Puch 125 5-Speed
PUCH 125 5-SPEED
Hefty, But Dedicated Strongly To One Purpose; The Enduro
Cycle World Road Test
THE PUCH 125 Enduro is one of those machines that has trick features and quality components everywhere. It’s really impressive. But, you do pay for this quality in one area. Weight. The little Puch weighs in at 256 1b. and that is just 1 1b. less than a 250cc Ossa Pioneer.
Whether this added weight is all important or not really depends on what type of riding an individual has in mind. If drag racing in the dirt with your friends turns you on, the Puch is not the answer. It isn’t really the bike for hillclimbing, either.
All of the items mentioned above, though, may be unfair as they are getting away from this machine’s intended purpose: enduro riding. Since the Puch Enduro isn’t heavy enough to make it cumbersome, the weight factor loses most of its significance in this type of event.
The Puch is heavy, but it does have two important assets that will endear it to a lot of serious riders who spend considerable time in the saddle. Rugged construction is the first.
The frame is robust and should prove difficult to get out of alignment. A large boxed section which terminates behind the gas tank forms the top tube. This main structural member is welded to a tubular hoop which passes down to and then around the swinging arm pivot. The hoop ends at a frame cross tube which doubles as a footpeg mounting point.
Design is double-cradle, but the twin down tubes are bolted on at the footpeg cross tube and at the lower portion of the steering head. Two additional small diameter tubes pass under the engine to protect it from rocks.
The swinging arm looks large enough for a 400cc bike. It passes inboard of the frame tubes and there is a lot of gusseting around the pivot point. The swinging arm pivot bolt is fitted with a zerk fitting, making lubrication of this critical area a snap.
Complementing the frame is a set of full-sized Betor forks. Because they are beefier than necessary for a 125, these forks do not exhibit any tendency to twist or flex, regardless of the punishment to which they are subjected. Spring rate is just right for a 150 lb. rider. Bottoming occurs occasionally, but isn’t really objectionable and damping is excellent. Fork travel, incidentally, is a full 6-in. Girling components are used in the rear and perform equally well.
Both front and rear hubs are disproportionately large and are full width for maximum strength. The brakes are adequate, but considering the size of the hubs they should be more powerful. Quick stops require a good deal of lever pressure and there is a mushy feel which is a bit disconcerting.
Rims are steel and should hold up well, even in rocky terrain. Rim sizes are classic: a 21-in. front and an 18-in. rear. The 3.00-21 and 3.50-18-in. Metzler tires are an excellent choice, as they offer superb traction with average wear.
The other major item the Puch offers is comfort. Excellent suspension components combined with the Puch’s weight yield a very soft, stable ride. There are few bone jarring jolts transmitted to the rider, which not only minimizes fatigue, but also aids in controlling the machine. The seat is thick and super soft, too, making the comfort factor even greater.
Besides being physically comfortable, Puch riders don’t have to maintain the mental edge necessary on some other brands, because on the Puch you don’t have to worry about being spit off instantly if an error in judgment is made.
The bike has a solid feel about it. Only minimal steering corrections are necessary to keep on the trail. The front end is a trifle heavy, though, making it necessary to buzz the engine hard for any type of front end lofting.
As for sliding the turns, forget it. Except in the lower gears, there simply isn’t a broad enough powerband or enough horsepower to overcome the weight.
What the Puch is, is the kind of mount you can ride for hours without getting overly tired or scaring yourself silly. In other words, the machine doesn’t really possess the characteristics required for the execution of exciting off-road antics, but it does have the comfort and stamina to allow consistent, high placing enduro finishes. >
As far as the chassis is concerned, the bike is ready as delivered, but the engine needs some fine tuning before the bike’s maximum potential can be realized.
The problem isn’t top end. The little Single comes on strong in the 8000 to 9000 rpm range. And the power, a claimed 19 bhp, is sufficient. But the mid range delivery needs some help. Just before the engine really begins to pull, it falters. Playing with the needle position on the gigantic 32mm Bing concentric failed to improve the situation and a plug reading revealed that the main jet was spot on. Fitting a smaller carb is one answer.
Some Puch owners, however, have cured the mid range faltering by fitting a different exhaust system. It’s too bad this solution has proven necessary for some owners as the accessory systems available are all louder than the stock exhaust.
The engine is a simple, straightforward two-stroke Single. As with the Sachs and Zundapp, fins on both the cylinder barrel and head are huge, enabling cool running even on days when the temperature climbs into the 100s.
The only external oddity on the engine are two rubber straps that hook into the barrel fins and pass over the head. They are there to reduce noise, just like the rubber blocks fitted between the fins on several Japanese machines.
Bore and stroke is 55 by 52mm for a displacement of 123cc. Compression (uncorrected) ratio is a walloping 13.8:1. As mentioned earlier, the engine is happiest in the 8-9000 rpm range and must be kept there for maximum power, as the 10.8 lb.-ft. of torque is developed at 8250 rpm.
Primary drive is by helical gear to a wet, multi-disc clutch and five-speed transmission. Puch was building 125s with six-speeds for a time, but was experiencing some reliability problems in competition. Presumably, they went back to the five-speed for this reason. Reliability aside, the 125 Puch could use the extra gear, or a more closely spaced five-speed, as the engine bogs any time it is shifted up into fourth or fifth.
The shift lever is located on the left, and the pattern is the familiar one down, four up. Shifts are possible with or without the clutch and false neutrals between gears are rare. The clutch, fortunately, will take a lot of abuse, as it is necessary to slip it quite a bit when starting out on a steep grade.
Quality construction and a high performance engine are expected these days. Sometimes, however, it’s the gimmicks that sell the public, and in this area the Puch Enduro scores very high.
Take the gas tank. It is constructed out of a plastic material without seams to split. And, since the tank can’t corrode, it will never contaminate the fuel if it is left empty for a long period of time. Mounting is convenient, too. Unbuckle a single leather strap in the back, disconnect the fuel lines, and the tank slides off for servicing the electrics or what have you.
The air cleaner, as far as keeping out dirt goes, is equally clever. A dry-paper element is bolted to the top of a large still air box which nestles in between the frame tubes. The element is completely shrouded by two naugahyde covers. The first is a small cover that seals off the top of the air box. It is held down by the rear fender bolts in the back and by two rubber cords in the front.
A second cover conceals the entire mid portion of the bike. A snap in front of the carburetor and two rubber cords to the side of the forward portion expose the carb for jetting and the like. To get at the air cleaner or battery, you must remove the seat (two bolts), unfasten the gas tank strap and two additional fasteners on top. Then, after two more rubber cords are removed from the rear, the cover can be worked under the frame tubes.
If anything more extensive than servicing the battery or air cleaner is necessary, the outer cover must be removed completely. To do this, one must also remove the exhaust pipe (three bolts) and the fuel lines.
As long as the bike is running properly, this dual cover system is great. Very little dirt reaches the air cleaner element. Unfortunately, this same system that keeps the dirt out will keep the rider out for quite some time if a part under the shroud requires attention.
Rubber mounting isn’t anything new, but on the Puch, practically everything is mounted this way including the VDO resettable speedometer and the exhaust system. Size of the rubber grommets is generous so vibration damage should be minimal.
The throttle is a Magura; it has a door on top for changing the cable in a hurry. This quick change door can save a lot of time in competition as long as it is taped shut so it can’t eject your cable at an inopportune moment.
Lastly, the Puch 125 is completely street legal, right down to the front brake lever activating the taillight. With more and more events requiring street legal bikes out of necessity, this has to be a strong selling point.
In the final analysis, the Puch 125 Enduro is a bike with a lot of potential. A little work on the powerband will make it competitive and a little weight reduction at the factory could turn this into a superlative competition machine.
$930
PUCH 125
