TE/TC 2015 TE 125 and 2016 TE250 comparison

I know this is a bit of an apples to pears comparison but just though I’d share for those trying to figure out if they more or less CC’s.

Bought the TE125 last year and put only 30 hours on it so far. It was reasonably priced as it was old new stock. Really like the power curve and suspension and overall maneuverability.

Was thinking to get another one to replace one of my boy’s bikes but there were no more 125’s out there. Was looking at the 150 but decided to take a 250 (once again price won out as it was last year’s model).

Only had it out for about 20 minutes of riding so far and here is what I found:

Handling
Both feel light and nimble to ride. Went from trials bikes and a CRF230 and the TE’s soak up the terrain way better. 125 maybe a bit nimbler.

Suspension:
125 seems way plusher even with the exact same settings (maybe the back spring is stiffer on the 250 or I just need to hit some trails for a few hours to soften it up).

Power / Power Curve:
125 has a super smooth power curve with extra crazy high rev power on top. 250 seems to have a bit of a lag at the very bottom end then tons of grunt. 125 seems to have less torque – noticeable when starting on hills but if we just rev it a bit more then feather the clutch it will pull up anything. Going to try the position II map on the 250 and maybe the green spring. I have never done anything with jetting so am a bit nervous about mucking with it but it looks like it is set up for my temp and altitude. West coast BC Canada.

Starting:
Both start on 1st or 2nd kick. Both easy to kick (250 a bit harder). Like the e start on the 250 but am a bit worried about crashing on the plastic starter cover.

Other:
I am not a great rider but have been riding dirtbikes for 40 years . 125 is hard to get the front wheel off the ground which is a bit annoying when trying to get over puddles. It just spins the back tire. 250 seems to wheelie easier by simply turning the throttle.

Both seem to be great bikes hoping for lots of hours before we run into any problems. Both are my first new bikes, the price seemed a bit high at first but all the makes were in the same ballpark. We mountain bike a lot and are finding that mtn bikes can easily get up to the same price as these bikes ….I guess you pay extra because you get to pedal them.

I would recommend either bike (well the TE125 is no longer made as far as I know). 125 if you want super light and riding flowy single track. 250 if you need a bit more power to get up gnarly hills or, I assume, sand or very muddy riding.

I suppose the real test is which bike you want to ride the most. I often think Id like to go back to a 125 but after a half dozen rides and playing with set up I now feel really comfortable pushing the 250 hard in single track .
I just need to push it harder on faster bits now ...

I know that for 2017 the TE150 comes with softer springs then the TE250 and 300. Likely the same thing in 2015 between the 125/250/300.