Quick race report from this past Sunday. Unless you just recently began watching this thread you will probably remember that the last race about a month ago did not go so well for either the bike or myself. The biggest bike issue was that I seized the top end on the third lap. That plus a badly twisted knee netted a horrible finish and a solemn ride home. Walt worked with me quite a bit to figure out the problems and he decided that swapping cylinders would be best. For the time being he sent me a thicker base gasket to hopefully keep the head o-rings intact.
This past Sundays race was in South Jersey again. I grew up riding rocks and woods so I am not a great sand rider. I didnt really get a chance to get accustomed with the WB165 yet. That coupled with the top end issues left me wondering if I should even attempt to race the 165. I originally planned on racing the new TXC but as usual I did not have time to strip the bike down and prep it. Sooooooo.......the 165 it was. I figured what the heck......I get two throw aways anyway.......I just cant have anymore failed races if this one goes south! No pressure!
I woke up Sunday with a different attitude and was eager to get going. A little rain in the morning where I live had me hoping for a little less dust down south. Not so! It was horribly dusty in most areas. I wanted to just pin it in some sections where I couldnt see, but I have that little thing called a job that kept me from doing so. I had been out two weeks with the previous knee injury and wanted to do my best not to injure myself again.
Just before the flag dropped for my row I accidentally kicked the kick starter back in. I reached down to swing it back out and by the time I looked up the flag had dropped. So I had a horrible start. Normally it would bother me but with all the dust I was hoping to be out front. For the first lap I struggled a bit trying to make the 165 work in a way it really wasnt meant to. Being used to my YZ250 I was taking inside lines, squaring off corners, and trying to power out. Keep in mind that this is deep loose sand Im talking about. Dirt would have different but this stuff just sucks power from your bike. Not that the WB165 cant do it the way I was trying but I had to keep it a gear lower and shift twice as much. The tire was spinning a lot out of the corners. Soon began to keep to the outside of the big sand berms. This is where the bike really started to shine. I was really trying to carry my speed and slip the clutch. The 165 would pull out of the sandy berms like nobodys business! Once I got the hang of it I actually saved energy. Im not used to riding smaller bikes so it took me a while to figure this out. Once into the woods and pinning it between turns look out. Slingshotting between the trees and from turn to turn was so much fun! I never really opened the YZ up in the woods out of fear it would kill me. This bike feels so light, turns so well, and stops so fast, that it ripping through the woods is soooo much easier. Anyone I was catching up to had no trouble hearing me behind them! Anyone who races south Jersey will tell you that these courses get whooped out really bad. The 165 easily powered through these keeping the front wheels skipping across the tops. The last lap when I was exhausted is where the real test for the bike was. I didnt have the energy to really open the bike up in the woods anymore. Well the WB165 was able to carry my tired 225 pound carcass through the second half of the last lap. I lugged the bike everywhere possible and it held up great to the abuse. I found myself slipping the clutch more in the sand mainly due to being to lazy to shift. It didnt matter the bike pulled it fine. At times it was difficult to find the right gear but I thinking that this is because the FMF Gnarly that I have right now hits too hard down low and I was trying to keep that from happening once I was tired. I cant wait to try Walts modified FMF Fatty! Smoothing out this hit and getting a little top end back will put this bikes power right in the sweet spot.
At the end of it all I was very happy how the 165 pulled through the sand. I thought for sure that I would be at a disadvantage but it didnt take long to realize that the light weight coupled with great power really worked well once I figured out how to use it. I ended up with a 2nd place finish and was pleased with that. The bike held up great and didnt let me down even when I feel that I abused it. The best part is that most people think its still a 125!
The next race is in West Virginia which is a lot of up and downs through the woods. I had a blast there last year and its the type of terrain I am used to. I cant wait to try the WB165 there! I will report back with how it goes!
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but my dealer has a 12 wr125 with 144 kit fitted that i drule over every time i stop in, it is like a magnet every time i walk through the door ! was wondering which one you like the best for play and trail riding and which one for woods racing ? after about a hour on mine my hands start to go numb. does the wr have less vibration in the bars ? i'm thinking less long term maintance with the two stroke ? thanks for any feedback !