125-200cc '09 CR 125 track report (practice track)

Yesterday, we had the new CR 125 at the practice tracks for its first "post break-in" flogging. Some of you may know that my son raced a KTM 144 most of last year and did reasonably well on it despite our inability to race every weekend. We also have an '09 CRF250R that was supposed to be the primary race bike this year and the kid has considerable practice time on the 250 (when it runs).

He practices on two tracks. One is an intermediate "conventional" MX track with moderate doubles, table-tops, a few whoops, and typical bank turns. The other is more challenging supercross track with expert doubles, moderate triples, expert whoops and table-tops.

Initially, I could sense him having to "re-adjust" to the 2 stroke power. He had gotten lazy with the CRF and his shifting skills showed it. After a few minutes, however, his corner speeds quickly recovered and I could hear him working the revs to get things going again. He was tentative on the jumps as well since the 125 needs revs versus the 250's instant punch. At the end of the day, he was back in "2-stroke form" turning faster times with the 125 than the 250. Since I wasn't the one riding, I can't give "seat of the pants" touchy-feely comments, but I'll sumarize his comments below:

PROS:
Much lighter feeling and easier to toss around than both the CRF and the 144 SX. He commented that the steering/handling in and out of turns felt better than the Honda despite the fact that the Honda has a stock dampener

High end as good as the 144

Much slicker shifting that both the 144 and 250

Much better clutch than both the others

Infinitely easier to start and warm up than both the others, especially the 250


CONS:
Suspension too stiff (no surprise there). I adjusted the front and back several times throughout the day and eventually found settings he could live with. It's still a tad tight in the front, but I'm hoping it will break in as most here have suggested it will

Less low end punch than the 144 or 250 (no surprise there either)

Still has a bit of a lag or hesitation between 1/4 and 1/2 throttle

LONG throttle travel to WOT

Hard seat... to which I replied: "Put some meat on your butt cheeks"


BOTTOM LINE:

I'll probably be selling a slightly used '09 CRF250F and buying another CR 125 (for me). He wants to stay on the 125!

Well thats good news.....I guess the throttle will take some getting used to

Try raising the needle ...move the clip down 1 slot...you may find that the low end is pretty good when you get a more predictable response...

I think WR riders are reporting the same lag and it sounds a lot like a jetting issue. Can you tell if it feel too rich or too lean from 1/4 to 1/2 throttle? Maybe a different needle would cure it but with that part of the throttle I would also look at the slide cut out.

I've been thinking about a G2 quick turn for my bike so I don't have to twist the throttle as far.

I think it feels lean, I'm going to try to lower the clip a notch and see how that feels.

rich feels rough and "slow pulling" or burble through the affected area......lean is a dropout , hesitation or flat spot.....especially when the throttle is opened fast....

You're description of lean is what I'm feeling. Flat spot comes closest to describing what's going on. It's mild, I think a needle tweak will help, maybe a new needle. I'll give it a few more hours to see if things change. Thanks for the description

Just got my '09 CR125 last week & had a chance to do a short break in between rain drops last weekend & it had a flat spot between 1/4 to 1/2 throttle that you describe but was otherwise jetted nicely.
I had a chance today to drop the clip one raising the needle one spot(richening it) & it cleaned it right up & I think it's close to being spot on now.I'm racing it this weekend so I'll see if it needs any other little tweaks in the jetting dept.
Most likely gonna soften up the compression in the forks too after practice as they feel stiff but it's far from broke in & I'm only 165lbs with full gear.
Had to back off the rear spring 2 turns to get the sag correct as well but it feels pretty good otherwise.Again it's in need of some motos & break in.
Looking forward to getting a real world feel for everything after this weekend's motos.

Great report! Since things have warmed up here in NC, I'm thinking about a size smaller for the pilot jet but I may still drop the clip a slot to see if that gets rid of the 1/2 throttle bog. Keep us posted on your findings.

Thanks and I'll have an update after this weekend.
I would strongly recommend you richen the needle one before you mess around with the pilot.A 1/2 throttle bog is not gonna be affected by the pilot circuit.I'd be surprised if you don't notice a marked improvement with the needle adjustment.If it's like the one mine had it'll make a huge difference and make it much more ridable.

Got to get a real world feel for the '09 CR125 this past weekend while racing the Budds Creek,MD national track.I'm happy to say the little scoot is a lot of fun and performed very nicely.
First off the needle adjustment I mentioned in my earlier post worked out really well.No more flat spot and the motor ran well thru out the rpm range.I'm gonna try a one step smaller main to see if I can't get it just a tad more sweeter without the flat spot returning.If not I'll be very happy where it sits now.
Suspension wise I ran the forks stock for practice & then I backed the compression out just three turns from full soft.They were better after I did this but still a little stiff for my liking.I'm gonna give them some more break in time before I do anything else though.The rear feels pretty good as is.I've just set the sag to 4" and left the clickers stock.Again a little more break in before I start playing with the clickers if at all as the rear is much closer to the ball park for me then the front out of the box.
All the other stuff worked flawlessly.The clutch was smooth and effortless and the brakes are really good.The front brake is unbelievably strong and the rear modulates and works well too.Tires stuck and worked well and the steering surprised me as I didn't expect it to turn as well as it did.It jumped well and felt light and was just a lot of fun.
I've ridden a lot of 125s thru out the years with the most recent ones being '06 YZ125,'06 RM125,'08 KTM SX125 and '05 Honda CR125 and the Husky can certainly hold it's own and in typical 125 fashion is a blast to ride.