2009 Yamaha YZ125 Preview

Introduction

2009 Yamaha YZ125

Just like virtually any other bike that is built to compete, the Yamaha YZ125 would have first been launched by following the simplest formula ever: a light package powered by a very able engine. There was no mistake in doing that, but it would have been a shame not to take it further and get the most and the best out of it.

It is exactly what Yamaha did during these last years, ending up launching a 2009 model year that only needed an aluminum frame housing, ProTaper handlebars and front brake hose clamp, also made of aluminum, in order to reach a weight of 208 lb wet. Add titanium footpegs, gripper seat and you’re good to got.

History

The YZ125 is a well known model name at Yamaha’s as it has been on the scene ever since 1974 when it would been recognized as being one of the best dirt bikes of that time. Originally powered by a Mikuni 32 mm TMX fed air-cooled two-stroke engine which had found the perfect place for it on the steel backbone frame, there were no doubts that the new dirt bike will have a long and wonderful life, introducing many teenagers, and not only, to motocross.

1983 Yamaha YZ125

In 1981, the powerplant was introduced to liquid cooling and case-reed so that the extra power and demands that came together with the 38 mm TMX Mikuni carburetor would be supported. The frame had a longer life on it (30 years, to be precise), before it would be replaced by the twin spar aluminum alloy frame. A benefic result was the significant weight reduction (190 lb dry), but this also made it harder to be ridden on tricky surfaces so riders who were familiar with earlier models were about to go through an accommodation period which often introduced them to the track’s mud.

Another important unit that saw several changes during the years is the gearbox. The engine was small, so it couldn’t be mated to a four-speed tranny, leaving five and six speeds to be the key for the bike to always offer a perfect gear for every section of the track.

Perfect for AMA Championships, it has made a big name of itself and keeps on going strong for 2009.

Competition

Racing against the Yamaha YZ125 and one against the other is any 125cc two-stroke motocross bike and 250cc four-stroke motorcycle ever to be produced by makers who actually feel like selling their products. It is a very well known fact that the podium dictates the sales charts and that is precisely what Yamaha aimed at.

2009 Yamaha YZ250F

So you’ll ask about the YZ250F and find out that this is THE Yamaha bike created to compete with the much older YZ125.

Honda is on the bumps and jumps with the CR125R and the CRF250R, Suzuki with its RM-Z250 and Kawasaki with the KX250F. Honda and Kawasaki haven’t yet presented their 2009 motocross lineup, but Suzuki did and YZ’s competitor is among the new bikes.

2009 Suzuki RM-Z125

Just like Yamaha, Suzuki keeps the bike’s main features, but refines them to the max, ending up offering one of the most competitive 250cc four-stroke engine that is built around an over-square bore x stroke design, with liquid-cooling, titanium valves and double overhead billet cams. Being fitted with a chassis that matches the top notch requirements (aluminum frame and Showa suspensions), it will be hard not to prove a point in the AMA Championships.

Exterior

2009 Yamaha YZ125

Refreshing its design, Yamaha aimed towards a slender look with great finishing touches. Although it looks like all of the other, bigger bikes in the lineup, it is easy to identify on the track due to the specific two-stroke exhaust and, if it has the luck of riding alone in the front, the two-stroke noise.

It stands for aggressiveness and style, pure performance and modernity, something that not many Japanese dirt bikes manage to achieve by simply showing themselves at the start line.

As a 2009 model, it comes with new side panels and decals. These units blend perfectly together with the new two-tone grip seat and I didn’t even mention about the fenders. They stand up tall from the filthy tires, threatening those jumps that the wheel travel on this think can take on everything out there.

Not like the other motocross Yamaha bikes, the YZ125 comes only in the Blue and White color combination, something that takes a decision off you mind when willing to buy it.

Price

And if you do decide to go for it, you should know that it is available starting this month so you can prepare for the 2009 Championship. If you’re good on sponsors, the $5,799 retail price is a simple formality, and if you buy it simply for fun on the backyard’s track it will still prove advantageous. Quality to price ratio has always been reduced to a minimum when it comes to these bikes and don’t be surprised if you will see both father and son riding on their own Yamahas YZ125.

Conclusion

For those who stay keen on two-stroke performance, Yamaha doesn’t abandon the YZ125 fight and yet offers the improved product, year after year, just how it all started more than 30 decades ago. There are sides who encourage the four-stroke engine development (which already happens, so I don’t catch the purpose) and sides who remain faithful to the two-stroke engine and it often happens to see the first camp lose members in favor of the second, once they experience a bike such as the Yamaha YZ125.

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