CBR125 Dual sport

[Ride_Safe]

Hey all. I've been riding for 4 years since my 16th birthday on my CBR125 and last autumn I decided to take off some of the lower plastics and throw some dual-sport tires on it, just to see how it worked out. I'm from Newmarket, Ontario, but I go riding up to Bradford and take some of the trails sometimes. I thought I'd show you some pics of what I've done.

- Tires:
Front - Shinko 244
2.50-17 (90/80-17)
Rear - Shinko 244
3.00-17 (100/80-17)
(all tubes the same size)

The small problem I do find while going off-road is with the way that the handle bars are oriented, it starts to hurt your thumbs and wrists after a while, if you don't wear good gloves.

By the way, the bike now has 48,000 kilometres on it, and still runs like the day she was made! :] Except maybe a little smoother.


Pictures:
http://twistedtravster.tumblr.com/

[slogan]

If you gonna provide log-in information, we could check it...

[Ride_Safe]

Oh. I thought more people would have tumblr accounts.
You don't need MY log in information; just need any old account.

I'll re-upload the pics on a different website later.

[Ride_Safe]

Forget what I said... I'm a noob with tumblr, and apparently you just need to alter the link.

Sorry about that. Try again here:
http://twistedtravster.tumblr.com/

[onecartel]

That's bad ***, kudos for trying something different. How's the suspension in the dirt? Any ground clearance issues?

[Ride_Safe]

Ground clearance hasn't caused me any problems yet. I definitely wouldn't recommend taking it off any jumps though. You'll notice the difference between the pictures of before and after I took off the lower fairings.

The fact that the tires have tubes in them and can grip better than sporty tires (without tubes) make me more comfortable to do things both on and off road. Whether I want to take a trail off the road, or hop over a curb to take a shortcut, having these tires makes it possible.

Plus, it makes riding early in the season much more safe with all the sand lying around at every corner. The back wheel will still slide a bit sometimes, but it's a lot more controllable than with normal street tires.

[Xhumeka]

Oh man, you should come to our Bethany ride this year!!!

http://www.gtamotorcycle.com/vbforum...0-Bethany-2012

[Ride_Safe]

That looks sweet!

I might just take you up on that offer. How bad do the terrains get?
I mean, the 125 can do a lot, but it's biggest weaknesses are steep uphill climbs and being stuck as a groundhog.

[Xhumeka]

That looks sweet!

I might just take you up on that offer. How bad do the terrains get?
I mean, the 125 can do a lot, but it's biggest weaknesses are steep uphill climbs and being stuck as a groundhog.

I'll be honest with ya - it has a reputation for throwing some nasty terrain at ya, but this year has been a LOT drier than previous years so there won't be the mud pits like we have previously seen. It is almost entirely road allowances so that says something...

I don't think there are any steep uphill climbs and there will be bypasses for anything tough. There will be riding groups of all skill levels (and I've seen some pretty low skill finish it in previous years lmao) and sweepers to make sure no one gets stuck or left behind.

You would DEFINITELY turn some heads and make quite the impression!!

[Ride_Safe]

My only fear is that I'd make you guys look bad finishing it on a cbr125.


If you look through those pictures in the link I posted, you'll notice one of me on the bike in this huge sandpit. That's probably the hardest terrain I've been in, because your front wheel does some pretty weird stuff. Mud is okay, as long as you zip right through it, because the tires I have tend to clog up pretty easily.

Riding in the snow was a bit of a challenge too.

[Xhumeka]

My only fear is that I'd make you guys look bad finishing it on a cbr125.

If that's your only fear I look forward to seeing you on the 14th!!

I looked at those pictures (including some in the snow) but didn't notice a sand pit picture... I'll take another look. If you want to get an idea of the type of terrain the Bethany might throw your way check out vids of previous years:

http://www.youtube.com/user/xhumeka/...?query=bethany

[klr_guy]

My only fear is that I'd make you guys look bad finishing it on a cbr125.


If you look through those pictures in the link I posted, you'll notice one of me on the bike in this huge sandpit. That's probably the hardest terrain I've been in, because your front wheel does some pretty weird stuff. Mud is okay, as long as you zip right through it, because the tires I have tend to clog up pretty easily.

Riding in the snow was a bit of a challenge too.

I think you'd be fine. I've done it a couple times and it's a good ride. The last time I did it I got to the lunch stop on an almost 30 year old xt200 (hardly cutting edge tech) until my buddies klr650 pooped out at the lunch stop and I had to head back to get my truck for pick up duties.

[Ride_Safe]

Alright. I sure hope it isn't as wet and muddy as it was in 2010. Those youtube videos look brutal.

[slogan]

Forget what I said... I'm a noob with tumblr, and apparently you just need to alter the link.

Sorry about that. Try again here:
http://twistedtravster.tumblr.com/

Yeh, now I see.

I think that's interesting idea to use cbr 125... the only thing, I think, it's too heavy for a dirt...

[Ride_Safe]

Are you kidding me? I can pick that bike up with my pinky finger. It only weighs 280lbs according to the specs.

I mean, compared to a CRF150, which weighs only 187lbs, the CBR is a pretty heavy 125. In comparison, it weighs between a CRF250 and a CRF450.

But that's why I mentioned before that the CBR's weakness is uphill climbs, because it doesn't have enough torque to make up for how heavy it is.

[slogan]

Are you kidding me? I can pick that bike up with my pinky finger. It only weighs 280lbs according to the specs.

I mean, compared to a CRF150, which weighs only 187lbs, the CBR is a pretty heavy 125. In comparison, it weighs between a CRF250 and a CRF450.

But that's why I mentioned before that the CBR's weakness is uphill climbs, because it doesn't have enough torque to make up for how heavy it is.

Yups, that's whst bi mean.

[Ride_Safe]

I took it out today to Bradford and took some trails. In 1st gear, I can climb any hill, no matter how steep. But anything past 2nd is pretty useless for climbing.

As long as the trails we take on the Bethany ride have very little water and mud to go through, I'm sure my bike will do fine. I'll never get stuck on a hill either, but I should probably stay near the back of the group to be on the safe side.

[OMGSelenaGomez]

Can you handle stairs? I am stuck with a cbr 125 atm and this looks like fun.

[Ride_Safe]

What do you mean by stairs? Are you asking if I can drive up or down a set of stairs? Then the answer is no, probably not.

[Xhumeka]

If I didn't see it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed a CBR125R could have done so well off-road!! Kudos to you Ride_Safe!!