Making the Grade
MAKING THE GRADE
CW COMPARISON
Taking the 2003 motocrossers to class
JIMMY LEWIS
SCHOOL HAS NEVER BEEN SO cool. “TM125?” The sound of a quick stab on a kickstarter. Once, twice, followed by the crisp shriek of life that only a 125cc motocrosser makes, as if to say, “Present.”
“KTM 525?” Muffled thun-
der signifying “Here.” And so on, ’til all 17 of our Class of 2003 motocrossers make morning roll call.
Quite the assembly hall, including the latest transfer students from Austria, the all-new KTM 200 and 250 SXs. Sadly, big brother 450 SX decided to ditch class, along with a smattering of smaller European marques. See you next semester?
Putting our 17 honor students through their paces would be a group of 25 testers, a faculty that ranged from Novice to Expert, with many highly tenured Vets and Seniors, and even a couple of nationally renowned visiting professorsthree-time AMA champ Gary Jones and former world 250cc title-holder Danny LaPorte.
All right, everyone accounted for? Time for field trips. Buddy-up and don’t get lost.
Because of the sheer size of the student body, exams would be given a little differently for this shootout. At Glen Helen Raceway’s REM track, we ran a series of outright races, all 17 bikes lining up at the start gate for three-lap mini-motos.
Riders got real familiar with the bikes real quick. They then filled out a simple evaluation form, grading the bikes on a scale of 0-100, making notes on anything that struck them about a motorcycle. This would give the bike a “first-impression” score. At the end of the day, riders went back and gave each bike a second score that set the overall ranking.
Next day, Perris Raceway, no races, just riding, but the same scoring method. Both Glen Helen and Perris are fair to all sizes of bikes-not too fast or too tight-though each is at the opposite end of the MX layout scale. The REM course is twisty and off-camber, rolling through natural hills purposely left rough from the previous weekend’s race. Perris is very jumpy and was prepped to the hilt, almost like an outdoor Supercross. There was every opportunity for a bike to shine or flop within these extremes.
KTM 250 SX
Price: $5898 Weight: 231 lbs. Excels at: Big. big power. In fact, second only to the 525 SX in outright ponies, this bike rages. Aggressive handling. stifl suspension and feath ery feel made it a favorite of the fast guys. This could be 2OO3~s most imoressive new bike-esoecially if your name is Jeremy and you want your Supercross crown back, Needs work on: Being more of a bike for the regular guy jf it's ooin~ to win multi-class mag azine shootouts.
TM 125 MX $6199
Weiuht: 226 lbs. Excels at: This midranue monster has the potential to be the fastest 125. if you can shift it quickly enough. Littered with cool parts and sandcast cases. it's the trickest bike in the Dits. guaranteed. Dare to be different. Needs work on; A little on the heavY side. the TM could be a bit more agile and lively. And. hey. sjread the oower around!
Cannondale X440R
Price: $6995 Weight: ?73 Ib?. Excels at: The only electric-starting MXer is stable and plush, planted and controllable. The X’s motor makes usable, smooth power over a long spread. Computer-literate, too; with proper software, just plug in vour laptop and alter ignition and fuel-maooino. Needs work on: A little on the heavy side, the X440R could benefit from a bit more power and a simplified engine-maintenance routine.
After wearing out tires, contaminating tranny and motor oil, and dirtying air filters over the course of two hard, long days, we headed back to the office to tally the scores and re-prep the bikes.
Thanks here to No-Toil for providing us with air filters and filter oil/cleaner.
Maxima supplied us with premix oil for the twostrokes, plus transmission fluid and engine oil for all the machines. We used up the stock tires, then mounted Pirelli MT32s on the larger bikes and Dunlop D756s on the 125cc machines to keep it fair heading into final exams on soft terrain.
Surprisingly, all the bikes
rated very high, with close scores, no dummies, no need to grade on a curve. Our highest-placing bike from the first two days scored a 93.1, our lowest an 83.1.
When you have the opportunity to ride all these bikes back-to-back, some things stand out. For instance, all of the KTMs seemed to have stiff suspension settings-to some riders this felt harsh, while others liked the setup. Likewise, the Cannondale’s extra weight, a sore point for some, was not even mentioned by others. The TM’s peaky power, the twitchiness of the Suzukis, the Honda two-strokes’ quirky power delivery-these irritated some guys, while others really like those traits in their bikes.
There isn’t a loser in this group, provided you know what you are getting. Don’t buy the KTM 250 SX or the Suzuki RM250 if you want a tractable, planted, super-stable machine. Buy a Cannondale. But do not purchase the X440R if you want explosive power, a light and agile feel and a bike that craves aggressive riding. Look to the SX or RM.
Back to the test scores: When the ratings were averaged, we had six standouts, A students that rated 90 points or higher.
KIM 125 SX
!~Icc $4998 Welaht: 222 lbs. Excels at: For a 125. the KTM has toraue and a lot of power. Adiustable ergonomics. like all the KTMs. make this a race-ready machine right out of the box. Needs work on: Like all the KTMs. suspension is on the stiff side. which really makes itself known on the lighter two-strokes. Could use a little helo here.
Honda CR250R
Price: $5899 Weight: 231 lbs. Excels at: Precise handling and great suspension make the CR an absolute iov to ride if the jetting gods are happy that day. Rideabilitv tor Novices is actually good thanks to the strangely slow-revvino nature of the motor-did the Honda bovs trv to map traction control into the ignition curve? Needs work on: The motor clearly produces power, but its delivery is unhiltilling and inconsis-
Honda CR125R
Pilci $4999 Weight: 215 lbs. Excels at: Slow bikes always handle areat and the CR is no exceotion-thouah it really isn't as slow as it feels. And the susoension. on par with the KX125's. is poised to take this bike higher in the class order. Needs work on: Engine performance lust doesn't live un to the hyDe, And it's letting-sensi tive, besides.
Yamaha must be doing some intensive home-schooling, because the whole fam-damnily of YZs-125, 250, 250F and 450F-made the grade. Honda’s CRF450R and Kawasaki’s KX125 also made the Dean’s List. Surprising was that three of the finalists are 125-class machines, but remember, most of our testers run Vet and Senior, where classes are not determined by engine size. Of course, starts can be sooo important, which explains the 450s.
We took these six bikes out and made them work for it. With 12 riders and two more tracks on the agenda, we started with a clean sheet of paper. Same scoring method, running races again, we hit Edwards Air Force Base, guests of the Desert Wheels Motorcycle Club, for a high-speed, deep-sand fest. We took a little more time in setting up bikes for each rider and everyone got a few laps of practice on each bike prior to running the races.
With such a powerrobbing track, surely > Wrong! They still won some motos, proof that in many cases the rider is more important than the bike, and feeling comfortable on a particular machine can more than make up for any lack of power.
Suzuki RM250
tjic~ $5899 Weloht 238 lbs. Excels at: With a motor that runs at superboost from midrange on up. the RM is a revrider's dream. Typically liaht Suzukileel. but more planted. with a well-balanced suspension llP~ Needs work on: Standard lettino is horrible: lean it out starting with the slide! As usual. we'll take a bit more stability anytime.
Suzuki RM125
Price: $4999 Weight: 213 lb$Excels at: The liahtest-feelina bike in the comparison. the RM is a genuine featherweight. Almost intuitive handling. Clutchwork is phenomenal. Needs work on: A little more stability would round out the handling, as would a bit more beef in the engine. Definitely not slow, but the RM falls off the pipe a bit easier than we’d like.
Kawasaki KX250
Price: $5899 Weluht: 239 lbs. Excels at: Delivering nower that anyone can use: being one of the most stable and plush bikes out there. The KX250 has made leaps and bounds over last year's model. bringing it back near the front of the class. Needs work on: A little more oeak power wouldn't hurt, and lightening up the feel of the bike could turn the KX into an A-student.
Racetown 395, formerly Sunrise Cycle Park, was our next stop. Here we let riders circulate at their leisure, spending time on bike setup and seeing if impressions changed. Sometimes they did. More riders were now leaning toward the larger bikes, thinking about that all-important start.
Across the board, the Yamahas had a very comfortable,
easy-to-ride feel, and have earned their reputation of bring extremely durable. With constant small yearly changes, the two-strokes are closing-in on perfection, and with the Thumpers receiving major changes to leapfrog them into class leaders, you really can’t lose with Team Blue. The smallest, the YZ125, has a robust motor that feels so much stronger than the average 125. And the YZ250 is the 250cc two-stroke that other manufacturers target as the ideal motocross motor. Both two-stroke chassis are commendably middle-of-the-road in every sense-handling, suspension, stability, turning and agility-making for a tight package.
The Yama-Thumpers both come with a newfound light feel and more responsive handling for 2003. The weight reduction on the 450 makes it the lightest of the big four-strokes on the scale and way more agile than before on the track. Rev-happy, it still has plenty of grunt-just watch those downshifts through the four-speed box; they’re not as necessary anymore. Still possessing a planted front-end feel and aggressive initial suspension settings that keep the bike up in its suspension stroke, the 450 retains the Yamaha characteristics that riders have praised over the last few years. The 250F shares all of the same traits, but because the 450 feels so much lighter now, the 250 doesn’t seem as feathery as it used to.
KTM 525 SX
Price: $6698 Welaht: 248 lbs. Excels at: Beina the fastest production motocross bike, oozing toraue and horsepower. making even the CRF feel weak. But the 525 has a tame and rideable side. as well: it feels lighter than it is until you get hard on the gas. This bike could get away with a two-speed transmission! Needs work on The suspension on the 525 is the most compliant of the KTMs. but it could still be better. There are other linkaaeless systems that get it done. and fixing this would cataoult the 525 higher in the class rankings.
KTM 200 SX
Price: $5798 Weight: 227 lbs. Excels at: Feels like a 125. but with 250cc qetUP-gnd-qg! Opposite qt KJM’s 200c_c enduro machines, this mid-sized two-stroke teels more like a rew 125 blessed with tons ot torque, vet iLttelS.xeaiirlll.se to 230 power on top. Great for small Vet-class riders. The tun factor is suoer-hioh. Network on: The pipp most have a target on it: it’s a rock magnet and gets bent easily in crashes. A little more compliance in the suspension and it would have ranked higher, tor sure.
Yamaha YZ125
Price; $4999 Welaht: 221 lbs. Excels at Yamaha outs the "Wow!" in 125cc motors. Not particu!ar about what rev range you ride in. lots of oull everywhere. Needs work on; About the only suoaestion we'd make for any of the YZs is to add some orogres sion to suspension compression damping. particularly at the end of the stroke.
Kawasaki went all-new on the KX125 and it paid huge dividends. With engine response that starts down low and revs forever, this is an easy bike to like. And the more you ride it and rev it, the better it works. Combined with a chassis that feels light yet stays stable and forgiving, the KX rivaled the Honda 450 for best handling and best suspension. Its Kayaba components have the best feel of any > KYBequipped bike we’ve ridden, especially the fork. About the only thing holding back the KX125 in some testers’ views was the fact that it wasn’t a 250. Bonus points, then, for being the Best 125.
Yamaha YZ250F
Price: $5599 WeIght: 229 lbs. Excels at: With a motor that revs to the moon. the term "long Dower" does not apply-it's now Icoonanaga power! And flicking a four-stroke around like this should be impossible. Like the KIM 200. this mid-sized bike fits a wide range of riders looking for a compromise in power and weight. Unlike the KTM, it's leaal for the 125 class. Needs work on: Weight compared to the 125s. power comoared to the 250cc two-strokes: you're always giving p little away. Blue plastic. ason all the YZs. aets roughed-up fast.
Kawasaki KX125
Price: $4999 Weight: 218 lbs. Excels at: Confidence-inspiring handling and great suspension have put the Team Green 125 back at the forefront. Ridiculously broad power tor a 125 doesn’t hurt, either. This bike gave rid ers who normally hate 125s ear-to-ear smiles. Needs work on: Gray trame gets beat-lookino tast and seat toam soon turns to mush.
Yamaha YZ450F
$6299 WeIght: 244 lbs. Excels at: Hiding all that torque in a motor that loves to zina is a Yamaha specialty. served raw. New-f or-'03 agility makes the 450 a much bet ter frontline fighter than the 426 it replaces. Love the way it turns! Needs work on: Four-speed transmission limits versatility of this bike and makes you pay for that extra downshift you didn't need to make.
Honda’s CRF is amazingly improved over last year, and good thing ’cause the competition is stiff. Still at the same weight and visually identical, the ’03 benefits from the usual slew of Honda upgrades. Notably, a slight variation to the rear shock linkage and a few tweaks inside
the engine have made the CRF a flame-thrower and a cozy couch all rolled into one potent motocross package. Handling that turns on a dime and rails like it’s on, well...rails, and light like a bike of this magnitude shouldn’t be. There’s more of a thump in the power deliv ery down low compared to the YZ and less compression braking, plus its five-speed transmission gives you two gears for any occasion and makes the CR slightly more versatile. Suspension (as on all CRs) is easily the best allround in this comparison, plush as anything with plenty of progression and bottoming resistance to let you get away with crazy stuff. Typical high-level Honda fit-and-finish, no worries anywhere, except for maybe squeezing the air filter between the frame rails for cleaning.
On its final report card, then, the CR went home with a rating of 96, making it the winner of this comparison, the class of the Class of 2003. □
Yamaha YZ250
Price: $5899 WeIght: 238 lbs. Excels at: This could be the perfect 250cc oow erplant. with insane response. mondo power and mega toraue. Dius that tight. quality feel. Being both light/f lickable and stable/planted is a magic combination. Needs work on: A little more susoension work. esoecially uo front, could make this bike the king!
Honda CRF450R
Price: $6299 Weight: 247 lbs. Excels at: Everything! Precise handling and great suspension, blending rideabilitv with big power. Easy-starting and unmatched durability. Whc’d have thought Thumpers would be this gggd and dominant sg socn? Needs work on: Air-filter removal requires a Houdini-like maneuver to accomplish.
