SHOOTOUT
1997 CR125 VS. KX125 VS. RM125 VS. YZ125 VS. TM 125
1997 Suzuki Rl125V
u.t price
. . . . .. .. . . .. . . . .$4.849
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124cc
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1.Jquik:ooIed. SilgIe-cylilder
two-stroIest, while the rest of our testers gave
them fairly equal marks. This is surprising for Honda. They really did their
homework to go from about worst (overdampened and under-sprung) to near
first in the suspension department in one
season.
That leaves the motor to decide the
outcome. Both of these powerplants are
simply awesome. If the Honda is missing power anywhere compared to the
YZ it's in the bottom range. The YZ has
the most low-end power of any 125
we've ridden and moves up into a meaty
midrange and into a top-end surge that
pulls impressively well.
The Honda, on the other hand, gives
a little away to the YZ down low, has
about the same power in the middle
revs and carries in to a top-end hit that is
ever-so-slightly better than the YZ's. If
we had to choose one motor over the
other (and we do) we have to give the
nod to the YZ for best all-around motor
and overall winner of the shootout. Its
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The 1997 RM125 has plenty of midrange power and Is most at home carving turns.
excellent low-end power makes it easier
for a wider variety of riders to go fast
on, especially on loamy tracks. You
almost can't make a mistake on the YZ
with its do-all power and you rarely
find yourself grabbing for the clutch
lever to build revs anywhere, while you
occasionally need to grab the lever on
hat a year to be a 125 rider. There was a time when this
class of motocrossers rewarded the discriminating buyer
more than any other. The range of performance that the
smal-bores offered was extremely wide. Brand A might have an engine
that allowed for a 98--percent holeshot success ratio, but that same bike
would be horribly suspended and quickly left behind in the rough stuff .
by Brand B, which couldn't be bent around a turn unless you melted it
into liquid steel. And at the end of the year, all of them were tossed
"onto the garbage heap or into the classified section as 125cc pilots anxiously awaited the newest, trickest, power-valved. rising-rate linkage
wonder.
Times have certainly changed for the better. The Japanese manufacturers - with a solid Euro factory or two always ·thrown into the mix are building more powerful, better handling. better suspended tiddlers.
Heck, you can even ride one for two seasons before retiring it nowadays. Imagine that. Yet there are still subtle differences in an of these
1997 mini-rockets, many of them based upon the personal preferences
of the discriminating pilot and not necessarily proficiencies or deficiencies, that make picking an outright winner possible. It's just more difficult.
The TM was a bike that I desperately wanted to like but couldn't
due to its seat height, which punishes the vertically challenged, like me;
a handlebar bend which feels extremely awkward, and a 300 rpm road
racer-style powerband that rewarded aggressive riders but sorely punished everyone else. The rear brake was far too touchy. And I may have
be the odd man out on this one, too, but 1 thought that the Italian
machine's Marzocchi forks felt "dead." Couldn't stand 'em. The TM's
hydraulic clutch was the best feeling of the dass, however. Fifth place.
Then there's the Kawasaki, a decent package that failed to keep up
the Honda in the lower rpm ranges to
go fast.
Simply stated, the YZ has an epic
motor that is very forgiving, yet at the
same time explosive. Couple that with a
very able chassis and suspension components and you've got our shootout winner - the 1997 Yamaha YZl25.
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with the others listed ahead of it only by virtue of its poor damping
rates and a midrange motor that gives up a little too much on top this
year. Add some stiffer springs and a pipe, and you'd be left with a very
neutra-handling motorcyde that could be ridden fast, turned fast and
stopped fast by pros and spades alike. There's certainly still a lot to like,
such as extremely comfy ergonomics and a motor that is easy to ride as
long as you stay in the meat of the powerband. Fourth place.
Results be damned, the Suzuki RM125 was my favorite small-bore
of 1996. The bike fit my 5-foot-6-inch body
if it were custom-made
for me. The suspension and handling were right in the hunt. The engine
was strong. a bit more forgiving than the Kawasaki, and it pulled well
past the point where this year's JO( mill gives up ghost. Why mention
this? Because regardless. of the changes that Suzuki claims to have
made on the '97 edition. the RM feels almost exactly the same as last
year's machine. The motor is a little brighter on top than in '96. My
favorite machine of last year is only third-best this year, however. Hey,
Suzuki, it's time to start thinking ahead.
I almost have to lump first and second place together at this po.int they were that close. The Honda and the Yamaha both offer awesome
powerplants, razor-sharp handling traits, excellent bump control in
almost any condition and cockpits that fit the tall and the small alike.
Both machines nudge the performance envelope a little further than
their competition, but the Yamaha forges ahead the furthest. While a little less forgiving of mistakes than the user-friendly CR, the YZ's
torquey, take-no-prisoners engine and straight-line stability are the difference between first and second place.
Any of these bikes can make you a winner. The Yamaha and Honda
will make you feel like one .right off the bat.
Scott Rousseau
as
or me personally, this shootout
came down to the battle of the
ponies - horsepower - but not just
raw horsepower. [' m taUcing about good,
usable ponjes. All of these bikes have
good chassis and surprisingly versatile
suspension units. Granted, some were
slightly better than others here or there,
but they were all near the same level.
None of the bikes had any weird suspension quirks that would scare you or make
them unridable. J could jump on any of
the bikes out of the five we had assembled
and, within a matter of a lap or two, could
adapt and be riding a good pace on them.
They're all that good this year. From here
on out, though, I'm only talking motors
because that's what decided the outcome
forme.
I had to stick the Kawasaki JO(l25 at
the bollom of my list due to the unexcitable nature of its motor - it just feels,
well, slow compared to the others. The
bottom and midrange power is okay and
very tractable, but the top-end power left
plenty to be desired even though it sounded like it could have been picking up revs.
The JO( just doesn't go anywhere, even
though it sounds like it should be. Hopup shops are going to have a field day
with the JO( - and ours is first.
The TM came in fourth on my list.
Even though it's the fastest production
125ec on the planet, it's the way it gets
there that isn't so good. 0 bottom-end
leads to a pretty weak midrange that leads
to a screaming surge of raw horsepower
on top. The thing absolutely rips on top
and is very fun to ride if you keep it in the
hjgher rpm ranges. It's definitely a bike
that would be best used by professional
and expert hands on long. outdoor-style
tracks. It's a blast to ride, but not very
easy to consistently tum fast lap times on.
I rated the Suzuki RMI25 as my third
place pick, but still like this motor a bunch.
With just a little more bottom-end, this
bike could be king of the horsepower
wars. Suzuki went to a new.cylinder this
year that gives the bike one of the best
midrange motors of the year. In my opinion, the RM has about as much bottomend power as the JO( does, but after that
the similarities stop. The RM bursts into
one of the best, aJbejt explosive, midrange
surges of the group into a fairly good topend hit. It's a good 125cc motor that falls
right in the middle of the bikes we assembled - the standard motor of the dass.
Choosing second place was very
tough for me, but J ended up giving it to
the Honda - but not by much. The Honda
CR125R has had one of the aU-time best
motors in the 125cc dass. It has only
needed minor changes through the years
and has the best midrange and top-end of
aU the 1255, except when compared to the .
TM. The only thjng holding the Honda
back is a srnaU deficiency in bottom-e-td,
compared to the YZ. The transition from
low-e-td to the Honda's midrange explosion is also a tad abrupt, making the bike
somewhat of a handful in slick conditions.
So that leaves the YZ in the numberone position. with the best l25cc motor of
all time. The bottom-end power is very
good and the transition to the meaty midrange and on to the screaming top-end
surge is almost perfect. The Honda may
have slightly more ponies on top, but not
much, and the bike has bottom-e-td power
that Honda has not been able to find. Usually, to have good mid- and top-end
power you've got to sacrifice the lower
ranges and vice versa, but the Yamaha has
it aU. It's by far the easiest bike to go fast
on lap after lap by riders of ail ability.
How'd they do it?
Cameron Coatn~
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