SHOOTOUT 1997 CR12S VS. KX12S·vs. RM12S VS. YZ12S VS. TM 12S
1997 Yamaha VZ125
. $4.799
. . ..
124cc
Engine type
. .Liquid-cooled. single-cylinder
two-stroke wI YPVS (Yamaha Power Valve System)
Bore • streib. ..
54 x54.5mm
Com.......... ratio
.•.........8.5·104:1
CIIrl1wetion . . . .
. Mlkum TMX36SS
",ilion
COI
T
1ion . . . .
. . . .6.speed
F ...,.city .. . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .2.11 gal.
.............. ...
.
56.9 in.
. . heigIIt .. . . . . . . . . . . .
38 7 m.
F_liN .. . . .. .
Dunlop K490, BO/1(lQ·21
..... liN
Dunlop K695. 100/90-19
F_ I IF Inlillll . . , ,Kayaba 46mm adjustoble
Inverted fori< w 11.8 inches of wheel travel
. . . I IF I 1ion
Kayaba adjustable shock
wI 12.4 Inches of wheel travel
F
245mm disc wI duaI·plston c3iper
........... .. ,22Omm
o
Z
14
CaItMnlI.. "... ,.,
good, stable and controlled ride. The
spring rates on all of the bikes worked
for a wide variety of rider weights and
skills. The Kawasaki, Yamaha, and
Honda were raved about more than others, though, while the Suzuki and TM
scored lower marks.
The Ohlins shock on the TM was
often rated "harsh" but we think this can
be attributed to the fact that Ohlins
shocks take longer to break in and the
bike had barely been ridden prior to our
testing. The spring rate was right on and
,,$4.799
,
CI F lula."
that they can work real well for me."
Some riders complained that the forks
went through their travel a little quickly
and felt they lacked some control at high
speeds.
Suzuki's 49mm conventional Showas
were raved about last year, offering a
plush ride, good control and a nice resistance to bottoming. This year's forks are
just as good, but the other manufacturers
must have spent some quality time with
their components because they all work
so well now that the Suzuki's forks don't
"
124cc
Uquid-coolad. single-cyllnder
two-strolol wI KIPS
EntII- type
\0
0\
0\
the valving was very close - typical
Ohlins.
The Suzuki shock didn't really do anything wrong, it just didn't do anything
that great. At least it didn't kick like the
RM250 does this year. That's a relief.
The Kawasaki Kayaba shock was
again the plushest component out there,
but did exhibit a slight tendency to bottom more than the others. The CR and
YZ shocks got the highest marks &om
all of our riders. Ward liked the Yamaha
the best commenting, "The suspension
on this bike just doesn't tire me out. It's
a very comfortable bike to ride all race
and you won't be tired for your second
moto."
O'Mara gave the YZ average marks
for the most part, but really liked it on
fast and choppy downhills. He felt the
Yamaha didn't hook up as well as the
Honda did for him out of comers and
attributed this to the rear shock not
tracking wel1. O'Mara raved about the
shock on the Honda, giving it a concise
"Excellent!" rating for overall performance. One thing that does set the CR
shock apart is the high- and low-speed
compression adjusters that come stock.
Definitely a nice touch for those who
have the knowhow to capitalize on this
adjustment benefit.
, .. 54 x 54.5mm
Variable8.6-9.S:1
,."
,Keihln PWK35
............. " .. " .. " . " " " "DigItal CD
T,_ lIulan
"
, .6-speed
F
. . . . . , .. "
"
2.2 gal.
..............
.., ..57.3in.
SMtIaelllat .. ,.. "
"., ". ,37,4;;1.
Front tire ,
,
Dunlop K490, SOIl 00·21
..... liN
, .. , "Dunlop K737, l00/9Q.19
Front •••p la. , ,
Kayaba 46mm adjustable
invertad fori< wI 12.2 inches of wheel travel
..... "IF I
, .Kayaba adjustable shock
wI 13,0 Inches of wheel travel
F_
Disc wI M1-p1ston caIper
............ ..
Disc wI single piston caiper
CIeIaoId dry WIigIat .. " ......... " .190.6 b.
All of the bikes turn well, but the CR
and RM are the easiest to initiate turns
on and both excel in this department.
The only drawback, however so slight, is
that these two bikes will sometimes feel
a bit nervous at speed in choppy terrain
due to the steeper head-tube angle.
While the CR and RM are known for
their turning prowess, the YZ has definitely drawn closer in this department as
most of our testers agreed. And the YZ is
still as stable as ever. Go figure.
The KX and the TM are both very
neutral in the way they handle and turn.
It seems to take just a tad more effort to
turn either of these bikes, but in the
rough stuff is where these bikes shine.
They rarely felt twitchy and never go
into nasty episodes of headshake, even
when chopping the throttle in rough and
fast comer entrances.
BRAKES
It is common knowledge that CR
brakes are the best around and this fact
