Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

petals are stiffer than the original pieces. An FMF Gold Series Pipe and Powercore Silencer were added. Kawasaki had already cut our sidepanels and modified our seat base for better airflow. "On the dyno, a stock KXl25 comes to a narrow peak," said Varner. "It's got reasonable power in stock condition, but it's a narrow spread. We try to broaden the powerband." Suspension-wise, FMF suspension technician Rob Henricksen revalved the fork and shock to be more compliant over small-edged bumps, yet firmer on larger hits and landings. "We lessened the high-speed compression damping. and gave both ends more low-speed compression damping." said Henricksen. "Our goal was to make both ends plusher on square edges and stiffer on big stuff. " Spectro oils were used in both the forks and shock - Spectro 85/150 in the forks and Spectro Ultralight in the shock - and Henricksen set the fork oil height at 90mm from the top. The fork's compression clickers were set full in, then out 10, while the rebound clickers were set full in, then out 12. The shock's rebound clicker was set full in and out 12, and the comp ression adjuster was dialed all the way out, then in four clicks. Rounding out the completed package -racer were a set of FMF's radiator shroud and front fender graphics, and a matching Ceet Racing/FMF seat cover. Paul Crumling of Pro Plates International provided the pre-cut numberplate backgrounds, as well as a cool set of custom numbers. aREAT 8AUS OF RIfE? One look at the bike's flame theme brings to mind hot rods of the 50's. Gaudy? Well, maybe a little - but the graphics grow on you rather quickly. The first thing we noticed about the bike was that the engine seemed to rev a little quicker, as if it weren't as choked as the stocker. The exhaust note was also a bit louder, but one look at the smallish silencer will tell you why. On the track, it quickly became apparent that FMF had succeeded in bringing the KX to life. Power was improved throughout the powerband, and the bike packed a much harder hit than it did in stock condition. Though the low-end was nothing to write home about (and what 125's is?), the midrange and top-end power was noticeably imp roved . Because of the improved power, fanning the clutch constantly was no longer necessary. Thanks in part - we suspectto the bored-out carburetor, the KX will continue to pull further through each gear, rather than flattening out as the rpm builds. On sandy or loamy tracks, the KXl25 was a killer. Not to say that it .wasn't just as effecti ve on hard-packed courses; it was. Throttle response was greatly improved. In addition to boring out the carburetor, FMF fine tuned the jetting. and as we said earlier, the bike revs much cleaner. In our opinion, the stock KX suspension works great when it 's new . But once the fork and shock are broken in, they begin to feel a little on the soft side. They still gobble up the small-to-mediurn sized bumps well, but the larger hits can easily bottom out the suspension. The FMF-modified fork and shock felt quite different than stock, but to our initial disappointment, still felt too soft for hard riding. Before the forks and shock were modified, you would have had a hard time convincing us that the suspension could be made any plusher. Wrong! Henricksen's valving mods allow the KX to absolutely gobble up the small, square-edged bumps. It was when the bumps got bigger, however, that we felt things were a little soft. Clicking in the compression adjusters on each end resulted in a better ride, but any more than two clicks would make things harsh. Though FMF offers stiffer fork and shock springs, we opted to give Enzo Racing a call. They replaced stock .38 kg fork springs with stiffer .39s, and tossed the stock 4.7 shock spring in favor of a 4.8. The stiffer springs made a hugedifference on both ends, and when we readjusted the compression clickers to the FMF settings, the ride was marvelous. The stiffer fork and shock springs allowed the bike to ride higher in the travel, resulting in a slightly taller feel, but the initial travel proved to be just as plush. When the bumps got bigger and the whoops got deeper, the bike really began to shine. Bottoming the forks in deep compression dips was no longer a problem, and the rear end lost its low-rider feel as well. For comparison, we rode a stockvalved KX fitted with stiffer springs, front and rear. The stock bike was not nearly as forgiving over small, square edged bumps, and the rebound was a bit on the fast side. All in all, we were quite pleased with the FMF project KXl25. Not only was the bike much faster than stock, FMF managed to make an already good-handling bike handle even better. Add in the coolness-factor of the flame shroud graphics and seat cover, and we 've got a winner. cr (Above left) Even without the motor mods, the Gold series Pipe yields a noticable Increase In power throughout the powerband. The motor mods allow the bike to rev quicker and further. (Above) The FMF-modlfied suspension handles G-outs much better than the soft stock suspenders. Who!"' gonna' CIiI'? ·:. .FMFRacing U.S.A: 25933 Frampton Ave. '. Harbor City, CA90710 . . 310/539-6884 Enzo Racing . . . 17658San.Candelo . . Fountain Valley, CA92708 : 714/964-8010 . . Pro Plates International P.O . Box 91.1 Mt. Woll, PA 17347 717/266-0268 · . . . , . FMF Factory Head and Cylinder Mods '. $250 FMF Carburetor Mods .: '. $65 FMF Gold series PiPe ':: ::: .:$169:95 . FMFPower Core.Silencer .; $69.99. FMF Front Fender S~r Kit : $6.95 .FMF/CeeI Rating' seat C

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