Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

.COMPARISON .' 1995 '125cc MX Shootout f I were to choose one of the 125s to race for a season, it would be the Honda CR125. Why ? Well, familiarity, for one. This year's CR125 feels just like last year's did, and as the winner of last yea r's 125 shootout, it was aboard the CR125 that I spent the majority of m y tim e. In m y op inion, the motor is the most important part of a 125, and there's no doubt that the Honda is king of the power department As for the rest of the bike - 111 adapt to its quick handling characteristics in little or no time at all. Sure, I liked the Yamaha . As a matter of fact, I voted for the YZ as winner of our shootout, The Yamaha has good power and does everything else well - I have absolutely no complaints about the YZ. So why wouldn't I pick the Yamaha to race? Well, though it's the most Well-rounded 125 available, it's the ldlIer hit of the Honda that has me 'hooked. I'm sure, though, that with a bit of modification, the YZ can be a CR-kiIler, Stay tuned for an upcoming project article! But what about the Kawasaki? Well, I could very easily live with I the Kawasaki also. When you think about it, all the KX really lacks is a better burst of power. Though this is a stock-bike shootout, I must admit th.it I have tried a Bill's p ipe on the KX, and it made a world of difference. In all honesty, I felt as if I were on a green Honda . The Kawasaki has some serious poten- tial ' And then there's the Suzuki Though I was convinced that I couldn't live with the RM, I sat scratching my head when it came time to take lap times on each of the bikes. While riding the RM I missed a few lines and failed to clear several tabletop jumps, but was quite startled to see my results. It was aboard the RM ttiat I circulated the track fastest! Go figure. Donn Maeda of th e suspension. Thanks to the lower ride, the YZ settles nicely in to deeply rutted comers, and at the same time has the KX's stable feel in long whoop sections. Unlike th e Honda, the YZ never has a "seesaw " feel. Our onl y complaint was that the Ka yaba fork d efl ected a handful of tim es when challenged with a square-edged hole. (Above left) The Yamaha was our favorite 125 of 1995. Though It's not the fastest, Its strength lies In Its overall versatility . (Left) The undisputed horsepower king Is the Honda CR. Faster riders will like the red bike best OTHER STUFF The Honda is th e king of the brake category. Thanks to its unrivaled front binder and im p ressive rea r unit, the CR is head and shoulders above th e rest. The Kawasaki' s front b ra ke feels a bit '. The Honda.CR has the 'besileveis.N~t only are they comlortable, they can be bent' beck into shape as wen.' . . .. . .. . ' . . .. ' . . Several rear fe'nderbolts.vibrated loose and lell ' .. . . 'out ofour Yamaha vz. Keepan eye on them. :. ' The Suzuki. RN! is the only blketocome . ' ' ., stock with a two-pililCe air filter. . " . : . . When bent in crash, the Ci~tch and brake :'. levers On the Kawasaki KX are irreparable. Praises .to ·Honda .and Suzuki, who have Trying to bend them back will leave you wnh'" hettY,'10mm bolts holding down their seats. ' a sriapped-oll nub. Buyextras. . . The wimpy limm bolts on the Kawasaki and . Yamaha are 'easily stripped. . .The Suzuk i RM seat turns a beautiful shade 01 brown alter a day of riding. The coveralso All lour bikes corriefitted with wide footpegs: : tears easily,.under the abuse of kne'! braces.. '. Kawasaki's appear the bee fiest , while the Honda's have .three 'rows ' of 'ribs thatieally The Honda .CR looks great when new, but gripthe rider's boots. " . can quickly go to pot. The f1uorescent-orange . . lenders tum wMe when bent, and the purple. The sil~e ;-painied 'sWingarm' on the !Cawasastickers in the gas tank are easily scratched ' kl KX looks terrible as soon as it becomes '011. Trying to remove the remains, nowever., 'scratched. .The aluminum piece is primed . is quite a task. . ~. black paint before the .silver is applied, ' and the black shows through when wom. The . Like the Honda , the white pla stic .of the ' Yamaha YZ swingarrn is also painted silver, Yamaha yz is tough to kee p clea n. Contact cleaner, a ScOtch Bright scouringpad and lit>- but not primedwith black paint. . Bits and:pieces·,. a s. ..... Q'\ 0\ 1-0 Q) "S Q) ~ z 20 all three bi kes should have similar rides. Not so ! Th e Kaw asaki has the stiffest, tallest fee l. In stock con d ition, the KX has a "stinkbug" feel - the forks feel soft and the shock feels stiff. A few clicks on both ends level ou t the bike, and th e KX delivers th e ty pical stable, cushy ride th at has becom e expected of the green machines. Square-edges and p otholes ar e soaked up predictabl y, and tha nks to the long w heelbase, lon g w hoop sections are easily tackled . The tall feeling does, however, make it d ifficult to lean the bike over in deeply rutted comers. This y ea r, the Honda comes ad equately sp rung for advanced riders. In past years, the CR has handled well, but suffered from spring rates that were too soft for aggress ive rid ing. Th is year, however, the Honda's Kayaba fork and shock come set up for a faster crowd, and ma y feel a bit harsh for slower rae- ers. Though not as p lu s h o n s mall bumps as some of th e other bikes , th e H ond a e xce ls w h en the g oing gets rou gh, or w h en the pa ce is u p p ed . Stiffer initial valving allows the sus pension to ride high er in its range of travel, . resultin g in be tter performance on mediurn - to large-sized hits. As m entioned befo re, lazy riders m ay be caught off gua rd by th e Hond a 's sti ffer setti ngs and quick handling characteristics, but hard-eh argers will love the Ho nda . Ya mah a has aga in fo und a ha p py medium. Though its suspensi on travel is o n ly a tad shorter tha n th e competition 's, severa l testers felt a "Iowridin g" sensation while riding the yz. Not that it was a bad thing - w hile th e CR and KX ha ve tall and tippy feels, the YZ feels low and stable. Riders felt comfortable w ith the low sensation, as it di dn't translate into repeated bottoming work eral amounts 01elbowgrease best. . · . The'Honda CR has the smallest silencer.' It is . All lour bikes ieature solid-mounted handle- .· . also the .loudest; and needs repacking the . bars. While' we love the iact that the bars soonest, .' . . tWeaked sideways alter Small tip-overs The Yamaha YZ gas -tank ca p stinks . It;'aren't ~~:~~e~o~~e :~~e~~~;~~~;~~~t~~~Ii- small, hard to get a grip on, and the threads bars. Plus; swnching to Pro-Tapers requires 'a always feel as if they're being crossed. The . new triple-cla mp,', . Yamaha 'is the only bi~e to come stock w~ a .one-way )I!1lve In the gas~tank breather tuOO. . . . The Honda CR comes iilled with the best stock grips , but we trimmedthe top ribs oil 01 allfour bikes' grips. Hey guys, Why not supply' . the bikes with half-ribbed. grips in the first : place? The' KX and RM have tile right'grip' "we lded".to thethrottte tube , making 'grip changes a riightmare. . The Honda CR is the only bike with nc. accommodations for .the rider's hand whim .lilting it onto a stand. The .Kawasaki and Yamaha' have hand holes in the sidepanels: while the ' Suzuki's rear lender has a nice thick section to support the weight 01 the bike: . The' Honda's lende'r leels as n ~ could sllc8 The ~ulj:.cove rage radiator shrouds of-the you fingers.off:.Maybe they expect you tei use' Suzuki RM and Kawasaki KX look great and .' : Your trianglestand forever, . . . areeastly -reptaced, but at the same time' ,. ," ..' . .. . .'. , '. ' .. make.lilling the gas tankahlt-and-rniss . 'Thli Yamatui yz Is 'the only.bike to come' guessing game. . " ... . ' . .. ' . .. stock With.a crossbar pad. . . ... . . , ' " . ' .. .' ; . . . ..

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