Posts
5496
Joined
2/7/2009
Location
Dallas, TX
US
Fantasy
206th
Edited Date/Time
10/20/2012 10:59am
First of all, gotta brag just a bit. This week has been one of the most fun weeks I've had all year! I just moved to a new house that has a huge public off-road area right behind my back yard. I have never been too much of a trail rider but one of the trails is just amazing with turn after turn after turn, rhythm sections out of natural dips and pretty tricky rock sections. I came back with a grin on my face like I haven't had in a while. It's not that it was that much more fun than going out to Nocona, but just with how convenient it is I could ride every day if time allowed! AND it's also a blast. I rode for a whole hour non-stop before I realized how long it had been and headed home out of fear of running out of fuel.
Now, of course, I've looked into local racing series and lo and behold, there's one in my area starting up next month! Time to get ready!
So off-road guys, what changes would you say are vital to an MX bike to get it ready for some woods racing? I'm down to just the YZ250 at the moment so it will have to serve double duty as an MX and off-road bike for now. I've already concluded that I need some better hand guards as the ones I used for MX don't work too well. How much does a heavier flywheel help? This area is pretty woodsy and I've always had to narrow my bars on the mountain bike for such trails, do off-road guys run narrower bars too?
Now, of course, I've looked into local racing series and lo and behold, there's one in my area starting up next month! Time to get ready!
So off-road guys, what changes would you say are vital to an MX bike to get it ready for some woods racing? I'm down to just the YZ250 at the moment so it will have to serve double duty as an MX and off-road bike for now. I've already concluded that I need some better hand guards as the ones I used for MX don't work too well. How much does a heavier flywheel help? This area is pretty woodsy and I've always had to narrow my bars on the mountain bike for such trails, do off-road guys run narrower bars too?
Bare minimum...a medium weight flywheel weight and hand guards...the MSR Evo handguards are great for the money but after trying 3 different types of hand guards I ended up with Cycra CRM's...they are super strong and they have a bend in the end that allows you to lay the bike over without rubbing the outside of your hand and wrist.
Next thing I would put in is ultra heavy duty tubes...I've run the Bridgestone ulta heavy duty tubes since the mid 90's with out a flat.
Next I would install a Gnarly pipe from FMF...it smooths out the power and they are more durable than stock. I run a FMF Turbine core spark arrestor where required and a FMF shorty silencer when I can get away with it.
I had my suspension revalved with lighter specs because i wasn't jumping very much...helped a bunch but, it's kind of pricey.
I also added the Scarey Fast power now and power now plus...great bang for the buck...they further smoothed out the power band and made throttle response noticably better.
Radiator braces can save you some serious cash if you ever tip over on a log or rocks.
As far as bars go i run the Pro Taper woods high Evo bar...they are narrower than stock and the metal in the Evo bar dampens vibration better than anything I've used...over a 3 hour race less vibration equals better control.
A mod that is rather pricey but worth it's weight in gold is a steering stabilizer...I tried 2 others before i ended up sticking with a Fastway System 5...it has highspeed and low speed dampening. I run very little low speed dampening and crank the high speed up so it steers easily until you hit something you shouldn't...such as a root or rock.
I run stock gearing in the woods that i ride in...on my KX I ran 13/49. When i head to Colorado I drop to a 12/51 with a quality oring chain.
I think I'm going to stage my upgrades by 1) durability, gotta finish the race first then later on 2) speed.
So on the list right now I have:
1) Hand guards
2) Heavier flywheel (less tiring)
3) heavy duty tubes
4) Maybe Evo bars. I've used those before but this bike has stock clamps and not sure the budget can handle all of this right now
Then later on if I still like it I'll look into more mods.
Either way I'm excited.
What about a larger tank? I'm probably going to be a C or B class rider and the races are 75min long.
Anyway, take a shot at it, don't go mad and above all enjoy yourself.
The Shop
The gearing is really up to the rider's preference. I would usually replace the chain with an x-ring type, change the counter-shaft to a 13 tooth and the rear to one tooth smaller than stock. I always reduced the size of the counter-shaft sprocket as so I wouldn't have to increase the rear to acheive the gearing I desired. I always felt that by increasing the size of the rear sprocket I would increase my chances of damage to the rear sprocket. Anything to reduce the chance of a mechical DNF was a no-brainer.
I also ran bibb mousse tire inserts to kill the chance of a DNF due to a flat, but that can get costly if you're not real serious about your efforts.
Enjoy the ride. That YZ is a champ off-road. I regret selling my last one, for I wish I still had it in my garage to ride trails with my buddies.
-Oversized tank
-Bark Buster Hand Gaurds
-Skid Plates
-Suspension Revalve
-Spark Arrestor
Those are the necessities...
If you've got the money, then go with a stearing stabilizer, and if you're in the technical stuff a rekluse clutch is very helpful. The little bits of energy that they save here and there over a 2 or 3 hour race make a huge difference.
I haven't seen much need for an 18 inch rear wheel...or a flywheel (though I ride 4 strokes...but haven't felt the need for one on 250 or 450 four strokes).
They YZ250 is a deadly Off road bike, with one of the best 2 stroke engines out there. Heres this list to make your bike a unreal bush bike. Skid plate, hand guards, Suspension re valve. I would suggest getting the new Rekluse EXP2.0. This way you dont have to go to a heaver fly wheel and your bike will still have that quick snappy throttle response and you can still use your clutch like normal. Oh and get a bigger gas tank. Your yz tank is to small for Off road racing.
I just have barkbusters, v-force reeds and fresh knobbies ( and a $20 walmart bike speedometer I rigged on there )
Riding every day can get expensive on the high wear items !
Pit Row
No waiting forever between motos, miles of different terrain. So fun.
Also my 450 gets hot fast in the woods. I'm actually sitting here with some 12v fans on my desk working on something to help with that.
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