2002 Honda CR125 – An Owner’s Review

For those of you dirt bikers that would like to know a little bit about the Honda CR125, tune in to this post as I will give you a review of the bike. Although it is a 2002, not much changed since 2007 except that the motor was modified a little bit in 2005.

So this should be pretty accurate to the newer model 2 stroke bikes as well because Honda pretty gave up on their two-strokes once they unleashed the thumpers (four-strokes).

Comfort

First off, I wanted to mention the comfort level on this bike is excellent. It’s probably the tallest bike I’ve ridden, seat height-wise, but it’s also one of the most comfortable motocross bikes I’ve ridden. It’s a little bit high for shorter riders like me(5’6”), but once you get on it it’s fine.

Suspension

For being stock suspension, I thought that it was great. Although I did not ride it extremely hard, it worked out very well for me. It soaked up all the bad landings, the braking bumps did not throw me around, and in the corners it wasn’t wanting to stand up.

Since I am a lighter rider I thought the stock set-up would be a little on the stiff side, but I turned the compression and rebound clickers on the forks and shock all the way in and it was fine.

125cc 2 Stroke Engine

Now you may have heard that the Honda two-stroke engines suck, they have no power, and they are the worst two-stroke ever. If you did not hear that, then disregard what I just said.

Now, some of that is partly true. They don’t have the most powerful engine that’s for sure. But that’s not to say that they are slow. After all, it’s mainly the rider and not the bike, but we’re not here to talk about that. As for the power, yes the bottom-end is very weak. In fact, it’s so weak that it’s surprising that it even goes.

Once you get it into the mid-range then it wakes up a little bit with okay power. The top-end hit isn’t the most powerful in it’s class either, but it’s nothing to be ashamed of. The motor also has the “Rattle of Death,” I have heard, and my CR had a rattle too, but you shouldn’t need to worry about that because pretty much all of them have it.

CR125 Handling

Handling on this bike is probably number one in it’s class. It can go through corners faster than you are able to! Wait, does that make sense?? Anyway, the handling is great much like the stock suspension. This is probably the biggest reason why people buy Honda’s, and I agree with them; it’s great!

2002 CR125 Jetting

The jetting on Honda’s is one thing that scares people away. The two-strokes tend to eat up spark plugs quickly if the bike isn’t jetted for the correct temperature and altitude. I didn’t have any problems with mine because I bought it with it correctly jetted for where I ride.

If you want to do it yourself then buy a manual for the bike if you don’t have one already and read it carefully. Don’t let the Honda jetting or rumors about it always being hungry scare you away. It’s a great bike. You just have to fix the carburetor right way. Unless of course you go with the PWK Air Striker like many people are doing.

What I Think of The CR125…..

Overall this is a great package for new riders. It looks great, it rides great, and two-strokes are easier/cheaper on maintenance. This is a perfect bike for a new racer that doesn’t need much power and wants a good handling, stock bike. After the the jetting is fixed, you got a great bike in your hands. For help on jetting your dirt bike click here.

Riding the Honda CR125R: