Iv got a cr250 and a crf50, i would say go with the bigger engined bike, you understand how a clutch and gears work so all it would take is practice, with a 125 i think you would outgrow it pretty fast once you really get going, i know 125s are fast look at james stewart on a 125 for starters, my friend has a zy426 and thats pretty fast, not as fast as my cr but torque right from the go, the bike is only as fast as your ride it

All modle cr's are bomb proof, crfs up to an 06 where "Ment" to have problems with vavles, many people say that you had the change them every 10 hours but then alot of other people have tons and tons and tons of hours on them, they are fine if you clean the fliter and change the oil often, hondas are known for they're handling, they turn in great and give good feedback mid corner and are predictable