mox69

Member
Mar 26, 2007
236
0
1) your physical size (both height and weight are important)
-6' 0" 170 lbs. 23 Years old.
2) How physical / aggressive are you ?
-On a scale of 1 to 10, I would say 7.
3) what do you plan to ride- MX/SX tracks, woods, fields with friends or ?????
-Mainly the woods / fields, hopefully MX later on.
4) Do you have any riding experience?
-Been riding since I was 8. Spent few summers as a teenager on a friends farm riding 80cc. Spent a few hours on a 125cc while younger.
5) Do you think you will race ?
-Possibly
6) Are you mechanically inclined and will you be doing your own bike work?
-Yes, not a factor at all.
7) Do YOU have a preferance to a brand/ motor choice (2 or 4 stroke)?
-2 -stroke please.
8) Do you have a dealer close by your home that you might use and what brand(s) does he carry?
-Planning on getting used, craiglist most likely.
9) How much do you plan to spend on a bike?
-$1800 or less.
10) Do you live in California?
-Nope
11) anything else that you think would help form an opinion

As I said above I rode my first MX bike when I was 8 (a 79 YZ 80 ). I spend 3-4 summers up at my friends farm, he had a newer KX80 and a YZ80. We spent a lot of time riding ditches and goofing around in this old man made pit we found. Beyond that I've ridden countless hours on 4 wheelers, not many racing types. I also picked up a CBR600 street bike last august. I realize these are vastly different, but power / torque of the 600 street bike doesn't scare me at all. I think my '67 camaro can crank out more G's than the bike, not sure.


Anyway what do y'all think? 125 cc or 250? Keep in mind that both will be used, probably in the early / mid 90's. I have no idea how much has changed on these bikes in the past 10 years.

Thanks in advance for the help!

-JT
 

kawicam250

I bleed green!
Member
Aug 7, 2006
1,162
0
a 125 2T would be too small for you, so i would get a 250 2T, preferably a KX or RM. the YZ is taller and heavier than the others with suspension setup for racing. the KTM 250SX is solely a race bike, not meant for anything else. plus, the price tag on the YZ and SX are a good margin greater than the others. the early Honda's were not known for their power, so most stayed away until '05 when they changed it for the better. the KX and RM250's have been known as being the ideal 250 2T's for a while. the KX has the most low-end/torque you can muster from a 250 2-stroke, and the RM has a good deal of mid-range. i personally like the color green better than yellow( see my name), but get whichever of the 2 you think would best fit you. the KX is also a little bit smaller too. you can probably find a good 2000-2003 on evilbay or cycletrader.com( possibly craigslist, but i dont visit their site ofter) for the price youre willing to pay :nod: .
 

just_a_rider

Member
Jul 25, 2006
394
1
My 96 KX250 has plenty low end guts as well as great mids and highs thanks to some sprocket gearing, it's an old bike by date but is practicaly new because I keep updating it with new parts when ever I get spare money, I'll keep this bike for ever even if I do get another.
 

mox69

Member
Mar 26, 2007
236
0
Well thanks for all the help guys. I'll be on the prowl for a 250 of some type. I'm kind of a Honda guy, so it will probably be a CR.
 

rmc_olderthandirt

~SPONSOR~
Apr 18, 2006
1,533
8
I never understand the comments that a 125 would be "too small". If you compare a 2007 YZ-125 with a YZ-250:


The 125 :
weighs 22 pounds less
has 0.2" more ground clearance
Has 0.4" greater overall height
has 0.2" greater seat height
has the same suspension travel, front and rear.

They are not made for small people. They have half the power and need to be ridden a little differently. You shift a lot more on a 125. Executing a clean fast shift going up the steep hills is essential or you don't make it. When you don't make it on the 125 you have to go back to the bottom and get another running start because you aren't likely to accelerate up the really nasty stuff.

I just got back from a weekend in the desert. I am 6', 195 lbs and ride a YZ-125. My son is 6'1" 190 lbs and rides a YZ-250. We rode together all over Stoddard Valley. When we dropped into a sand wash my son could get on the gas and just leave me in the dust. When it came to the more technical stuff I could hold my own. When it came to the hills: There was one hill he made it up that I didn't, but there were two others that I made it up and he didn't. (Going down the hills is a different issue, I am still healing from that....)

If you are trying to ride fast then there is no doubt that the 250 will be faster. Having twice the power and only 20 pounds more weight the 250 will accellerate so much faster! There were a few gulleys that my son was able to gas it at the last second and hold is front wheel up to jump cleanly while I had to ride it down and back up. As for the hills, sometimes I could use extra power, but other times the power just gets you into trouble.

If you are not sure and are just tossing the coin then I would lean a bit towards the 250. Other than a small additional cost there aren't many downsides, as long as you learn to NOT apply too much power. It is very unlikely that you will have regrets buying a 250. If your friends are on 250s and you're trying to keep up on a 125 you might have regrets.

Rod
 

mox69

Member
Mar 26, 2007
236
0
Well first off thanks to everyone that replied to this thread, it helped a lot.

After reading this and other threads in this forum I decided a 250 was the best bet. I also saw another post talking about how I should probably factor gear into my price as well, so I opted for something a bit older.

I ended up finding a 1990 CR250 on craigslist last night and purchased it for $550 cash. Started on the 2nd kick. It has a fmf pipe, aftermarket seat / handlebars. Not new condition, but I'm fairly certain I got a good deal.

I plan on plopping another $500 or so for a full set of gear and probably spend a couple hundred on stuff for the bike.

I figure this way if the 250 scares me I can pickup a 125 next year, and not have any regrets. If I really like the 250 I can buy a newer one next year and pass this one onto my brother or sister.

Now I just need to find a few places close to Minneapolis to ride!


-JT
 

powerT

Member
Mar 21, 2007
40
0
I looking at getting a yz or rm 125 I would like a 250 but I haven't rode in 15 years or so and it was a yz 80 the thoughts of a 250 :yikes: scares the :uh: out of me.
 

mox69

Member
Mar 26, 2007
236
0
Yea it scares me a bit to, but I figure if I can handle a 450 horsepower car, a ~30ish horsepower dirt bike shouldn't scare me.

I was asking the guy I bought it from how fast it was, he proceeded to tell me about how he flipped backwards off the bike 30 seconds into his 1st ride on it. Needless to say I will be wearing full gear when I run it in my backyard this weekend :)
 

Jeromeo

Member
Feb 26, 2007
187
0
550?!! WOW that's a steal man especially since it's running. I am totally jealous. Enjoy that bike. My buddy has a 90 CR250 and he loves the thing. It's a fun bike and you'll be fine on it. Just be careful on the throttle as most people say it's that which gets you into trouble.
 

83MX80

Member
Feb 21, 2005
347
0
ya a 250 scares the crap outta me too but i ride 99% trails and i dont wanna be on the clutch all the time on a 125 so thats why im getting a 250. i rode my sister's friends KX125 and had it 3rd gear pegged within like 200 feet, then i jumped aboard my sister's boyfriends KX250 and i got into 2nd gear once and thought to myself "holy crap... get the hell outta 2nd gear." then 250 2 strokes have a lot of bottom end..
 

mox69

Member
Mar 26, 2007
236
0
Alright well I decided to bump this post because I went for my first real ride last sunday.

I had my 90 CR250 and my sister had a 98 YZ125. The bottom line is, I am very happy that I went with a 250.

We ended up in some very very muddy trails, basically a minimum maintenance road covered in 6+ inches of mud.

I rode the 250 for an hour or so, then I asked her to switch with me to see how I liked the 125. It felt really weak on the low end compared to mine. Once I got on the throttle I could feel the power, but it had noticeably less torque throughout.

I really noticed the power difference when going through the mud at very slow speeds. You really had to work the clutch on the 125 to get power. The 250 you basically just bang the throttle and she moves.

We also found a nice open field that can best be described as one huge whoop section. I went for a test ride on both bikes and again I liked the 250 better. I would ride the 250 through in 2 or 3rd gear to keep the power manageable. The 125 I kept in 1st or 2nd the whole time to make sure I had enough oomphf to get through. It required a lot finer throttle control.

Obviously an experienced 125 rider would still knock my socks off . I am almost inclined to say that the 250 was easier and much more forgiving in mud.

For anyone who is pondering the same question I did. Go 250 and don't look back :)
 

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