, the Yamaha 's tracks well but some times dances a littl e bit over th e wh oops, but ra rely to the point wh ere you have to back off the th rottle. The H onda 's Pro -L ink is to p-rate but has the tenden cy to hop a littl e bit. It 's not quite as smooth as the o thers. Only the Yamaha and Kawasaki come with'19-inch rear wheels which make them hook up a little better exiting flat comers. All four bik es are pretty even wh en it's time to do the weekly servicing. Kawasaki has the easiest air filter access and almost foolproof alignment with its raised cup for the sealing edge to fit into. Honda and Suzuki have similar designs with the Suzuki's ai rbox opening a little too small. Yamaha 's ai rbox has access through the top' and it's a little to ugh aligning th e filter element screw to th e cage wh en reinstalling. It 's not a bad idea to remove the whole ai rbox assembly wh en servicing the filter. Although it tak es a few more bolts ,to remove, it eliminates the chance of dirt falling i n to the . carburetor without you noticing it. Suzuki i s th e only bike that Cornering All four tum well , bu t each in their own way. The Honda has the clean est moves through th e turns and requires th e least amo unt of effort to execute the perfect berms hot. The Kawasak i is an easy turner, too . It carves a smooth lin e in th e corners but just doesn 't feel as sharp as th e H onda does. Both th e Yamaha a nd Suzuki ca n ra il the berm s but not until climbin g u p o n th e ta n k, m ov in ~ your weight forward. Ex iti ng tu rns, the Yamaha and Kawasaki seem to hook up a little better on th e £lat corne rs due to the 19-inch rear wheels. Brakes O nce again, the Ho nda feels th e best in th is ca tegory, a lthoug h the Kawasaki is rig h t th ere. Both the Ka wasaki a n d H onda have very powerfu l disc brak es, front and rear , -bu t the H onda 's brakes are more progressive a nd less gra bby than the KX's brak es. The binders o n th e Yam aha are also stro ng; We ra te them right up there with th e Honda's bra kes, but we prefer th e brak e lever pl acement' on the Honda. The Suzuki has good stopping power but feel is slightly spongy compared to the other three. Comfort The Honda and the Suzuki have the best handlebar/seat/footpeg layout of the four. Both bikes are simple to move around on and just , feel comfortable. They're narrow and have well-designed seats. The Yamaha and Kawasaki, on the other hand, have a few nagging problems. Although both are comfortable to sit on, the Yamaha's seat hangs down between the tank and side panels on both sides and catches the tops of your boots, and the Kawasaki's side panels catch your boots, also. The Kawasaki is the fattest of the four, but it 's only barely noticeable and At the tum ofa key anda twist ofthe wrist, it all ~ Instantly. As the FZR600s race-inspired Genesis technology putsoutthe power and torque that put otherbikes in theirplace, With itscylinders canted forward at 45 degrees, the Genesis design breathes easier anddeeper through arrow-straight intake tracts andsemiflat-slide downdraft carbs. YamahaS Fresh Air Intake flows cool andclean. Digital TCI rovides the ignition. While four valves per cylinder at 12:1 compression deliver peak performance to the lightestweight 600cc in Its class.