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I'll start off with sharing some of the gear I use for cerakote. I basically just watched some of Cameron Niemela's YouTube videos and did everything he did.
This is the spray gun included in the kit I linked above, minus the regulator. It also came with colors blackout(black) smoke(dark gray) and fde(tan color used on guns). Also included is the catalyst and beaker to measure/mix the paint.
The catalyst adds shine and seems to add hardness to the coating. The more catalyst you add to your mixture, the more glossy the finish.
Basic harbor freight blasting cabinet. I tried to use the media they had first, it didn't work out, needed more etch. The 100 grit aluminum oxide recommended by cerekote yields the best results.
Here is the painting jig. This is where it gets tricky. Often times I will spray a part, bake it and realize I missed a spot. Its pretty difficult to hang it where you are able to spray it at all angles.
And the electric smoker I use as a curing oven. Works great for smaller parts.
After that I ordered some black excells from faster USA. For the spokes, I had some old spokes off my 250 i swapped out when I used the wrong kind of cleaner on them that etched the zinc plating. After sitting for a year or so they were in pretty rough shape.
After sanding and going in the blasting cabinet:
Very tedious work but I blasted every spoke and then wrapped wire on the end to hang them for paint
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*Edit* I got my compressor from my grandfather, so it's quite old. But I checked it today, it's a 4hp compressor with 25gal capacity.
Started piecing things together. It's sitting on the spare wheels for the 250 at the moment.
https://youtu.be/R_E19SfKn7I
Suspension didn't feel as great this go round. Mainly forks not handling heavy landings and choppy breaking bumps well. May get a set of sss forks if I can find a cheap set. Not sure if the 05 stuff is worth upgrading.
I'm also wanting to get a shorty and either a v force 3 or 4 reed block, and wanted to get everyones opinions on such.
I want a little better throttle response down low, mainly want a shorty for weight savings. As I looked at setups on Google images, it is hard to find a yz125 that is not running a shorty.
Also hear some people prefer the v force 3 over the 4. What are your thoughts on this?
One more thing. I was hoping someone could answer this for me, my bike started leaking transmission oil at the front of the inner clutch cover/case. It's got a brand new gasket so I can't imagine why. Also noticed this hole.
Is there something supposed to be blocking that off on the inside? Could this be where the oil was leaking out of? I didn't pay attention to what was on the other side when it was off the bike.
Any help is much appreciated! And also thanks to everyone following the build!
I am running a stock pipe, vforce 4 reeds, a bud shorty silencer, apex head with mx dome on 91 and this bike comes onto the pipe so quick and just keeps pulling and pulling, I almost never have to use the clutch unless I'm in a completely wrong gear, and it revs out so much higher and cleaner than stock. The bud fits ok, but sits a little loose in the pipe. I have a hose clamp around the rubber connector to keep it in place. It really, really barks with this setup.
I also just swapped on a Keihin PWK 38mm carb off of a 2001 yz 250 and haven't really had a chance to test it out, but on the stand it sounds so much crisper! I plan on trying out a STIC as well.
I have AOSS forks as well on my 125. I just picked up a 06 yz 250 with sss forks and all I can say is wow, they are nice. I don't think its a super simple swap, since I think some sss forks have different space between the lugs, or different caliper mounts.
Gonna use the opportunity to go ahead and replace this shift stopper with the revised part. I nearly died when I put the shifter on the bike and it wouldn't budge. Thought I botched it up somewhere, but turns out this was a problem on the 05 and 06. I was able to get it into gear, and after running it does shift ok. But it is very hard to get it into get it into neutral or shift when it is cold.
And here's an update on the cerekote on the pipe. Just like Ross said, mine is also starting to bubble up and chip off
I investigated this and found that the elite series is only rated to 500 degrees. I imagine the pipe gets a little hotter than that, gonna have to try a different cerekote product.
Pit Row
When we gonna go ride? Sux Bartow is closed now 😫😭
I liked following this build when it was current, I’m trying to do a KTM without spending a ton of money, I’ve really enjoyed hunting for the deals and the feeling you get when you score a good deal. Hope the YZ is still going strong!
Bike had a terrible surge in the mid range. Never notice it on wide open sandy tracks but trying to ride ruts was difficult to modulate the power.
I originally rebuilt the carb with an all balls kit with a new needle in the middle position. Raised the clip one position and it cleared the mid surg completely but it ran too lean. Tried compensating for it with going to a 42 pilot but didn't help. Also tried a different needle that came with the kit. It was the one that Yamaha put on the bikes after 06, but i couldn't get it to run right in any clip position with it.
The best option i found was the 40 pilot jet, and original 05 needle in the middle position. Not ideal but bike seemed to rip pretty good
Next mod was the modern sss forks. Found a great deal on ebay and went for it. $400 for 09 yz450 forks.
Even with blown seals they were a noticeable improvement. They went right into the clamps and everything bolted up fine, only thing is with the 05 clamps the wheel will be about 1/4 inch off center. This is addressed later on in the build.
unfortunately I didn't get many pictures of me rebuilding them. Polished the tubes, put in my stock 250 springs and installed some of these trick free pistons from zeta.
So I raced DITD this year for the first time, and what a time it was!
I had only brought my 250 since there was only a 2 stroke open class and not one for 125s only. I also raced B 25+ so i def needed that extra power.
But as fate would have it i got tangled with another rider who went down in the whoops 😬
GoPro footy I found on YouTube caught a glimpse of the carnage. Shout-out to whoever this was, for being in the right place/right time lol.
I tried to source another radiator with no luck, so only one other option. YZ125 was at home and ready to rip.
With help from a friend we snagged the thing and got back later that night. I did attempt to swap a rad from the 125 to the 250, but no luck there. They were not interchangeable.
After i put the 125 back together (mostly) it was super late and I was exhausted.
Saturday morning I still needed to button things up and also didn't have any coolant. My first race was lining up in staging. I had to jog a considerable distance to the vendors up front to get some. Ran back filled er up and threw my helmet on to rush to the line.
This is how my first start went lol. Tried to dodge a pile up and flipped off the track. That's me face planting off to the right.
All Things considered this race went pretty well, very fun.
Next up was my team race. We were expecting some rough weather at some point Saturday, and the skies opened up. Track was drenched and we were first up after the monsoon.
I really didn't want to mud bog this thing, but the maneuverability of the little bike paid off. While everyone was sliding out and getting stuck, I was able to make some passes.
Finished off Sunday in 25-29B. Started pretty good for a 125 against mostly 4 strokes, but ended up crashing again so i just limped to the finish on that one. Made the most of the weekend, and had a great time!
The power valve had been completely useless for who knows how long lol. The original pins would not stay in whatsoever, so I did the roll pin fix. Should hold up good.
Here's how the bike sits today. It's got hgs silencer paired with a FMF pipe. Took off the stock clamps of the 16 250, coated them and swapped stems to go on this bike. Now the bars have a more familiar feeling to them, and going back and forth between the bikes won't feel so awkward.
That's all for this thing for a while. 250 is next on the operating table. Might start a new thread for that one, or might just post in here since it's already a work in progress.
Post a reply to: 05 YZ 125 Modest build (finished)