Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

(Left) Smooth, graceful lines highlight the YZ's bodywork. The hand holes are missing, but In their place Is a slimmer, easy-tomaneuver-on rear section. (Below) The swlngarm has an an-new shape that is lighter and stronger than the old design. The shock linkage Is now mounted through the .swlngarm. shrouds are much slimmer and sit loWer than the old, white parts. An all-new seat, rear fender and side panels complete the machine, and the design is much smoother and flush. The side panels now serve as the outside walls of the airbox. THE RIDE Once the handlebars are adjusted to your personal preference, the YZ125 should fit you like a glove. Our testers range from 5'10" to 6'1", and all were equally comfortable oli. the bike. The new YZl25 engine is eye-opening, and right from the moment we fired the bike up it was apparent that more power lurked inside the familiar-looking motor. The bike revs quicker. than last year's - and throttle response is indeed much quicker. While one tester fe~t that the bike didn't have as much low end as last year's, the general concensus was that the new YZ motor produces a greater spread of power thoughout the powerband. Power starts down as low as possible for a 125, and pulls steadily (controllably) through .the entire range. No, it's not as fast as a Honda CR125, but the new YZ powerplant produces considerably more power than it's older brother. Right about in the middle of the two, if you would. Because the YZ pulls steadily from the bottom on up, there are no sudden hits in the powerband that make it hard to maintain traction. The bike works extremely well in dry, hard-packed conditions, and we initially expected the motor to feel sluggish on a wet, tacky track. At Carlsbad Raceway, the bike worked equally well in the tacky first-moto conditions as it did in the burned-out, dry second moto. Falling off the pipe is easily remedied by a stab at the clutch lever, and our beginner testers enjoyed the motor as much as the more experienced riders on staff. Stock gearing is acceptable for outdoor and stadium tracks alike. Clutch feel and action is superb, and one finger is all that's needed to disengage the clutch. Even under heavy abuse, the clutch retains its feel and refuses to overheat. After our initial infatuation with the much-improved YZ125 engine passed, we began to notice ho N much better the bike handled. The long feel tha.t has been a trademark of past YZs is gone completely, and in its place is a nimblefeeling, quick-handling. setup. Testers could actually tell that the new bike was more rigid, and each and every rid,er who threw a leg over the bike came away impressed with the positive feel that the new bike yields. Past YZs have felt as if they had a hinge in the middle of the frame which flexed from side to side, but there's no such sensation with the '96 bike. The YZ can carve as tight as your skills will allow, yet remains almost as stable as it has been in the past. The wheelbase remains unchanged, but the new bike actually feels much shorter. The seat height has also remained the same, which is hard to believe. One tester used to have trouble making the transition from sitting to standing on past YZ125s, but made no such complaints this year. The bike's center of gravity has been lowered significantly, making it easier to lay the motorcycle over in comers. The new Kayaba forks work splendidly, especially on slap-down landings. The larger legs soak up hard landings with aplomb, yet remain plush over smaller bumps. After the initial breakin, we stiffened up the compression damping two clicks - anything more made the front end harsh, for us. Ottt back, once, ;n.. shock s ," was set) the \Jt ... J I PI Testers were split on the new color scheme. While most liked the blue tank and radiator-shroud combo, most didn't prefer the graphics. Also, it seems that the fork leg is an unlikely place, for the "125" size designation to be found. Perhaps the radiator shroud or. seat cover would be more appropriate. Such trivial complaints, you say? In all honesty, that's about all we could find wrong with the new YZ125. Staff members are already making predic~ tions about the outcome of this year's 125 shootout, and that's without having ridden any of the other machines yet. Yes, it's that good. t"N at 95mm, everything worked extremely well. After break-in, we increased the compression damping one click (all the way in and out nine), but left the rebound-damping adjustment in its standard setting (10). At Carlsbad, the rear end worked like a dream, soaking up the choppy braking bumps and drop-off hits equally as well. The bike as a whole was extremely stable, even on the high speed uphill and downhill sections of the course. As far as racing lines went, the bike was as comfortable railing the outsides as it was cutting' and thrusting on the inside. We clicked the (Above) It may look the same on the outside, but the new YZ125 engine barksl Check out the beefier rea'r-brake pedal. (Left) A new front-brake master cylinder Is mounted on the handlebars. The new piece offers good power and a wide range of adiustablilty. rear compression adjuster in one position to 13, but left the rebound at 12. The bike's only weak point is supercross-style tracks, as the standard suspension settings that work so well on outdoor courses are painfully soft for the big-air antics elicited by such courses. Stiffening up the compression adjusters helped, but for heavier riders, stiffer front and rear springs are a must. The YZ's brakes are the best that they have ever been. Sadly, they are still not up to par with the biomc binders found on Honda CRa, but they are more than capable of hauling the blue-and-white bike down from speed. Like last year, the rear brake is on the touchy side, but a few laps on the bike will familiarize most riders. The new front-brake master cylinder offers a wide range of adjustability -,a bonus for riders ~th uI)us';la;ny. large or small hands. Front-brake power is excellent, but the feel is a bit on the mushy side, even after bleeding. As for the rest of the bike, a host of little to~ches round out the machine. Yamaha has finally ditChed their horrid gas-tank cap design, and a new, widemouth cap replaces the choked-up cap of old. A ball bearing jiggles inside the new cap, keeping fuel from pouring out the vent hose in the case of a tip-over. The new plastic is well-designed, and no part snags the rider as he maneuvers on the bike. The slim, low seat has just enough padding to be comfortable, yet is far from being the couch found on last year's bike. The right side panel has a horrendous bend in it to accomodate the' silencer, and though it never catches the rider's boot, it is a nightmare to install number-plate backing Oll" .1'1 .,,~, II' While Cycle News believes the foregoing test reliable, it is the opinion of the reviewers only and should not be relied upon in determining the performance or Stlfety.of the vehicle(s). The reader should make his or· her own investigation. Yamaha YZ125 Specifications List Price Displacement Engine type $4749 124cc Liquid-

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