2-stroke year range

[MXrider27]

i posted something similar before, but have no idea where the thread went so if you have read or responded to anything like this i am sorry..i am looking for a 125 to begin racing on..i have found bikes in my price range from 98s to a 2005..what year range would you reccomend for a race bike? i know things have changed on the bikes alot in those year ranges, but how much and what exactly changed that will affect racing against newer model bikes? thank you

 

[j.lawson]

Obviously I would go with the newest bike. For the simple reason of newer parts being compatible with the newer bike, better, easier to find parts availability. Different brands will get you diff. things I guess, and I dont know whats changed on the bikes through those years. But I havent heard of any bikes getting worse...

 

[MXrider27]

another thing i was wondering is between the kx, rm, yz, and cr..i am stuck..everyone says just to pick a color..its bot that easy..1. they all look good..2. i hear other things like the kx's have the least horespower..and the rms, have the quickest throttle response..and the cr's have the best suspension..and yzs are the quickest and powerband is the strongest..i don't know whats true whats not or if any of it even is..any suggestions?

 

[j.lawson]

dude, the fact is it's personal preference. If this is your first bike, no matter what you get, it will probly be the one you grow to love. Iv owned yamaha bike's and suzuki, iv ridden honda's. And a yamaha was my first dirtbike, geuss what, im a yamaha guy. I like suzuki's alot to though. Me personally, I dont care much for honda's, they look funny and feel like a square block to ME. Just pick the best deal, the 125's now are pretty close to each other in preformance i believe so dont sweat it. :cool:

 

[_JOE_]

Build quality is more the issue, performance is very close. I have owned all the big four, and find the Honda is of the highest quality in fit and finish. The bolts on the plastic have little billet spacers on them. On the other side of the coin, my Suzukis have always rattled bolts loose and things didn't always fit great. I have ridden plenty of fast zooks, And my first mxer was a 92 rm 125 that I used as primary transportation when I was 13-16. I rode that bike probly 200 hours on one piston before it quit moving, ahhh to be 13 and broke. I am still impressed with how well that bike held up to NO major maintenance. Anyway buy whichever one feels right when sit on it. :cool:

 

[RocketRaccoon]

What brand is easier for you to get parts for? What dealers are in your area? All brands have pros and cons. Im a Honda guy. My first race was on a Honda and I have loved them ever since. That doesn't mean I would never buy anything else. Im planning on getting a KTM in the future since Honda doesn't make a 250 2-stroke anymore. Get the newest bike you can afford and if you aren't mechanically inclined...be sure you have a local dealer for that brand that will be able to work on it for you. You cant go wrong with any of the big 5. :cool:

 

[j.lawson]

Build quality is more the issue, performance is very close. I have owned all the big four, and find the Honda is of the highest quality in fit and finish. The bolts on the plastic have little billet spacers on them. On the other side of the coin, my Suzukis have always rattled bolts loose and things didn't always fit great. I have ridden plenty of fast zooks, And my first mxer was a 92 rm 125 that I used as primary transportation when I was 13-16. I rode that bike probly 200 hours on one piston before it quit moving, ahhh to be 13 and broke. I am still impressed with how well that bike held up to NO major maintenance. Anyway buy whichever one feels right when sit on it. :cool:

Agreed. And on the suzuki note, My last bike was a yamaha yz, I rode it till I finally had no suspension and I cracked the frame, among other things I didnt wanna fix. It was a 97 anyway so it was time to move on. But anyway my friend has a 99 rm 250, he has never rebuilt the top end, and we just rode hard the other day. With all my bikes I throw in a new piston and rings every 20-30 hours, and get somthing done with the cylinder every couple years. So I was impressed by this suzuki, so anyway, I own a rm now...only time will tell.

 

[MXrider27]

well ive had a yamaha pw80 when i was real little..then a cr80 for a year..and now a 2004 cr85 expert..i just didnt know if anything really differed between them..i have ridden it on a track and everything and for the most part i really cant complain on how my honda perfrorms..its just the only race bike ive owned and all my friends have honda too, so i really havent ridden anything different..i live in the middle of a kawasaki and suzuki dealer..and then like 3 miles to the other side of me is a honda and yamaha dealer..

 

[helio lucas]

yes, i think it´s a question of color too...
look for the dealer as mentioned, look for the best deal, and better try to get a ride on all 4... all the 4 japanese brands know what they are doing!!!
and if a friend have, say, a ktm that has less power another could have one that is the powerfull of the area...
also it´s a question of luck and good sense...

good luck

 

[headshot347]

another thing i was wondering is between the kx, rm, yz, and cr..i am stuck..everyone says just to pick a color..its bot that easy..1. they all look good..2. i hear other things like the kx's have the least horespower..and the rms, have the quickest throttle response..and the cr's have the best suspension..and yzs are the quickest and powerband is the strongest..i don't know whats true whats not or if any of it even is..any suggestions?

i've rode all those 125's except for the KTM's. personaly i'm a kawi guy. i have an 03 KX 85, 02 KX 125, and an 98 KX 250.

IMO the Honda's have really good parts and the engine's in those last for a long while. but i have heard complaints about the bikes being a little to skinny making it harder to grip with your legs.

Kawasaki's don't have much lowend power like you've heard, but are usually faster bikes on the straight away's because of the extra 6th gear. the bikes are like tanks. and they hold up well.

Yamaha's have alot of low end torque and will get out the gate and corner's fast. but they tend to top out a little early

Suzuki's are a little bit cheaper than the others, and get on the throttle quick. they are about average performance wise. they aren't the fastest out the gate yet not the slowest. and they aren't the slowest in the straights.

becasue the bike you buy will probably be stock most of these performance issue's that you might find can be changed by different gearing, teeth on sprocket, suspension, ect. for example you could change the gearing on a yz and make it not only fast out the gates but fast on the straights as well.


remember all of this is IMO and from what i've heard from friends and personal experiance with these bikes. Since you live next to most of these dealers, parts shouldn't be a problem to you, so buy what you feel best on and can get the cheapest. hope some of this helped you

 

[MXrider27]

thanks alot everyone i appreciate all the help and opinions..one more question for you guys..overall how are the ktms..those are the bikes that i never really hear get compared to the other four..do they compare? i know they are priced a little higher..besides that how are they performance wise compared to the others..its probally the same but i thought it was worth an ask..thanks

 

[helio lucas]

the ktm´s normally they are a little bit diferent...
they filosofy is: ready to race!!!
they are considered the best bikes around here in portugal but normaly the front are very nervous (the sx). the e\xc are very nice bikes lot easy to deal with but less powerfull
the prices are normaly higher either in parts or in the bike himself...
when they doing a bike they don´t think much like the japanese in the low skill\average rider so the bikes are very demanding from what i heard...

 

[RocketRaccoon]

thanks alot everyone i appreciate all the help and opinions..one more question for you guys..overall how are the ktms..those are the bikes that i never really hear get compared to the other four..do they compare? i know they are priced a little higher..besides that how are they performance wise compared to the others..its probally the same but i thought it was worth an ask..thanks

KTM makes some great bikes. I would put them up against any of the other 4 anytime. They have come a long way and in many ways are ahead of the other guys. The only area that some have an issue with is the suspension. They use a traditional inverted front fork , but don't use the linkage type system for the rear like the other guys. Not a big deal and shouldn't keep you from getting one. They do tend to use high-end off the shelf parts as stock equipment (Excel Rims, etc.) so that is one of the reasons that they cost a little more. Like I said in my other post...my next bike is a KTM. :cool: