125-200cc wr144 or 300

[Yellowfin]

So I was originally drawn to the Italian Husky by the TE310 to replace my old KDX220, but after reading plenty of horror story's about starter issues and such it has scared me away from them.

My local Dealer has also has Leftover '13 wr125 with the 144 kit and a 300.

I am 195,40 years old and in Good shape (just did an ironman) and looking for a bike that I can eventually be competitive in C Senior Hare Scrambles in the Northeast.

My old way of thinking would be to go for the 300, but I am not sure I am ready for the power as I have just gotten back into riding after 10 years away and am not interested in wrestling a bike for a year till i get used to it

The 144 worries me that I will get bored.

Any opinions would be great.

Thanks

 

[rockdancer]

I have had a few 125, 144 etc and tried the 300 . I liked the torque and power of the 300 and the size was ok for me but feel more at home and faster on the 144 . I can man handle it better and I am 45 180 lb but not as strong as I once was . The clutch is very stiff on the 300 and the lack of an e start was an issue in certain situations . The 144 is so easy to start normally . The 144 is also more fun to rev out and feels so much lighter . I don't think you will get bored and there are ways to improve the performance of a 144.
If you stiffen the springs it helps too .

 

[Chef]

I had a 250 and now have a cr125 and a wr144. The little bikes are light and easy to handle. I think they make you a better rider as you have to plan more and use your gears. For the northeast tight gnarly stuff, you can't beat a small bike. I can't believe you would be bored.
All that being said, I haven't been back on a 250 since switching to the small bore so I can't comment on how I would ride it now.
I do ride a 650 berg in the single track and I feel the small bike has helped me with but I am still way faster on the 144...it is my go to race bike

 

[uranys]

I'm a little older and lighter and i'm a mid pack b rider. I have an 02 360 an 09 250 and an 09 144.

I'm hands down fastest on the little bike. The handling and light weight allow it to be ridden aggressively for longer periods. For rec riding I prefer the 360. It allows me to be lazy, almost never stalls and has power everywhere.

If your serious about racing and don't mind having to ride aggressivly all the time the little bike is the ticket. The 300 would be a better all around bike but probably not as fast.

So I'd say buy them both

 

[LandofMotards]

Get the 125 and throw a 165 kit on it. Sounds like that makes it 310ish but much lighter

 

[Dirtdame]

Get both! That's what I did! If you can only choose one, get the 125. You will not get bored with it, even in the stock 125 format. And like others have said, if you need more just kit it with the 165 top end. I like my 300, and spend as much time on it as I do my 125, and I suggest the 125 only because it is lighter, easier to start, and comes "out of the box" in a more ready to ride condition.

 

[lankydoug]

I have a wr250 and a yz125. I've ridden a 144 Suzuki that I rebuilt for a friend and I think it is the best and funnest engine for the tight woods. I'm faster on my 125... at least that's what my riding buddies say when they follow me but I ride the 250 more because it's perfectly set up for me and I know that if I get lazy and need some bail out power the 250 will have it and the 125 won't. The 144 has it but for me I think I'd lean toward the CR144 Husky if it was me. As for the 300s, I don't like how they flatten out on top, they seem like a 4 stroke with no engine braking to me.

I voted get the 144

 

[firedog55]

Go with the 144, you won't be sorry. I'm 59, 200 lbs, and have been an exercise fanatic my whole life. I was worried that a small bore wouldn't haul my butt around the woods. But I realized my WR450F was too much weight and power on the single track trails when it constantly wore me out. Last year I bought a leftover '14 CR125, put on the 144cc kit and a few mods and couldn't be happier with it. The light weight/handling is a breath of fresh air, with plenty of power for tight trails, it's not boring in the least. It's surprising how well it will lug down and still pull. I enjoy it during the ride and after as I'm not worn out. When the top end wears out I'll go with a WB 165cc kit.

 

[Treesmacker]

Another vote for the 144, my son has one and it's a blast to ride!
50 yr old woods rider.

 

[troy deck]

as bigga small bore as you can get[ i cant wait to get my wally bean ported hi comp lectroned and hopefully PC piped 144] back together it otta flat rip

 

[sabortooth]

09-14 WR125-177
Best bike in the world.

 

[Yellowfin]

Thanks guys, was really just worried about how the 144 will tractor up hills if needed

 

[rmumford]

I race a 2012 WR144 in the NETRA Enduro series as a B Senior and I see a few 144's at the events. I run sportsman in the HS's for fun and I'm pretty familiar with most of the courses. The 144 is a great bike and bullet proof. I sent the suspension off to Factory Connection and run a trials tire in the rear. The bike is incredibly quick handling and handled the A/B section climbs at the Berkshire hell in the hills with the trails tire, passed plenty of folks stuck. I struggled a bit on the massive climbs in the kemp stuart enduro A/B section last year, but in all of the races that was the only event where I could have used a little more power (I wasn't the only one). The 144 won't be the limiting factor running the C Senior HS courses in NE, being an iron man will help. I came off a KTM200 and had to learn to twist it a bit more, but once I adjusted it's huge fun.

 

[R-J van Hulst]

I am NOT an iron man and I last easily 5 hours on the a 165, which give me effectively seat time on the bike.

I had a CRF450 and I sold it just because it don't make the smiles as the little one does. (yet wheelys where easy and a compensation)

If you ride desert or sand dune you need all the power you can get, when you ride trail I am lasting longer and being faster on a small bore.

Other thing is when a small bore starts to scream its like a roller coaster ride and it nervously stings you, when a 300 is in its power band (and creating more then the the small bore) it's like a big hit/pounding and it plows through what ever you feed it.

matter of what you like

Robert-Jan

 

[Willlyons]

I'm gonna cast a vote for the 300, but I really think it depends on the kind of terrain you're riding. Let me preface this by saying I've only been riding for a year.
I started on an '09WR125 then got the 165 top end after maybe 4-6 months. It is light, fun, and has good power if you're cruising around relatively flat single track in good dirt without any steep/technical hill climbs. When it got long and steep, I struggled, and my local trails are exceptionally steep, muddy, and rutted. I'm a new rider, not got heaps of skill, but finding traction on the small bike was a chore. Sure, I could've spent the next 10 years perfecting the small bore and maybe become a better rider.

A buddy of mine sold me his '14 TE300 (he was buying a '15, he works at a shop). I don't know how this bike necessarily compares to a WR300, but my experience in the last couple months on the 300 is this: I am becoming a better rider, quicker, because it allows me to find traction easier and actually complete sections that were killing me on the 125/165. I don't feel it's bigger or noticeably heavier than the small bore. I certainly don't think it's any less nimble in the woods.

If you're racing around a hare scramble track, it may not be that much of an advantage, but if you want a do it all bike that you KNOW leaves only you as the limiting factor as to what kind of chaos you decide to throw yourself in, I'd go the 300. Let me put it this way. I have spent hours thinking "if only I had a little more controllable power out of this little thing (165)" but not once have I thought "Man, I wish I had a smaller bike(300)!"

Flame away!

 

[lankydoug]

I'm gonna cast a vote for the 300, but I really think it depends on the kind of terrain you're riding. Let me preface this by saying I've only been riding for a year.
I started on an '09WR125 then got the 165 top end after maybe 4-6 months. It is light, fun, and has good power if you're cruising around relatively flat single track in good dirt without any steep/technical hill climbs. When it got long and steep, I struggled, and my local trails are exceptionally steep, muddy, and rutted. I'm a new rider, not got heaps of skill, but finding traction on the small bike was a chore. Sure, I could've spent the next 10 years perfecting the small bore and maybe become a better rider.

A buddy of mine sold me his '14 TE300 (he was buying a '15, he works at a shop). I don't know how this bike necessarily compares to a WR300, but my experience in the last couple months on the 300 is this: I am becoming a better rider, quicker, because it allows me to find traction easier and actually complete sections that were killing me on the 125/165. I don't feel it's bigger or noticeably heavier than the small bore. I certainly don't think it's any less nimble in the woods.

If you're racing around a hare scramble track, it may not be that much of an advantage, but if you want a do it all bike that you KNOW leaves only you as the limiting factor as to what kind of chaos you decide to throw yourself in, I'd go the 300. Let me put it this way. I have spent hours thinking "if only I had a little more controllable power out of this little thing (165)" but not once have I thought "Man, I wish I had a smaller bike(300)!"

Flame away!

I guess that's why they make more than one model. One of my friends got a 300 for hare scrambles simply because he as getting passed in the open grass track section and then could not get back around the guy in the tight single track while the race leaders put a gap on him.

 

[rockdancer]

A te300 Is a lot easier to ride than a. Wr 300. Feels lighter , softer power and easier up hills. and no starting issues
I'd get one too but he is comparing. Italian Husqvarnas

 

[Yellowfin]

I guess since I got the 144 I will just to gap the bigger bikes in the tight stuff and hope fitness outlast theirs!

 

[justintendo]

im thinking of playing around with a 125 in the future, i can kinda to relate to those that compare them to older 250 bikes, having to shift and have it in the right gear or you suffer. i can appreciate the bigger bores tho as well..riding my 360 in the woods, its nice knowing there is a reserve of torque at all times.

 

[woodsrider]

I'm gonna cast a vote for the 300... <snips> ...I certainly don't think it's any less nimble in the woods.

Gotta disagree with you there. Every 300 I have ridden has felt like a porker to me in the woods. Just a few days ago traded bikes with my buddy, got on his pretty nicely setup KTM 300 XC, could not wait to give it back to him. They always feel heavy and relatively slow handling to me.

I know the 300's are great bikes and I've tried to like them, but whenever I ride them I'm always thinking I'd be having more fun on a more nimble 250 or 125.