Yamaha Yz125
YAMAHA YZ125
CYCLE WORLD TEST
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THE BOOK ON YAMAHA'S YZ125 HAS BEEN THE SAME for a long time: a perennial mid-pack runner. But the YZ will quickly earn a new image during the upcoming season. Gone is the slow-running, poorly suspended YZ125 of years past; the ’88 model has a potent engine with a wide powerband, and excellent suspension.
It doesn't take long to realize the potential of this new racer, for the very first ride gives some positive initial impressions that are later confirmed. The engine starts making good power just above idle speed, and engine performance increases rapidly once the revs reach the wide, healthy mid-range powerband. The power then remains pretty impressive until it starts fading at higher revolutions, right before the rev-limiter kicks in. This power output should do its part to make the YZ more competitive in 125-class racing than it has been in years.
Also improved is the six-speed transmission, which shifts more smoothly than past YZ125 gearboxes-although it still isn't yet quite up to the excellent mark. But at least it’s getting close. In addition, torturing the clutch with repeated practice starts proves that the extra friction plate in the ’88 bike’s clutch and the new clutch-basket bearing have cured the grabby, slippage-prone clutch of old.
With such a potent engine propelling the little YZ at near warp-speed from corner to corner and jump to jump, what a rider does not need is the substandard suspension and handling of the previous YZ 125. But riders of the ’88 model need not worry: The new KYB cartridge fork and Ohlins-copy shock make for steady, predictable handling that is right on the money.
Sprung and damped for a Pro-level racer competing on today’s jump-infested racetracks, the Yamaha is a tad stiff and a trifle harsh for less-experienced riders. But at any rider level, a little too stiff is much better than a little too soft. Slow riders have a habit of getting faster; and a stiff bike almost always handles better than one that’s too soft.
With a fast rider aboard, the bike can be pitched through the air with complete confidence. It soaks up killer hits, like landings from double jumps, and single jumps that deposit the rider on flat ground, with little or no bottoming. Even crazy speeds across deep whoops don’t faze the YZ’s straight-line, no-headshake handling. We did, admittedly, get an occasional rear-end kick when braking hard going into a corner that had at least one small, sharp bump just before the entrance, but it never amounted to anything serious.
Fast speeds through tight corners are no problem, either. The suspension does a good job of keeping the Dunlop hard-terrain tires on the ground under most conditions, so the bike enters even bumpy turns with the rider in control and the machine going where it’s pointed. And the YZ holds the rider’s line without a need for him to fight the bike. Granted, under no circumstances is the YZ125 as much of a razor-sharp, slice-and-dice steerer as Honda's CR125R; but the CR doesn’t have the Yamaha’s highspeed. straight-line stability.
Yamaha did the 125 a big favor in the braking department, too. A larger, 9.1-inch-diameter front disc brake provides strong, controllable stops, while a new, 8.7-inch rear disc is powerful without being too sensitive. And the rear brake has little effect on the rear suspension when used hard.
YZ125 buyers won’t be disappointed by Yamaha’s attention to the smaller details, either. A new handlebar bend and softer grips are welcome changes, as are stronger footpegs with more-aggressively cleated tops. The rear suspension has more durable bearings and stronger linkage bolts, while a 2mm-larger transmission input shaft should eliminate isolated breakage problems there. The rear brake pedal also is new, now routed over the footpeg where it is better protected, and the silencer has a stronger mounting bracket.
Nossir, Yamaha didn’t seem to miss anything on this racer. It’s all here, and it's all right. . . finally. Ours proved to be a fine racing machine that always started easily, ran cleanly, performed flawlessly and required little maintenance.
Yamaha has done a magnificent job of transforming a warthog of a 125 into a fine handling, strong-running, good-looking winner. You’ll like it.
But your competition will hate it. E3
YAMAHA
YZ125
$2499
