Future of 125s in NZ?

[Kickaha]

be such a shame if the 125's were allowed to die out here...

It would be, but numbers have been steadily dropping,when I first crewed for a 125 guy you'd see 20 on the grid

I know two guys this year who were drafted in just to get the numbers to have a class this year

[bigreddog]

Yes I heard they were very short on numbers and class was close to being scrapped at this years nats..

Just searching the MNZ rules to see if they are F3 eligible, dont think so tho as I seem to remember f3 was 126 and over

[Kickaha]

Just searching the MNZ rules to see if they are F3 eligible, dont think so tho as I seem to remember f3 was 126 and over

They used to be but the F3 guys got tired of being smoked by 125GP bikes and whinged until the rules were changed

[Shaun Harris]

There's nothing you can learn on a 125 that you cannot learn on a pro twin. And the more fun you have as a growing rider, the longer you will hang in there through the hard times.



Best wishes to both of you.

[bigreddog]

They used to be but the F3 guys got tired of being smoked by 125GP bikes and whinged until the rules were changed

oh OK shame about that...I suppose what will happen is that the 125's will continue at nats with the moto3 type 4 strokes gradually taking over, shit those things would be out of the reach of us normal folk tho

[Shaun Harris]

oh OK shame about that...I suppose what will happen is that the 125's will continue at nats with the moto3 type 4 strokes gradually taking over, shit those things would be out of the reach of us normal folk tho

Sure would be! Prod based man and go hard.

[mr bucketracer]

They used to be but the F3 guys got tired of being smoked by 125GP bikes and whinged until the rules were changed

think you will find it was a mnz thing , i liked racing with them and smoked them but not much in it

[oyster]

125's are very good for young riders to develop on. Only after they've mastered 150's first thought, and your boy is close. The prob is small numbers, and at club level mixing it with superlite / protwin is a bit scary.
Pro twin is the answer. All round versatile bike. Enough variables (suspension) to allow understanding of setup. Ruapuna has seen 39's so in the right hands so plenty of potential. This is the modern version of the "old days" Proddy 250. Great to see (finally) their own grid at nats. This will let it grow. The Knowles boys are having a great run with Pro Twin. (Jordan 2nd in GP) Feet on the ground family, talk to them.
Consider pretty well all young, high acheiving talent late teens/early twenties today. The've come through Protwin / 125GP. I'd list the names here, but it's too long.
Go for ProTwin

[jellywrestler]

You could do a father and son sidecar team

you could to if ya wasn't shooting blanks...

[jasonu]

It would be, but numbers have been steadily dropping,when I first crewed for a 125 guy you'd see 20 on the grid

When I had my 125 we were put in with F3 and on a good day there might have been 3 of us. The best turnout was at Bay Park when Joey Dunlop and a couple of other micks showed up. There was me, Laurie Love, Chris Pickett, Joey D, some other mick all on RS125's and Ian Lougher on a pukka Aprilia GP 125. The aprilia was fucking fast. I remember seeing it heads up out drag Glen Jeffreys RGV onto the front straight.

[quallman1234]

Well i've raced the last 3 125GP champs in NZ. The numbers are always around the 10 - 11 mark. It hasn't really gone up or down. Due to the absoute massive efforts of Kevin Goddard/Steve Ward/Steve Bagshaw and now this year Team Aspire.

One of the less known lessons about racing 125's. Is that you learn prepartion is very important. They are not the friendlist bikes to run. But if done properly completely reliable. If done inproperly, then well it will cost you more in the long run. I still strongly believe that there are things you learn running one that you dont learn on another, not necessarily in riding technique.

There are plans in motion to at least see another field of 10 next year. There are still plently of parts for them. I believe MNZ are very keen to keep this class going.

[jellywrestler]

Well i've raced the last 3 125GP champs in NZ. The numbers are always around the 10 - 11 mark. It hasn't really gone up or down. Due to the absoute massive efforts of Kevin Goddard/Steve Ward/Steve Bagshaw and now this year Team Aspire.

One of the less known lessons about racing 125's. Is that you learn prepartion is very important. They are not the friendlist bikes to run. But if done properly completely reliable. If done inproperly, then well it will cost you more in the long run. I still strongly believe that there are things you learn running one that you dont learn on another, not necessarily in riding technique.

There are plans in motion to at least see another field of 10 next year. There are still plently of parts for them. I believe MNZ are very keen to keep this class going.

for a small feild the racing is fucking awesome most of the time too.

[steveyb]

While it is an unfortunate truth that 125cc GP bikes are no longer being manufactured, new or near new bikes are still available from global markets, and there are plenty of bikes in NZ that are being raced, ready to race or being thought about to race.

If the idea that the 125cc two-stroke bike is not the future for you, then consider the 250cc GP Mono 4-stroke, or if you win Lotto, Moto3.

The prototype IMD250 is demonstrating that it is perfectly comfortable in an NZ level 125GP field, and in March will be even more so as development continues on the prototype machine. The Innovative Moto Developments are able to accept orders. Check out our website www.imd250.com. The bike won't be cheap, but it can be new, or re-purposed. Sorry, but I really need to make plugs when I can!!

Another GPMono option is available in the form of the Moriwaki MD250H also available on global markets.

I have been around this game in NZ for as long as most that are still active in the sport and helping to assist young and novice riders on their pathways, and to my mind there is no substitute for the skills and racecraft development that you gain from racing in this 125GP/GPMono class, after you have done the basic learning in Streetstock or 250Production. If you are small, then make the most of that in the small bike class, if you are a bit bigger, then maybe yes, consider the bigger bike classes.

Pro-Twin is all well and good, but it must be remembered that the bikes are big, heavy, expensive to repair, not designed to race (but do surprisingly well all things considered), expensive to build if starting from scratch and not suited to small riders.

Don't let the thought of 2-stroke GP bikes or any of that rubbish talk you out of the next logical step. It is only a machine. Done right it will be fine. Done wrong, it won't. But I'll tell you one thing, I would rather have the 125GP/IMD250 repair bills than an SV650 one!

[oyster]

With you on every word, stevey and qualman. Always a "but" tho, and that "but" is the low numbers just now. When asked about 4 years ago, I said NZ needed about 15 new young riders of national potential each year to keep classes like 125GP in good health. And at that time Canterbury was producing around 70% or more of this "budget". We'd be lucky today if a third of this budget is met, there's the problem. It's a straight business issue of club focus and culture, nationally.
And I really do love 125's, I own 3, none for sale!!!

[steveyb]

With you on every word, stevey and qualman. Always a "but" tho, and that "but" is the low numbers just now. When asked about 4 years ago, I said NZ needed about 15 new young riders of national potential each year to keep classes like 125GP in good health. And at that time Canterbury was producing around 70% or more of this "budget". We'd be lucky today if a third of this budget is met, there's the problem. It's a straight business issue of club focus and culture, nationally.
And I really do love 125's, I own 3, none for sale!!!

Oyster is of course right.
So, the only way to make sure the class continues is for people to encourage likely and appropriate riders into it, rather than keep telling them that it is dying yadda yadda yadda.
Self fulfilling prophecies become that if people let them.

Everyone contact Oyster and badger him into leasing you his bikes (well two of them anyway, the special one can remain just that!).