Hey everybody, Im new to dirtbikes(0 skill) and i have the opportunity of getting one. Ive learnd A LOT from reading magazines, talking to riders, and reading these forums. Im able to get an 03' CR125 at a really good price...Ive heard a lot about them and the power issue but Im not basing my decision on power.Spension, handling, and feel is what im shooting for (besides..ive only ridden a dirtbike once and im pretty sure I wont be able to tell the difference in power between a KTM and Honda). I'm 5'10 160 lbs and Id probably ride tracks, woods and a lot of trails. Soooo,my question is... will this be a good buy? Is it a good starter bike? and will the 125 be too much bike for me? Thnx a lot guys in advance I really appreciate input on the subject, cuz i absolutley LOVE bikes :) and Id like to get into the sport...just wanting to know if this is a good strart - Kyle
Good newbey bike??
- Thread starter AZrider
- Start date
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beer_stud_76
Mod Ban
- Aug 30, 2002
- 493
- 0
most experienced riders wouldn't want an MX125 for trail use. i could sit and explain all day long why, but just take my (and woodsy's) word for it; they're just too hard to ride on trails. some people do, and some people are even quite fast, but i'm speaking in generalities.
i can't imagine a worse bike for a begginer on trails than a 2 stroke 125.
jeremiah
i can't imagine a worse bike for a begginer on trails than a 2 stroke 125.
jeremiah
I must ditto the word of Woodsy & Beer Stud. A 125 is not the place to begin. If you desire to begin on a 2 stroke the KDX 200 is the way to go and less $$ than the 03 CR 125. Take a long look at the 4 strokes as well. The Honda CRF 230 might be great bike to start with. You could get on the track alittle and take it anywhere is the woods and on the trails. TTR 250, or XR 250 might be good too.
I first would not recommend starting on a brand new bike. Get something acouple of years old that way if you crash it hard your first ride you won't care as much and if you decide after riding, that it might not be for you, you got less money in it.
A two stroke 125 is not a good beginners bike, two pipey, but if that is what you want then get it. I started last year on a old CR 250. I ride mostly track and for me this was the perfect starter bike. Power in lower rpm range help me with confidence when riding. I didn't have to completely pin it to get power like on a 125. I wasn't intemidated by it being a 250 either of course I am a bigger guy, 5'10" 225.
Good luck and have fun.
A two stroke 125 is not a good beginners bike, two pipey, but if that is what you want then get it. I started last year on a old CR 250. I ride mostly track and for me this was the perfect starter bike. Power in lower rpm range help me with confidence when riding. I didn't have to completely pin it to get power like on a 125. I wasn't intemidated by it being a 250 either of course I am a bigger guy, 5'10" 225.
Good luck and have fun.
OK Cisco I will try this one....
Pipeyness is a word from the ol' days of when I used to race MX (late 60's). Back then we used to cut our exaust port so high that the power rpm range (powerband) on our 2 strokes was real narrow - usually 1000 rpm! The aftermarket pipes, better known then as expansion chambers, of the day (I liked Bassani) would take huge advantage of this port work and add MEGA horsepower into this rpm range.
The art of using this horsepower kick to its full potential became known as "riding the pipe" or "hitting the pipe" or "staying on the pipe". And a bike that had a REAL unusually narrow power rpm range became known as "pipey"!
This term is now loosely used to describe a bike that has a narrow rpm range where you will find most of its availabe HP. The opposite would be a bike with lenier (sp) power or electric power. Those terms are from this modern age - we used to call bikes NORMAL instead of lenier :)
Howed I do Cisco?
Ebert
Pipeyness is a word from the ol' days of when I used to race MX (late 60's). Back then we used to cut our exaust port so high that the power rpm range (powerband) on our 2 strokes was real narrow - usually 1000 rpm! The aftermarket pipes, better known then as expansion chambers, of the day (I liked Bassani) would take huge advantage of this port work and add MEGA horsepower into this rpm range.
The art of using this horsepower kick to its full potential became known as "riding the pipe" or "hitting the pipe" or "staying on the pipe". And a bike that had a REAL unusually narrow power rpm range became known as "pipey"!
This term is now loosely used to describe a bike that has a narrow rpm range where you will find most of its availabe HP. The opposite would be a bike with lenier (sp) power or electric power. Those terms are from this modern age - we used to call bikes NORMAL instead of lenier :)
Howed I do Cisco?
Ebert
beer_stud_76
Mod Ban
- Aug 30, 2002
- 493
- 0
ebert -
not bad, but let me add a few things...
kx_guy86 -
99.44% of 2 strokes are "pipey" to one extent or another. normally, the smaller the engine, the pipeyer it is. i wish i could show you a graph, but i'll just try 'splainin it with words.
say a typical MX125 has...i dunno 35 HP and say that same engine has an rpm range of 0-13,000. now, obviously that engine isn't making 35 ponies at an idle of 500 RPMs. its making like...5. and at 13,000 its making like...30. a typical MX tuned 125 2 stroke will make like ...5 at idle, maybe 6 at 1000 rpms, maybe 7 at 2000 rpms, 8 at 3000 rpms and so forth up to say 8-9000 rpms when it jumps from the 10-12 HP to all 35 HP till it gets to, say...12,000 rpms and starts to fall off.
the point when all the power comes on, all at once like, is what we call the 2 stroke "hit". the power comes on, literally, like a switch. its a bit hard to explain, but 30 seconds in the saddle will make a believer out of you. (all these numbers are just my own guesses...they may be off, but the principal holds true)
on the track or in open spaces this "hit" is no problem. in fact, its fun. for trails however, when one must negotiate roots, logs, rocks, or whatever, this "hit" is a severe liability, because the bike is very easy to kill if you are not in the powerband. and on a tricky section of trail, the only thing worse than killing it is goosing it and having the bike fly away on you (or with you).
wereas the power delivery of a 4 stroke is linear and predictable, and much, much easier to control.
like i said before, for a beggining trail rider, i can't imagine a worse bike than a MX 125. if you want 125 type power and MX suspension, yamaha makes the yzf250, a 4 stroke MX bike made to compete against the 125's, but with butter smooth 4 stroke power delivery. i believe KTM makes some high perfomance 250 4 strokes too, and honda will shortly debut its CRF250. even these bikes aren't ideal for beginners, but they are much much better than their 2 stroke counter parts.
jeremiah
not bad, but let me add a few things...
kx_guy86 -
99.44% of 2 strokes are "pipey" to one extent or another. normally, the smaller the engine, the pipeyer it is. i wish i could show you a graph, but i'll just try 'splainin it with words.
say a typical MX125 has...i dunno 35 HP and say that same engine has an rpm range of 0-13,000. now, obviously that engine isn't making 35 ponies at an idle of 500 RPMs. its making like...5. and at 13,000 its making like...30. a typical MX tuned 125 2 stroke will make like ...5 at idle, maybe 6 at 1000 rpms, maybe 7 at 2000 rpms, 8 at 3000 rpms and so forth up to say 8-9000 rpms when it jumps from the 10-12 HP to all 35 HP till it gets to, say...12,000 rpms and starts to fall off.
the point when all the power comes on, all at once like, is what we call the 2 stroke "hit". the power comes on, literally, like a switch. its a bit hard to explain, but 30 seconds in the saddle will make a believer out of you. (all these numbers are just my own guesses...they may be off, but the principal holds true)
on the track or in open spaces this "hit" is no problem. in fact, its fun. for trails however, when one must negotiate roots, logs, rocks, or whatever, this "hit" is a severe liability, because the bike is very easy to kill if you are not in the powerband. and on a tricky section of trail, the only thing worse than killing it is goosing it and having the bike fly away on you (or with you).
wereas the power delivery of a 4 stroke is linear and predictable, and much, much easier to control.
like i said before, for a beggining trail rider, i can't imagine a worse bike than a MX 125. if you want 125 type power and MX suspension, yamaha makes the yzf250, a 4 stroke MX bike made to compete against the 125's, but with butter smooth 4 stroke power delivery. i believe KTM makes some high perfomance 250 4 strokes too, and honda will shortly debut its CRF250. even these bikes aren't ideal for beginners, but they are much much better than their 2 stroke counter parts.
jeremiah
- Jun 20, 1999
- 2,563
- 0
I'll cast my vote for a bike that's a few years old. You WILL crash, and it's better to be on a bike that you're not going to worry about scratching and breaking. Maybe even an XR250. They're dirt cheap, and alot of them out there. They're virtually bullet proof, and are great trail bikes. They're not the best on an MX track, but you can still play around on the tracks with one.
Oh, and NO KX pipeyness is not a bad thing - unless of course you are the rider that Cisco mentioned who finds himself wrapped around a tree somewhere because he didnt know his "pipey" 2 stroke MXer was "coming on the pipe" - I would not consider this good :)
Back to the original subject - get a kdx200 or as Green horn suggeested (an XR is a GREAT beginning).
Have a great start into dirtbiking!
Back to the original subject - get a kdx200 or as Green horn suggeested (an XR is a GREAT beginning).
Have a great start into dirtbiking!
AZrider'
We ride in the same area as you, I would suggest a four stroke for learning to ride out here. If you get the urge to race later, then try a 2 stroke later. A YZ250F has a good power curve for both learning to ride a its a good race bike. A friend of mine has one and he places second in the vet's class at E.T. most of the time when he races. I have a DRZ 250 four stroke. Its a good desert trail single track bike. Email me and I'll let you ride it and we can meet with my friend with the YZ250F and you can try his.
[email protected]
We ride in the same area as you, I would suggest a four stroke for learning to ride out here. If you get the urge to race later, then try a 2 stroke later. A YZ250F has a good power curve for both learning to ride a its a good race bike. A friend of mine has one and he places second in the vet's class at E.T. most of the time when he races. I have a DRZ 250 four stroke. Its a good desert trail single track bike. Email me and I'll let you ride it and we can meet with my friend with the YZ250F and you can try his.
[email protected]
Here is the point of view from a guy who learned to ride on a YZ125 (1st REAL bike)
Well these guys are 100% right and wrong. What do I mean?
Riding a 125 in the woods is VERY hard. Picture this, you come up to a very technical steep hill with trees all around. You know you have to be ripping 10-12K RPM to have enough power to get up but it will be almost impossible to navigate the hill going as fast as you have to to make it up.
Here is another example. You are trying to climb a large sand pit wall. Now you can get a long start and good speed but you have to down shift 2/3rds of the way up because you are falling off the pipe. It is VERY tought to shift and keep momentum.
Another example. You come to a brook/steam that you need to cross and you aren't 100% sure where the deep spots are but you'll stall out if you go too slow.
Having said all that I wouldn't have switch my yz for my buddies XR250 for all the money in the world. It was heavy, numb, and an out right tank. My YZ was light easy to move around etc.
A good friend of mine also learned on a 125 and he just bought another one after being out of riding for 3 years. I on the other hand went with a 250.
.02$
Well these guys are 100% right and wrong. What do I mean?
Riding a 125 in the woods is VERY hard. Picture this, you come up to a very technical steep hill with trees all around. You know you have to be ripping 10-12K RPM to have enough power to get up but it will be almost impossible to navigate the hill going as fast as you have to to make it up.
Here is another example. You are trying to climb a large sand pit wall. Now you can get a long start and good speed but you have to down shift 2/3rds of the way up because you are falling off the pipe. It is VERY tought to shift and keep momentum.
Another example. You come to a brook/steam that you need to cross and you aren't 100% sure where the deep spots are but you'll stall out if you go too slow.
Having said all that I wouldn't have switch my yz for my buddies XR250 for all the money in the world. It was heavy, numb, and an out right tank. My YZ was light easy to move around etc.
A good friend of mine also learned on a 125 and he just bought another one after being out of riding for 3 years. I on the other hand went with a 250.
.02$
- Thread starter
- #18
hey everybody im back, im really sorry for not replying earlier but I couldnt find the time to write back, cuz of my school, girlfriend, and stuff. So im back to tell u guys that a guy beat me to this deal cuz i was also away at my grandparents house for a while(im really disappointed). So anyways im still really interested in getting a bike and have been looking in Cycle Trader for some good deals too...O yea brianc I live in chandler and i sometimes ride my atv at sycamore creek, but do most of my riding at my grandmas place in New Mexico, it would be cool if i could actually Ride a bike for more than 2 minutes lol. Thnx a lot everyone who posted and ill keep u guys updated on what comes my way :) -kyle
ForestThump
Member
- Feb 6, 2003
- 6
- 0
az,
being a 'newbie', you are learning one of the 1st things we all learn and have to come to grips with. namely, there's not one bike that does all kinds of riding well. "track" and "trail" are very different (usually) environments and different bike characteristics fit each one. to try and get a bike that is a compromise will end up putting you on a bike that will not excel at either one.
i'd recommend this: figure out what you are gonna be riding most (tracks or trails/woods) and look for a bike that does that well. then, when you go to 'the-other-side-of-the-street', you will suffer some, but it's not the majority of your time.
that said, the cr125 is a track bike. the kdx200 is a trail bike. i'm not saying these are your two choices, just examples.
being a 'newbie', you are learning one of the 1st things we all learn and have to come to grips with. namely, there's not one bike that does all kinds of riding well. "track" and "trail" are very different (usually) environments and different bike characteristics fit each one. to try and get a bike that is a compromise will end up putting you on a bike that will not excel at either one.
i'd recommend this: figure out what you are gonna be riding most (tracks or trails/woods) and look for a bike that does that well. then, when you go to 'the-other-side-of-the-street', you will suffer some, but it's not the majority of your time.
that said, the cr125 is a track bike. the kdx200 is a trail bike. i'm not saying these are your two choices, just examples.
- Thread starter
- #21
hmm... thnx for clearin that up thump. I do mostly trail/woods riding with my quad, BUT mx looks tons of fun and I would like to take advantage of the offers some of the riding clubs here in Chandler offer. I think having a bike to do that kind of riding and a quad to do the other would be awesome. Thnx a lot guys, im goin over to Town and Country motorsports tommorow and ill check out what offers they have, and hopefully i get lucky :) -kyle
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