Tonya and PQBON's WebLog
As my engagement present, and because Tonya and I were tired of the starting problems with my 02 - YZ250F I go a brand new 2003 KTM 125SX. The first thought was to get rid of the YZ but it was too hard to find a replacement. So I get an additional bike to augment the YZ and give me time to trouble shoot the YZ with out missing out on riding experiences. The 03 was a dealer hold over that I got for $3999 which is $1000 below MSRP and below dealer cost. It made it cheeper to make the changes to turn it into an 04 then to buy and 04.
So far, on the 125SX, I have changed out the pipe and the silencer along with the reed block. These are actually all changes that KTM made for either the 04 or 05 model year. I have also added a TrailTech Endurance Computer and ASV C5 levers and a PowerNow. I'm also fixing the front fender. For 04 and 05 KTM added a brace to the front fender so it doesn't hit the front wheel off of jumps due to flex. I have the brace on order and will be bracing it up.
The new reed block is a MotoTassinari VForce3 setup. To change the reeds was a pain. I had to take off the silence and pipe (but that was OK since I was changing them anyway) but I also had to pull the rear subframe and the carburetor. The stock reed block didn't want to come out. I pulled and I tugged. I tried to pry and tried to tap, nothing seemed to work. Finally, I took a punch and a hammer and hit it in the side pretty damn hard and it worked free. The new reeds use a gasket that is separate from the cage so it should be much easier to remove when reed replacement is needed.
The next step was the ProCircuit Pipe and Silencer. I went with a Works Pipe and a 296 silencer. The works pipe will add power through out the whole power band and the 296 will make the bike run quieter.
Before the subframe and airbox were reinstalled I installed a ScaryFast Racing PowerNow. Since I had everything apart it was really easy. It did make it harder to reinstall the airbox airboot. The PowerNow along with the pipe and reeds should give the 125 more bottom end, which most reviews say the KTM is missing. The pipe and the reeds are exactly how KTM chained the 04 125 to address the bottom end.
The rest of the changes are the controls and user experience. I changed the clutch and brake lever to ASV C5 levers. I looked at the F3/F1 design as a way of saving money but I prefer the shape of the C5 (I have them on my YZ250F) so I stuck with the C5. I switched the grips to Renthal Dual Compound grips which is what I run on my YZ250F and used to run on my BMW F650GS. The final addition is the TrailTech Endurance Computer. This is largely going to be used as an hour meter so I know how much I'm using the bike but it will be nice to know how fast and far I'm going when trail riding. I'm going to build a better mount system for now it is just clamped to the handle bars.
Posted by pqbon at December 6, 2004 4:02 PM | TrackBack