Time to upgrade

[budget biker]

looking to upgrade sons bike to a 2 stroke 125 , from a crf150f.
not looking to start a 2t vs 4t argument but figure it will happen anyway:yes:
he is looking for a toy that can handle trail riding but he can still thrash on a track without killing it.
we have no experience with 2 strokes so will it die if he does not ride it aggressively enough?
son is 16.
4 stroke enduro too heavy and mx too expensive.
all advice will be taken with a pinch of salt. HAHA
looking at rm125 new or recent rebuild.

[SpikedPunch]

What do you want to know? I trail ride a 125 2t. I'm not a very aggressive rider and it hasn't died yet, in fact it's been the most reliable bike I've owned. It hasn't got a flywheel weight or anything, it seems to have enough grunt to do what I want it to.

[budget biker]

son online
do i need to ride it hardish in bush or can i take my time?
not very aggressive rider yet (according to dad)
back of pack trailrider

[Jay GTI]

Nah only if the bike isn't jetted well could you have a few issues with it not being spanked hard enough. Most 125 2Ts are so much fun, he'll be giving it huge handfuls of throttle in no time anyway.

Quite fancy a 125 2T as a spare bike, for mates to ride and for me to have a play on now and then, they really are awesome fun.

[budget biker]

cheers for advice
finance on the way:rockon:

[cave weta]

son online
do i need to ride it hardish in bush or can i take my time?
not very aggressive rider yet (according to dad)
back of pack trailrider

A 2t 125 is great on trails if you are under say 70kg but heavier that that you are asking a lot from it. But rebuilds are cheap. ALWAYS carry a spare plug with you. they load up on the trail sometimes and get a whisker on the plug

[krad_nz]

I have a 2008 yz125 and love it so far. Can bog a bit in the sand if I'm not on top of things though.

I weigh 75-80kg and don't have too much trouble. I would be quicker on a 250 4/ though I suspect, but thats not a big priority for me at the moment :)

[ktm84mxc]

Being on a 125 will make him a better rider as he will have to be on his game to get the best from it.
A RM125, YZ125, KTM125 wud be an ideal choice, CR or KX have been outta production since 06 so most getting long in the tooth & wud require more repairs.

[trailrider]

Buy it now. Sounds like he will have lots of fun

[cambocambo]

I have a 2000 kx125 and it is great fun, I second having a spare spark plug handy. I weigh about 75Kg

[tigertim20]

son online
do i need to ride it hardish in bush or can i take my time?
not very aggressive rider yet (according to dad)
back of pack trailrider

if youre a back of the pack rider youre not ready for an upgrade.

[motor_mayhem]

if youre a back of the pack rider youre not ready for an upgrade.

What BS, if the bike is too small for him it is quite possibly inhibiting him, and if he's on a 150f when everyone else is on a 250R/X or 125R it will be difficult to be mid pack let alone front.

- Bigger wheels and better suspension on the 125 go over rougher ground better
- 125R's are lighter than 150Fs
- 125R's are more powerful than 150Fs
- An undersize cockpit can cause unnecessary fatigue

150's are great bikes, probably the best learner machine around but they're not so good for keeping up with 250s and 125 2T and/or if your prefered seat height is over 90cm.

[CRF119]

I am going to have to go with what every body else has said, you really can beat a 125 for learning. If jetted right you can putt around at your own pace and they are built to handle abuse from the best riders so it will see you through many years of fun riding and it should be reliable and cheap to maintain.

As for Brands, If you are looking to spend between 2 and 4g id go with the CR125. The frames were more superior and i had 4 mates with them with no issues. That sort of money should buy you a 2000 to 2006 model bike. After 07 they stopped production but parts won't be an issue for at least another 10 years. If you want to spend more and want a newer year the YZ125 would be my choice.

[vr4king]

Has he ridin a 125 ringer dinger before?..............If not id sugest he does before you pull the trigger on anything

If you get stuck I could sort one out for him to try and if he wants a 250 four stroke
to try aswell be a huge step up from a 150f so prob best to try before you buy.

I have a place to ride also just bring ya helmet and boots

[budget biker]

thanks for the offer.
neither of us have ridden a 2T. son is comfortable on my toy,wr250, but finds it too heavy.i'm hoping to get a bike from shop to test. ideallly for a trail ride but not that time of year around here, so a track some where. will probably end up buying thru a shop.
when ever he finds it too difficult:facepalm:( eg hills at wet blue mountains ,for the locals) i ride his out of trouble . hopefully i can do the same for a 2T
or we swap bikes:yes:
sounds like they dont have to be fanged all the time so i should be able to get around on it .just run a hotter plug until we get used to it

[Pierce]

I must say, i've had a blast on several 125's and they are a loads of fun. If you are looking more to trail ride it then possibly look at getting a 144 / 150cc kit for one. gives it heaps more tourque down bottom but still rev's to the moon like a 125.

[tigertim20]

What BS, .........
heres what I was responding to

son online
do i need to ride it hardish in bush or can i take my time?
not very aggressive rider yet (according to dad)
back of pack trailrider

The way i read that, was that this person rides at the back of the pack, because they arent very aggressive yet. If they have not yet got the point where they are comfortable pushing that bike they already have, then it stands to reason that that bike still offers then alot of room to grow, so why bother with an upgrade to a bigger/faster/more powerful bike, when you're not confident enough on a lesser machine?

If i read it wrong, my bad, wasjust my $0.02

[vr4king]

Sweet as mate yeah im from the naki so I know these rides well............Gave up on the blue mountians ride ages ago better to stay at home and get fat.
But do most others this year however I have decided im not gonna do any really wet ones just not worth the hassle.

[budget biker]

bought the beast.rm125. fun toy . my son has only been on it a few hours at barrett park but ive now been surpassed, it was definately the bike holding him back
.we are heading to desert storm in oct and would like to know if he needs to carry fuel or if it would get around ok. nephews 85 2T ran out on the last one so he learnt the hard way
at least if hes pushing i can keep up. lol

[CRF119]

Always carry fuel at desert storm. He will only just fall short so a 600ml coke bottle will do. I used to just finish a lap on the CR125 but i rode it nicely because if you ride then hard they will come way short. Also depends if there is still the small MX tracks you can play on at half way.

[budget biker]

cheers for that. carry fuel it is.ds2 here we come woohoo:yes:

[random rider]

.we are heading to desert storm in oct and would like to know if he needs to carry fuel or if it would get around ok. nephews 85 2T ran out on the last one so he learnt the hard way
at least if hes pushing i can keep up. lol

One ride I had less than half an inch in the tank, but desert storm I got around ok and I am on a KX125 (2008 was the last year they were built - not 06 like comment earlier) and it was similar length.
So in short depends on track conditions and how hard you ride it. I took a small coke bottle and had it just in case....was good to know I wouldn't run out completely :scooter:

Also great that he has started to do really well.....at some point you have to make the move up and he sounds like he was ready for it....welcome to the 125 2T club :woohoo:

[Rupe]

One ride I had less than half an inch in the tank, but desert storm I got around ok and I am on a KX125 (2008 was the last year they were built - not 06 like comment earlier) and it was similar length.
So in short depends on track conditions and how hard you ride it. I took a small coke bottle and had it just in case....was good to know I wouldn't run out completely :scooter:

Also great that he has started to do really well.....at some point you have to make the move up and he sounds like he was ready for it....welcome to the 125 2T club :woohoo:

have you done anything to lower your kx125, just brought the wife one

[L Rider]

bought the beast.rm125. fun toy . my son has only been on it a few hours at barrett park but ive now been surpassed, it was definately the bike holding him back
.we are heading to desert storm in oct and would like to know if he needs to carry fuel or if it would get around ok. nephews 85 2T ran out on the last one so he learnt the hard way
at least if hes pushing i can keep up. lol

We carried fuel with us but found we didn't need it - KX85 and 2 KX250s.
If he rides it really hard in lower gears constantly he possibly will run out - husband run out on a 50km loop locally riding really hard but DS did the 60km loop with fuel to spare

[L Rider]

have you done anything to lower your kx125, just brought the wife one

We've just had our 125 lowered. Depends what you want to spend - costs to have it done properly ie both front & rear. Many just put bigger dog bone in & drop the rear. We got spacer/s removed & shorter front forks springs so its lowered evenly

[random rider]

We've just had our 125 lowered. Depends what you want to spend - costs to have it done properly ie both front & rear. Many just put bigger dog bone in & drop the rear. We got spacer/s removed & shorter front forks springs so its lowered evenly

Guess that was aimed at me....?

I am only 5ft 4" in my boots and have a KX125

I had put a dog bone in but it made next to now difference so we removed it. I have had the seat cut down professionally by an upholsterer friend....first time just took it down but then we got the sides grooved inwards too as I struggled to get my leg over....no bad jokes please!:innocent: That made massive difference and as it was done by a pro it doesn't look too rude.

Then I got the bike set up for me from the guys at Moto SR a couple of times to get everything working together. They set up both the front and the back and didn't charge me a whole lot to do it. In fact if ever at a ride where they are at I would always get my bike checked over.

Sacha (Spikedpunch) has a Yamaha 125 and she did similar to me and I know that she has loved being on the bigger bike but not found it too tall anymore.

If ever want to try one for size let me know :yes:

[L Rider]

Guess that was aimed at me....?



Not at all aimed at you - many pple lower bikes this way.
We need to get Brooklyns bikes all lowered and was advised that if rear is done then forks must be as well to get an 'even' ride.
We took this advice on board & got our 125 lowered similar way that Brooklyn's will be.