2021 KTM 125 XC
R I D E R E V I E W
P64
But she doesn't know the time
this 125 and I had in the cornfields
and woods of Indiana for the Iron-
man GNCC morning race. She
didn't hear it all day with me. She
didn't feel it carburet and sing to
me through six gears of satisfac-
tion. She didn't laugh with it. I did
all that. It was two hours of GNCC
courtship that I'm having a hard
time letting go of (clearly). Infatu-
ation is too weak of a word. It's
love. I love this bike.
I know it doesn't make sense.
After all, 125s are for kids, right?
They're too slow, and you cer-
tainly can't use them off-road
because they don't have the
torque, and they're just basically
slow, and if you weigh more than
150 pounds, you'll be too big for
it because it's slow. Man must
have 450 (grunts).
Have you ridden a 125 lately?
They are not slow. Not to me. And
I'm 180 pounds without my knee
braces or pants on because,
well, I love cookies and beer and
consume them whenever I want
(sometimes without pants on)—like
a grown-ass man can.
The point is if you're not con-
sidering a 125 because you think
they're slow, the reality is you're
slow. Just admit it. You can ride
(Above) 125s
have come a
long way in the
past 10 years.
They're way
more competent
on the trail
than you think,
especially KTM's
potent 125 XC.
(Left) Electric
start in a 125?
Absolutely!
