2006 YZ 125 to 144

[wamxp1mp]

I just found out practice was cancelled for tommorow damn it!!

[wamxp1mp]

Well I didn't take it out to washougal instead headed to eastern part of the state and ended up ridding Richland ORV park not the most ample choice but it's a sandy track with some hard bases/pack surfaces. It's maintained by the county so it tends to get choppy and get nasty kickers etc. I rode my 144 most of the day it was awesome for that track the last time I rode here I was on my '04 kx 125. This one corner after the long chopped out straight section was a 2nd gear clutch slipping power robbing soft sand. I couldn't hit it that fast on the my KX 125 always just bog down in the apex of the turn.

Which made it hard to do that funky step up after it, my last 3 laps of the day was on my friends '06 CR 125 and has bike needed the same technique. On the 144 I could come into the corner get on the gas alittle sooner but what is nice is it's making more power so I don't have to use as much throttle.
Now it doesn't sound that good sorta sounds like the bike is bogging (this is some what mental too cause it was and looks like a 125) but it's actually pulling right along fine not for the authoratity of a 250 but much better than a 125. Twist the throttle alittle more and it was pulling it's self right onto the pipe cleanly. If I came in and did that same thing but more like I would a 125 it freaking just rocketed out of there.

What's nice about it though is the more I ride it the more I like it but i'm effectively using lower parts of the power band and not needing to clutch it as much. It definetly has much more usable power now and I can ride it lazier and still go just as fast but it works better when i'm aggressive with it. It's definetly no 250 but it's not no 125 it feels much more 200 like now. It kept all the good traits of the 125 but got all the added bonuses of displacement. It's only slight flaw is it doesn't rev quite as fast as it used to and tend to flatten more so if ya over rev it. But it's nagated by the added torque and the fact you can ride it more effectively in higher gears at lower rpm's. Oh yea I forgot to mention this is still with the stock pipe and I had my FMF Q on it! yea we thouht we was gonna go trail ride but the road was blocked due to a land slide so we went to richland and I got in some moto instead.

The factory fatty/shorty I have coming this week I was told will allow the 144 to rev out better up top. If the weather is nice I can take it out to burnt ridge mx this weekend (this track was the track in dirt rider mag's 250 2t shootout) long as it stays dry it will be sweet track. It's very loamy and offering awesome traction but if it's wet man it's slick!!

[wamxp1mp]

Oh ya I wanted to add in the CR 125 had a new OEM top end the 144 like 4 hrs on it now. the CR 125 does have a V3 'n fmf fatty / shorty 53 rear sprocket. Both bikes are in top shape. Each time I've taken out the 144 my friend owner of the CR always seems to HAVE to take it for a least one spin towards the end of the day I bet that CR is 139'd asap now. Of course i'm not helping cause I don't refuse just feeding the fire cause I want to ride that CR 139'd too.

[wamxp1mp]

Got to try out the factory fatty n shorty on it this weekend out at a more hard terrain track for the locals Mudslingers. This track isn't really full on moto they call it a rough scrambles my first time going here. The track isn't very technical lots of singles and one small double. What makes it tricky is the soil is embedded with rock so it's hard alittle slick when moist like it has been lately. I found out the hard way on like lap six I landed off this single with a good decent amount of throttle and I did one of those massive slide outs and then low sided was like 3rd gear wide open and the bike just hit big time. At least my knee pads did thier job but I still tweaked my knee it's sore big time now I thought it was toast cause I couldn't move it right away.

oh ya since this wasn't a race it was an open practice there I got to bust out many many laps it was like a day out at mxgp but with maybe only 30 riders. I think I hit like easy 30+ laps in total track isn't techincal lots of singles at least I was able to test out the power on something other than soft sand for once the D756's we're not the hot tire setup i think a d739 would have been due to hard pack base/embedded rocks. Lots of like S turns I started ridding the 144 more like I used to the 125 and it was just starting to wail! My friend on his CR 125 was working real hard to keep up with me coming out of corners. I can't wait to get it out on track with some real traction can be gotten. I couldn't tap it all the way out on this track not even down the back straight through these tree's 4th gear I got up to maybe 3/4 of it's max and it still had some left!

The factory fatty definetly helped out the 144 over the stock unit it pulls about the same down low maybe coming on the pipe alittle earlier now and cleans out better threw the mid n top end and over rev. The pipe does not mimic stock as far as the cones and head shapes/length's the header coming out the exhaust is shorter and it makes a different bend it is also not as much of curve back right away makes a longer bend here takes alittle bit of a diffent bend back up towards the bike, cones get larger all the way to the stinger section the cones on the stocker as much smaller here more stinger the fatty cone it larger/longer and tapers off more then tucks behind the kicker. man makes changing oil alittle more of a challenge now it blocks off some of the access. At least it's refreshing to see it's not a total stock/oem copy. I think the stock pipe might have been choking if off alittle bit up on the top. I can't wait to take it out to some where like washougal it's gonna fly, best part of the day was this kid on a 250F trying to keep me behind him I took an inside line on this tight corner and just basted off past him he did a double take as I passed him that was one of those kodak moments I bet he was thinking damn I got passed by a 125!! on the inside and 250F's are suppose to rule corner exits.

[A-310]

Here's a picture of my new YZ 144 from Eric Gorr. On the left is the yz 144 cylinder with a stock 125 piston and on the right is a yz 250 cylinder with the 144 piston in it. Gives you an idea of how large the bore is on the 144 over stock. Can't wait to compare the two yz 144/yz 250.

[wamxp1mp]

I finally got to ride washougal on the 144, it was an awesome day alittle wet in the morning but the motogods answered my pray and the sun came out! First session was slick but I was on my 250 anyways. My friend I go ridding with threw down and got me a 14 tooth front sprocket cause he kept saying it will make it better. Well we couldn't get the sprocket off with a wrench so that kinda was a buzz kill but found someone who had air tools and swapped it.

Well the 2nd session didn't swap it yet it was still the stock 13/48 gearing and all this time I've been complaining it spins up to fast i'm losing some power to wheel spin. Well the 3rd session got the sprocket swapped to the 14t up front I had a 50 rear but just kept it with the 48. So it's now 14/48 holy crap!! finally I was back in the right gears and not a gear to high and boggin down I had to ride it more like I did my 125 you know wring out each gear more but it still pulls way better than it did as a 125. Things just started clicking and it felt like it used to no more in between gear sensations but I was still able to ride sections a gear higher it was just able to get on the pipe faster and it lost that slower rev feeling and that sensation of lost over rev is gone! it totally fixed the bike I should have done this months ago!!!

Now that athena has a 144 top end kit for the '05-06 yz 125 I wont be so worried about blowing it up now. But so far so good it's been rock solid. My friend was ridding his *** off on his '06 CR 125 just to keep up after that gearing change even though I had to wring it out more I didn't have to use the clutch as much I think I have finally found the missing piece to the puzzle and all it was $20 front sprocket with one more tooth.

[Shocknut]

Originally Posted by wamxp1mp

Now that athena has a 144 top end kit for the '05-06 yz 125 I wont be so worried about blowing it up now.

They don't sell a complete bored and ported jug as the kit you mention do they? You are just talking about piston kit, correct?? I wonder what Athena could put a complete 144 kit on the market for? They could make a killing with that if they did. It is sure nice to have the stock jug come time for selling the bike.

[moto814]

Originally Posted by Shocknut

They don't sell a complete bored and ported jug as the kit you mention do they? You are just talking about piston kit, correct?? I wonder what Athena could put a complete 144 kit on the market for? They could make a killing with that if they did. It is sure nice to have the stock jug come time for selling the bike.

It's a kit that comes complete with cylinder, head, powervalves, and piston.

-Steve

[Shocknut]

Whats the price on it? Is this only for the 05/06 motor or do they sell it for 04 and older YZ 125's also?

I tried a google search but came up with nothing. All I found is their kit using the standard bore. No mention of Athena 144 bbig bore kits anywhere.

[wamxp1mp]

It's only for the '05 n up the '04 n older models they just make the works kit in the stock size.

This place is the first so far, it must be a new kit they have I wonder if any other models will come out?

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[Shocknut]

Thats cool, it really is. Excellent bargain if you ask me.