Is a RS125 still worth it?

There was a third bike in the trunk too. These 125s are too awesome.

 

racing one these days is sorta round peg / square hole, but i still love riding my 250 at track days and - as much as i love anything w/ two wheels - i cant imagine riding anything *other* than a GP bike on the track. riding a 600 or 1k is completely boring by comparison imo.

imo, the honda's tend to be a little more fickle b/c of their giant exhaust port layout compared to the yam's, but i set my tz at home (including the jetting based on weather forecast) and ride it for a 2-day weekend at the track without ever touching it outside of adding fuel.

oh, and if you can get your hands on avgas, even that part is pretty cheap.

sure, you have to replace parts more frequently than on a late model 4T. but, in return? the f'ing sound, smell, and the full immersive experience that you're kevin shwantz ca. '93. lol

 

Everyone should get to experience a 2T weed-eater on crack...the world would be a better place.

 

To each their own I guess. My opinion is the opposite of most here I guess. They're awesome to see and to race, but not so much to own. Not as common, so will be harder to find parts handy, especially trackside, and the maintenance required is too much for most people's liking. You can get an R3 or ninja 400 and literally change the oil like twice a season, occasionally change tires and forget about it cuz it'll run like a champ. A 125 2-stroke is all fun and games until the motor seizes on you in a turn and you high-side to the moon. I've seen enough cases of that to make me not want to ever touch a 2-stroke, and I work with small 2-stroke engines for my job! lol But would never want one in a motorcycle. Now since the GP bikes are freakin awesome, if you can swing the money for a NSF250....those are freakin cool! Also faster and more reliable.

 

Comparing an RS125 GP to an R3 or 400 is like comparing a B52 to an F22.

If you ever find yourself up in the Northeast you are more than happy to try any of mine and see it's a game changer. The maintenance really isn't bad and the bikes run pretty reliably.

 

I know some people who love them, I'm just not one of them. Like I said before, I've seen enough cases of them seizing up and throwing the rider off to make me not want to ever get one. Also they are TINY, and when you're a bigger guy like me, it just doesn't work well at all. I've never seen a bigger-than-average rider be fast on either a 125 2-stroke or even a 250 4-stroke GP bike. I've sat on a NSF250 before and I couldn't imagine riding that at any decent pace. And on top of that, if you race them, get ready to be last going into T1 cuz they have zero torque. I also struggle with race starts as it is, don't need something that makes me even slower lol

 

Not that I wouldn't want one, but if you're thinking that an NSF250 is a better choice then you're not going to like the amount of maintenance or the expense. They are not simple, the motors are highly stressed, the parts are not cheap, the chances of someone else at the track having the parts you need are even less, and you aren't going to be replacing the top end trackside. The R3 and Ninja 400 are great reliable bikes, but nothing like a 125 in terms of performance or ease of maintenance. I've race prepped plenty of street bikes and the effort it takes just to get them into raceworthy condition is huge. Everything is a pain in the ass to work on and it's almost always a compromise. It took me two seasons to take 80 lbs of weight off a 300 Ninja. It's gotten to the point that I'm considering selecting the 4 stroke engine of my choice and building the frame myself. In terms of what my time is worth, a 2T would be the wiser investment for actually spending less overall time with maintenance and the result would be far superior in performance. The problem is that I'm too big!

 

Best racing advice I was ever given by a friend who was a former pro rider was, “just as soon as you think you feel the motor start to go...pull the clutch in”. Saved my ass at Barber coming up the hill into turn 4.

 

I agree with the stuff you said regarding the NSF250. I know parts are also hard to find and the bike and parts are more expensive. But they seem to be a lot more reliable. I can't tell you how many people with 2-strokes I've seen that had all sorts of issues and missed races, but the few people I know with NSF250s don't seem to have many problems and maintenance is less. You're also right about the ease of maintenance on the 125s compared to street bikes like 300/R3/400s, BUT...you don't have to do nearly as much of it on those modern bikes. I've raced an R3 for 2 years and a 400 currently which I've also had for 2 years now and they are very maintenance free. Tires, brake pads, lube the chain, change the oil...that's about it. They don't require much, just the typical stuff that any bike requires. You also don't need to get them that far down in weight. They'll never be 180 lbs like a 125GP bike, but a 300-320 lb ninja 400 can be pretty competitive with the 125s, and since they are a LOT more common these days, so at least you'll be racing with a bunch of other guys on similar bikes. I was just at NJMP this last weekend and there were a few guys with 2-strokes, a few with NSF250s, and about 15-17 riders with ninja 400s. If something breaks on your bike you'll have a much higher chance of finding spare parts for a 400 trackside.

I share the same problem as you, being a bigger guy. For most of us the 125s and NSF250s are just not as feasible. A friend of mine raced a 300 for a few years and now a ninja 400, and at the start of this year bought an NSF250 and he can't ride it for shit. He said he just doesn't fit well on it and the body position makes it really hard to ride it fast and for longer periods of times. He's much more comfortable and faster on the 400.

 

This is why an RS or NSF appeals to me. Purpose-built race bike. An NSF from RS Cycles is about the cost of a well-prepped 400.

If the grids were larger for them, I'd probably take a harder look at them.

 

Define "bigger guy" .... I have always wanted to try a 125GP bike but look at them physically and just don't see how I can fit on one very well and I am not even that big (5'11 200lb)

 

I'm just slightly under six foot and 165 and have sat on a few in the paddock. They are very small. I struggle more with the peg placement than anything. You'd fit, but you'd probably feel cramped.

 

I think 6'1" and 170lbs is about the largest reasonable size to ride one effectively.

 

It's only because you've never ridden one. There is nothing like a gp bike.

 

You can get the "big boy" kit with extended seat/tail section, larger windscreen, and extended rearsets for the 125s. I'm 5' 10" / 160 and I fit comfortably on the 125 with the kit.

I find it interesting that everyone who has ridden a GP bike has loads of praise regarding the "pay to play" ratio (working vs riding), and those with zero riding experience decry the amount of effort. In my limited experience the payoff is worth it (I rode a friend's 125 and helped work on it during a race day). I have also owned several other weird two strokes that require a bit of fettling during the day, but I have not owned or campaigned a 125 or 250 GP. But the times that I have ridden them...

 

I've seen a few 210+ pound, 6'0"+ guys on these bikes. I'm sure they aren't super comfortable but they are able to do it and ride the bikes fast.

Here's a picture I took years ago of a 250+ pound guy on my bike. He was a little too big.

 

That photo hurts to look at. Horizontal subject, vertical composition. Makes sense.

 

I'm 5'11 and 195. When I had my '93 RS125 I was about 180lb and it was tough on the knees. Now that I'm 57 I don't bend as easily. Still, the ergos really depend on how your body is built. I have relatively short legs/ long torso for my height and the big boy rearsets helped a ton. But it was not comfortable by any stretch. Fun? Hell yeah!
Comfortable? Hell no!
If I don't build my own frame I'm searching for a rolling TZ250 chassis to stuff a KTM 690 motor in. That'll be a lot more comfortable and still be a supah sweet handling ride.

 

I'm 5'11" , 205lbs. 61 years old and I fit on an rs125 just fine. If you think you can match the feeling you'd get riding a factory purpose built gp motorcycle with your 300 cc beginner bike then you'll never understand. The rs125 is a purpose built race bike. It's got a very defined maintenance schedule. Follow it and you won't have any problems. As far as the seizing myth, get an air density gauge and follow the jetting charts. There are even apps available that will calculate which jet you should be using. It takes about two minutes to changes a jet.

 

That's what I love about GP bikes. 2 minutes for a jet change, 10 minutes to put in a new clutch, an hour to rebuild the top end. They really immerse you into the race weekend.