Monday Coffee : Making my KX125 Sing at Pala Raceway

theycallmeebryan
Hopped back on my 2004 KX125 this weekend to start getting her dialed in for 2 stroke championships at Glen Helen next month. Haven't ridden this bike since i bought my Alta back in August. Man, what a workout in comparison! Sure is worth it though.

Enjoy:

https://youtu.be/2TS8rkKF2RA
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barnett468
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barnett468 3/25/2019 10:04am
3/25/2019 10:04am
theycallmeebryan wrote:
Hopped back on my 2004 KX125 this weekend to start getting her dialed in for 2 stroke championships at Glen Helen next month. Haven't ridden this...
Hopped back on my 2004 KX125 this weekend to start getting her dialed in for 2 stroke championships at Glen Helen next month. Haven't ridden this bike since i bought my Alta back in August. Man, what a workout in comparison! Sure is worth it though.

Enjoy:

https://youtu.be/2TS8rkKF2RA
Very cool.

By the way, do you know if they are using mount st helen for that race?

I was thinking of riding my 1980 YZ250 at that race.
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theycallmeebryan 3/25/2019 10:07am
3/25/2019 10:07am
barnett468 wrote:
Very cool. By the way, do you know if they are using mount st helen for that race? I was thinking of riding my 1980 YZ250...
Very cool.

By the way, do you know if they are using mount st helen for that race?

I was thinking of riding my 1980 YZ250 at that race.
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Last year we went all the way to the top. Who knows what the layout will be this year. They seem to change the layout at Glen Helen pretty often.
Ted722
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Ted722 3/25/2019 10:14am
3/25/2019 10:14am Edited Date/Time 3/25/2019 10:16am
Pretty cool. Besides sound (of course), what was your take on some of the biggest differences compared to your Alta. Engine braking, Shifting, Power, Handling, etc.
barnett468
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barnett468 3/25/2019 10:15am
3/25/2019 10:15am
theycallmeebryan wrote:
Last year we went all the way to the top. Who knows what the layout will be this year. They seem to change the layout at...
Last year we went all the way to the top. Who knows what the layout will be this year. They seem to change the layout at Glen Helen pretty often.
"Last year we went all the way to the top."

That's something I wouldn't look forward to, lol.

Any vintage bikes out there last year? I seem to be the only one at all the events other than calvmx and arx.
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cmotodad
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cmotodad 3/25/2019 10:18am
3/25/2019 10:18am
Great to watch and listen to. I was out there on Saturday riding my 96 CR250 trying to get some seat time before the 2 Stroke race too.
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mx_563
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mx_563 3/25/2019 10:21am
3/25/2019 10:21am
Thanks for posting, I enjoyed the setup analysis at the beginning. If money were no object, it'd be interesting to see what you could get the weight down to with a Ti shock spring.
seth505
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seth505 3/25/2019 10:26am
3/25/2019 10:26am
Ted722 wrote:
Pretty cool. Besides sound (of course), what was your take on some of the biggest differences compared to your Alta. Engine braking, Shifting, Power, Handling, etc.
I rode my old 125 on the same day as an alta on mx track and offroad trails and it was no contest the Alta was so much easier/efficient to go fast on. The Alta also turns surprisingly well for how heavy it is.

That said, I am still in love with 125s but there is no mistaking you have to shift constantly and they have the least power, still rad.
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Ing
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Ing 3/25/2019 10:33am
3/25/2019 10:33am
How I miss that sound. Thx for the video.
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LumpDog841 3/25/2019 10:34am
3/25/2019 10:34am
Bruh, that headshake @4:10 !!! Looks like a good time!
theycallmeebryan 3/25/2019 10:35am
3/25/2019 10:35am
Ted722 wrote:
Pretty cool. Besides sound (of course), what was your take on some of the biggest differences compared to your Alta. Engine braking, Shifting, Power, Handling, etc.
Haha, where do i begin?

Engine braking on the KX125 is almost non-existent. The bike just freewheels into corners. I'd say the Alta MXR is somewhere directly inbetween a 125 and a 450.

Weight: you definitely notice the weight difference when putting the bike on the stand or moving it around, but riding it they are pretty similar. The MXR has almost 0 engine inertia because there's no rotating crank+piston, so it feels very light and flickable when riding it.

Power: No comparison. The Alta MXR has like 2x more torque than the 125 and you never have to clutch or shift, just twist and go. With the 125 you constantly have to work that clutch and be in the right gear to be able to clear stuff. I can take inside lines almost everywhere on the MXR and still have the acceleration to clear jumps.

Sound: No comparison here, the 125 sounds way better. Grinning

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theycallmeebryan 3/25/2019 10:42am
3/25/2019 10:42am
LumpDog841 wrote:
Bruh, that headshake @4:10 !!! Looks like a good time!
I know!!! Those are butthole pucker moments haha. I had my steering stem nut a little on the lose side. I went and tightened it after that moto and it never happened again after that. Steering stem nut torque is very important. Too lose and the front end can get sloppy in the rough stuff, and you actually spend more energy fighting the twitchiness vs turning the bars with stiffer steering. Allows you to kind of relax in the rough stuff and conserve energy + ride longer.
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LumpDog841 3/25/2019 10:48am
3/25/2019 10:48am
theycallmeebryan wrote:
I know!!! Those are butthole pucker moments haha. I had my steering stem nut a little on the lose side. I went and tightened it after...
I know!!! Those are butthole pucker moments haha. I had my steering stem nut a little on the lose side. I went and tightened it after that moto and it never happened again after that. Steering stem nut torque is very important. Too lose and the front end can get sloppy in the rough stuff, and you actually spend more energy fighting the twitchiness vs turning the bars with stiffer steering. Allows you to kind of relax in the rough stuff and conserve energy + ride longer.
Completely agree. One time (back in 2004) my brother was racing his KX125. Coming down the back straight at a tracked called "The Farm", well he got such bad headshake that he snapped the steering stop....he doesn't remember much from the rest of the day. lol
MotoChris
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MotoChris 3/25/2019 12:18pm
3/25/2019 12:18pm
I have had a bunch of 125's but I don't remember any of them sounding that good. It reminds me of a perfectly tuned factory Supermini.
theycallmeebryan 3/25/2019 12:26pm
3/25/2019 12:26pm
MotoChris wrote:
I have had a bunch of 125's but I don't remember any of them sounding that good. It reminds me of a perfectly tuned factory Supermini.
Running a Pro Circuit Works Pipe with a T-304 stainless silencer, and i'm running straight AvGas at 32:1 with some pretty lean jetting. The bike has great overrev and loves to be screamed! Still battling some low end gurgling though. I'll iron it out with some more testing. I think my float is sticking a little bit, even though i just rebuilt the carb not too long ago.
77Moto
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77Moto 3/25/2019 2:56pm
3/25/2019 2:56pm
You coast too much and never use the brakes.
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theycallmeebryan 3/25/2019 3:32pm
3/25/2019 3:32pm
77Moto wrote:
You coast too much and never use the brakes.
Agreed, at least during this ride session. Its crazy how quickly you realize how lazy you've become when riding a 125 after riding a 450 (or in my case, electric bike) for a while. That's why i love owning a 125 in my stable. It forces you to get back to the basic fundamentals of riding and just makes you faster on the rest of your bikes!

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