Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

• (Left) As always, the yz Is an all-around solid package. fH@li'iJrJ@ To be honest, we were rather surprised and disappointed to discover the Honda to be less impressive than some of the other bikes in this shootout in terms of its engine, espe· cially considering the changes made to the bike in the past year. When we first rode the new CR125R by itself, the motor felt strong and certainly better than before, but after riding the new Suzuki, Yamaha and KTM, suddenly the Honda's motor didn't seem quite as impressive anymore. 0 In comparison, we found that the Honda required to be ridden a gear lower than the other three aforementioned bikes (even the Yamaha with its similar five-speed transmission), and that the bike felt somewhat reluctant getting up to its top end after some serious coaxing via an aggressively slipped clutch and a completely pinned throttle. But after having its main jet leaned out by one step, the CR was much more cooperative, pulling up to the next gear with substantially more enthusiasm. 0 Still, the Honda comes up short when compared to the Suzuki, Yamaha and KTM's motors but not by much. BOTTOM LINE: Better than last year's motor, having more over-rev. but the meat of the powerband is a little lean. K.@w@~@~O The Kawasaki's motor, featuring a new power-valve and porting, had us somewhat puzzled. Some of our testers went as far as saying that the KX felt...err, slow, while others agreed that while it lacked excitement from bottom to mid. it really screamed on top. But Luckily. the bike doesn't really fall flat on its face in any cergetting there is just no fun. tain range or anything dramatic like that, and it has a rather linear spread of power, making it somewhat easy to ride. But, overall, the KX's motor simply comes up lacking across the board - except on top. If you can keep it there aU the time, then the Kawasaki will get you around the track just fine. but, overall, the Kawasaki's motor did not really impress us too much compared to the other bikes in this shootout. This is a shame, considering that some testers pointed to the bike's chassis as their favorite. (Above, right) The yz delivers better lowend than before and absorbs the bumps like a cushion. (Below) Honda designed a better chassis and motor for the new CR125R. BOTTOM LINE: No real hit, but it screams on top. Could use more overall power. K.u~ For a couple of years now, there's been a lot of race gossip focusing on the strength of KTM's team 125cc motor. For all intents and purposes, that motor is now available to the public, and the rumors are true. This thing is exceptionally powerful, enough so to easily 10ft the front end - even with the rider slid all the way forward on the seat. Such is the bot· tom-end pull of this bike that it literally feels like a 200, and is noticeably more powerful than any of the other machines in this class. Period. Motors are all-important in the 125cc division. and this one is truly amazing. 0 Shifting is relatively notchy, though. but the hydraulic clutch - while different-feeling than a standard, cable-operated unit - offers easy pull and consistent feel. BOTTOM LINE: Best motor of the bunch. End of story. S(1jJ~(1jJ~O The yellow company did their homework this year, as the 2001 all·new RM125 has been superceded by a sophomore 2002 effort that has improved exceptionally in the aU· important area of motor performance. 0 Way down on the bottom end, the 'Zook isn't really that impressive, but that is by far the ;east important powerband portion in the eighth-liter division. Besides, just give the (buttery-smooth) clutch a slight slip, and the Suzuki leaps forward with authority, and then continues up into perhaps the class' best top-end overrun. 0 Our test bike required some jetting attention. At first, it had a noticeable bog off the bottom that made the bike a little difficult and somewhat annoying to ride. After playing around with the airscrew for a while, we eventually raised the needle clip one position, which solved all of our problems right away. Once we cleaned that up, the RM's motor really came to life. 0 A buttery smooth transmission and an ultra-light-pull clutch compliment the RM's superb motor. BOTTOM LINE: Nearly as powerful as the KTM, which is saying a lot. Y@flifi!@!hJ@ Uke the KTM, the YZ has impressive low-end and decent midrange oomph for a tiddler, and although the Yamaha's pales in comparison to the Austrian machine (but what 125cc bike doesn't?). it's still a healthy 125. 0 Compared to last year's YZ, the '02 has slightly more bottom-end but at no cost of midrange or top·end. The YZ still has good over-rev, too, making it an overall better motor than the '01 YZ. Uke last year's motor, the powerband is broad and adaptable, with no hitches or abrupt transitions. Bottom, mid· range and top·end power are all respectable, with no single area overshadowing any other. The YZ's motor might not be the most powerful of the bunch, but it is arguably the most accommodating and user-friendly of the five. 0 As is typical for YZs, the tranny is a little reluctant to change gears under a load compared to some of the others, and clutch pull is just a little stiff in comparison, for example, to the RM. BOTTOM LINE: Great bottom-end, decent mid and top. cue I • n • _ S • AUGUST 29. 2001 21

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