I am not trying to put any of you WR125 owners down, I just don't get "it" I guess. Everything that I've read says that the 125 is only 10 pounds lighter than the 250 - Why not have gobs of extra power (and a wide powerband) and live with 10 more pounds???
the difference is more like 20 pounds and feels like 35. I have owned many WR250's and still have a 94 WXC250. Great bikes all of them. the 125 is a completely different animal. here is what i like over the 250... - Feels super light - handles a lot better - light handling and narrow bike makes the trail feel 2x as wide and you can put your front tire within a half inch of where you want it pretty much all the time. - Soft power means it is not pushing the front end around, wearing you out, etc. - Fun factor is much higher, you need to ride it and wring it's neck which is FUN!!! - Is stupid EZ to work on (so is the 250 but this one is crazy EZ) - stops on a dime (less weight) - wears you out a lot less - super EZ clutch pull - Stuff lasts a long time on the bike (low weight, low power) tires / chain-n-sprok etc - it's a freaking sexy bike - Love when people look puzzeled and confused in the parking lot and then realize this is a serious machine capable of full size bike speed IMHO is is just so much more fun. I prefer riding it over about any bike I own including my 2010 TXC250. Unless it is super tight i am probably faster overall on the 250 but flogging the 125 is so FUN. Fun Fun Fun
Hey Kelly, sort of along the same lines...how would you compare the wr125 to your '06 TC250? Thats basically what I am coming off of to go on the wr. Its killing me reading about everyones bikes and I cant get mine.....
Well, I haven't even ridden mine yet, but I've been riding 125s for a long time so I'll give you my take on it. It isn't just the weight of the bike that makes the difference, but the "feel" of the bike. 125's tend to have a lighter feel, and the zippy-pow-pow power delivery is quite unlike anything else. Don't get me wrong, I love gobs of power just as much as the next guy, and I enjoy my powerful bikes. I just can't enjoy them as hard nor for as long. I tend to get a lot of satisfaction from riding a bike hard and using all it's got. I can't do that on my 450 or I'll kill myself. I got a little happy with Eric's GG300 a few times and it almost killed me dead. Maybe I just don't have the skills for it, I don't know, but riding a 125 makes me feel like a hero sometimes. It takes a bit more effort/skill to ride a 125 well, and I like how it keeps me on my toes. You can't get away with being lazy on a 125. Riding my 450 has made me slow, and I'm really looking forward to getting my "edge" back on the little machine. I won't lie...if the 250/300 had been updated and slimmed down like the new 125, I probably would have gotten one of those instead. I might still have one someday for those times when I don't feel like riding on the edge all day. Nice thoughtful question WoodsChick
Exactly the reason I sold my awesome TXC450 for a WR125. Most people were like "you did what?" The 450 made everything to EZ 125's will hone your skilz
My TC250 was a 300 with a ported head almost instantly. It was a real good bike except the transmission ratios. I liked that bike a lot. The new generation frame be it 125 or TXC250 is a good bit better IMHO. It just fits me perfect. Ever since the 08's I have REALLY like this platform. The WR125 handles better, has awesome control, excellent ergonomics, better suspension, and near perfect geometry for me. Motor wise the TC300 stomped the 125 but duh. heck that thing would track down 450's if you wanted it. The 125 is at an disadvantage in anything that requires big deep power. Long loose uphills, sand, etc. The up side is it rules the flat and dominates down hills. There is no funner down hill bike IMHO. Just effortless. Feels like it has no high placed weight. You can get away with, and do, silly things on the 125. When a bigger bike and especially a 4st gets out of hand you might not get it back, the 125 you can manhandle and force back in line. It's fun... did i already mention that? The one big thing is you have to want a 125, it is not a super EZ bike to just hop on and ride. Takes a totally different approach and attitude. Some people see me having a blast on it and want to ride it. They get on and have no idea how to make it work and hand it back puzzled. One thing i notice with this bike more than any other once I am on it I don't want to trade and when i do I just want it back.
I am with you! That is why I have been reading all your posts and made my decision on the WR125. My Wr250 is great but I did better in the woods on my RMZ250. The reason I sold my RMZ is that when you get held up/crash or are in the tight sections, they heat up. When they do, good luck trying to get them to fire with a muddy boot weighing 20 lbs or are exhausted from racing after an hour. Tell me if I am correct, a Wr125 with a 144 kit/carb/pipe/Cr ignition/non o-ring chain out to do a fine job against a 4stroke 250? Just go get one and be done with it. Some good deals out there!
regardless of what the scales say, it's all about physics. the engine is very compact, the moving parts are very small. the engine is also very powerful for it's size, but only at certain RPM. this equates to much less fatigue in rotating the bike on it's axsis'. this is why they "feel" way lighter than they are. experiment: take a large hammer, hold the end of the handle in one hand, extend it out away from your body, move it up and down 12" as fast as you can. repeat with a screwdriver. the overall weight of you and the hammer vs. the screwdriver is less than a pound but you can swing the scredriver in an arc out in front of your body all day w/o getting tired.
Every thing you guys are saying is true about the 125 .I have no problem racing in the open class with mine and sometimes wining .BUT this year in the so calif desert we have been getting rain the first 2 Nationals the ground was real wet .Out here wet dirt robs power my little 125 was working so hard in the open valleys with the wet dirt .But back in the rocks and up and down hills it shined .This last National round 3 was in the MUD it looked like a Ohio Mud race i rode my WR 250 and was glad i did but it is heavy and harder to ride but had so much power in the mud and i could not stall it no matter what i did .Now next weeken is round 4 up in Idaho and the promoter told me lots of wet sand washes and some water crossing so it looks like i will try the 250 again . Now if it stops raining and the ground dryes up it is back to the 125 The 125 is just a great easy bike to ride
I'd have to agree with what folks are saying about the little 125's- they are just too much fun They force you to be 110% focused on what you're doing, but handle so well that you can mess up from time to time and not be penalized like on a bigger bike. I took it one step further and bought a newer 85cc crosser for fun this past fall- Every time I rode that thing I would be grinning from ear to ear, felt like a kid on it. Had no room to keep it, so it was sold......oh well There will be another small bore 2t in my garage at some point.
What we need is a 187.5! I love my little 08 CR125 and soon it will be a EG144. Like stated above the only time I needed more was in the deep mud which I hate anyway LOL. I also agree the WR250 "feels" way heavier than the 125 at least taking it off the stand as I have never ridden a 250/300 Husky. The 125's are light, fast, and FUN.
he he he i have a KX100 I call my daughter bike but guess who rides it around the super tight trails at my buddies house?
Gday, The WR 125 is a great little bike if you like riding hard and fast keep it on the boil and they are a rocket ship bit of a young mans bike I think, the 250 has truck loads of bottom end and when the going gets a bit tough the 250 will keep tractoring along but the 4 strokes are just to heavy for me Gasitt!
