WE RIDE DUBACH RACING’S 2024 YAMAHA YZ85

Dubach Racing is making a comeback, and we’re glad to see them investing in the younger generation.

Doug Dubach is as busy as ever. The former Yamaha factory rider and AMA Supercross winner is still winning his class at the World Vet Championship and World Two-Stroke Championship. Plus, he still spends time test riding for the Yamaha R&D program, helping them develop the newest Yamaha four-strokes, two-strokes and, yes, even mini-cycles. In addition to his testing and racing careers, Doug also founded Dubach Racing & Development (DR.D) in 2000, which is now in the hands of new owner Jehan Tetangco, who worked directly under Doug at Dubach Racing from 2006 to 2009. 

With Doug stepping back from  DR.D due to his busy schedule, Jehan was the perfect man to revitalize the brand. Jehan worked in the automotive world before and after he left DR.D in 2010. He did marketing and sales for the famed DC Sports group, which started as DC Fabrication, building pipes for Mitch Payton in the early days of Pro Circuit. DC Fabrication was the leader in building Honda/Acura import cars during the import car craze in the ’80s and ’90s. Needless to say, Jehan understands the motorsports world and is passionate about motocross. He has a long-term goal for rebuilding the DR.D brand. 

Of course, Doug wouldn’t sell his business and walk away. He is still the CPO, Chief Product Officer, and Jehan is not allowed to introduce any new pipes without Doug’s stamp of approval. Doug is still testing and developing every exhaust the company makes, and one benefit of Doug’s smaller stature is that he can develop mini-pipes, too! 

DOUG FOUNDED DR.D RACING IN 2000, WHICH IS NOW IN THE HANDS OF NEW OWNER JEHAN TETANGCO, WHO WORKED DIRECTLY UNDER DOUG AT DUBACH RACING FROM 2006 TO 2009.

The YZ85 pipe came to fruition after hours on the dyno and hours on the track with Doug Dubach and Jehan’s son, Caleb Tetangco. Because of his decades as Yamaha’s head test rider, Doug knows what works and what doesn’t. DR.D originally specialized in four-stroke exhausts, since Doug was on the ground floor of developing the original Yamaha YZ400 four-stroke. DR.D built up a loyal customer base with the vet market of riders who were looking for smooth, rideable power. 

What DR.D lacked was brand awareness with the young up-and-comers and two-stroke riders (since their focus was on four-stroke exhausts). The purpose of their new mini-cycle two-stroke line of pipes is not to overtake FMF and Pro Circuit but to build DR.D’s visibility among the younger generations and offer rideable power to the kids. 

Of course, with Doug’s connection to Yamaha, it’d be easy to think that DR.D is only making product for the Yamaha two-stroke bikes. Not true. They’re producing two-stroke pipes and silencers for KTM, Husqvarna and GasGas bikes as well. 

The engine mods were minor. It had a V-Force4R reed valve, re-jetted carburetor, Psychic clutch plates with heavy-duty clutch springs, and the DR.D pipe. The custom-engraved Nihilo ignition cover was the cherry on top.

THE BIKE

The Yamaha YZ85 stayed practically the same from 2002 to 2018 before receiving significant updates for the 2019 season. The 2019 YZ85 benefited from the popular YPVS (Yamaha Power Valve System), which helped the bottom to mid-range power, making it much easier to ride. It also gained new outer fork tubes, a stronger swingarm, 1-1/8-inch handlebars and updated brakes. The 2019 YZ85 stayed the same until 2022 when the Yamaha YZ85 was updated again—inspired by the YZ125 and YZ250 changes. All the Yamaha two-strokes came with new bodywork, flatter seats, new subframes and updated airboxes to flow more air into the engine. The YZ85 also received stronger engine mounts on the chromoly steel frame in 2022, a stronger rear axle, an updated one-piece swingarm, and updated brakes as well. We appreciated the changes Yamaha made for 2019 and 2022, but the stock YZ85 still has room for improvement. 

Before getting into the results of our stock versus DR.D pipe test, we’ll share some details about the YZ85. In the handling department, our test riders greatly appreciated having Enzo-tuned suspension. The stock YZ85 setup isn’t far off for an average 85 rider, but the Enzo setup provided more holdup for the faster and more experienced kids, making it easier to focus on the priority of this test, which was engine character. 

Other than the pipe and silencer, Caleb’s YZ engine was left fairly stock, with only the essentials being upgraded. Jehan runs Maxima Super M premix. For jetting, DR.D dropped the needle one clip position down to line three (OEM line 4). The main jet was dropped to 142 (OEM 145), and the pilot was left stock at 45. A VForce4R reed valve with Moto Tassinari’s YZ85 air boot was used to optimize air intake and complement the DR.D exhaust. Underneath the GYTR clutch cover, the bike had a Psychic Performance clutch kit with heavy-duty springs to enhance clutch bite and durability. Dunlop’s MX34 tires were mounted on the stock YZ85 wheels. The OEM 1.1 radiator cap was replaced with a Myler’s 1.6 cap, and the stock sprocket was replaced with a 46-tooth Primary Drive aluminum rear sprocket. 

AESTHETICALLY, THE DR.D YZ85 LOOKED FACTORY. THE WHITE REAR END IS IN VOGUE RIGHT NOW,THANKS TO THE CLUBMX YAMAHA SQUAD, AND OUR MINI WRECKING CREW.

Aesthetically, the DR.D YZ85 looked factory. The white rear end is in vogue right now, thanks to the ClubMX Yamaha squad, and our mini wrecking crew testers were all giddy when they saw the white Guts seat with the white Acerbis side number panels and white rear fender. Roost MX graphics did an awesome job of tying the white and blue together with the DR.D and MXA logos. Nihilo Concepts also gave the YZ85 the factory touch with the MXA logo custom-engraved into the billet ignition cover. Caleb’s dad, Jehan, also used a Nihilo Concepts case saver, valve-stem caps, grip tape and factory-looking gold heat shield under the fuel tank. 

Caleb’s YZ85 ran the stock handlebars with ProTaper’s full-diamond glue-on grips and Ride Engineering’s one-piece YZ85 billet handlebar mounts. These bar mounts are pretty cool. They work on both YZ85 and YZ65 models, and they use rubber vibration dampers to help prevent the front end from twisting in a crash. We set the bar mounts up at the stock height, but they can be customized with spacers to lower or raise them for everyone from a young rider to a man-child. 

Of course, we used Works Connection’s Pro Launch starting device to optimize starts. Caleb races locally almost every weekend in Southern California, and he raced this bike at Washougal for the Yamaha-only bLU cRU Invitational. Jehan also added oversized titanium footpegs to give Caleb a solid grip on the bike and added titanium and stainless steel button-head bolts to shave a little weight and make the bike look factory. 

The DR.D-modded YZ85 engine is snappy off the bottom.

HOW IT WORKED

Throughout our test day, we had three different riders going back to back with the stock pipe and silencer against DR.D’s new “generation two” pipe and silencer. Here’s a direct quote from one of our 14-year-old test riders, who apparently spends a lot of time with dogs and likes Mexican food: “With the DR.D pipe, it felt more barky, and you didn’t have to give it as much beans.” Translation? The DR.D setup did its job. It woke the bike up significantly.The YZ was snappier off the bottom, allowing it to get into the mid-range quicker, and felt stronger throughout the power curve. 

Enzo tuned the suspension.

We didn’t test it on our dyno, but after our session was over and all our notes were compiled, Jehan showed us the results of a stock versus DR.D pipe comparison on their dyno. We were surprised the top end didn’t show much improvement on the dyno, especially after all three of our test riders felt the top end was much better on the track; however, we concluded that the boost in bottom-end power improved the top-end feel.

The DR.D silencer.

Ever since we first tested DR.D exhausts on our YZ-F four-strokes, we’ve known that Doug doesn’t like comparing dyno numbers. Like most good tuners, Doug knows that dyno numbers aren’t the end-all, be-all. The true test is the dirt dyno. How does it feel on the track? And in this case, the track test was more impressive than the peak dyno number. 

Ride Engineering bar mounts.

The YZ85 isn’t blessed with the fastest stock 85cc engine, and because of this, it requires extra clutch work to get up and going with faster or heavier mini-bike riders on board.  The best part about the DR.D setup was that our test riders didn’t have to rely on the clutch as much as on the stocker. The pipe made for a great experience on the track. We only wish they would have stamped a cool DR.D badge on the pipe. Every kid wants to show off which modified parts he has on his bike. After all, the main reason for DR.D’s mini bike pipes is exposure, right? For more info go to www.dubachracing.com.