from 250 to 125?

R

rebith75

Member
May 22, 2006
18
0
18, 5'10", 220
recently (4 months, about 8 rides or so, when we did ride it seemed like something always happened so they were not long rides ie quad had a flat, friend broke collar bone...etc) I bought my first bike of my life, a 2001 RM 250. My wife has a quad and me her and my friends ride only on trails. I have had a hard time getting used to the bike and still dont feel real comfortable on it, I want to have a good time riding trails when the riding is prime (early spring) and I came across a guy with a newer cr125 that is considering a trade. Question: For simple trail riding my weight wont be much of an issue correct?, Would the 125 be easier to handle and get used to dirt bikes in general than the 250 I have currently? Basically will confidence and control over the bike come from working through it with my bike now or will it be accelerated and would I be better off hopping on a 04 cr125 for awhile then stepping up later, thanks in advance
 
C

cr85rb_rider

Uhhh...
Nov 28, 2006
132
0
1) your physical size (both height and weight are important)
2) How physical / aggressive are you ?
3) what do you plan to ride- MX/SX tracks, woods, fields with friends or ?????
4) Do you have any riding experience?
5) Do you think you will race ?
6) Are you mechanically inclined and will you be doing your own bike work?
7) Do YOU have a preferance to a brand/ motor choice (2 or 4 stroke)?
8) Do you have a dealer close by your home that you might use and what brand(s) does he carry?
9) How much do you plan to spend on a bike?
10) anything else that you think would help form an opinion


id keep the 250

25o has alot more torque, carries youe weight better, its alot better trail bike, i went on a 8 mile trail, really tight with hills, it was hard, wore me out, stick with 250
 
R

rebith75

Member
May 22, 2006
18
0
1) your physical size (both height and weight are important)
5'9" 220
2) How physical / aggressive are you ?
not real aggressive but depends
3) what do you plan to ride- MX/SX tracks, woods, fields with friends or ?????
woods
4) Do you have any riding experience?
no, just the little seat time on the 250
5) Do you think you will race ?
no
6) Are you mechanically inclined and will you be doing your own bike work?
yes
7) Do YOU have a preferance to a brand/ motor choice (2 or 4 stroke)?
no
8) Do you have a dealer close by your home that you might use and what brand(s) does he carry?
all
9) How much do you plan to spend on a bike?
prolly once every 2 weeks
10) anything else that you think would help form an opinion
wondering if I would have more fun on a 125 because it can be more easily controlled while riding in the woods with inexperienced riding friends and a girl on a quad
 
C

cr85rb_rider

Uhhh...
Nov 28, 2006
132
0
Yeh a 250, better for your size, and with a 125 its a better bike to throw around, but 250s are better trail bikes, by far. And not being agressize, the 125 you need to ride agressive, but that will come with experience.

You can go any where on a 125, but it will be easyer to do that on a 250.

My vote is 250 or a 250/450x,

well my dads got a xr400, tons of torque, heavy but its tough as steel
 
K

kingbrian

Member
Jul 20, 2006
123
0
i dunno... wen i git on a smaller bike my caution and fear go out the window. i ride a wr250 2 stroke and any time i git on a smaller bike i feel twice as fast in the tight stuff but in the open desert (theres alot of that here in so-cal) nuttin beats my 250 <almost litteraly>... :ride:
 
F

FruDaddy

Member
Aug 21, 2005
2,854
0
Basically, the 250 has better bottom end power, and can be lugged a bit. In the woods, you would find that the 125 isn't as forgiving about being in the wrong gear as a 250. Perhaps a bit of field time, and maybe even a couple of practice days at an MX track would help you become more comfortable on the bike.
 
T

TimberPig

Member
Jan 19, 2006
859
1
A flywheel weight, regearing, and other mods to make it more woods friendly would help too. As it is, the bike is tuned for mtocross, not woods. Setting it up for the woods would make a big difference.

I've ridden 125's and 250's in the woods, and the 125 is more work to keep the bike going, due to the narrower powerband and lower torque.

A bike designed for the woods like a KDX 200, or a 250 EXC would be better choices than most 125's.

I think your best bet is to keep your 250, set it up for the woods, and get some more seat time to get more comfortable.
 
4

4thGearAndPinned

Mod Ban
Nov 25, 2006
259
0
rebith75 said:
me her and my friends ride only on trails.
Click to expand...

Switch bikes. A kdx or ktm are great choices, you can have more fun with less hurt. The kdx can go from mild to wild, put like an xr or scream a little too. Very forgiving, cheap and reliable, and KTM always has the woods bike you want.
 
A

adam728

Member
Aug 16, 2004
1,011
0

I agree with this guy.

With your weight I wouldn't get a 125, hills and sand will put a burden on the engine. Plus they aren't quite as reliable and require more frequent rebuilding.

A throttle cam is another way to mellow the bike out. It changes it so that the throttle isn't a linear pull. You can switch out the cam and make it so 1/2 throttle with your hand only pulls 1/4 throttle at the carb for example. This makes the bike a lot less of a handful on rough stuff or for less experienced/confident riders. http://www.g2ergo.com/
 
A

apb

Member
Feb 1, 2005
150
0
I agree with the suggestion of modifying your 250 for better trail manners. But it is a race bike, and if you just don't need that kind of performance and horsepower, you could consider getting a mellow trail machine like the xr250 or xr400.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar Topics

S
HELP: Bike selection - getting back into riding
Replies
3
Views
1K
RM_guy
S
Help choosing my first dirt bike
Replies
4
Views
217
Clark Jeff
8
Off-Topic Bike Recommendations.
Replies
4
Views
1K
Okiewan
T
What bike would suit me best?
Replies
1
Views
621
truespode
Help Help a newbie
Replies
112
Views
22K
MX-727
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn more…