2005 YZ 125 (second) first impression

[TurboV6]

So I bought an 05 yz 125 the end of august last year as my first bike in about 4 years and absolutely loved it. I couldn't have asked for more except for perhaps a tad more low end response, I was going to go up a tooth on the rear sprocket to alleviate this. I rode the bike completely stock for the rest of the fall, and the put it away for winter in CT. Last week I heard of a friend of a friend that had some bikes for sale that had to go because he needed money. I bought his 99 cr 125 with a rev pipe, power core silencer, almost new top end and some suspension work. Other than that it's basically stock. I rode it a few times feeling satisfied that I could be almost as competitive on the cr as I could the yz. I then put the yz back together from a minor disassembly. I installed the vforce3 reed valve, fmf titanium 2 silencer, and a gytr titanium subframe, and then took it for a ride. The two bikes couldn't have been any more different. I was most amazed at how much more power the yamaha made, everywhere over the cr. Where the cr would be begging for some clutch and a downshift, the yz had more than enough power to pull me through any situation I put it in. The difference is so great, it feels like the cr is down 10 hp. The brakes on the yz are very powerful, have a light lever and excellent feel to them. Through the rough stuff the yamaha is still very competent and goes exactly where you point it. Being able to have something to compare it too now really reinforces how amazing the new bike is, and I can enthusiastically reccomend this bike to anyone considering it. I don't know if the cr i bought it just very doggy, or i forgot exactly how quick the yamaha was, or that the muffler and reeds woke it up more than i would have thought, but it feels just like it did the first time i opened the throttle to the stops, really fast .

Cliffs: 05 yz125 with minor mods >>>>>> 99 cr125 with a pipe

[Satch0922]

Comparing one of the best 125's ever made for sale to us mere mortals to a 99 Cr125 is not exactly fair....of course it would not be fair if it was an 05 cr125 either....

[char393]

I'm sold...in fact, I can't wait for the '06's to come out so I can find a screamin deal on an '05.

[Budlite]

unfortunately to 250F's run in the same class....bummer

[psycho393]

Originally Posted by Satch0922

Comparing one of the best 125's ever made for sale to us mere mortals to a 99 Cr125 is not exactly fair....of course it would not be fair if it was an 05 cr125 either....

I didn't think that comparing any CR to a YZ was a fair comparrison, but you know I wasn't gonna pipe up about it.

[YzRacer#53]

Is it true that the cr125's are not as competitive as the other 125's in the class.

[MotoMojo17]

Very true. Very....very....very true.

At least with the '01 cr125 I rode. If I can spell out how it sounded when pinning it from the bottom of first on my '05 yz125 and then the '01 cr..it went something like this.

My bike: braaAAAAAAAAPPP!!!!

'01 CR: braaaaaaaAaaaAAaaaaaaaaaaaaAAaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAP P!!!!

LOL As you can see by my comprehensive research results, it takes the CR a lot longer than other 125s to hit the powerband. This is due, in part, to the minimally spaced intake caused by the aluminum frame(apparently). The CR I rode had a pro circuit platinum pipe and a shorty silencer, a new clutch (has nothing to do with power, but still), factory connection suspension work, and some other odd and end mods. My yz is bone stock (check the sig). It was just plain slower! It felt like, when you were in first gear, you should've been in second and you needed to shift down one or two more. It was a big difference.

[Aus_Rider_22]

Thanks for the review there TurboV6.

I too, have had experience with CR and YZ 125's.

I had a go on my mate's 01 CR125 and after being used to my bike I felt that my bike had more power and response, but didn't handle as good in some places as his.

What made is more amazing was that at the time I had stock bike with only reeds and shortened stock silencer. His CR was bored out to 133cc. Mine starting pulling earlier and harder and just felt livelier than his.

Granted the CR reved further but it took longer to get there and felt doughy and kind of lacklustre throughout the rev-range.

The handling was different though. His bike seem to turn better and could hold a line better than my YZ. His felt lighter in the air and I preferred riding his while freeriding/jumping.

Just my experience!

I think the perfect bike would be 05 CRF250R!

[TurboV6]

I forgot to add that between the subframe, muffler and tossing the rear brake guards, the bike is now ~ 2 lbs 3 oz's lighter than stock. I don't know if it made a difference, but it's nice to think that it's even lighter than an already featherweight machine.