Before we get to the performance of this machine, we also want to note that the FXR 125 also comes standard with many items that other companies would leave in your hands to purchase and install. The first is a set of aluminum nerf bars and front bumper for increased protection while you're banging bars with other riders. While the finish and flexibility of the nerf bars leaves a bit more to be desired, it is still better than having nothing at all. The machine gets further protection in the way of a full chassis skidplate as well as an aluminum rear sprocket and rotor guard. The guard sandwiches the rear sprocket and chain, minimizing the possibility of damage from impact with rocks or anything else that might pop up and end your day of riding. Up top on the oversized handlebars, there is a quick-adjust clutch lever, and wrap-around hand guards that are mounted on oversized handlebars as well as a pre-installed kill switch. They have thought about everything to make this bike as race ready as possible while at the same time keeping the cost from running out the roof. For the price you pay for this machine, it's hard to believe what you get for a standard package.
Sizing It Up
To put the FXR 125 through the paces, we took it out to Milestone MX Ranch in Riverside, CA. This is where we met up with Kyle Gillespie who is a regular in the youth classes of the WORCS racing series. His regular ride is a Cobra chassis that has been outfitted with a YZ 80 engine so the size of this machine is comparable to what he is used to riding. This will allow him to give us a good evaluation and comparison to his current race machine. Once geared up, Kyle threw a leg over the FXR and headed out to the Vet Track, which features plenty of tabletop jumps and a variety of turns that range from fast sweepers to hard 180 corners. This allowed him to test the nimbleness of the quad and also the power of the engine in pulling out of the turns to its wide-open top speed.
One of the things that I noticed as soon as the engine was started was that it has quite a bark to it. For being a two-valve cylinder head engine, this thing revs quickly and with attitude. As Kyle started his first laps on the track it was apparent that the engine had some good power but seemed to lack a bit in the top end. Growing more and more comfortable on the track, Kyle would charge the corners and rail the berms or whip the rear end around the 180s and the motor pulled hard out of both. Since this track was set up for larger bikes, many of the jumps were built to scale for their size. For this reason we went to the mini-moto track that featured step-up, step-down, and double jumps as well as tight corners and a decent-sized whoop and rhythm section. In all actuality it was a mini supercross track, and it was the perfect testing grounds for this quad.
Kyle proceeded to look over the track and see what he felt comfortable doing since he was on a new machine. It didn't take him much time to start charging every obstacle without hesitation while we were snapping pictures. If anything, he looked more comfortable on this tighter and more technical track than he did on the vet track. Not every jump was a perfect landing, but the suspension soaked up the imperfections and increased his confidence to push the envelope a little farther each lap. One jump in particular had a hole right at the base of the take-off that made him cautious his first couple of laps as he rolled the jump and sized it up. Within a few more, Kyle just hammered down on the throttle and cleared the double, railed the corner and blitzed through the whoop section in Third gear without lifting off the throttle.