[Cayden2]

So, the more I look at these baby CC race bikes (125cc two stroke, 250 4) the more I WANT ONE. The 675 is an awesome bike, don't get me wrong, and I've spent a lot of dough in it to make it track ready, but honestly, I'll never reach the limits of it's performance. These little baby CC's look like a great stepping stone (on the track) for learning the limits or cornering speed and what have you.

I'm absolutely in love with the Aprilia RS125. I think that bike is absolutely gorgeous, but at a 5.5k price point, a bit too rich for a "learner" bike. The Moriwaki's are also amazing, but again, too expensive.

Anyone got any recommendations on some smaller CC race bikes? If I could find an aprilia in the states at under 4k price point I would think twice, but they are a rare bird already as it is. As a side note, I'm pretty small, 5'5 150, so "fitting" on these small bikes is not an issue.

 

[matt922]

i've seen 2 used rs125s for sale in the past few months for 4k. Keep looking, you'll find one.

 

[ofcounsel]

I know it's not exactly small in terms of cc's. But SV's are great alternatives. And they are pretty reliable. They are lots of fun and well prepped bikes can be found for under 4k.

Pure racing 125s and 250's are fun, but can be really finicky and expensive to maintain. You might want to consider that.

Another alternative would be to consider an race prepped FZR400 or a street based 250 two stroke that's been prepped for track duty.

 

[doublen675]

How about an RS125? I've always wanted one of these. :thumbup:

 

[Sammy901]

Race prepped newer 250 Ninja For the Win!!

 

[doublen675]

Race prepped newer 250 Ninja For the Win!!

Now there's a reliable setup. :thumbup:

 

[matt922]

Race prepped newer 250 Ninja For the Win!!

but, but, but the rs125 weighs nearly 100lbs less?!!

 

[ofcounsel]

but, but, but the rs125 weighs nearly 100lbs less?!!

Here's a cool article on small cc bikes.
http://www.motorcycle.com/shoot-outs/moriwaki-md250h-vs-aprilia-rs125-shootout-89190.html

 

[matt922]

Yeah, but at 15hp, I would imagine they can actually be a little scary at most track days given how slowly they accelerate...

thats the RS4(4 stroke 125). The rs125 makes like 28

edit///you ninja editor you

re: the link. Never seen that bike before, but i like it(but not at that price, haha)

 

[ofcounsel]

thats the RS4(4 stroke 125). The rs125 makes like 28

edit///you ninja editor you

I've gots crazy ninja skills :biggrinjester:

 

[Cayden2]

forgot about those 250 ninjas!

 

[MGFChapin]

Don't know what sort of skill level you're at but chances are you'll get bored of a 125 2T or 250 4T fast. Trust me. Ofcounsel's right, get an SV, or if you really want a 2T get an NSR or RGV 250 but they're definitely higher maintenance. Not to mention they're all older than any SV out there. My dad has a 93 NSR and it might be the most fun bike ever to ride but half the time it's in pieces getting one thing or another fixed.

 

[Smoke]

My '97 (or was it '96 ?) RS 125 was supposed to spit 32 hp, and when properly setup (and therefore operational *coughcough*), it sure felt like they were there. And the 2-Stroke was exciting as hell, I had never felt the same kind of acceleration before, and haven't since. It felt like it was about to burst into a fireball, and I wouldn't even care because that fireball would be fast :notworthy:.

At 1.75 m, my elbows rested firmly on my knees when in leathers.

Depending on the track, you might have a lot of fun with one, but you might want to try a RS 250 or a SV if you're not exactly flyweight :coolgleamA:

One thing is sure, lighter bikes are proper race bikes, but you need to take running costs into account. You should know that being lighter, the RS 125 survived crashes quite well *coughcough*. But it was not, in any way, shape, or form, reliable.

 

[Cayden2]

I heard about aprilia's 2 strokes being a bit picky with maintenance. I'm a member at a private "country club" race track. I can basically go out whenever I want. It's called autobahn in joliet. It's got tons of turns and is a pretty technical track, however very bumpy. Granted my daytona wasn't set up properly, when I first took it out there I all but got bucked off several times. Hopefully the flux plates + triple clicker + adjustment will sort out all that....

 

[dub]

My GF picked this up for $3900 last fall. It's got a way too nice fresh paintjob, Arrow pipes, woodcraft rearsets, recently done bottom end and fresh top end work. Luckily our mechanic friend is also an RGV and TZ guru if anything goes wrong. He said leaving the stock airbox in place is the best way to not have to constantly deal with carb tuning and the engines are pretty reliable if you run a good synth premix oil and change the gear lube after every track day. Can't wait to ride it!

On the other hand, an SV is pretty bulletproof, has about the same power although slightly heavier and parts are cheap and abundant. That's why I bought one for me.

 

[old blue]

I have a D675 as well as an SV650 track bike and they are both ridiculous fun at the track.

I can see the lure of the 125 stinky because I absolutely love two strokes. The power, the lack of weight, the corner speed ... I have ridden an RRS125 a couple of times and it's intense and rewarding. Get everything right and you're in Heaven. So mush as fluff one shift per lap and you almost go backwards.

At well over 6 feet tall I'm afraid I won't be folding myself onto one any time soon, but they are beautiful bikes. Before buying one, be just aware that you must be at least as in love with the care, tuning and maintenance side of these bikes as you are the riding. They are not a "push it back into the shed after a track day" kind of bike. You need to be fussy with absolutely every aspect of maintenance. These bikes will punish poor maintenance with power loss and even engine blow ups.

I say if you're committed, go for it. Just know what you're getting in to.

O.B

 

[antirich]

The new Aprilia RS125 (in the states), is great to look at, but it ends right about there. The motor is very weak and the bike is rather heavy by 125 standards. You'll never find aftermarket parts for that thing, at least not in the US.

Would LOVE to try an SXV550 motor in one of those things, but forks and shock may not keep up.


The new Ninja 250s area really taking off in the club racing scene. As such, aftermarket parts are already coming to market. 4-strokes are going to be FAR more reliable that 2-smokers, and easier to ride.

The Morawakis' are basically modeled after 125 GP frames, which offer all sorts of advantages. This of course comes at a price.

I had a 99 and 00 Aprilia Cup bike for four years. Great bike, but I don't recommend them anyone who doens't know what they're getting into. They start off cheap, but get expensive really fast. They do crash very well though, everything is protected by the frame.

Cranks are getting rare for those motors, which will soon spell the Swan Song for those bikes. Damn shame, for the network of RS owners is pretty tight.

 

[stamford]

I'm sorry for hijacking but I've been looking at the same things as the OP except I was gearing more towards a simple ninja 250 for maintenance reasons. I've been wanting to buy one for the track since I started.

my question is this a real track option? I really dont notice other bikes sadly at my track days so I couldn't say if I see these a lot or not. Are they a reasonable track bike to have if you're looking for second track bike?

EDIT: Antirich, I see you said newer 250s are taking off in the club scene. Are the older ones at a disadvantage. Either way that is another option for me to consider. I am looking to get into racing this year or next and a 250 may provide a cheaper route to go. Assuming 250s are cheaper to race....they have to be i would think.

 

[Smoke]

I second the fact that you must do everything yourself, and get your parts from the Net.

Having no learning material, no Internet and relying on the dealership probably accounts for nearly all my breakdowns, blaming the rest on piss-poor oil.

 

[antirich]

EDIT: Antirich, I see you said newer 250s are taking off in the club scene. Are the older ones at a disadvantage. Either way that is another option for me to consider. I am looking to get into racing this year or next and a 250 may provide a cheaper route to go. Assuming 250s are cheaper to race....they have to be i would think.

The new Ninjas are quite a bit better on all grounds, especially looks. For a while, you couldn't get one at, or below retail. The power and weight is much better, but the aftermarket world is really what's impressive.

We had a newbie come out with one last year. Just the stock bike and a very loud pipe. It was clearly the loudest bike in the class, which was kind of funny. He did pretty good on that thing, and seemed to hold his own quite well. I think only having 40+HP makes the bike a lot less intimidating in the turns, which translates to faster laps.

I see you're in York PA. Good place to be for a Ninja 250, for they just stated a new 250 race series at NJMP and Summit:

http://www.njminigp.com/forum/index.php?topic=1818.0

There's also the new Honda CBR250. Same basic idea, but I'm sure parts will be an issue. Looked similar to a CBR 600, so maybe some body/frame stuff swaps over.

Back to the Ninja, there's a few companies that where renting cheap Ninja 250s already race preped for the track. I heard they're a hoot at Streets of Willow where big bikes can't manage the tight turns. Here's a few of them:

This one's the best (Willow based), but i think they're out of Biz:
http://www.racebikerentals.com

Texas based
http://www.rentmyninja.com

Minnesota based:
http://littleredninjette.com