We geared my nephews '01 125 down with a 53t rear. It will climb anything my 250 will so far, as long as you are aggressive enough. I think this may be the year the kid finally spanks me.
Oh yeah, clutch drag when cold is normal. Run a good light synthetic, here we get Shell Rotella 5W-40W diesel oil that works great in the trans. Find the equivalent if you can, I think in Europe it might be called Helix. If drag is still excessive start by bleeding the clutch system.