125 or 250?

[datsunman]

Hi all,

I've been riding road bikes for a few years and have raced a season on an Aprilia Mille RSV-R, also ride a race prepped R6 occasionally as well. I want to buy an mx bike but have no previous off road experience.

What would you recommend, 125 or 250? A few mates (who I ride with regularly) have said to get the 250 as I'll out grow the 125 too quickly.

Any advice? :)

 

[BEEF706]

Whats your body weight? I know lots of guys who ride 125's really well and aggressively but they are all flyweights. You might want to look into the 250 4stokes as a great compromise, With your sportbike bagkground I'm guessing the idea of valves and cams doesn't scare you, they make manageable power when you are in play mode and can really sceam at race pace. If I wasn't so dang beefy I would ride one myself, but I would give up a lot on the start and I don't have the talent to make up the time in a race. :)

 

[Casper250]

I started out with a kx250 and just recently switched to a cr125. I feel a whole lot more confident on a 125 then i ever did on my 250. The 125 feels soo much lighter and more flickable. The thing is that i switched from a 250 to a 125 for racing purposes. If you are mostly going to use it for fun, i would get a 250 especially if you ride in sand alot.

I just recently got into streetbikes with a 2003 cbr600rr and when i jumped back on my 250(before i got my 125) it felt slow. Either way you'll be fine. You can ride a 125 all out or a 250 at a 3\4 pace and still pull the same lap times. I have been smoked by fast 125 riders on my 250.

 

[datsunman]

I'm 5'11" and about 160lbs, not an ounce of fat on me but not much muscle either. :) I only want the bike as a play bike, not to race on, I need to learn how to ride before I do that!

Casper, a couple of mates said the same thing as you that a 125 will need thrashing to get the most out of while a 250 will be cool all day long. I've the option to buy a CR125 with pipe and ignition mods or a standard CR250. Both '02 models. I'm going to test the 250 this weekend and see how i feel on it.

Wish me luck. ;)

 

[coleman]

I think you should look at a 250 four stroke too. The new, racing ones make about the same peak hp as a 125 but way more bottom end and mid range and they have more torque too. It would have all the power you'd need as a beginner.

 

[datsunman]

Hmm, not thought about a 4banger 250, I've managed to get a test ride on two bikes this afternoon, an '01 CR250 and an '03 CRF450, if both of those feel too much I'm going to arrange a test ride on the little fella's.

Thanks for the advice, I'll post up what I decide on. :)

 

[blanc]

howd it go?

 

[datsunman]

Now bear in mind this was my first go on an MX bike ever so some of the comments may not hold true if I was riding the bike flat out. (I didn't go WTO, they weren't my bikes and I didn't want to crash 'em or me!)

I went on the CRF first and felt instantly at home. The power was silky smooth and there was loads of it, not nearly as intimidating as I thought it'd be. I've had a KTM LC4 Supermoto so everything seemed that little bit more familiar. Being a four banger the bike went like sh*t of a shovel without ever really feeling like it was trying. Handling, well I'm not too sure, as I said I didn't go flat out and the bike was never out of shape, I got a bit more confidence coming out of the corners and sliding the bike around. Top Notch.

Then onto the CR. I got on it after the CRF and rode round the same little track. The CR *seemed* a hell of a lot faster than the CRF, I think this was because of the sound, the CRF never sounded stressed where as the CR seemed like it was just baiting you to go 'faster if you dare', and you had to oblige. :) (Saying that, the gearing also seemed a bit shorter on the CR.) The CR was a totally different ride to the CRF, the throttle was more like an on/off switch, the CRF you could wind on through the turns a bit better. Handling wise the bikes were similar although the CR seemed more snappy than the CRF, partly due to the on/off throttle action. I always got the impression the CR would be the bike more likely to spit me off.

My first question was shall I get a 125 or 250? I'm quite happy on the 250/450, they're nowhere near as lethal as I originally thought, they can both be ridden slowly, IF you want to, which was my worry. :)

The only thing I'm not sure about is how the bikes will perform once I can ride mx a bit better. Does the fact I feel at home on the CRF mean I'm riding it too much like a road bike or just that it fits me better? I dunno but I'm going shopping today. :)