The CR125R's Last Chance

[madcow393]

Dear Honda,
I have a 2002 CR125R and I do love it. I can feel how light this bike is, espicaly after I ride other bikes. The handeling is confidence inspiring. And every time I ride a different bike I wish I could bring my forks and shocks along for the ride. But I am sick of the CR's motor being the lauging stock of MX. Every time I loan my bike to a friend what do they come back saying? Man that thing needs juice. I dread evertime the new tech review of the bike comes out each year. It's made even worse by the fact that leading up to those first reviews every press release by honda says "new piston this, or fresh top end that!" I'm glad they gave the venerable CR the RC valve in 04 but this thing needs new bore and stroke numbers, a new crank, transmission, and on and on. Will Honda give the CR125 the engine it deserves for it's last year before the 2006 BNG 2-stroke deadline? Probably not, but I just thought I would vent before the "new bike" came out and I threw down yet another magazine in disgust. Now I know about half of you are going to say "its all in the rider" but come on people, does anyone want to go to the track in a bike people always look at as slow? NO! And you other CR pilots can say this and that about how I'm wrong and the CR125 motor rocks, but after ridding other bikes I just can't help but being angry at what Honda did to potentialy the best bike in MX history.


I'm done here
Madcow

[char393]

Do you feel better now?

[Faded]

I'll take it off your hands for you! I would actually like to try riding one and see what everyone is compaining about.

BTW MC, what mods have you done?

[SirFallsALot243]

throw a yz motor in there and have a hybrid!

[MooseRacing552]

did you send that to honda?

[Faded]

Originally posted by madcow393
....come on people, does anyone want to go to the track in a bike people always look at as slow? ....

Call me crazy, but that sounds cool. Mine would be a ported CR133 with stock pipe and a 38mm Keihin carb fully dialed...looks all stock except for the carb (which no one would notice). After they were done poking fun I'd unleash the beast.

Seriously MC, if you haven't done it look into porting. Should be good for at least around 3-4hp on that bike. It's cheaper than a pipe too if you go with Eric Gorr.

[Mr.Boof]

u should of send that to honda

[CRacer]

Madcow, are you sure you have that thing jetted right or somethin? I chose not to listen to the mags as just last weekend I saw a guy racing 125B on a stock beat up CR125, he was whooping up on 250Fs all over the place, remember the 2002 KX125 that all the mags said was a dog? Well there's a kid I know that wins schoolboy almost every weekend on one. I too used to feel the same way that you do, but when I pulled up to the gate last weekend half of the bikes were CR125s.
Heck just be glad that you have the 2002 with the good suspension/handling as I have a 1998 and I can't even say I have that!

[IwishIcouldride]

Just twist it harder.

[madcow393]

Originally posted by kdxchar
Do you feel better now?

actualy yes i do

i wrote this because I am so disgusted that honda would ignore this bike for almost ten years

[madcow393]

Originally posted by Faded
BTW MC, what mods have you done?

i have done mods but only to fix what broke(okay what I broke )
i got the PC pip and silencer: i highsided and flatened the pipe, BTO had a one time deal that made the pipe and silncer combo cheaper

i have a wiseco piston: i broke my top end oh... 3 times

i have a boyessen rad valve: it crapped out at a race and i had to replace it

and no you cant take it off my hands, this thing is wayyy to light and well suspended to get rid of

[hondageek]

I loved my CR125s. except for a horsepower or two at diff rpms it's the best 125 ever. You have to remember, unless your name is Bubba you're not using all of any 125's power anyway. Some of the other 125s have a little more low end but that's only a crutch for someone that doesn't know how to ride a 125. I was usually the only 125 that raced the open class in my division and I never had any trouble getting top 5 finishes against 39 250s and 450s. Suspension and handling wins races, not an additional hp here or there. I love my CRF250 but if I couldn't ride it I'd rather have my '02 Cr125 than any other bike, thumper or not. Travis Preston won the 125 West on that bike and he's a big dude.

[KX02]

Well this is all some interesting reading guys. I think what madcow is getting at or I hope he is getting at is that the bike just doesn't have the balls that he would like it to. Of course a better rider can win on a slower bike, it's all rider, yada yada. But I always say it's easier to be a good rider on a good bike than a junk bike. And by that I do not mean just motor. I mean tires, suspension setup, brakes that work...

By the way CRacer, I have a 2002 KX125 and I bought it because I thought it looked great and people I know who have had KX's over the years loved them. I have to say it was pretty slow when I got it. Kawasaki seems to tune their bikes for novice riders and doesn't care too much about magazines. It was very torquey and easy to ride. To uncork one of these bikes all that is required is a pipe. I put a Fatty on mine and now it hits hard in the midrange and revs out like any other 125.

[MotoMojo17]

he was getting at the fact that honda has been neglecting the CR for years when it is obvious that there is a problem and with the money and minds that they have, it could be corrected! (i think that is what he is gettgin at anyway)

i rode a 2001 cr125 and i didnt care for it, because the gearing was way too tall for my supercross style track and by the time you are in the powerband in 1st gear you are doing nearly 20 mph!(which made turning a nightmare) with some gearing changes i could ride it fast! it just needs more attention from honda

IwishIcouldride, lmao...for sure

but in my thread 'dont stop buying two strokes' there is something from the ama website and two stroke mx bikes arent being banned and the way i understood, the bike companies should keep making them better! they arent going away yet(maybe in a few more years, but not in 2006 like everyone thinks).

P4L!

[Cee Arr]

I just got a '01 CR125 and I love it. I agree, it doesnt do much below 5 MPH...but in a race (thats what it is made for), you shouldnt go that slow anyways. Plus with a little gas and dropping the clutch (in 1st OR 2nd) you can lift the front or spin the tire easily. But thats where the disadvantage ends. It is very light and the power band is REALLy wide. It seems that about at half throttle its already in the power band, then it just keeps going and going. Its especially nice for my light weigh; 134 pounds! I just did a little tweaking on the suspension (only with the clickers) and it is perfect. I havent crashed yet, but I came around a corner too hard on the back brake, and right as I was coming around the corner and about to give it some gas, there was a huge spikey log in the ground, so I just held the back brake trying to slide it all the way around so I wasnt facing the log. But the big stopped while I was still leaning it and I kinda just hopped off before it crushed my leg.

But it still is a huuuge step up from my KX80, and after 2nd gear in a drag race, I can keep up with my stepdad's CR250.

[NZ_CR]

I read somewhere that honda used to have the best engine in 96, why don't they just go back to that?

[Aus_Rider_22]

Wasn't it the introduction of the alloy from that affected the engine? I think Honda had to re-design the intake and things to suit the alloy frame.

[YzRacer#53]

On my 02'Yz125 just clutch it off the line then you never worry about the bottem end with the new pipe it gets through the gears QUICK!!! It has great power I like the suspension the only thing I think I would ever change on it would be the tires if anything. In the power band in a click of the finger, Raced my friends 250f I had a lap time 2 secounds faster with the pipe so I know the pipe (SST+PowercoreII) Improved something. I never rode a cr125 before, But I know what your saying is your lacking power. Do you want a new bike or dump money into your bike so it has a great motor?

[madcow393]

Originally posted by NZ_CR
I read somewhere that honda used to have the best engine in 96, why don't they just go back to that?

in all honesty this is the same engine as in 96(with a different powervalve) and that's the problem. Honda onver the years would very gradualy make little changes to the CR while other manufatures were making leaps ahead the CR took baby steps. now it's to late to just update the old engine. eventualy you have to start fresh. but Honda never did it and now a stock CR has about a 2-4 HP peak deficit to the competition(thats alot in 125 racing)

yes the new frame did have something to do with the air intake of the bike but an old engine is still an old engine.

[Rockey]

I seriously think porting from Eric Gorr would wake that bike up big time. You already have the PC pipe to go with it.