125-200cc 2009 WR 125: 10th ride/30 hour report

typing this up as the bike is essentially as delivered sans an FMF spark arrestor/muffler for compliance. had 5 mos off due to "red sticker" season restrictions.

hours: approx 30+

terrain/use: dry, steep, rocky, loose, open and tight, 2500'-8000', one mud/snow ride, one 5 hour/80km by invite expert only extreme XC ride. (my last extreme enduro kinda dealio, the ol bod just aint taking that abuse anoymore. i finished in good time, but the wr carried me). "casual" trail riding.

parts used: 4 tires, that's it.

defects/failures: none. zero. nada. zip. no leaks, nothing broken. even the pipe o-ring at the ex-port still dont leak. it's dry and clean. even the stock OEM grips are still good. And, the factory hand gaurds, that look like a rabbid grizzly got ahold of them, are still hanging in there.

mods: i redid the rebound stack in the fork and slowed it down a tad while i changed the oil.

starting: 1 kick, in or out of gear

engine: great torque, power everywhere. pulled pipe today and pitson/ring is normal for time and the abuse i give it on some of these climbs at my spot. ring is due soon. bore is perfect. no varnish or carbon to speak of and no coke in the pipe (motul 710 2t oil). mid-hill restarts are really, really good. it chugs up stuff fine, and, on long steep stuff keep the flywheel spooled up and the clutch lever pulled in and in the meat and if there is traction this bike will find it. and, it can also build momentum/drive as you go. it's a 10,000 rpm tractor. excellent flywheel. would not trade it for anything, including more zap.

carb/air filter: stock OEM.

trans: good gaps. stays in gear and no false neutrals.

clutch: abuse proof, OEM.

cooling: so far it aitn overheated. i've had it in some truly brutal stuff, baking the clutch going nowhere fast and so far so good. aint even lost an ounce of coolant. same level as i got it from the dealer.

chassis: moto-like. rigid. fork could use more flex. nervous at speed on small-chop due to my set up. nice ground clearance and my tootsies are out of trouble on this one- yeh, it's tall, but it's worth it. ever had your foot smashed or wrenched from the peg? i have, a lot. i'll take all the GC i can.

suspension: reacts to adjustments. good range of adjustability to clickers. love the speed bleeders on the fork esp after ear popping climbs and such. a little stiffly sprung but dampers are nice and i'll take it as is. i've been increasing the sag the past few rides. i'm now at 4.5" and it works much better and tracks straighter going up cobby stuff. i also took more compression damp out of both ends with the clickers too. still resists g-outs etc. no stiction to speak of and i can ride burried rim busting rocks and baby heads all day and not get sore wrists.

brakes: unreal. great feedback, grip and fade resistance. there's some decents i do that are 10, 15 mins or more, my ears pop twice and the rotors are still silver. there's no fade or loss of lever/pedal. dry condtions will help this but the wear is less than average. 60% left in rear, 80% in the front. and they get abused.

bits: top shelf controls and adjusters. 1-finger "star" on clutch perch is a very nice touch. clutch lever is effortless. rubber mounted bar in reverseable clamps makes for a wide range of riders. no hydraulic clutch either, thank god. those just suck on off-road'ers, period. everything is original, OEM.

ease of service: 10/10

i've had zero issues with this motorcycle. it rips up top, climbs, decends, turns, works on the pipe and off short-shifting on goat trails.
it don't load up and the stock mikuni works perfectly. i've converted my share of mx bikes for off-road, some good, some turned out not so good, esp when the speeds go to zero and the clutch abuse goes up. this bike has the best of both worlds. what a killer off-roader and it's easy to pick up and carry over non-ridables. as soon as i get an IMS tank the lunch box is coming off and tugg-straps are going on both ends.

ktm offers a similar machine for 50% more than what i paid. i'd stack this lil husky, some dealers were flat giving away, against it any day, anywhere regardless of what DR mag said....and, i'll take the money i saved and spend it on extras, tires, fuel and the first few payments.

many months ago when this bike first came out i was almost first in line to get one. life got in the way and that plan got shelved for what looked like ever and it was looking bleak. fortune smiled on me and i landed one at year's end and it's been a non-stop honeymoon ever since getting to know it. i change the oil, clean the filter, toss a leg over, one kick and im gone. aint that how it's s'posed to be?

i've worn out 3 dozen or so bikes over that past 3 decades and i wish this bike was around when i was still in one piece. man, what a keeper. i'm lovin' my lil bizzy-bee, big time, and it'll never get sold- ever.....this one's a keepr

Love your terminology and thorough report as ususal PVDuke
My 08 is about 35 hrs - changed chain and sprockets to 52 rear as front 13 was worn
probably needs front pads thats about it . Im going to do the top end more because I want to than need to. On third rear tyre.
I havent had any breakages - only broken rear fender from flipping . Not even a dent in pipe as I have a guard on there.
You probably need more time to ride - like me!
Rain rain go away ..

oy! ya spelled "tire" wrong mate!

love that 08 of yours. took me some time to get used to the new 09 chassis from the older hoosk's as they were as comfy to me as an old shoe. it's coming around though and i think i got a final recipe for the suspension settings.

and send some rain my way mate, puhleez!!

to expand some on the point of modifying mx bikes for enduro....did some that were simple, mostly 250's. the asian 125's were tough, like the late 80's RM's. the clutches, cooling systems and stuff just werent up to uber-ganrly stuff. snapped a couple con rods and had lower end failures and piston failures too. glad husky got it right the first try.

Here, here! It is amazing when a two wheeler speaks for itself. Pvduke, four tires, already!!! wow. You must change them when the edge wears off. Got a supplier we need to know about???. My 2010 has apprx. 70 hrs on it and the only issue that I am puzzled about is my shock resevoir. Other than that, jetting dilemmas are expected on any bike so they cannot be classed as an issue! I am still on the original michelin that came with the steed. Like yourself, I would never give my little red buddie up for anything.

Excellent review on an awesome bike and thanks for taking the time to post up your thoughts.

thank you john.

tommy- it's rocky and dry where i ride and tires, for me at least, go away pretty fast. gonna try some Motoz next time, Kel was out of same last go round so....had to get some fast as old ones were chunked and cut. used to use take off's from the race shop here on other bikes befre i got the WR but they were factory-only compounds and lasted one ride, maybe two and i got tired of changing tires all the time. now i get 3-4 rides out of a set before they get shagged.

im pretty stoked as this bike is rock stock, extremely flexable, robust and it needs nothing to go from casual riding to serious all-out death-marches in any terrain.....other than a capable rider in good health.

stopped shaving my legs when i retired from mtn bike racing. but i still got the gams for a dress. at least "that's what she said".

and, i'm just a kid at heart. mentally too most will say that know me.

mreeeeeeeeeeep mreeeeeeeeep!

Nice one boyz! Yeah Pv. rocky shale IS a tire eater. I have to say, though, I am totally impressed at how and when and for how long I can lug through the technical "short" steeps with this amazing ONE, TWO, FIVE!:canada: Especially after riding an '06 YZ 250 in the bush for three yrs.

I'm loving mine too. Only complaint is that I don't get to ride it enough!

yeh, it is nice having an out of the box off-roader for a change, no 19" wheels, no non-oring chain, no flywheel mods, etc. them 125 suzooks were bummers. they turned so nicely and that's why i modded a couple but man, the bottom ends in those things were junk. they were lighter and quicker turning than my 87/88 Hoosk WRE 125 but they just didnt have it in the reliability dept. so they got tossed and the hoosk's got the nod for a long long time and never had an issue with them.

*

ditto skipper!!

I only hope my body parts last long enough to necessitate a few more Huskies!

Don't forget, beginning racers!

and they're also for.....




wait for it......





cupcakes!!!