MXA PRODUCT TEST: SIKK MX 125

On Sep 26, 2006 Last updated Jan 25, 2018

Chinese-manufactured pit bikes have inundated American shores in recent years, and with good reason. They offer entry into the rambunctious world of play bike racing for a fraction of the normal cost. Unlike the hard-core, race-inspired, all-or-nothing pit bike crowd, who take out a second mortgage to buy expensive, high-tech aftermarket products for their CRFs, KLXs and TT-Rs, the majority of potential pit bike riders don’t want to spend the college fund on a play bike. They want to buy it and ride?and we can’t argue with that plan. Everyone is looking for a bargain.

But the fly in the ointment has been that inexpensive, Chinese-made, copycat play bikes aren’t always what they’re cracked up to be. The MXA wrecking crew has had enough problems to make us uneasy at the thought of slinging a leg over a Chinese pit bike. Quality control has been lacking, but, as of late, the Chinese factories have made a change for the better. And we hope that our litany of broken footpegs, faulty transmissions and engines that you could fry an egg on are over. Sikk MX is an American company that distributes Chinese-manufactured pit bikes, and we’ve heard great things about them. So, we gathered up their affordable 125cc version and went racing.

Q:WHAT DOES THE SIKK MX 125 COST?

ÿA:$1399.

Q:WHAT ARE THE SIKK MX 125’S GREATEST STRENGTHS?

A:The price is the Sikk MX 125’s calling card. For less than $1400, the Sikk 125 comes with black anodized wheels, tall-boy seat, oversized alloy footpegs, aluminum handlebars and wave rotors. Very impressive on paperand in appearance.

Q:HOW BIG IS THE SIKK MX 125?

A:The chassis has been upsized to fit an adult, but the bike itself rides on a diminutive ten-inch rear wheel and 12-inch front. The bar height is 38.5 inches, and the frame is 9.5 inches from the ground.

Q:HOW IS THE SUSPENSION?

A:The secret to good suspension on a pit bike is to build it stoutsince you never know who is going to throw a leg over it. If the suspension is too soft, neither fast kids nor slow adults can ride it. Of course, there is such a thing as too stiffand the Sikk MX 125 got one end right and the other wrong. Every MXA test rider said that they could live with the forks, but the rear shock was bucking-bronco material. The landings were bone jarring enough that the best strategy was to slow down when the dirt got rough. That’s a buzz kill.

Q:HOW MANY GEARS DOES THE SIKK MX 125 HAVE?

A:We are going to be generous and say that it is a four-speed. In function, it is really a two-speed. The gap between first and second gear is tiny, while the gap between third and fourth gear is big enough to drive an Airstream trailer through. The saving grace of the gearbox is that there is nice spacing from second to thirdwhich are the only gears that MXA test riders had any confidence in. The gear ratios bugged us, but worse yet this Chinese engine shifted with all of the authority of a 1972 Sachs (and not one with a Koba shift kit). Someone at the factory must have tossed a handful of neutrals into the tranny. We found them on the face of the biggest jumps. That’s a buzz kill.

Q:HOW POWERFUL IS THE SIKK MX 125’S ENGINE?

A:For the price, the Sikk MX 125 pumped out a decent amount of power. The spread was good, there was sufficient torque to get mass in motion, and, while we’ve learned our lesson about free-revving Chinese four-strokes, the Sikk MX 125 mill consistently pulls up into the heart of the powerband. Claimed horsepower is seven ponies at 8500 rpm.

Q:WHAT DID WE LIKE ABOUT THE SIKK MX 125?

A:Here is the like list:
ÿ(1) Looks: The mostly black ensemble, with chrome trim and a touch of red, qualifies this machine as a bad Billy. The exhaust canister has a factory look, while the oversized brakes and rotors make the Sikk 125 appear indestructible.
(2) Rear brake: The Sikk 125’s rear brake is predictable, powerful and unforgiving. With just a touch of the pedal, we could brake slide the bike around.

Q:WHAT DIDN’T THE TEST RIDERS LIKE ABOUT THE SIKK MX 125?

A:Here is the dislike list:
(1) Shifting: It’s scary to hit neutral on the face of jumps and frustrating to skips gears when rocketing into corners. To make matters worse, the shift from third to fourth was sticky, balky and recalcitrant. The more force we used on the shift lever, the less likely it was to shift up. We got fourth gear only one out of five tries.
(2) Overheating: After ten minutes of play riding, the Sikk 125 got a serious case of the blahs. When the engine got hot, it squawked, forcing us to stop and let it cool down.

Q:WHAT DO WE REALLY THINK?

A:This should, and could, be an awesome little motorcycle. On paper, in person, and on the financial pages, it looks stellar, but Sikk needs to get on the horn to Beijing and put some pressure on the commissars to fix the rear shock, gear ratios, overheating and severe shifting woes. This bike could be a hoot to ride, but as it sits, it’s a buzz killer.
For more information, call Sikk at (480) 354-8080. www.sikkmx.com