Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

e M 0\ 0\ ~ , 0\ ~ >-. eli ."':::::1 ~ out in which I had no trouble choosing the best bike for me, I am hard-pressed to say that I have no definite favorite among the 125cc MX contenders. And as the only die-hard "125 fan" in the office, I have probably spent the most time aboard the four tiddlers. When if comes to choosing a 125 to ride, my choices vary with each track change. On weekends, I ride at a track that can either be the most fun or most rniserable track in the world, depending on the weather. The track is pretty long, and includes both tight and fast sections. There are no man-made jumps, but there are a few obstacles that can throw you pretty high. Whooped-out sand sections on one end of the track are offset by a hard-packed section on the other side where the ground is hard and littered with square-edged bumps, as well as a fair share of rocks. In the winter after a good rain, the track is pure heaven. Traction abounds and it seems as if there are no limits to the amount of available lines. In these conditions, I prefer to ride either the Suzuki RM125 or Honda CR125. The snappy, kick-in-the-butt type of power that both motors produce is a blast to ride since there is so much traction to be had. The Honda is the undisputed horsepower king of the 125cc class, but the Suzuki is a lot easier to keep on the pipe. Both bikes are fitted with Showa suspension components and handle similarly, but I would have to give the edge to the Honda. Hard landings are soaked up with ease by the red bike, while the yellow machine is a bit less-forgiving on killer landings. In rolling whoops, both bikes can and will swap on you if you're not on your toes. My knee braces wore holes in the seat covers of both machines because I was squeezing so hard with my knees to keep from swapping. . When the clouds go away and the track dries up, though, both bikes become a handful. Their abrupt power delivery, coupled with their quick-handing traits can often leave you sliding or swapping across the track. This is when the Yamaha and Kawasaki begin to shine. Both Kayaba-equipped bikes handle like a dream. Not that they didn't handle well in the wet conditions, mind Kawasaki is the faster of the two and is actually not that much slower than the CR and RM. In fact, in absolute top-end, I think that tl'\e Kawasaki actually has the most of the bunch. While I like the CR, RM and KX motors just fine, the Yamaha's motor leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth. The YZ is definitely the slowest motocrosser I have ever ridden. Though it sounds like a real fire-breather, the YZ just doesn't have enough beans in stock condition. At times, I actually felt faster on the Yamaha, probably because I was screaming the living daylights out of the motor. Luckily, the YZ is right up there in the handling category. Here comes that old saying, "It's easier to make a slow bike fast than it is to make a badhandling bike handle well." During one session of our test, held at Glen Helen OHV Park in San Bernardino, California, each of the test riders took turns riding timed laps on each motorcycle. The Glen Helen track was hard-packed and fast. A few sandy turns, as well as a number of man-made jumps kept things interesting. The results of our timed sessions were surprising. Like I mentioned earlier, I felt fast on the Yamaha but I was actually the slowest on the white bike. The bike handled great and instilled great confidence in the rough sections of the track, but I think it was the YZ's lack of power that kept me slow. The brakes, especially the rear, were on the grabby side. I don't think I'd ever buy a YZl25. I was third-fastest on the Kawasaki. This also surprised acteristics. The RM has the most fun power-delivery of the bunch, hands down. While it's not as powerful as the CR, the RM pumps out a lot more oats than the KX or YZ but is easy to ride at the same time. The RM would be my second choice, just a tad behind the KX. Well, I guess that just leaves the Honda. I was fastest on the bright red bike, and I attribute that fact to the awesome power that the CR puts out. The bike handles well and stops exceptionally well, but it is the motor that's the key ingredient in Honda's recipe for success. Though I turned my fastest lap aboard the CR, I feel that the power delivery is a bit abrupt and hard to control for a rider of my abilities. Had the track been dry and dusty, I have no doubt that the CR would have left me spinning the tire. The CR has a different feel than the other three bikes. When riding the Honda, I felt as if I was sitting up high and over the bars. The CR would be a close third, simply because of the fact that it probably wouldn't work well for me at a broad range of tracks. ~tUIM Ma.eJa Specialty: Motocross Class: Novice Weight: 170 Ibs. Height: 5'10" ~ don't consider myself a 125 rider, but I always seem to enjoy myself when I ride them, and this shootout was no different. I thoroughly enjoyed myself on all four machines, but for me, the choice was relativ~y easy. If I had to lay down my own hard-earned money for a 1993 12Scc motocrosser, I'd be doing it at my local Suzuki shop. What sold me on the RM was the motor. For me, it had the perfect engine for a tiddler. The hit was strong but controllable, and while broad, the powerband was strongest from the middle on up. If you don't have time to upshift before the next turn, no problem; just let the revs continue to build. If you do want to shift, however, that too will not pose a problem; the RM's tranny is the smoothest of the four bikes. Another strong point for the Suzuki is its handling. Sure, it's twitchy on fast, choppy straights, but for me, that glitch is far outweighed by the bike's awesome _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _.....:...JlIllii.O~ 12 you, it's their mellow power delivery that prompted me to choose the others first. The KX and YZ deliver a different style of power than the RM and CR, a type of power that is better suited to tracks with less available traction. There are no abrupt surges of power in either bikes' powerband, making them easy to me, since it is the KX that I felt most at home on. Like the Yamaha, the KX handled great. I have no complaints about either the front or rear suspension on the green machine. While the power wasn't overly impressive, I felt that when it was kept on the pipe and ridden hard, the KX delivered a respectable hit. I felt good on the KX, and if it came down to buying a 125, this would probably be my first choice. My laps aboard the Suzuki turned out to be the second-fastest, but I must admit that I had the most fun riding the yellow scoot. A few of the other testers complained about the harshness of the fork, but it suited me just fine. I do have to alter my riding style when riding the RM, but after a few laps I easily become and comfortable layout are other strong points. The fork on the RM is another story. When I first rode the bike, the front end deflected off of square-edged bumps, and if the performance had stayed that way I wouldn't have picked it as the winner. After backing off a few clicks on the compression damping, though, performance improved greatly. It still wasn't quite up to par with the other three bikes, but it was good enough that I chose the yellow machine as the winner. A close second was the Kawasaki. Suspension and handling were great on the KX, but the motor wasn't quite up to par with the RM. I loved the layout on the KX250, but for some reason my boots caught on the shrouds of the 125. The problem was bad enough that the attitude of the bike was affected when I would mov my legs around over jumps. Like the 250, the KXl25 has a stable chassis, but the lighter bike is easier to force into turns. Next I chose the Honda, which had the most power of any of ~he bikes. On a loamy track, the Honda might get my top pick, but not where traction is limited. The lengthy seat-to-peg relationship is perfect for my long legs, but the pegs are too far forward. I wasn't a big fan of the fork on the CR250, but I didn't have a problem with the suspension on the 125. Last was the YZ, but only because of a lack of power. In my eyes, the Yamaha had the best suspension of the lot, and handling was also top-notch. But for me, the engine is the most important component on a 125. The YZ isn't bad, but it can't hang with the other three bikes. Fortunately, YZS can be made to go fast, and with a fast motor, the YZl25 could be the top of its class. eMu l.tuUIMM Specialty: Off-road/motocross Class: A/Novice Weight: 175 lbs. Height: 6'3" lJfA ell' it looks as though Chris and I are going to be arguing over the Suzuki this weekend, and next weekend, and the weekend after that, and... Yes, I have to agree with Chris, that if it came time to writing the big check, I would have to give it to my local Suzuki dealer, as well. To be honest with you, I don't necessarily think the RM is the best bike of the four, but I do think that it's the most fun to ride, and that's why I ride - to have fun.

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