thinking about getting my 12 year old nephew a 2-stroke 125 mx bike for christmas. i've been out of the mx loop for a long time, so any input would be greatly appreciated. looking at late 90's up to '03 or so. seeing a lot of them with recent rebuilds, etc for just over $1K around here in michigan. bike will be used for mx practice days, as well as some trail riding. are any models considerably better than others?
You really can't go wrong with the Cr125's, 2000 and up. They are fast, reliable, and cheap to rebuild if they go boom.
If its his first MX bike and your not looking to race a full season, I'd just look for something that looks in good shape and has a good price. They are all good bikes so its hard to go wrong. Stick with a Honda, they usually have parts available longer than the other OEM's.
The RM and YZ are considerably faster than the CR and KX from that time period, The KX really improved in 04/05 though while the CR remained a turd for the remainder of its existence. The KTM's were really fast but the chassis doesn't work quite as well as the japanese bikes.
I had a 01 CR125. Great bike and reliable. Then I went to a 250f. A lot easier to ride but more expensive. I did hear the YZ125 had a better motor. If you have $2000 to spend you may want to look into a 250F. For 1-1.5K you can get a good 2 smoker.
'cant speak for the 125's reliability, but i bought a used '00 model cr250r a few years ago. it's been a great bike with no worries/problems......unless you count it trying to kill me every time i get on it as being a problem :up:
I think Maybe For Motocroos and trails A 125 2 Stroke might be a little too much bike for a 12 year old. Unless He Has been riding an 80/85 2 stroke and He has mastered it. I have a 125 and a 250 And the 250 isnt that much more Bike. Just my .02 You cant go wrong with any of the big 4
^^ HOG WASH!! 12 years old = CR500R ready The only thing if hes not used to it is the way the 125 does nothing no matter how hard you twist the throttle and then SNAP! He'll have to get used to it but if he's tall enough and mature enough I'd go for it.
thanks for the info guys. he's been riding a TTR 125 for the past two years. rode his buddy's CRF 150R as well as another guy's KX 85 at the track and did fine. while i'd rather get him a CRF 150R, price is an issue, not to mention he's growing fast and want to get him something to keep for a few solid years..... plus my brother-in-law and i kind of want him to learn how to ride a 2-smoker for sentimental reasons. can't wait till he starts to feel comfy on it and really squeezes it...... my bro-in-law used to have dirt bikes in the mid-late 80's, and now has a CRF 450. he is very big for his age. 5'7 135 lbs....6th grade. had him riding our '77 CB750F this past fall....he beat me by a year. my dad didn't let me ride it until 7th grade. he will not be racing....(yet) as he plays on one of the best soccer teams in the state, as well as a very competitive AAU basketball team. taking a few years away from football until high school. he was the starting corner back and full back for his football team last year. my sister won't let him race until he's older. by then, i'll have a proper RS 125 ready.... i'm fine with the honda being a little down on power. it won't make a difference to him. i'd rather go with the honda, but i think i'd be fine with any of the japanese 4 as long as they've been regularly maintained.
I've had 3 KX 125s. An '89, a '95, and a '96. I would recommend them to anyone. And I'm a honda man. Very trouble free bikes. They were beaten abused, and all I did was add gas and ride! 125s are great bikes, and as long as he isn't planning on racing it. He'll have a blast
Yeah a 125 would do great for him and when he switches to 250F it will be very easy. For the price, get a 125.
Go with the 1999 or newer YZ, best power ban by far. You won't believe how user friendly that motor is.