Need help buying a yz125

[specialized7]

Well guys i bought my sled a month ago for 2200 then sold it yesterday for 2750 so im itching to buy another 2 stroke

so far iv found a 98 yz 125 for 1000 it needs a seat cover and new plastics because the guy painted themX(
keep in mind these are canadian prices so there a bit more.
he says that it runs great but has a very small rad leak. on ebay iv checked and rads can be found for 40 bux.

if i can get it for 800 i think i could make money on this bike in the spring as its worth about 2 grand
so say i get it for 800
rad +40
plastics +100
seat cover +40
=980
so even if i have to do a top end ill still be making money but what im wondering is what issues do these bikes have? any bottom end stuff?
this is it
1998 Yamaha YZ 125 1000 or trade for a large saltwater fish tank - Saskatoon Dirt Bikes, Motocross For Sale - Kijiji Saskatoon Canada.

 

[Blasterb0y794]

Ive had one and never had a problem with it. They're great bikes and when that powerband kicks in, holy hell you better hold on!

 

[specialized7]

Great man thats what i want to hear, im thinking after i fix it up i might want to keep it.
so no problems at all?
what year was yours?

 

[Blasterdude27]

No offense but that bike is BEAT. Its going to cost more making it nice then you could sell it for.

For a little more money you could fine a nice 01 +

The yz's are great bikes, but like any 2stroke if it hasn't been taken care of well it can be a headache.

 

[Kungfutree]

for a grand, I wouldn't bother. Around here you can pick up 250's for 1300 every day of the week and all they ever really need is maybe a rebuild. some are in tip top shape and go for dirt. YZ125 is gonna leave you wanting more. Its an all or nothing bike. Either its WOT or nothing. They don't really have anything inbetween

 

[specialized7]

alright well i know the bikes beat but 01's go for around 2500 around here, i dont really want to spend that, and a 98yz for 1000 around here is relativly unheard of
i actully found a 04 KTM 125 for 2400 how does that sound id give him 2200

 

[specialized7]

turns out the yz was indian owned, you dont buy stuff from indians around here

 

[alex90]

not to burst anyone's bubble but hear ya talking about buyin a 125 the trying to make a resale flip. ive sold 2 of my race 125s which were '05s with just about every imaginable upgrade done to em (talon wheels, rg3 clamps, factory connection suspension, Athena race jugs/top ends, tons, and tons more of parts) they were even AMA pro racing approved and inspected and had official AMA vin #s and i only managed to get $2,500 from one and $2000 out of the other, and these were real race bikes, your never gunna make a sale flip on a 125 2 stroke, everyone is trying to get ride of their 2-stroke mx bikes these days and hardly anyone wants one(hence all the good deals) if you buy one be prepared to own it till it falls apart or re-sell it for a loss. also remember dirt bikes lose value much faster than an atv so for the years u noted most those prices were around blue book value... but yes there is always that rare sucker and u may get lucky on the flip, but its a serious gamble these days

 

[specialized7]

well what do ya think a KTM 125sx is like?
im not tall enough for a 250

 

[specialized7]

and alex you should have came here to sell your bikes see what yzs are worth here
Saskatoon yz 250 classifieds, find yz 250 in Saskatoon - Kijiji Saskatoon Free Classifieds

 

[alex90]

well what do ya think a KTM 125sx is like?
im not tall enough for a 250

no difference in size, 125s have the same frames and suspension as the 250s and they weigh the same give or take 5lbs

 

[alex90]

now that i think about it all my 125s had a higher seat height than my 250f and my crf450 when i had it (what a turd!lol)

 

[specialized7]

i thought 250s had a higher seat height lol
09 yz 250s are worth about 5 grand here

 

[alex90]

nope the same. same frame same forks same shock they are a full sized bike. if you dont plan on racing and want a lower seat height consider a trail bike, they design em with a lower seat height so so you dont fall over when putting around on tight tech trails. some of the new 450 race bikes are coming out with lower seat heights because it helps with cornering like kawasaki and suzuki
cr125 Seat height: 947 mm (37.3 inches) If adjusted to lowest setting.
crf450 Seat height: 953 mm (37.5 inches) If adjusted to lowest setting.

*note the cr125 is the lowest sitting 125,,, i believe the ktm or yamaha is the tallest
if Ricky could ride a full sized bike im more than positive you can lol

 

[specialized7]

haha well iv ridden my cousins yz 125 and it felt nice and i always thought the 250's were bigger then that.
Theres a nice cr 125 but i really dont like hondas
The rm 125 is a really nice bike but the guy is asking to much.

 

[alex90]

cr125 was the worst out of all the 125s (honda admitted this)ktms are the fastest but have the worst suspension. suzuki had the best handling but the worst transmission. the kawasaki was a good package all around but in the stock configuration is in lack slightly in power compared to the others. the yamaha yz125 was the best all around especially the latest configuration with the aluminum chassis and trick KYB suspension and was a well powered package,,, thats what i would shoot for, a 2005 yz 125 or newer which blue books for about $1900 blue book us dollars, but honestly they all are good but the yz seems to be the best package out of the box, if u plan to race tho i recommend the kawasaki tho, throw a procircuit pipe on and you will be set, and team green has amazing support for any kawasaki rider even if your not on the team, as long as you have a green bike they will do free track side support when needed, hows a factory team semi for free sound to ya! no other factory does that keep in mind.
ATTN never buy an MX bike thats older than 5 years old or you will buy a headache, which is why they are sooo cheap. happy shopping my friend, best bet is to buy off a race team or a mom & pop race shop you will end up with a reasonable deal on a full race bike for a guaranteed better price and condition than many of these screw ball kids are offering. search search search

 

[Blasterdude27]

cr125 was the worst out of all the 125s

Not the 01's I:I I'm a honda guy personally... But I love the way kawi's handle, they just feel soild.


I live in a very bad area for bikes. I'm doing good to find a halfway beat 10 year old 125 for less then 1300. But this is just due to where I live......

A 5 year old 2stroke dirt bike isn't worth more then 1800..... hell not even a 4stroke. I know when I lived in CA you could pick up a completely built 250 with one season of racing for next to nothing, and that was long before the recession.

 

[alex90]

Not the 01's I:I I'm a honda guy personally... But I love the way kawi's handle, they just feel soild.


I live in a very bad area for bikes. I'm doing good to find a halfway beat 10 year old 125 for less then 1300. But this is just due to where I live......

A 5 year old 2stroke dirt bike isn't worth more then 1800..... hell not even a 4stroke. I know when I lived in CA you could pick up a completely built 250 with one season of racing for next to nothing, and that was long before the recession.

i was splitting hairs of course from my analysis... yeah and that was my point, tons of teenagers think they will get top dollar for their rung out clapped out 125, there are plenty of private race teams where you can get an 05 or newer 125 bike that is tricked out with minimal hours for well below blue book, good example out here bob kiniry is selling one of his team motosport race bikes with factory works suspension ama approved bike 2008 kxf250 procircuit suspension, this bike has well over 25k invested and half the parts arent even available to the public including the tires. hes only askin $2,500 of course he got the bike free. but to finish my wild rant lol there are crazy deals to be had, ignore these brian deegan posers who want too much and never have done maintenance to their bike. and when the add says "never been raced" thats a bad thing that means its be beat on in a corn field ridden hard and put away wet lol raced bikes are always maintained so they can make it to the next race!

 

[caseywoods5]

cr125 was the worst out of all the 125s (honda admitted this)ktms are the fastest but have the worst suspension. suzuki had the best handling but the worst transmission. the kawasaki was a good package all around but in the stock configuration is in lack slightly in power compared to the others. the yamaha yz125 was the best all around especially the latest configuration with the aluminum chassis and trick KYB suspension and was a well powered package,,, thats what i would shoot for, a 2005 yz 125 or newer which blue books for about $1900 blue book us dollars, but honestly they all are good but the yz seems to be the best package out of the box, if u plan to race tho i recommend the kawasaki tho, throw a procircuit pipe on and you will be set, and team green has amazing support for any kawasaki rider even if your not on the team, as long as you have a green bike they will do free track side support when needed, hows a factory team semi for free sound to ya! no other factory does that keep in mind.
ATTN never buy an MX bike thats older than 5 years old or you will buy a headache, which is why they are sooo cheap. happy shopping my friend, best bet is to buy off a race team or a mom & pop race shop you will end up with a reasonable deal on a full race bike for a guaranteed better price and condition than many of these screw ball kids are offering. search search search

the newer cr125's are sh*t but the older ones are alot better. 2002+ is when cr125's got ruined, they went to aluminum frame (but the frame was weak and known for cracking and/or breaking) and they were known for destroying the stock cranks very fast. i have a 97 with the steel frame and the older style motor and it still has the 13 year old stock piston and crank in it and hasn't lost compression either. it still starts first kick and runs like a new one.

 

[Kungfutree]

A buddy of mine bought a 04 KX250 off the race team for 1300 (4 years ago). Full GNCC set up bike.
Then my mechanic just sold his 05 KX250 for 1000.
The market has fallen out on everything so don't go paying out the ass for anything.