yes there is a big difference between the 3.
a 125 is a very light and nimble machine as you would know,but it has no bottom end grunt so to speak and you must stay on the pipe to get any satisfaction out of it.they also go thru piston/rings faster as they rev higher than a 250 or 500.
a 250 is also a light and nimble machine but a bit heavier in comparison to the 125.it has the "most ideal" power spreads to power output for the most people.it has some bottom and some mid and some top end in a snappy strong package.it still needs piston/rings but not as frequent as the 125.
a 500 is a manly mans bike its heavier than 250's and kind of has a gyro feel to it.it likes to stay straight up in some corners-doesnt turn as easy as 125/250's.it vibrates noticeably much more than the others on the plus side- its got great low end, massive mid and massive top end pull.it'll wear rear tires down quickly,tries to stand up and toss you off everytime it gets traction and showers whatever is behind it with copious amounts of roost if you get a chance to ride one you'll see what i mean.these monsters are usually found tearing up the sand dunes,hill climbing ,single tracking ,jumping grand canyons and all around the vet classes at your local race events.it does really well as far as piston/ring replacement.its too bad they quit selling them here in the states.
my buddy just took and put a cr500 engine into a crf450 chassis. if someone can tell me how to get a pic from my pics in xp to here i'll post it.