The mini thread

Just finished building a SSR125 with a Piranha 150 motor in it...thing flys

 

My opinion on this is that everyone who likes road-racing should own an XR100 with an XR80 front wheel and BT45's mounted. You can race it on kart tracks and use it as the world's greatest pit bike at big bike events. It's also not hard to throw the stock front wheel back on and flat-track it.

IF you find yourself using the XR100 often enough at the kart track (it's legal in at least 2 classes with most orgs. ) THEN you should consider something like a 150R.

I have not owned a 150R. I have ridden a friend's. The difference is night and day. The 150R accelerates the way you wish the 100 did, and it stops the way you wish the 100 would stop. Combine that with a much more rigid (perhaps the better phrasing would be "less noodley") chassis, and it's a serious race bike. The problem I have with it is that the cost reflects its performance. By C superbike standards, a well prepped 150R is still very inexpensive. By ESS or even Vintage 8 standards, the race ready 150R starts to look like less of a bargain (IMHO).

If you're using mini racing as "training" to learn how to handle slides and other flaws and limits in a bike's performance, then go with the 100 all day long. It's a stupid-cheap way to turn laps, have fun, and get used to locking the rear brake. If you want to truly PRACTICE big bike skills, then the better tires and brakes on the 150R make it the more (directly) relevant tool.

/$.02

 

Really appreciate your input, and that's kind of where I'm going with things (starting with a 100/125 vs. the 150 even though I'm a bigger guy). My issue is that the race classes have the 100s racing with the 125Ls - is that a fair fight? And the price on a TTR125L is actually a little less than a comparable year XR100 around me.

 

I have read, and have a little experience, that the XRs have the motor and the 125 has the chassis. I only race my XR100 in flat track, but I don't have a problem keeping up with the TTRs even with their 25cc advantage. I really believe the bikes are equal, so it's really about the rider.

I feel that the TTRs have a 5% larger chassis and cockpit, so a TTR might be better for your size. I'm 5' 10" with a 33" inseam, and I tend to foul the handlebars with my knees on my XR, but I don't want to invest in a TTR since I have two 100's and a bunch of spares. So I suffer. But if I had this information earlier I probably would have started with the TTR.

 

I would like to try a 150R but am afraid I would like it too much lol. And since I already have the standard XR100 setup and am not much money into it, it becomes awful difficult to swallow some of the prices people want for a 150R. When you look at the CR85Rs price ranges you can find one for about 60% of what people want for a 150R and it basically has the same brakes/suspension and similar frame. Obviously two stroke vs four may eliminate the smoker for some people but I would like to give one a whirl around the kart track.

 

the TTR125 & xr/crf100 are very close in terms of benchmark performance, when stock. The honda can be "cramped" if youre over 5'10. You can get the big boy seat foam for the late model hondas pretty inexpensive. Adds ~3" of leg room.
The TTR does have a front disc and better suspension the Honda has a lil more motor despite the missing 25ccs. Either bike with 16"s front & rear will work well with the BT45s. The TTR costs a few bucks more to get "race" ready.

The 150r is a kart track liter bike. Of course it does everything better than the TTR/XR... its triple the price, power, and service intervals! Plus you'll need a genny, warmers, and pit stands. Yes it is "smear your makeup fast tear your eyes up" fast...lol. Just hope you can smash your TTR/CRF lap record by a minimum of 3 seconds.

The CR85 or RM85 is not a bad alternative... just way different to ride than diesels (there is the possibility of a nice GP style highside!). Plus you are limited in classes you can run. At the very least you'd need 17" wheels for it.

When I got into riding these lil bikes... it was mostly for skill development & to have fun. Complaining about spindly forks or lack of disc, power, or whatever... misses the point of these machines. Sure you can show up to a mini track with a fully prepped 27hp 150r... then get passed by a 10yr old on a clapped out XR100...lol. Try not to be that guy/gal.

 

Thanks for the great information. I recently went to Bushnell on a TTR110, and it was very fun, but the bike was very limited. I'm looking into getting my own minimoto, and there are SO many options and opinions on which is best. KX65, CR85, CRF100F, CRF150R, TTR125, etc... I can't make up my mind!

It sounds like, for my first mini, I should get a CRF100F. Would you say that 5'6 130lbs is the perfect size for one?

 

Any sub-100cc water-cooled 2T is gonna smoke any 4T that's considered a mini.
Having said that, where does an air-cooled YSR fit into the mini scheme of things? It'll eat a 150 4T, too, but it's up to the rider.

 

You and I are on the exact same page - looking for something to ride during the offseason in my yard and to have some fun racing down at NJMP in a low-stress environment. At 220 pounds, I don't think I'm ever going to be an alien in the world of mini racing - I just wanna have some fun and elbow the shit out of some adolescents as they pass me

 

You'd be surprised at just how much of a fight a well massaged air cooled horizontal cylinder pitbike motor can put up vs an 85. It's not cheap to get there, they are maint whores but easier to ride fast due to the wider torque spread.

 

How many CCs are we talking?

 

you should contact Scott Stump... he gets around pretty good for a "bigger" guy on a mini.

 

I have a pretty damn trick 150r. The XR100 is more fun. There is not a bike out there that can beat it fun for dollar.

 

175 to 200 should do the trick. Or go bigger and run a milder state of tune.

 

I'm 6" and 50 lbs larger than you, and I have no complaints about how a 100 pulls me... Honestly, I reel most of the adults in on the straights.

 

Picked up a 2008 125L on Saturday - been so busy that I haven't even been able to ride it yet (although have kickstarted it a few times and holy shit it's so much easier than the YZ250).

Going to ride it around my property (maybe even take it to "real" dirt trails although time will tell) for the winter before getting an XR80 front wheel and some BT45s on it.

 

oh no you cant put a honda wheel on that!! Just lace up a 16" yamaha rear to the front hub... then mount the 16" 110/90 BTs.

Looks real nice ! Congrats!

 

Ha, thanks - meant to ask what wheel would fit the front and you've gone and answered that for me already!

Thanks man.

 

You might be able to fit a TTR125 small front wheel on there, but not sure.

 

even if you could put a honda wheel on it, you wouldn't want to give up teh disk brake.

Most racing orgs will run the TTR125 against stock Honda 100's, but you have to use the 19" front wheel. What you gain in displacement and braking, you lose in turn-in.

I sometimes wonder if or how much faster an XR100 would be with a disk brake up front, but the fast guys basically put them sideways to slow them down anyway... Plus i'm not sure the tires would tolerate much more braking force. A disk brake might just be a "tuck the front" lever.