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lastchancebev

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I'd agree with you on the YZ - they are very consistent performing bikes that have been top of the tree for the past 10years or more. But on the 125sx i'm afraid I don't. The KTM is a good little bike with a good engine but has a very Euro feel, which compared with the Jap bike should really be called Alien. The no-link rear suspension is somewhat unpredictable and does not get better with age. Combine that with a few previous owners all trying to 'fix' the problem and you've got a bike that is far from being the best.

Have you looked at any bikes? When you get beyond a few seasons old the price depends more on the condition than the age.

The '04 on RM125 is very good, quick turning and very much a racers bike, getting better in '05 and again in '06.

The same period for the CR125 is the opposite with the early millenia bikes being better with the whole 2t range going down hill from '04.

The KX reads the same as the RM with the '04 on bikes being some of the better ones they've made in a while.

Yamaha made some changes for the 2002 model but obviously the most advanced bikes are the Ali frame models from '05 on. They all work good however, even an old generation '98 model feels very modern and in good working order is not far off the pace at most club races. The blue plastics go to look quite rough quite quickly on the Yams so don't always judge one by its external appearance.

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Grand Master

zig06

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I'm lookin for a 125 under like $2000... Whats the best one out there? I really like CR125's and RM125's

Both the CR and RM are good bikes with both of them winning many races. Now, because you are buying used you cannot say that one is better than another, and that includes Yamaha, KTM, Kawasaki or anyone else. This is because when ever you buy used, condition is more important than what the bike could do when it was brand new.

More than once I've seen a clean 4 or 5 year old bike smoke a brand new bike, and that's because the older bike not only had a better rider, but it's rider kept the bike in top shape. It started on the first kick, the suspension didn't leak and the tires were almost brand new.

And that's what you need to look for. You like CR's and RM's, so with your money in hand try to find the newest but CLEANEST bike that fits yor budet. And based on the fact that none of the 125's built over the past 8 years really had any major issues, you really cannot go wrong.

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Grand Master

fender bender 59

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But on the 125sx i'm afraid I don't. The KTM is a good little bike with a good engine but has a very Euro feel, which compared with the Jap bike should really be called Alien. The no-link rear suspension is somewhat unpredictable and does not get better with age.The '04 on RM125 is very good, quick turning and very much a racers bike, getting better in '05 and again in '06.

This statment tells me that eather you have never riden a KTM or at the very least very little and that bike was set-up for someone that was much lighter or heaver than yourself. When the KTM's are set-up right for your riding weight they ride as good as any jap bike....even the Suzuki's...which we are riding now. Eventhough I say this the parts on KTM's come at a higher price. If I was looking for a 125 for my son I'd really look into the RM's and YZ's first but there's nothing worng with any of the 125's....

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lastchancebev

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This statment tells me that eather you have never riden a KTM or at the very least very little and that bike was set-up for someone that was much lighter or heaver than yourself. When the KTM's are set-up right for your riding weight they ride as good as any jap bike....even the Suzuki's...which we are riding now. Eventhough I say this the parts on KTM's come at a higher price. If I was looking for a 125 for my son I'd really look into the RM's and YZ's first but there's nothing worng with any of the 125's....

I agree the concept of the no link rear is superior to any linkage set up from the Jap bikes (well with the exception of the Full floaters of the early 80's!) but I don't think that KTM have it dialed yet.

I had a new 125 sx in '03 which I ran until the autumn of '04 and I could never get on with it. I sent it to two different places to be fixed over the two years and I even went to a ride out day organised by the dealership where they helped riders set the bikes up, but I would still say that it was just as unpredictable. You could never stop the bike from kicking at the most unfortunate times, but the engine was so strong I lived with it for two years.

In the UK orange has swept the country and i'd say almost all of my riding buddies have had a KTM at some point over the past decade. KTM have done quite a bit of work in the last two years to improve the rear end for the '08/09 models which are the only two which I don't have any experience of so I may be missing something there. But even if they have the point still stands as a KTM for $2k would still be in the transitional phase.

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Rising Star

123ewq

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i love my rm, it has more mid range-top end hit then the other 125's and has good over rev. I trail ride so i should praise low end, but the top end hit was well worth the trade off, i praise its power. I just picked up my 2003 used with many new parts for $1500's and when i tested it it still had pretty good compression.

You could probably find a nice one for a very reasonable price.

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