Project : Beast Mode **MXoN update**

I thought it was pretty cool I made it in the same photo with Eli. That weekend is one of my all time highlights. Anyways, I’ve got a ton of parts saved up and ready to go 

 started buying parts on sale for Black Friday. Gotta get the deals when you can! 
My soon to be 3 year old loves to “help” me with my bike anytime she can! 

I did some mock up and found a cheap YZF brake pedal on eBay for cheap. Spray paint special. With some help from a fellow VitaMX member I was able to make a spacer to get the alignment for it to work. I then filed down the casting line and scrubbed it down with a scotch brite pad & some WD40. Then just for fun I hit it with some White Diamond metal polish real quick just to see how it would look. I like it but I’ll make it better.

Next on the list is the 2009 YZ450F swingarm conversion. The four stroke swingarms look so much better, are 5mm longer and almost a pound lighter too! I found one on eBay (yet again) pretty beat up for $100. I figured I’ll snag it and see what I can do before I invest a lot of money into it. And if I don’t like it, at least I’m not out much. Spent a lot of time working on this. Easy Off oven cleaner to strip the clear anodizing finish off, Pryme MX pads on the bench top buffer and some Napa Aluminum Brightener along with the trusty ole scotch brite pads. The sides still have some deep gouges I won’t be able to get out unless I get it filled with weld and then sand down. I’m not too concerned about it since a decal will cover that up.

Picked up a set of FasterUSA blue on blue wheel set! Holy cow do they look amazing in person! Also added a black Vortex sprocket, Braking batfly rotors like Eli’s bike has. And of course a fresh set of  Dunlop MX34s. 

I had the oem head cut for a 50/50 mix of pump gas & C12. Then the head was powder coated. I ran it for awhile and got a Apex head with the MX dome for pump gas. The Apex head was great and did what it was advertised to do. My only complaint was the blue was a few shades off of the typical anodized blue color. That’s my only complaint. The guys at Apex build a great product and have great customer support via Facebook groups.

I had seen where Yamaha made a GYTR cylinder kit for the 125, but it was only available over seas which is kind of odd. Not that it would work on mine anyways I did find the cylinder head pretty sweet. Which is what lead to my next purchase. In my opinion the best looking head was made by VHM. Turns out they offer a blue! The color is pretty spot on too! Snagged it on BF from Langston Motorsports! One of my friends at work happens to have a laser engraver and added the GYTR logo onto the side for me. Also have their version of the pump gas MX dome.

Didn’t get much time tonight to work on the bike but I made decent progress. Even had my little butterfly helper tonight LOL. 

Thanks man! 🤘🏻. I had seriously considered converting over to the 22+ body style but to do it right using oem parts it was going to be around the ballpark of $1,200. I rode my buddies ‘23 at the track one evening and wasn’t a fan of the seating position. Which I thought was a little weird to me since I loved the position on my 2018 YZ250F I had. I guess since having this bike since 2013 I’m most comfortable with the ole reliable setup 

Made some good progress over the weekend! Got the frame stripped down and cleaned up pretty good! Also got my Bolt Hardware kit out. I opted for the nickel plated restoration kit. They look so good! Replaced the clutch and started adding a few new bolts. And grilled a couple of ribeyes and had myself a nice Jack & Coke for Father’s Day! 

Man those are nice! That would be perfect for mine. Wish I had the extra cash because I’d snag them! Once school starts back up I’ll have two kids in daycare so I can’t wait to basically have a second mortgage 🤣

Back at it again the last few days. Got all the swingarm, linkage and steering bearings replaced on the bike. I took the triple clamps to work and pressed the stem out, stuck the clamps in the freezer that’s -34° and put the bearing in the 250° oven and dropped right on! Get the engine put in today and finally have the bike as a rolling chassis. Used the stock wheel set to move around for now and some of it is just finger tight for now so I could move it around. The heat here in OH has been HOT! Low 90s with close to 60% humidity! I powered through it today lol 

Thanks man! Yeah I agree a 125 is a blast to ride. I hop on one about twice a year and rip a few laps and really enjoy them. I’d love to have a YZ125 or even another 250 for a woods bike. But a new 450 sounds nice too

Thank you! I’m excited to get this thing finished! I’m getting pretty close now. Can’t wait to ride it with my rebuilt suspension and the YZF 450 swingarm on it 

Forgot to post this earlier. Got my suspension redone by Brad at Rideworx Suspension in the Cincinnati, Ohio area. New valving, bushings, seals, free pistons and oil. My oem free pistons were junk! The other one not pictured was cracked in half! Shame on me for not having them serviced sooner. This should feel like a whole new bike now!  

I’m almost positive it’s the 143.5mm length. I knew from reading on the swingarm swap that was the length needed

Agreed. I’ve heard plenty of good reviews from them

Sounds good man I’ll keep note of that. I still have the reciept in my tool box so I’ll have to reference that just to confirm.  

Thanks man! Lots of hard work went into getting all the parts, plus the build! Yeah she’s something that’s for sure! My dad asked me how my mechanic was and I said “she had a hard time staying on task and sure asked a lot of questions” lol. But she’s a cutie. I think I’ll keep her! Plus pay is cheap, she’s easily motivated by juice boxes & popsicles 😂

One of the perks of my job is the 4/10 schedule & having Fridays off! I can really get a lot done on these days! Shoutout to my buddy “Corndog Colt” for coming over this morning and giving a hand wrenching! I’d say we’re about 80% done now! Got the front end finished and just put the tank on for looks now. Should have the new OEM carb hoses tomorrow so I can get that swapped & installed. This morning we did : forks, new FasterUSA wheel set, G2 ergonomics throttle tube, ARC front brake, P3 carbon master cylinder guard, ARC RC-8 clutch perch assembly, ProTaper SX Race bend bars (same as Eli) & got the radiators on and ready to go! 

And I’ve also got some pretty exciting news! For anybody at Redbud MX next weekend make sure you stop in at the Legends & Heroes tour to take a look at this beauty!! I’ll be there displaying it! I’m hoping to be there Friday so I can possibly get it into the pits and over to the Star Yamaha trailer and get some pictures with Eli’s bike too! I’m so freaking excited I can’t wait!