MOTOCROSS ACTION MID-WEEK REPORT
#WHIPITWEDNESDAY
Rider: Nick Wey
Nick Wey was a great amateur rider who went on to have a spectacular pro career. Growing up he was one of those riders who would always show up to an amateur event and be tough to beat. He raced Loretta Lynns ten different years winning eight classes in the process and finishing second multiple times as well. In his first pro season in 1998, he would put up some great results that propelled him to ninth overall in the championship which is very good for a rookie. In the 1999 125 East Supercross, he would finish second overall to Ernesto Fonseca. Even though he had a great career, his only win would come the next motocross season of 1999 where he won the Spring Creek National. He still would be a contender through the years but didn’t see the top step of the podium again. He would race up to 2016 where he would retire from the circuit. He now manages and helps his son Vincent Wey, who is a top-level amateur currently racing in the B class.
TWO-STROKE SPOTLIGHT: PROJECT TWO-STROKE BUILT BY ALEXANDER STRIZHAKOV
My next project of building a motorcycle based on the engine and frame from the IZH K 16. A lot of work has been done in this project and many old parts have been made. It will be intended for racing on vintage dual shock absorbers. In the spring it will be completely ready. In fact, this IZH engine had good torque due to the heavy crankshaft and cylinder scavenging, which exceeded the torque of the CZ 380 and it was pleasant and easy to ride the IZH engine.
But the factory IZH was very heavy and clumsy. My project is completely free of these shortcomings. (Here are some examples of what’s included: Izh K-16 engine with a homemade reed valve from an old Yamaha.
PVL ignition, homemade pipe, and muffler, modified clutch from a Honda CR 250. Aluminum gas tank from a 1979 Honda Elsinore. Modified swingarm from a 1980 KTM 250, Ohlins Twin Shock shock absorbers. Conventional Honda XR Showa 41 mm front forks. Rear wheel with magnesium hub from CZ. Front and rear fender in the style of the classic CR 80.
The bike is made in the spirit of the 70s and contains many homemade parts, such as an aluminum air filter box. In the spring I will be able to present you with a fully finished bike.
GLEN HELEN’S NEW RACE: $100,000 PRIVATEER CHALLENGE EXPLAINED
MXA PHOTO TRIVIA
Who is this rider? Answer at the bottom of the article.
UPCOMING: 2024 WORLD VET MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP – LIVE ON NOVEMBER 3RD FROM GLEN HELEN RACEWAY
NEW MOOSE 20MM OFFSET SHIFTERS
Moose Offroad would like to introduce our new +20mm Offset Shifters and Shifter Tips. These offer
an extended reach shift option for riders with larger feet or those who need more room in the
cockpit. They are constructed of CNC machined billet aluminum and anodized with a UV coating for
a long-lasting color. They are offered as a complete shifter, or the tip separate to adapt any
previous Moose aluminum shifter.
Shifters are offered as bike specific replacements. The +20mm
Shift Tip is offered in: Red, Blue, Green, Orange, Gold, and Black. MSRP ranges from $25.95 to
$47.95. Head on over to your local dealer or to www.mooseracing.com to check these out.
CARSON BROWNS TRICK KAWASAKI KX125 TWO-STROKE
By Carson Brown
Two-strokes are a blast, especially 125cc smokers. They might be slow in a world of four-strokes, but that’s what makes them so much fun to ride. Just hold them wide open and you’ll remember why you ride dirt bikes. The burnt-oil smell is incredible too. Up here in the Pacific Northwest (PNW), we have the 125 Dream Race at Washougal MX Park, which is the coolest race on the planet—BBQs, holeshot races, pit bike races, bike shows, and Beginner to Pro classes. It has been going on for a few years and has really caught on across the country. People in the PNW spend an entire year searching Craigslist, planning vacations and building 125s to get ready for the Washougal 125 Dream Race. I’m one of those guys. I have raced most of them over the years and have ridden and built some pretty cool bikes. Rumor has it that there might even be a 125 class added to the AMA outdoor Nationals for 2018.
This year I was on Team Green Kawasaki KX250F for some of the Amateur Nationals, so I started looking for a KX125 to race for the 125 Dream Race. Since Kawasaki hasn’t made a KX125 in the U.S. since 2005, it wasn’t going to be easy. I had a 2005 KX125 when I moved up from Super Minis a few years ago, and I think my Super Mini was faster. A buddy of mine happened to come up with a blown-up KX125 to use as a donor to get the project started. My favorite thing about the KX125 is that it handles incredibly well and feels like a toy on the track. For me, everything is in the right place to go fast, so it’s worth the effort to make a modern version.
My family owns BBR Motorsports, so they usually go crazy with bike builds, and this project was no different. Of course, they wanted to put the KX125 into a 2017 KX250F frame, which made sense, until I tried it out. For me, aluminum frames and two-strokes don’t get along. The aluminum frames are too stiff and vibrate no matter how well the crank is balanced. I want my 125 frame flexing like a rubber band. The other issue was that the KX250F swingarm bolt is moved further back to fit the longer and taller four-stroke engine, so that causes even more handling problems. I’m sure when Kawasaki is forced to build another 125 two-stroke, they can make it all work if it’s designed around the 125 engine from the start.
We decided to update the stock ’05 steel-framed chassis with the 2017 KX250F bodywork. First, we made some brackets to mount the subframe and used the stock KX250F tank. It worked awesomely, but I was looking for something more. We ended up making a gas tank that moved everything an inch closer to the head tube so I could get a little further up on the bike. A custom subframe was built to get it to all fit like a production bike.
Once the bodywork was sorted out, we got Bones at Pro Circuit to do some Showa A-Kit suspension for it. We used air forks to save even more weight. The main thing the A-Kit suspension has over the 2017 KX250F production suspension is that it stays consistent. It always feels the same due to the oversized fork tubes, large shock shaft and coatings.
As far as the engine, we used the Athena 125 kit because it revs super high. Athena also makes a 144 kit that is awesome in the sand, mud, woods, etc., and it has more bottom end. I tend to ring the bikes all the way out, so I prefer the feel of a quick-revving 125 kit. We used a Pro Circuit works pipe with the longer R silencer for even more top end. I’m a reed chipper, so Moto Tassinari sent over one of James Stewart’s V-Force 4 reed blocks, and that really let the KX rev high. The 125 can be tricky to jet perfectly because it runs the best when it is lean; however, there is a fine line between perfection and disaster. We used a Lectron carb, and it came jetted almost perfectly right out of the box, which lowered my mechanic’s stress level. They use an external screw to fine-tune the jetting instead of a main or pilot jet. Genius.
KX125 clutches often get hammered, so a full Hinson setup was used to eliminate any problems. I run Dunlop MX3S tires everywhere these days, mounted on Excel A-60 rims and Pro-Wheel lightweight hubs. In addition, Renthal bars, grips, sprockets and ARC levers are all things that make me feel comfortable. N-Style came through with the factory team graphics to complete the updated look.
This KX125 isn’t the fastest 125 I have ever ridden, but this bike is without a doubt the best-cornering, best-suspended and best-handling bike I have ever raced. If you are looking to have a great time racing and working on dirt bikes, the 125 Dream Race is one to get on your calendar now. See you there!
ASK THE MXPERTS: “WE HEAR THIS ALL THE TIME”
Alan Olson (left) was the mechanic for Doug Dubach (right), and in 1997 they both won titles at the World Vet Championship. Doug would go on to win 28 World Vet crowns, while Alan won 9 titles.
Dear MXperts,
There is an old guy who goes to my church who says that he was a famous motocross racer back in 1997 and that he won several championships. I’ve only been riding for three years, so I don’t know enough about racing from 27 years ago to refute his assertions. Can you help?
Probably not. There are all kinds of local and regional championships that your pal from church could have won that nobody ever heard of. You told us his name, which we edited out for his sake, but we have never heard of him (and we have heard of everybody). To help you narrow it down, here is a list every important motocross champion from 1997.
1997 MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONS
AMA 125 Champ…Ricky Carmichael
AMA 250 Champ…Jeff Emig
AMA 250 SX Champ…Jeff Emig
125 West…Kevin Windham
125 East…Tim Ferry
AMA Rookie of Year…Brock Sellards
FIM 125 World..Alessio Chiodi
FIM 250 World…Stefan Everts
FIM 500 World…Joel Smets
World Sidecar MX…Krister Sergis/Artis Rasmanis
MXDN…Team Belgium (Bervoets, Everts, Smets)
Japanese 125…Shunji Takami
Japanese 250…Jeff Matiasevich
Canadian 125…Blair Morgan
Canadian 250…Blair Morgan
Australian 125…Troy Carroll
Australian 250…Craig Anderson
AMA Arenacross…Buddy Antunez
World Four-Stroke…Shaun Kalos
Over-30 World Vet…Doug Dubach
Over-40 World Vet…Ron Turner
Over-50 World Vet…Alan Olson
Over-60 World Vet…Zoli Berenyi, Sr.
Women…Traci Fleming
Commotion by the Ocean…Ryan Hughes
Paris Supercross…Jeff Emig
GFI Supercross…Steve Lamson
REM Number One…Alan Olson
Mammoth 80…Justin Buckelew
Mammoth 125…Steve Lamson
Mammoth 250…Casey Johnson
Mammoth Four-Stroke…Lance Smail
Mammoth Over-30…Willy Musgrave
Mammoth Over-40…Rex Staten
World Mini 80 Stock…Justin Buckelew
World Mini 80 Mod…Justin Buckelew
Ponca City 80 Stock…Justin Buckelew
Ponca City 80 Mod…Justin Buckelew
Branson 80 Stock…Adam Mennenga
Branson 80 Mod…Adam Mennenga
Loretta Lynn 80 Stock…Justin Buckelew
Loretta Lynn 80 Mod…Justin Buckelew
AMA Athlete of Year…Jeff Emig
Edison Dye Award…Roger DeCoster
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: CRAIG DELONG ENDS 2024 GNCC SEASON ON A HIGH WITH IRONMAN VICTORY
“I didn’t really know where I would stack up, but I was motivated to come back and knew that a good start in the conditions today was everything, I executed that, so was second early on, and then once I was in the lead I was able to ride my lines and get a gap. I was able to maintain the advantage for the rest of the race, so after a tough year, to finish on top at Ironman is awesome.”
MXA PHOTO OF THE WEEK
Max Anstie finished second overall at the first round of WSX which was the Canadian Gp. Max now sits sixteen points down from the leader, Shane McElrath.
CLASSIC MXA PHOTO
Adam Cianciarulo at the Washougal National in 2019. Adam would go on to win the motocross championship that year.
MXA Photo Trivia Answer: Brad Lackey who was notable for becoming the first and only American to win the 500cc motocross world championship in 1982.
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