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Comparison: 2005 125cc Two-stroke Motocross Dirt Bikes

The End or a New Beginning?
2005 4 Bike Side View
2005 Yamaha Yz125 Side View
Yamaha's motor doesn't punch... 
   
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2005 Yamaha Yz125 Side View
Yamaha's motor doesn't punch you in the face; it delivers decent power over long spread.
Yamaha YZ125
Weight (ready to ride, no gas): 200 lb
Retail price: $5299
Yamaha YZ125 Test Settings

What's Hot!
• Amazingly light feel and low actual weight.
• Great power paired with great transmission spacing and a featherlight clutch.
• Outstanding suspension performance.
• Excellent overall handling.
• Just plain fun to ride.

What's Not!
• Seat could be better padded.
• Gives away a bit to the KTM motor.

2005 Yamaha Yz125 Front Side View
Light like a mountain bike... 
   
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2005 Yamaha Yz125 Front Side View
Light like a mountain bike and nimble, the YZ's diet and new fork showed.
Kawasaki KX125
Weight (ready to ride, no gas): 208 lb
Retail price: $5099
Kawasaki KX125 Test Settings

What's Hot!
• Compact riding position is great for smaller riders, with the best seat.
• Excellent power right off the bottom makes it easy to ride.
• Graphics hold up well.
• Drops into turns smoothly and with less effort than the other bikes.

What's Not!
• Riding position cramped for tall guys.
• Lacks high-rpm pulling power.
• Fork is harsh and doesn't track well.

2005 Kawasaki Kx125 Front Right View
On the green machines you... 
   
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2005 Kawasaki Kx125 Front Right View
On the green machines you feel "in" the bike, not "on" it.
2005 Kawasaki Kx125 Side Under View
A Renthal 971 bar in place... 
   
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2005 Kawasaki Kx125 Side Under View
A Renthal 971 bar in place of the stock steel one makes air easier on the KX.
2005 Suzuki Rm 125 Side View
RM's and KX's brakes are a... 
   
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2005 Suzuki Rm 125 Side View
RM's and KX's brakes are a shade behind the KTM's and YZ's, but still stop well.
Suzuki RM125
Weight (ready to ride, no gas): 211 lb
Retail price: $5099
Suzuki RM125 Test Settings

What's Hot!
• Sharp and precise handling.
• Excellent Showa suspension components.
• Has massive midrange pull and slick shifting.
• Still has a very light feel.

What's Not!
• You have to work to keep the engine in the meat of the power.
• Suspension suits only lighter riders.
• Handling is too quick for some.

Suzuki RM125 Right Side View
The RM will reward capable... 
   
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Suzuki RM125 Right Side View
The RM will reward capable riders with a powerful midrange.
KTM 125 SX
Weight (ready to ride, no gas): 205 lb
Retail price: $5298
KTM 125 SX Test Settings

What's Hot!
• Best engine in the class with massive power that is easy for even novices to use.
• Engine has excellent longevity.
• Great standard equipment.
• Most-adjustable riding position and only bike with variable offset.
• Looks good even after use.
• Strongest brakes in the class.

What's Not!
• Between the seat and the suspension, the KTM still has a somewhat-hard edge.
• Not much in the way of amateur support available.
• Not suited for very light riders.
• Fork is harsh and doesn't track well.

2005 Ktm 125 Sx Side View
Corner exits are KTM property.... 
   
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2005 Ktm 125 Sx Side View
Corner exits are KTM property. If the corners are deep and soft, the KTM shines!
2005 4 Bike Group Shot View
2005 Ktm 125 Sx Front Right View
Tod Sciacqua gets air on the... 
   
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2005 Ktm 125 Sx Front Right View
Tod Sciacqua gets air on the SX. Roomy and adjustable, its ergos are up to you.

The dyno revealed no surprises after it hammered on the 2005 125cc two-strokes. Our seat-of-the-pants impressions (or what Editor Jimmy Lewis so delicately refers to as the "dyno in my butt") told us the Kawasaki is the strongest of the four bikes off the bottom, but the KTM takes the reins for the middle and top rpm ranges, and the RM and the YZ score on overrev. For the most part, the bikes are pretty close in power production. The KX signs off early and hard, so it feels slower than the others. For example, at 12,000 rpm, the KX makes 23.5 horsepower while the other three bikes make 31-plus. The KTM reaches the highest peak number, and it produces more than 32 horsepower for a full 2000 rpm, which the KX does for only 1000. The Yamaha is strong on the dyno yet is the strongest only at 5500 and 12,000 rpm; but the light weight and perfect gear spacing make it clearly the second-strongest engine on the track.

141 0412 125 Shoot 12 Z

I didn't have the same problems with the KX suspension as the other testers. I liked the shock, but the front felt divey. I rated it fourth for its motor; it has really good bottom but has nothing left after that. The RM ranked third with an engine that makes bottom as well as the KX but with more mid; it needs more on top and on overrev. The suspension was not as forgiving as the KX's. The KTM has the most power and was the most usable. You can shift it early and it won't fall off the pipe. I liked the shock and the powerful brakes, but the fork has a harsh spot under braking. The YZ125 is first. It has as potent a motor as the KTM, though I think the KTM pulls harder on top; the YZ's mid is longer and more usable, though. The fork soaks up the small chop without harshness. The shock hooked up well, but no matter what I did, I couldn't get the bike to stop pushing on flat turns. Aside from that, the bike does what is asked, and the lightness is a bonus.
Kris Keefer/5'11"/170 lb/Pro

2005 4 Bike Front Guards View


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