Experiences about TM MX 125
 

Hi all, I'm in a fever to change bike. I've looked for a TM MX 125 2003. Anyone have experiences about these machines? How long can you ride on a piston and so on..

I've got an '01 model. The frame is probably the weakest aspect: much too heavy, poor welding, flexes a lot and prone to breaking off the engine brackets.

The engine is very powerful. Much faster than any other 125 I have ever rode.

The overall feel of the bike is long, low and stable handling.

The fit of the plastics is poor.

Parts prices are similar to KTM prices in the UK, don't know about Finland.

Overall, it is a strong and very fast bike, but suffers badly if not maintained carefully.

i have not had a chace to ride one of these, i have heard the hit is phenomenal and piston/ring life is extremely short. do they have any grunt at all, or is it all mid-top? how do they compare to modern yz125? they also have a super high compression ratio if i'm not mistaken - this probably lends itself to rolling grenade status?

what do you mean by not maintained carefully - just fluid changes and keep airbox/filter cleaned often?

I'm probably not the best person to ask. My bike was more or less scrap when I bought it, and has needed complete rebuild. I've just got it running right, but it has been a time consuming exercise.

I finished putting the engine back together again today. Strangely, I was expecting to have to replace the clutch side main bearing seal, but it turned out to need a new water pump impeller and piston ring ! The mx model has a single piston ring, so I guess wear on the ring will become evident more quickly than with two rings. In this case, the water pump impeller had failed during a very muddy enduro and the resultant overheating damaged the ring, although everything else was fine.

The hit isn't as hard as I was expecting, but the over rev goes on forever. The low end torque isn't as good as my distant memories of my old KTM 125 EXC. I plan to experiment with flywheel weights to tame it down and try to get it to hook up better at slower speeds.

With regard to maintenance, a neglected TM will become unusable quicker than a neglected Honda. But I guess that anyone that takes riding and racing seriously, and are conscientious about bike maintenance, this won't be an issue.

Haven't ridden a jap 125 in recent years, so can't give a comparison about that.

My dad bought a TM 125 back in 2002. It was an 01 model that had been raced in europe the previous year. I think the gut that owned it was named Luca ??? The ponies that bike made for a 125 and the suspension set-up was awesome. Probably the funnest bike I have ever ridden on fast trails. The TM might require a little more maintainance, but it is worth it if you can afford the parts. Next closest thing is a GG 200, with the right set up.