Dirt Rider Magazine

http://stlouis.craigslist.org/mcy/3286400360.html

yeah. i was going to shave the seat foam. i want more power better suspension then what our bikes have so i want to get a bigger bike,but i also want to be able to have it for a long time. so i guess i might wait a while and get a 250 or 125 so it can last me a while. i say when i am 5" 4' i can get a bigger bike....i hope that is soon.

http://stlouis.craigslist.org/mcd/3282136043.html

http://springfield.craigslist.org/mcy/3253561586.html

when i saw the first 2 my jaw droped. whats wrong with the last one. i would have to check it out before i buy it, and i would have to see a picture before going to check it out.

Jake dont get a 100, youll be thanking yourself a few months down the road when you have to sell it and go through all the hassle for another bike next season. If i was you i would tough it out on the 150 for the rest of this season, fix it up and make it nice this winter and sell it, then wait until the spring time or even winter when you can find a nice full size you can take over. There's no rush, you wont be riding this winter anyways. I was in your exact same position before i bought my YZ and i always contemplated a 100 > 125 but it just isnt worth it, you'll have another temporary bike on your hands its the same size as your crf don't be fooled. You have more ability than you think, just shave the seat and make-do with a full size for a few months until you're tall enough, take those months to get used to the power and handling then once your confident enough to whip it around you'll be glad

Yes for sure, but a 100 is the pretty much the same size as an 85 and would just be another temporary stepping stone for Jake. The season is ending, give him a few months to grow and by this spring i bet you he's gonna be just fine on a 125. Doesnt mean he'll fit perfect but it'll be manageable. He can keep the 125 for a while, upgrade it, modify and tune it, grow into it. Doing the same on a 100 just isn't worth it because youre gonna end up selling it in a season or so anyways, so you might as well hit the nail on the head and get a bike that would be worth while. Not saying im right, just my 2 cents.

What is this 230 u speak of? Bottom line is full size mx bike has 37 to 39" seat height. If u want to see where u stand measure ur leg from bottom of ur foot to groin. I'm 5'8" my inseam is only like 33" . I can't stand on full size mx bike flat footed. Jake u can do what u want but your gona b very uncomfortable for awhile.

What do u mean by uncomfortable on a lil bike? Are u worried about what ur friends will think? How tall is ur dad?

A 230 is not a "full sized bike" in my opinion. They are smaller than a 250/125 2t, and also smaller than a 250F/450F 4t as well. I know this since I have a YZ125 and it is taller and slightly wider than my buddy who owned a CRF230F at the time. His bike out weighed mine, but mine was bigger otherwise. Do not think a 230 is a good measuring stick.

Also, bear in mind that from all accounts concerning stock/factory spec., a YZ125 is the tallest bike in seat height out there. I have a buddy who is 5'6" tall and he has to tip toe my YZ125 sagged out for my 5'10" son, who flat foots the bike. So, the truth is this, you are going to have to resag the bike a good deal for you to ride a 125 2t in a controlled and comfortable manner.

According to what you have said, you are 5'2"-5'3" and 95-100 lbs., which also tells me you are going to have to have the bike's suspension set up far more that the usual rider. Not to piss you off, but I doubt you are going to fit a 125 2t in a comfortable manner for at least another ice cream summer or two, and this is with it sagged and set right. So, forget the idea that you need power to ride. You need skill to ride.

My buddy, who is 5'6" tall, can take a 100-105cc 2t bike and keep up with me on my 300 XC-W easily. Granted, he is 5'6" and about 130 lbs., and I am 6'2"+ and 200-210lbs., but my 300 has far more power and torque. However, he knows how to ride and can work a bike right, so he keeps up without issue. He also took a CRF230F and outdid a 450 EXC, and kept up with my 300. So, he took a bike that makes 20 RWHP, tops, and kept up with a bike that makes close to 50 RWHP and out worked a bike that makes 46+/- RWHP.

Power means nothing to the right rider. In my opinion, your best bet is to get an 85-105cc 2t and work it for a couple of years. The bike will fit you better and will work out far better in the long run when you are able to get a 125 2t/250F 4t bike. Plus, you will smoke lesser riders around you as well, even if they are riding bigger bikes that make more power.

 Experience + Ability > Power.

yeah i was thinking this too, but i try all of the pro techniques and what ever. i may not be as good as some other riders, but i was planing on racing again in the 85cc beginers class. i got 2nd and that was my first race ever. it might be beginers luck,actully it was beginers luck. in practice i pased an 85cc senior rider. i know a 125 will be a handful,but this 150 doenst have the power i want. i am not saying i am a really good rider,but i will be if i keep trying. i was planning on racing 2 more races next year on my 150 in 85cc beginer classes. i really want more down low and up top. this bikes power is right in the middle. i want to modify this bike so it will have more top end and torque but i know it will affect the resale value so i dont. this bike is not meant to be modified so i dont just to keep the resale value up. i thought the 230 was full sized height wise. 

i looked it up a 98 kx125 have about as much torque as a crf23f,but the 125 kicks the 230's but hp wise.

I just want some straight answers. (Only reason I care is BC this forum dead as a door nail) . Jake look here. How old are you? How tall is your dad? (Guess) is he over 6 foot or is he 5-8 5-9 ish? I only ask BC chances are you'll b similar size when ur grown. If ur 12 yrsold and 5-1 it could take u 3-4 years to grow 3-4 inches. If ur 18 an 5-1 you might b done growing ect (you get the point) .

Also racing one time in a beginners class 85 cc ect. You could of been racing a group of 8-10 yrolds. Try moving up to intermediate an see how you fair. I recommended the 105 cc 2 stroke. That bike gona feel like it has double the power of that 150. If there are only an 85 or 125 class where u race it might b a lil different story. I have a Yz 80 bored out to a 90. It will go 65-70 MPH. How fast u think a 125 gona go? Nit much faster just gona get there a lil quicker. My Yz rips and I weight more than twice what you do. I have yz250f as well but am quicker on the smaller bike BC it turns tighter an I have more confidence BC I can maneuver it easier. Not to mention it weighs 65lbs or more less than the bigger bike.

No matter what anyone says if you buy a bike an only have it for a year chances are your not gona lose much on the resale. Especially if you feel like your getting a hell of a deal. Besides that I'm out.

i am sorry if i sound stobourn but i really want a 125 and plan to get one soon. i can cut the seat foam down so i can tippy toe. i am taking everthing you guys are saying into acount.

really! i am going to go to my local shop, and they have a 2001 cr125 and i will try that. i probably wont be tall enough but i will sit on it and see how far off the ground i will be.

Goin to the shop is a good idea.

Here is the main issue with you being on a 125 2t bike.

You weigh roughly 100 lbs. and a 125 will weight roughly 200 lbs. wet (fuel and oil). Now, add in that it will make around 32-35 RWHP and you are riding something you cannot control or handle due to your height and weight. Couple this with the fact you do not have the strength to ride it right, you are asking for trouble.

My son, who is 16 years old, 5'10", and roughly 135 lbs. still has issues with my/his YZ125. he wrecks far more than I do and on a scale of 5 to 1, and I am riding a much more powerful bike. Not that my son is better or stronger than you, but let's face it. He has two years of growth and strength, and he has issues riding a bike that just fits him. I have spent around $165 on parts from wrecks on my 300 XC-W, and in that same time we have spent a total of about $500 on parts for the YZ125 due to his inability to fully control the bike, and he has been riding close to two years now. Not to mention his hospital and doctor visits for everything from scrapes to a broken collarbone.

Now, if yu do get it, you are going to seriously "weaken" the suspension of the bike due to its initial set up from the factory. The front and rear spring rate is going to be far too stiff for your weight to actually make it work, and you are going to have to set the sag to where the spring is far less compressed for you to sit on it, which esentially makes the bike taller, and since you do not weigh but approx. 100 lbs, you are not going to really compress the spring rate of the rear shock at all. You just made the bike taller than factory spec. if I had to bet on the matter. 

Then you are going to have to spend money on not only lessening the spring rates as the spring rates of factory are set for more weight than you current weigh, which will be several hundred for the new springs alone not counting having it done for you, but also having to spend money on having a seat shaved. Since you have no idea how to properly revalve and respring a suspension and will have to either take the bike to a shop or send the suspension off, and you have no idea how to shave a seat, you are looking at approx. cost of...

$110: front suspension springs

$150: rear spring

$350: revalve and respring

$275: rear suspension

$100: seat work

Total: $985 + tax

You may find the prices are close to right, or more. I did my own front suspension for the YZ125, and after adding $150 of "works" parts, actual part replacements, and tools I needed, I was out just under $400. The bike is now set up perfect for my son on spring rate (front and rear) as the springs did not need to be replaced, and again, he is bigger and stronger than you, but he still has issues with the bike. Sadly, he is really too tall for anything smaller.

Lastly, if you are used to a 150 4t, saying you want more power than an 85-105cc 2t will provide is truly asinine. You are used to power derived from torque (twisting force), which is different from power derived from top end (horsepower). There is a reason that 150 4t bikes ae allowed to race against 85 2t bikes, as they are generally the same in ratio offsets from RWHP to torque, but the way in which each produce power and send it to the rear wheel is different in many ways. This will equate to how you ride the bike being different and also in how youcontrol that power as it is sent to the ground.

This may piss you off, but I would rather see you pissed off and a better rider with less injuries, but you obviouly do not know what you are talking about and have not looked into the matter fully to understand what I or anyone else has said to you here. Simply put, you are looking at spending thousands of dollars on a bike and work to make it fit you when you should fit the bike. You have a 150 4t, so learn to ride it right and quit thinking you need a bigger bike, because you do not. Simple as that. You don't. You have given nothing but reasons as to why you do not need a bigger bike and none for why you do. Get teh experience and ability, and size to your frame and body, and then move up as you need to. That is the truth. Think about it. I am 6'2"+ and well over 200 lbs. before I eat lunch, and I did not need anything thatn a 125 2t until I relearned how to ride. The only reason I can control a 125 2t bike is due to me being a full grown man, and it can easily get away from me if I let it, and I am double your size. So, you still think you can handle a 125 2t? I truly think not. Learn to ride what you have and you will thank us later, even if I pissed you off now.

I agree with BleedMarshall Even though i'm just getting my first bike, I have been following this sport for over 15 years. The best thing you can do is stay with your 150 4t. I rode a 94 KX250 when I was 16, 5' 3" and weighed 115 soak and wet and to top it off, the suspension was valved for a 220 lb. rider. It was stiff as hell, and the power that thing produced was insane. I got a little good with it, but trust me when I say I did not even try to jump it. So please, just take your time and get used to riding what you have. And when you can use that to the fullest, then move up to the next one.