For a lot of people, that's a tough question to answer.
Sure, if you're just starting out or weigh-in at 125 pounds, it's a
natural--a 125 will work great, and won't be so powerful to intimidate
you. But what about the rest of us, all the 200-pounders who should
know better than get on a 125? Plenty of big people and Senior class
riders are looking at 125s these days, for many valid reasons.
1. They're cheap. Even though it costs the same to make a 125 or a 620
(at the factory level), manufacturers are forced by the market to
price a 125 lower than a big bike.
This KTM 125 we're testing this month carries a suggested retail price
of $4548, which is almost $1000 less than a 250. For that $1000, all
you're getting less of is cubic displacement; every other feature on
the bike is the same as the big bikes.
2. They're light. Compared to a 250 or Open bike, a 125 always weighs
less. In the case of the KTM, the 125 E/XC weighs exactly 20 pounds
less than the 250/300/360. Twenty pounds may not seem like much, but
it's a big deal when you're tired or need every last bit of advantage
to get through that tight spot or drag your bike out of a swamp.
Weight is all important; if you don't believe us we'll make you race a
300-pound bike for a while.
3. They're not gutless anymore. Modern 125cc enduro bikes are an
amazing combination of wide powerband and strong midrange power, while
still delivering that characteristic 125cc shriek on the top end. If
you think 125 machines are still horribly peaky and unridable, you
need to sling a leg over a 125E/XC or a Husky 125WXE one of these days
soon, and see what you think. We're almost positive you'll be shocked
at the available power.
Armed with these revelations, we hopped on a 125E/XC for a day this
past fall, and were suitably impressed. First of all, the 125E/XC is
easy to start--actually that should be a main feature on the above
list. You push the kickstarter down with a half-hearted jab and the
bike lights up like it was running all along, just not making any
noise. The only complaint we could possibly have is the small size of
the kickstart lever.
It appears to share the same part number as the shift lever
(joking--don't take that as truth), and if you have size 11 feet,
sometimes you're not sure you've got enough of your big toe wrapped
around the kicker to push it down without it slipping off. If you have
reasonable size feet this isn't that much of a problem.
Jetting is everything on a 125, and this bike is no exception. Like a
lot of KTMs, the 125 seems to come through jetted a little strange; we
found it to be a little fat on the bottom and lean on top. Our jetting
was dialed in by H&H KTM in Douglasville, Georgia, and for cool fall
weather they had the bike jetted with a 215 main, a 40 idle jet, a K55
needle in the second position, and a DP262 needle jet. For the day we
rode the bike, this was perfect jetting. The starting jet stayed stock
at a #60 jet, and like we said the starting was flawless.
Once the engine is warm, the first thing you notice is the abundant
low-end power. Yes, it's no 250, but you can ease the clutch out and
move right along with this bike. No frantic revving and
clutch-slipping required. The good bottom end eases right into a quick
midrange hit that tugs the bike up to speed. When you hit mid revs you
have a decision to make. You can shift up and gently ease up in speed,
or you can pin it and start riding like a 125 knucklehead.
Which way you go mostly depends on terrain. If you're riding on level
ground, you can do whatever you want. You can sit down and short shift
all day long, and just have a nice mellow ride on a light bike.
However, if the terrain points up, or if you're racing somebody for
keeps, you'd be better off hanging on and letting the KTM buzz, which
is can do quite well. Pin the throttle and the 125 gathers it's
strength and then leaps forward, and by the time you get to about
eight grand it's begging for another gear. Keep it pinned and smoothly
jam it into the next gear and the bike leaps forward like a bee-stung
jackass, and if you're not paying attention the back end is going to
hop out of line when the rear wheel starts spinning. That's okay
though, because on a 200 pound bike all it takes is a twitch from your
back end, and it snaps back into line. Pin it, rev, repeat, until you
run out of gears!
In the really tight, twisty stuff the low-end power definitely helps,
but in hills you have to ride aggressively because yes, there's low
end, but it's still a 125. If you're not used to it the first couple
of ride might be frustrating, but seasoned 125 riders soon learn to
shift down two gears coming into a corner or hitting the base of a
hill, rather than just taking one, as you'd do on a 250. When all is
said and done, riding a 125 aggressively can be a lot of hard work for
your left foot, but the light weight and low inertia of the engine
makes up for it.
This year's KTM is coming with the new Magnum 45 forks, which so far
have proven to be a major improvement over the '95 forks, which we had
mixed feelings about. The new Marzocchi Magnums seem to be valved a
little more accurately for the spring weights Marzocchi likes to use.
We never got a chance to tear them all apart and see what they're
doing, but we did notice that the forks work better, right out of the
box, than they did last year. Roots and hard-edged ruts are swallowed
up with very little stress, and choppy, rough terrain doesn't know the
forks out of your intended line. We like them, much better than last
year, although we would recommend that everybody open them up when
new, change the oil to a good cartridge oil and make sure the oil
level is set accurately. We'd recommend this procedure on any bike's
forks, not just KTM. You'd be surprised at how far off most fork oil
levels are, even straight from the factory.
The rear suspension is provided via an Ohlins Type 3A shock, and it is
confidence-inspiring to know that this is arguably the best shock
absorber made in the world. The KTM engineers have done more testing
since '95, and as a result the rear shocks now come with even better
damper valving, which is not to say that last year's was bad.
This '96 just seemed to be a little more supple in the initial part of
travel, and felt cushier without being "soft." Nice rear suspension;
no hopping, no kicking up, just good control of the back wheel.
However, like the forks, if you're really serious you'll let a
competent Ohlins service person change the oil on this shock after
break-in, and make sure that it's filled and bled with the proper oil.
Nine times out of ten bad rear shock action can be traced to air in
the shock or other assembly errors, and if you want to treat yourself
to the best you won't take any chances.
If the 125 feels smaller than the 250, it's no illusion. The KTM 125
frames are slightly smaller; maybe an inch and a half in wheelbase.
Don't expect a low seat height, however, because the 125 boasts of a
seat height of 37.4 inches--two tenths of an inch taller than the 250.
The seating position is typical KTM--you feel like you're sitting on
top of the bike, with plenty of room between you and the handlebars,
and a good relationship between the seat and footpegs. The frame is
chromoly steel, while the rear subframe is aluminum.
Putting it all together and threading this bike through the trees is a
blast. It feels like you're riding a mini bike, and when you find the
sweet spot in the powerband you can blast all day, hopping between
turns and just plain having fun. Yes, you do have to shift more, but
that's part of the trade-off for all this light weight and
flickability.
Incidentally, if you think you want to the 125SX instead of the E/XC,
this is what you'll find: The SX weighs 10 pounds less (198.4 pounds)
because of a different rear subframe and no lights. It has a PVL
internal flywheel ignition with no lighting coils, and a close ratio
transmission that has a taller first gear and lower sixth gear than
the E/XC. It also costs about $150 less than the E/XC. Everything else
is essentially the same.
Well, we only had a day on this little popper, but we wish it were
longer. As a matter of fact, we wish we had one of these things in our
garage. The fact that this bike is as much fun to ride as it is stands
as the answer to the "Do I want a 125?" question. If you like light
weight and maximum maneuverability, well yes, you probably do. This
KTM 125E/XC has an excellent suspension, KTM's legendary handling, and
an amazingly versatile engine. You might have to ride it a little bit
harder than a 250, yeah, but along the way you're going to have a ton
of fun.