when do you need more cc?

[----]

just out of curiosity.
ive got a dtr125 and my mates have a range of different bikes mainly crossers.we all go the same place to do some off-roading.theres hills(fairly steep) big jumps mud tracks,deep puddles(depending on the weather of course) .so far ive been able to keep up with all my mates bikes going around the full track.they have kx125s cr125 rm250 ktm300 gas gas450...e.t.c.
the only bit i ever fall behind slightly is on the long straight(obviously) but even then its not by much.i get a lot of people saying your not going up there on a little dt are you.
has anyone actually pushed a dt125 beyond there limits off-road?
no real point to this thread im just curious to find out where my bikes limits would be...
id find out myself but i just cant find anywhere i can go to test it out.
thanks for any reply.
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DRZ-400sm

[Hooky]

Interesting thread ! I watched a Hare & Hounds event a while ago, it was a fantastic event run over a tight twisty circuit.
The overall winner was on a 125 (Sherco ?? Beta ?) .
The rider was brilliant, he won it by a fair old distance..

I have posted before that I really rate the DT125 (with some decent tires ) and spend alot of my time riding around Salisbury Plain on a variety of bikes from a 125 dt & a xr 250 +400 to my 683 ktm , .

You really could not want a bigger or better area to give any bike a better test, I kept going back to the DT 125 .

I think far too much emphasis is based on pose and bullshit rather than the riders ability (same as road racing ).

I had never ridden any off-roader until a couple of years ago, I had no idea how much skill and practice it takes to master riding a big enduro, give it another year or so and I might get the hang of it !

So IMHO stick with the DT , until you find your limits ( I doubt anyone from this forum could really push it hard enough to NEED more (Other than racing ).

Mind you I did have a go on a wr250f and that blew me away

Must get one !!!!!! because I can

[----]

thanks for the reply m8.
im not getting rid of my little dt.i love it.the only problem i've got with it is the wheels seem to be pretty weak.i bent them both allready.
im not that good at all riding on the roads (no worse than average but no better) but im confident in my off road riding.
id love to find a club of some sort so i can see what other people are doing and what bikes there using for what.i've found quite a few vids online but nothing that looks too far from my abilities,well apart from the free-style jumps,and back flips while 20ft in the air.thats definately out of my and my bikes range.
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DRZ-400sm

[Hooky]

Sorry if ive missed something .

Are you looking for a competition machine (enduro >MX ???)
Are you into green-laning ??? Do you use your bike to commute .

What do you want it for ? (and more important can you afford to run a competition machine )

Try looking for Hare & Hounds events in you area (look in TBM Magazine for details of clubs and events ).

I t is pretty confusing , trail bike events seem to be the same as enduro these days (run in the same club under different rules)

EG https://www.trackntrail.biz/index.html I will be giving this a try soon and riding in the Trail Bike Class (or beginners over 40 ).

Try TBM FORUM for loads of banter on the off roading scene

[Dischord]

The DTs suspension is far to soft for proper offroading.

And depending on how the powervalve is set-up the engine isnt too good either. I had the powervalve nearly wide open and below 8k it wouldnt move. if you close it you lose all the top end kick so not very good for straights.

Those where the bad points I found but saying that I had some of the best rides of my life in the forests on my Old DT!
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2012 KTM EXC 250

Check out my vids - https://www.youtube.com/user/KTMSparky/videos

[colin1]

different courses will suit different bikes

on a slippy course choice of tyres can make more of a difference than than engine size
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colin1 is officially faster than god

[KTM Gordo]

There's a group I ride with that's obsessed with engine size - they mostly ride 450s / 500s. I've got a 250.

When the going gets really slippery and nasty, they can't get any grip as they have too much power and tend to spin the back wheel.

My 250 tends to be able to make better use of what traction there is as there's less power. The price I pay for that is a slightly lower top speed, but when you're out on lanes etc. then you don't really need all that much speed.

Learn to ride what you've got and make the most of it. Skill always beats speed.

HTH
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Change is inevitable - except from a vending machine.

KTM 990 Adventure | KTM EXC 250 Racing | Land Rover Freelander SE Td4

[G]

I've found my CRM125 is perfectly capable for lanes, but I'd prefer better suspension for bumps. The CRM really needs to be revved at the moment, but I was able to keep with 250s (2 and 4 stroke) if I tried.

I found it's much easier to get traction on my 501 thanks to massive low down and midrange power in comparison; despite some saying the hussy can't be ridden slowly, it can, more just that you're tempted to go faster as it's a bit easier .

Bascially CC isn't important. Range of power/torque helps and decent suspension is useful for jumps.

Gordo; I noticed a decent difference riding an xr250 in comparison to my CRM, despite having a probably not too dissimilar peak power.
It's not so much the revviness, but the lack of decent power in the midrange. While it did get a bit clogged up, I could ride my 87 350ktm 2 stroke (no powervalve) slowly despite it having a big kick further up - it still had decent low down pull but really took off when revved.

[treble]

I have a DT too, and have recently started taking it up to the mountains with my dad (250, 2T) and I don't think I'll find the limit too soon. The DT pulls quite nicely when you rev it up, and has no problem with rocks, deep puddles or anything else you'd think to throw at it. However:

1. This has already been said, the suspension is UBER soft. I'm gonna get this looked at, to see if it can be changed..

2. You need to rev the nuts off it to get decent power. It's a 2 stroke 125, what do you want. The power is slightly lacking sometimes - what you get with a bigger engine is power ON TAP, which the little DT just can't give you. I tried my dad's 250, and it was just insane; you have oodles of power, more than you need, and it's right there the second you want it.

But the DT is fine for now, and I'm having great fun on it. I was leaning over on a roundabout today, trying to find the limit of the knobbly tyres. I found it, all right No significant damage except to my new white jeans. The crazy bugger can really lean though, I was kissing the ground.

[element]

Ive a DT too, DT125RE mind (wish I had an older one though) and Ive gotta agree with the crap suspension. Ive had some hairy moments! Ive still got a bit of adjustment left on the back but the front forks im gonna try thicker oil. Im seriously considering fitting some USD forks aswell though. I can get hold of a RM front end but im worried that it will be heavier than the DT forks thus harder to wheelie?



I have also ridden a DRZ 400E and a WR250F with a rekluse clutch and that was so much fun. I was giggling in my helmet when I was whipping the back end out. I like the powerband of a 2-stroke 125 which is damn fun on the easy straight stuff but I love the 250 4 stroke engine because you have power on the tap even when right down in the rev's. You dont get that on a 125 2 stroke unless you stay in the powerband and if you drop out of it you just get left behind, especially in the techincal stuff when your up and down the gearbox ..



Slightly O/T but Ive got a mate who is putting a dt125x engine into a wr200 frame. He likes his DT's His current one he bought from nottingham and rode it back to plymouth 16 hours I think..
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04' DT125RE (run-a-bout) // 89' DT125R (rebuilt + supermoto conversion)
SPARES FOR SALE. 2RK TZR // 82 DR125 // DT125R/E .... PM ME...