125cc Is it too small for a green lane bike.

[Bonniebird]

A 125 will be fine, my son had no problem on his XR125

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[Gavinskii]

Less is definately more when it comes to green laning.

With a sensible self imposed riding speed of 25mph - why do you want more power to break traction on the loose stuff.

[bowber]

No problem with a 125 for trail riding.
However if it was me I'd be happier with an older 2 stroke 125 like a KMX or MTX (front disc version) over a 4 stroke 125. Lighter, faster (for the road sections of course) and generally more reliable than the single cam 4 strokes.

If you do go for something like the XL125 make sure it's had regular oil changes as they were prone to doing the cam bearings in the head.

Steve

P.S. To give you an idea of the capabilities of the MTX, when I was 18 (mid 80's) I led the 125 class in the North England Enduro championship most of the year against converted 125 MX bikes, got beaten in the end though

[OB1]

I recently bought a 1981 XL250 for Alison to use when she passes her test… :whistle: honest… B)

In the mean time, I want to use it to do some green lane practicing as I'm getting fed up of throwing my Tiger 800XC at the scenery. Even though I've been riding for over 30 year, trail riding is something new that started when I bought the XC. So far I think that I've binned it 5 times in about 8 outings over the past 3 years which has resulted in a broken foot for me and a broken gearbox for the bike. :S Yes, I am a total novice and sand scares the bejeebus out of me. So, until Alison passes her test, the XL is mine to play with.

The reasons for buying a 250 are lightness and lower power. The difference between a 125 and an equivalent 250 would be negligible but you'll get a little more power from a 250. Additionally, I was more interested in buying an older bike because there is less to go wrong and less to break. The only downside with the XL is that it is kick-start only… maybe not really a disadvantage on this size bike.

[Hoggyf]

There is also the worry that a spotty 17yr old yoof more than likely will have owned any of the 125's and maintenance on such a bike may be a "sparse" and oils etc cheap and not very often, 200/250 might have a bett chance of having been cared for.

[bowber]

There is also the worry that a spotty 17yr old yoof more than likely will have owned any of the 125's and maintenance on such a bike may be a "sparse" and oils etc cheap and not very often, 200/250 might have a bett chance of having been cared for.

Good point.

Steve

[Stewie]

There's not a lot to trouble a 125cc on the lanes, as you know Andrew loves is XR125l shood with Trailwing on the back and a GT201 on the front. (thumbs)

[XR400STUPOT]

Go for it, I have used many different bikes on green lanes and can honestly say that power has never been an issue, its lack of grip or too much weight that causes problems. As the late great Colin Chapman said (of Lotus fame) if you want to go faster, add lightness.

[Thedktor]

I'm a relatively light 11st and my XLR125 from earlier this year was more than up to the task off-road, BUT.... a 250 is SO much better!

The problem will be finding one (a 250, or better a 350) for sensible money. The old Honda 125s can be found for as little as 6 or 700 quids, but most 250's are well above the £1000.

Anything that is not a complete wreck in this price range wont't crop up that often so if budget is a concern it may be a case of taking whatever is available, or spend probably £1500 for a decent bike

[SteveW]

I have Thedktor's old XL125, it's out in Bulgaria (probably news to him!) I have it there in case someone who's a novice wants to come out with me on the trails. It's never going to scare anyone and really is quite pleasant to ride on the light undemanding stuff, easy to manhandle, light and unthreatening.
But if you had a full licence would you really want to use a 12bhp 125 on the UK's often muddy and technical trails?
Absolutely not. Anyone using a 12bhp who has a full licence should be reported to the RSPCB. The B in this instance obviously refers to Bikes.
I can understand the inverted snobbery of trying to prove to the 450 KTM brigade that a six hundred quid XL125 will go anywhere their eight grand investment can go. But really, who"s having more fun?
I would say a bike with 20bhp and more importantly around 20 ft.Lbs of torque delivered around 6000 rpm should be a minimum for the average person to be able to tackle 90% of the UK's trails without thrashing the poor bike to bits.
In other words, a simple four stroke 250 (XL,XR,DR, etc.) would be my minimum requirement.