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Had our shootout been held at only the Cahuilla Creek track, we pretty much would've packed up, loaded up and declared the KTM the winner right then and there. Once again, when it comes to sheer, outright power, the KTM rules, especiaJly on a sandy track like Cahuilla Creek. And not only is the KTM just plain fast (even faster than last year), but it also delivers tons of torque for a 125 (even for some 250s). In one particular turn that dumped you out in front of a fairly steep sandy uphill, the KTM was the only bike that hooked up so well and pulled so hard up the ascent that the front end would actually come off the ground. None of the other bikes would even consider doing that. The other four bikes, however, aren't dogs by any means. In fact, the Suzuki, Yamaha, and, yes, even the Kawasaki and Honda all have great motors. There really isn't a bad apple in the bunch, unlike last year. By far, the Kawasaki and Honda are the most improved, while both the Suzuki and the Yamaha are as impressive as ever. Perhaps the biggest surprise of them all is the Kawasaki's mill. It went from being one of the worst to one of the best, as it pulls from bottom to top with authority, as do the Suzuki and Yamaha (again). The Honda makes tons more power than it used to as well, but it has the tendency to fall off the pipe a little easier than the others, making it, in comparison, a little harder to ride. It was essential to keep the Honda pinned at all times at the Cahuilla Creek track; if successful, the Honda worked well, but if you made a small mistake in all of that soft stuff, the Honda would make you pay. Still, the Honda's motor. which could still use some more oomph off the bottom, is overall 100 times better than last year's. While we all agreed that the Honda fell off the power curve fairly easily at Cahuilla Creek, just one rider felt that the Yamaha was a little guilty of this as well, though he did say the penalty wasn't quite as severe on that bike as it was on the Honda. Not only did the thick, soft Cahuilla Creek dirt put the 125s' engines to the test, but it also gave the transmissions a serious workout. Nearly every shift on the Cahuilla Creek track is carried out under a super-heavy load, and to our surprise, none of the bikes seemed to mind. No one complained of a reluctant shifter. Even all of the clutches perfo.rmed flawlessly, though a few testers noted the above-average, smooth operation of the KTM's hydraulic clutch. On to Glen Helen. Here, the KTM again proved to be the motor of choice when it came to outright power, which is a big deal when it comes to the 125cc class. The Suzuki, Kawasaki and Yamaha still felt good on the more solid ground, where the Honda benefited more than any of the other bikes. On the hard-packed stuff, the Honda was far more easy to ride and wasn't as eager to .fall off the pipe as it was at Cahuilla Creek. One-Liners Yamaha: "The Yamaba's motor was strong; I don't think it was the strongest, but it's an excellent all-around motor." "The VZ's motor is awesome. The jetting seemed spot on, and it ran like a highly modified race bike." "When it comes to good all-around package, the YZ's motor is about as good as it gets." "The yz pulled everywhere. Amazing, really." "1 know I'm in the minority here, but I felt the YZ had a harder time than the other bikes pulling the tran~ition from second to third at Cahuilla." Kawasaki: "This bike has the best motor of the five; it has power off the bottom, in the middle, and on the top - everywhere." "The Kawasaki was the biggest surprise for me. The motor is excellent, with its strong power throughout the powerband." "Wheaa, what an improvement! The KX's motor has good power across the board." "Man is this thing fast. What a surprise!" "Great power - second only to the KTM." Suzuki: "The Suzuki"s motor wasn't as strong as the Kawasaki's or the Yamaha's, but it's predictable and responsive, making it easy to manage." "I felt that the Suzuki pulled well from midrange on up and had plenty of over-rev. It needs a little clutch work off the bottom." "I liked the Suzuki's motor; it revs out quickly and pumps out good power." "The RM could be revved to the moon." "Better power than I thought - right up there with the Kaw!." Honda: "The Honda doesn't lack power, but it is hard to manage." "The Honda is fast but falls off the pipe too easily; maybe one tooth more on the rear sprocket would help." "Last year, this bike would have been awesome; but in this company, it just falls short." "Better than last year, but still not quite there in stock form." KTM: "This bike has tons of midrange; I was able to run the bike a gear higher in the comers because of super-strong midrange." "The KTM's motor is unrea~ it has torque and the motor simply refused to stop making power in the high revs and begs for more throttle." "Simply amazing; are you sure Rick Peterson didn't get a hold of this thing?" "People say the VZ250F is a cheater bike. The KTM is every bit as much of a cheater bike as the little thumper is." "How does KTM get this much power from a 125?" Mike Fanner of Maxxls Tires was kept busy changing five sets of tires for our shootout. That way, all of the bikes started out on equal footing, so to speak. G U G I e n ... s NOVEMBER 13, 2002 17