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The newer YZ65 feedback
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The only complaint I have is that there is no way to check the oil. The manual says to just watch for leaks, but I’d like to be able to check it. Oh, and front wheel bearings need replacing on the regular, too.
I definitely recommend the YZ65. They sound better than the white and orange bikes too.
My 9 year old is on a 2019 husky tc65 and we have had good luck for 42 hours now. My boy is not very fast though.
I know a kid who has been on a yz65 for a couple years and they have had good luck.
And like i mentioned they ride no matter what the weather is and i can tell you, the late fall/early winter and early spring is just a mudfest in Finland. He rides through that. So the 150h/year is not in perfect track conditions that doesn't wear out the bike.
After the revalve and spring change watching him it was definitely way better.
Awesome bulletproof little bike.
The major selling point for me was the spring forks which is really plush and nice. The air forks on the ktms has so much internal friction, doesnt work so good with low pressure and a small rider. The cable clutch is super easy to pull as well. I can recommend it.
Actually I had one issue, but that was related to a proX aftermarket piston that was installed when I bought it. It had a casting pore with a crack from it! And the piston pin hole was deformed due to it so the piston pin was rattleing around! Luckily i heard it and disassembled it in time. It has worked well since.
Pit Row
My sons will likely be moving up to a 65 next season and it's been my understanding that it was the 50SX that gave everyone fits; that's why we went electric.
From the folks I have talked to, the 65 hasn't had any of the clutch/stator/overheating issues typically experienced with the gas 50.
Search
Nachi 6201-RS
on ebay
or SKF
All in all, the KTM65 is "THE" bike the kid has to be on if you are serious about racing at a fast pace. 10 lbs lighter than the YZ65 is a huge deal at that level. But there are reliability, tuning, and maintenance issues to contend with. If your kid is not all about very serious racing.. I'd say the YZ is the way to go. Much improved reliability and ease of maintenance.
My buddy's son is fast and has been on KTM65's for about 4 years. He's gone through 5-6 of them and I've done the majority of the work on the bikes so I'm really familiar with them. Rule #1, if you're going to race seriously with a KTM65... you better have 2 of them ! A fast kid will break things on them and wear things out that will have you scratching your head.
.....but real top level kids have always been that way really.
The Mikuni carb is temperamental to temp and elevation changes. This is not a big deal on most 2-strokes, but KTM went full stupid and made it impossible to adjust literally anything on the carb without removing the shock or entire subframe. They even put the air screw on the right side behind the shock for some crazy reason. Nihilo sells an extended air screw to somewhat deal with this nonsense. The YZ has a Keihin carb that is easy to access like any other 2-stroke.
The countershaft sprockets seem to leak frequently.
Hydraulic clutch is cool but of course more complex maintenance.
Many of the fasteners and such are kind of dinky and fall apart or wear out. The seat has a special fastener that strips, bends, or pulls out of the plastic.
The powervalve is known to break and then it is stuck in the closed position. Nihilo sells a stronger replacement.
The brake calipers are very small and non-floating. They almost look like mountain bike brakes. You have to be careful with pedal adjustment and fluid level or it's very easy to make the brake drag and slow the bike or overheat. The YZ65, by comparison, has brakes that look like a full size bike.
Some bikes have excess slop between the frame and swingarm. This can create vibration or even handling issues when the pivot bolt is tightened down and squeezes the frame. I've seen 2 or 3 pivot bolts break, I assume from the tension and vibration. Some people insert shims to take up the excess clearance.
There is a known issue with the crank journals wearing and losing their press fit to the main bearings which, of course, causes bottom end engine vibration. A new crank is over $400.
On the bright side, we do top ends at 50 hrs and the bikes have no perceptible loss of performance and everything looks good. That's pretty incredible for such a fast little engine.
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