Is there a B

[DJRacing]

I know this has probably been asked before but the YZ125 "B"? is there such a beast and if there is, whats the story on it?

[AjayVMX]

My understanding is that there wasn't a YZ125B, they just brought the C out earlier and out of step with the 250/360B.   That's why the YZ125X was around when the YZ250/360 C happened.  By the time they got around to the D models, the three capacities were back in the same designation.

[Nathan S]

I asked this ages ago on the old forums - great minds and all that.  Can't remember who answered it, but the the answer was sometihng like:

The Americans got a YZ125B. It was an A with different colours.

The 125C should have been the B, but it was running late and/or they'd already used the B designation in the USA, so they called it the C instead. Then when the "real" 125C came out (the yellow one with the air forks), they called it the 125X.

[DJRacing]

So if I ever get an elusive 'B' I should keep my eyes shut coz it probably wont be there if I open them.

[AjayVMX]

Nathan appears to be spot on there.

Do a google search for YZ125B and see what you get - a yellow YZ125A.

[DJRacing]

If the yellow yzA is a B, then what is a white YZ-A? I saw a pamphlet of one on ebay the other day but not speaking japanese I couldnt read what it said apart from 'YZ125'. I assume it was for the japanese market, but I didnt know they even made a white 'A'. Interesting stuff they did back in the day over in Japan.
Oh well I just need to keep seaching for as much info on it as I can.

[Tahitian_Red]

Here in the U.S. we had a silver-tanked 74 and a yellow-tanked 75.

http://www.vintagemx.us/guestbook/images/125s/yz125_4_website.jpg

http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger2/2147/4535/1600/20613/DSCN2257.jpg

[AjayVMX]

Putting together all the evidence above, it would seem that a B was made by Yamaha, most likely in White for Europe and Yellow for the USA, but may not have made it down under, with Mcculloch's importing the C instead.

Sound likely?

[DJRacing]

I'm a bit like you AjayVMX, undecided, but with an open mind on the subject. I know how the 125C came about because Yamaha werent going to bring out any 250/360 bikes that year so when the 125 was released they thought they should call it a 'C' otherwise it would be a model behind. But then they did bring out the 250/360B's which made the 125 a model year ahead and thats why we have the 'X' to bring it all back into line for the following year.
So it looks like if I want what I would think is a 125'B' -482- I will have to make my own one to match it's bigger brothers. An 'A' tank (with tank straps) and 'A' seat, but monoshocked, etc.

[eno]

Hey DJ, Whats the deal with the "MX" & "YZ" models?. My brother had a 125 that looked identical to the one that T-Red posted a pic of (silver one). Now the Larson Brothers who once owned it always refered to it as the "B", to this day I'm not sure if it was a nickname "Bee" or if it was the model but I think it meant both.
Eventually the poor little things frame broke up badly, fractured tubes around footpeg area & down tubes separated from steering head. Last year while searching thru the families dump in search of TM bones I found the rusting remains of the Yamaha's frame, I was so excited because I could maybe identify what this bike really was but sadly the steering head was missing, so no ID numbers.

[DJRacing]

Hey Eno, what ya doing down here with the bottom feeders of the manufacture brands . The MX range was the Yamaha motocross machine for the everyday guy way back before there was a YZ. The letters YZ were the orginal designation for the works bikes and then Yamaha decided to bring a limited amount of YZ's at a big cost to the local punter(for a year or so, thats why they werent looking at any 250/360 bikes after the 'A') but the marketing worked so well that everyone wanted the YZ models. Hence the 'B' model came out. Now the poor guys at Yamaha didnt have a 'Works(factory) bike designation so they got a new one, the 'OW'. But back to the 125. I understand that the three designation numbers at the start of an 'A' are 453 and so is the 125 'B'. Which is why there is always this great debate about the ever ellusive YZ125B. Going by most writings it was just a cock up, and the YZ125C should have been the 'B' but hey as we all know, stranger think have happen, what came first the chicken or the egg?

[Iain Cameron]

Dj with the 453 # the a's will start with 000101 where as b's will be 100101. yamaha did the same with the mx 400 510.0 ton 76 yz 400 510.1