02 CR125 First Mods

[jay123678]

Hi, I have a 2002 CR125, its all stock except for a FMF Q Spark Arrestor. I wanted to know what you guys think is the best mod for the money, people have told me that the stock pipe is pretty good, but i find it hard to beleive that a stock component is better than a $200 aftermarket one. Also are a V-Force Reed Cage a good investment for the money?? You guys tell me because i really have no idea whats on the market, or whats availible, so if you guys could help me out it would be appreciated. And all im really doing is trail riding if that helps any.

[okayguy]

I would keep the stock pipe on because i have the same bike and i don't think that an aftermarket pipe improves the powerband. mine is all stock besides a v force reed cage i like the power.

[SirFallsALot243]

Stock pipes are better because the companies, especially honda and yamaha, spend lots of money on their research and development. Procircut will have no effect on you bikes power. With FMF pipes you will experience a little more power, but your money would be better spent on your suspension.

[jay123678]

I think my bike handles awsome for being stock, and i dont feel the need to put any money into the suspension right now since all im doing is trail riding. But what do u think of the V-Force Reed Cage okayguy, is it really worth the.....what 140 or so for it?? Does it make a noticleable difference, and if so in what areas. Cuz as everyone should know 125's have terrible low end, and my bike has a hard time getting into the powerband when i try to speed up out of a corner. Again, all im doing is trail riding so what is the best engine mod to do without doing tons of internal stuff, i would like to keep the amound of labor down to a min, as in bolt on part.

[jay123678]

I also heard that theres some kind of K and N Filter that i can put on my bike, is that true?? If so could someone please give me some info or a link, and some advice about it. And if there isnt, whats the best filter to put on a bike, because mines looking pretty ****ty, and i would rather just buy a new one if its gonna give me better flow.

[Faded]

If you don't regularly clean your airfilter then I would suggest getting into the habbit. The oiled foam filters are probably your best bet for the trails. The only thing that would restrict your air intake would be a dirty filter.

Best value motor mods:[list=1][*]Jetting - Any where from $2 on up.[*]Regearing - $15 and up depending on which sprocket and manufacturer.[*]Eric Gorr porting/head mods ( [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] ) - Around $150.[*]V-Force - I've seen them for $125 w/free shipping.[/list=1]

[okayguy]

i do like the v-force and think its worth the money. with the v-force installed, it has a little better response but man once you get to the mid it straight up rips! I did a 2nd gear start yesterday and once i let out the clutch it was pulling my arms. Also, get a 52 tooth sprocket to close the gap between second and third.

[Dell30rb]

The stock expansion chamber is fine, a $200 aftermarket one will not give you much. (on this bike).

First mod is definately suspension, ESPICALLY since you are doing trail riding! The bike is setup for a 140-160 lb intermediate motocrosser stock. If you dont fit that profile, a revalve/respring will really help you out.

Next up get some decent front and rear tires. If you dont want to blow big bucks on dunlops or michelins and you dont race and want a tire that will last awhile, get either a set of kenda millville or maxxis IT tires. Both are great intermediate tires and are inexpensive to boot.

After tires, get some good aluminum handlebars that will be much more resilient in a crash than the stockers (which arent worth jack and will bend in the first decent crash).

For the motor, A V-Force and good jetting will really wake it up.

I had a 2001 and that was the order in which I modified it... hope this helps.

Edit: if the topend is more than 6 months or so old, chances are you can seriously gain some horsepower by putting in a new topend. One sure sign the compression is low is if the bike wont start first kick every time (like it should).

[gear graphic]

I finally can give some input on my recent mods... got some good seat time in lately.
I have an 02 Cr 125...
last year, i added a pro circuit pipe and shorty....
It was o.k., but i agree with most everyone else, not quite worth the money.... i did get both for 225 so it wasn't bad... i think it did add some top end, but the bikes top end was killer to begin with.
Now this year i added v-force and 2 more teeth on the rear sprocket.
After getting the jetting straight, i think they were well worth the money.
I have to admit, i was expecting more from the v force, but it definately helped.
last sunday, i put 3 1/2 hard hours on an enduro course, then about 4 hrs. on an mx track.
Definatley better in the trails, the mid range comes a little quicker and is stronger. I was riding the trails in the midrange all day with more flexibility.
On the track it's better coming out of the corners, but still isn't a 250. I was jumping on an 03 yz 250 for kicks and there were two sets of doubles that i could easily get with 250 that i couldn't with my 125... I'm sure the bike can do it... i just gotta work on my riding outta the corners on that bike.
Honestly though, after i rode that 2fiddy for a couple of laps, i was ready to sell the cr, but my 125 handles so well..... when i got back on it i was going faster....
So I think the v force was worth it, and definately go to 53 teeth on the rear sprocket..... didn't notice any top speed loss... still doing 3rd gear jumps in third gear. The difference is literally 2 miles an hour off the top speed.
On thing that i definately noticed, taht may sound weird is that now when i land a jump and get on it (like i always did).... i wheelie quicker.... all the time at first, and the bike never did that last year.
My first race is this sunday... out of the 16 year retirement.... If i stay in the vet class, i may just do the eric gorr thing on this bike (bore, porting, and head mods), and keep it for another year.
sorry for the ramble..... just some input.
steve

[IwishIcouldride]

Suspension first. I race harescrambles on mine and the suspension revalve was the best mod I have done. I have a V-force, they are worth the money, they help a lot in the mid range. I also have a PC pipe and silencer, dont waste your money on that.

Second best mod was a set of aluminum handguards. Dont have to worry about breakin levers or your hands.

[jay123678]

I do fit that profile Dell30rb i am 140 and am still learning to ride this bike, but never do stop learing right?? So i guess suspension work is not something im looking at doing as of right now, i was really aiming towards something with the engine because it is kinda slow, i mean yes it does have alot of power but its like u can never have enough. Im pretty much bought with the V-force and im planning on picking up the cage pretty soon, but what else can i do. Whats the best air filter to get because i still never got an answer to that, oily kind....but what brand, twinair?? uni?? i just dont know whats the most prefered/best because i have seen alot of twin air filter stickers on bikes, but also uni filter kinda goes around everywhere, so what do u guys recomend?? And could someone explain to me what this "power now"....or whatever its called, thing is, i dont even know if it could be used on my bike or even 2 strokes in general, but i just kinda wanted to understand what it is.

[okayguy]

uni and twin air are great filters. take your pick. I haven't heard good things about the power now except on four strokes.

[FFRacing11x]

It actually all boils down to who has the coolest stickers with their product.
I have to agree with those that recommended the BarkBusters, Suspension, and a fresh topend as the biggest bang for the buck.

[ossagp]

You asked about the bike rather than yourself. Everyone ignores that. Maybe because you know you would have to work too hard. Maybe because we don't see ourselves as the slowest thing that is on our bike, even though it is probably true.

Get to a good riding school. It will make you safer and every bike you will ever own will be faster because of it. I just love changing things, but if you are looking for speed for the dollar, a decent school like Semics, Johnson etc have can't be beat on a dollar per 1/10th of second basis.

I know, it is so tough to face your own mortality.

[jay123678]

I asked and i will say it again, I WANTED TO KNOW WHAT THE BEST ENGINE MODS WERE FOR THE LEAST AMOUNT OF MONEY. I am soo sick of people always thinking its not the bike, but when in fact, a bike can only go so fast, and i am at the point where i need more snap, and power. Thats all i want, not some life lesson on how people ignore me when i ask what I can do for MY bike. So if ur gonna be a dick like ossagp, then dont even answer to my question because i dont want to hear **** like he said. He was an apsolute ******* to me, his attitude when explaining his point is really unnessecary.

[Faded]

Jay,

Simmer down a little. Everyone is merely making suggestions. Sometimes for some people there are other things besides engine work that could make them faster per dollars spent. A lot of times it is riding school, suspension, etc. are things that make a dramatic difference but are not often considered.

Originally you asked:

I wanted to know what you guys think is the best mod for the money

What these guys think is that the money is better spent on something besides the motor.

There have been a lot of ideas relating to engine mods stated, have you looked into any of them? Emotions are hard to express through written words, no one is here to insult you so please don't take offense.

[Faded]

Just to add, an FYI for you if you will....it doesn't matter what motor mods you make, your engines performance relies heavily on your jetting ability. You can bolt all the go-fast parts on it you want while disregarding the brass and you'll still be slower than a well jetted stock bike.

Again, this is just something to think about. Don't assume that this was written with a belligerent attitude.

[jay123678]

And i completly understand faded, u and everyone else on this forum have just given my straight-forward answers. But look at it from my point of view. Think of someone talking to u as ossagp did on here, to ur face, wouldnt u think it was kind of rude??
-Maybe because you know you would have to work too hard
-I know, it is so tough to face your own mortality.

If those two quotes were said directly to someones face, i bet u just about everyone on this forum would jack him in the face, u just dont go around being a smartass to people. And its hard not to take offense, especially when i dont even know the person. And this is nothing against u faded, u seem like a really nice person, but i do have a problem with people being an *** to me so thats my only reason for making a big deal of all this.

[Jab]

Man you gotta settle way the crap down. You are saying the other guy is being the a$$hole when it is you that is. All they are trying to do if ask some questions to help you better and you go flipping out on them.

[Dell30rb]

IMO ossagp gave some pretty solid advice.