Two Wheel Fix - View Single Post

Fat Baby Joe · 10-08-2008, 10:24 AM

The free beer was certainly appreciated!

I have a Honda rs125, and a Yamaha tz250.

I got the 125 in '00 from Peter Hoffman out in CA. He was a gpra national champion (used to race with the likes of Vickie Bell), went on to do some European GP before he crashed hard and messed up his right hand. The bike has been through a few changes.. It was a '96 (arguably one of the best engine years), but has '00 cases, a '97 frame, magnesium rims, and lots of other goodies. I've also stuffed the cases and done some cylinder matching/porting. It's a quick one. Due to the engine configuration, it has a lot of overrev and high speed power, but is not as torque-ey as the 96 engine it came with (which would wheelie in 2nd gear, but have NO top end). Obviously, different powerbands are needed for different tracks. So setup is a key factor.

It weighs in at 160lbs, puts out around 40hp. The power band is like a light switch.. nolthing until around 9500rpm.. then it wants to rip itself out of your hand. It's a hard bike to learn, but an easy bike to ride.. but a really hard bike to go fast on. High cornerspeed is the key. Gas it until you think you're gonna die.. then wait another two seconds. I put a brembo radial brake master on it.. I can go from 6th gear to 1st gear and have the rear end in the air with one finger. Crazy. It tops out around 120mph, and on long tracks, the draft is important.

The TZ is also a 96, but heavily modified. I got if from a friend, Steve Scott who had done the full AMA 250 season its' final year (04? 05?). He had some top ten finishes on this bike. It's got a full charge electrical system, the cases are stuffed, B-kit cylinders, overbored carbs, jolly moto pipes.

It weighs in at 220lbs, and produces about 85hp. The thing is a friggin rocketship. And that's an understatement. The powerband is a little more forgiving.. it comes on a bit smoother.. but it pulls HARD. And I mean HARD. Fantastic bike.

I do all my own work.. suspension, tuning and wrenching. I do all my own engine rebuilds, etc. While some think the bikes are a pain, due to higher maintenance thhan normal, I find that it's a positive factor. You could take either of those bikes apart to the nut.. and I can tell you what every part is, where it goes, and what it does. It really helps when you race to know your bike at that level of detail.. Of course, when I started racing these things I had NO idea what I was doing. I was lucky to have pitted with a bunch of really good two-stroke guys from day one. I learned a lot froom them (and have since passed down quite a bit of knowledge to others... that's how it works).

Anyways, there ya go. Here's an onboard clip from my bike for the warmup lap at the can-am 125 nationals at Mosport in '05. I got third:

http://www.fatbaby.org/racing/video/050717joe.mpg

I haven't done much racing since 06 due to time constraints.. but I do teach track days at NHIS. It's fun to show the big bike guys with snotty attitudes how raw power really means nothing at the track

Enjoy!

10-08-2008, 10:24 AM	#15
Fat Baby Joe Squid Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Boston Moto: '04 KTM 950 Adventure, '96 Honda rs125, '96 Yamaha tz250, '02 Honda cr250 Posts: 9	The free beer was certainly appreciated! I have a Honda rs125, and a Yamaha tz250. I got the 125 in '00 from Peter Hoffman out in CA. He was a gpra national champion (used to race with the likes of Vickie Bell), went on to do some European GP before he crashed hard and messed up his right hand. The bike has been through a few changes.. It was a '96 (arguably one of the best engine years), but has '00 cases, a '97 frame, magnesium rims, and lots of other goodies. I've also stuffed the cases and done some cylinder matching/porting. It's a quick one. Due to the engine configuration, it has a lot of overrev and high speed power, but is not as torque-ey as the 96 engine it came with (which would wheelie in 2nd gear, but have NO top end). Obviously, different powerbands are needed for different tracks. So setup is a key factor. It weighs in at 160lbs, puts out around 40hp. The power band is like a light switch.. nolthing until around 9500rpm.. then it wants to rip itself out of your hand. It's a hard bike to learn, but an easy bike to ride.. but a really hard bike to go fast on. High cornerspeed is the key. Gas it until you think you're gonna die.. then wait another two seconds. I put a brembo radial brake master on it.. I can go from 6th gear to 1st gear and have the rear end in the air with one finger. Crazy. It tops out around 120mph, and on long tracks, the draft is important. The TZ is also a 96, but heavily modified. I got if from a friend, Steve Scott who had done the full AMA 250 season its' final year (04? 05?). He had some top ten finishes on this bike. It's got a full charge electrical system, the cases are stuffed, B-kit cylinders, overbored carbs, jolly moto pipes. It weighs in at 220lbs, and produces about 85hp. The thing is a friggin rocketship. And that's an understatement. The powerband is a little more forgiving.. it comes on a bit smoother.. but it pulls HARD. And I mean HARD. Fantastic bike. I do all my own work.. suspension, tuning and wrenching. I do all my own engine rebuilds, etc. While some think the bikes are a pain, due to higher maintenance thhan normal, I find that it's a positive factor. You could take either of those bikes apart to the nut.. and I can tell you what every part is, where it goes, and what it does. It really helps when you race to know your bike at that level of detail.. Of course, when I started racing these things I had NO idea what I was doing. I was lucky to have pitted with a bunch of really good two-stroke guys from day one. I learned a lot froom them (and have since passed down quite a bit of knowledge to others... that's how it works). Anyways, there ya go. Here's an onboard clip from my bike for the warmup lap at the can-am 125 nationals at Mosport in '05. I got third: http://www.fatbaby.org/racing/video/050717joe.mpg I haven't done much racing since 06 due to time constraints.. but I do teach track days at NHIS. It's fun to show the big bike guys with snotty attitudes how raw power really means nothing at the track Enjoy!