Most people buy the RS because of popularity. There are many of them. I had a TZ125 for a few years. The TZ is said to handle better. I don't know that for sure because I've only been on a TZ. The TZ is supposed to be slightly larger. That doesn't matter to me. The TZ has a transmission oil pump, the RS doesn't. The TZ has a power valve, the RS doesn't. The TZ has a dry clutch, the RS has a wet clutch. Stock, the RS does make more HP. There is more information on the RS because it is plentiful. The RS is a good bike. If I were to buy another 125, I'd buy the TZ. You should know that I am a Yamaha fan and have no desire to race a Honda. That being said, they're both better than any 125 rider in the U.S. that I'm aware of. You'll learn tons of information on a 125. It's very cool to go through a turn at what we consider a fast speed, and the chassis yawns with boredom. After working up more courage, you go through faster yet. Same result, YAWN..... They are a blast and gives tons of feedback. I came from a FZR400 to a TZ125. On the very first turn, two incredible events happened. First, the rear wheel was vaulted into the air with the same lever pressure that I used on the 400. Remember that a 125 has one front rotor, but is approx. 250 .lbs lighter than a FZR400! Second, was that I almost ran of the inside of the track! This is a '94 TZ125 that I bought for spares, but never raced. Enjoy! :up:
I no longer have the TZ125 in the picture. I built it for ease of transportation. Not long after that, I bought a TZ250. I couldn't justify having three TZ's, so I sold the spare TZ125. My TZ250 can be seen in my avatar.
Which is better? Well that is the old Chevy/Ford debate, it depends on what you like, they each have there strenghs and weakness, both are faster than I could ever be, are Hon-duh's faster out of the box than the TZ? I don't know for fact, I have a 99/00 TZ125 RC Koshein and it runs with the Honda's it is however a bigger bike which is nice since I am 6'0 and 173 lb's. A buddy of mine has a 98 Hon-duh, and we were racing at OakHill race way in Texas we came out of the last turn on to the straight-away and we were neck and neck neither one could pull the other, I backed off he had the inside line. (I later powered around him on the outside) but they seemed to be pretty well matched. I think the reason most people say the Honda's are faster is because there are more kitted and set up properly Honda's. And there are not a bunch of people that run the TZ's. Kevin Murray just got a 06 TZ125 and based on the information that he has shared with me he feels that out of the box it is faster than all the Honda's! So in the end I think it is subjective. If you want to follow the rest of the crowd buy a Honda, there are ton's of parts and help for them, if you want to set yourself apart from the crowd, buy a Yamaha parts are harder to get, there is never anyone else at the track if you breakdown, But for me I like sticking it to the EMPIRE!
