Got a chance to wring the CR's neck today! I put a 52 sprocket on the rear. I got all of the preliminary break-in heat cycling done yesterday in the woods behind my house, so today was all about seeing what the bike could do while still using a break-in premix of 32:1 and limiting WOT to 100 yards or less at a time. Packed up at 9 this morning and headed to TNT Motorsports in Chester, SC. Great place to ride. Cody's favorite MX practice place, but it also has some decent single and double trails. It rained yesterday so the trails were a tad slick, but not enough to limit the testing. My first ride was a 7 mile run of single and double at no more than 3/4 throttle. The first thing I noticed, and I mentioned this already in another thread, was how well the thing ran with the stock jetting. I've got myself convinced this is due to the Ducati ignition because the bike just runs so much better than our '11 out of the box. There is a noticeable difference between how the two bikes ran when new. Hands down the '12 is much less finicky. Handling, as you would expect, is virtually identical to the '11. They say there were changes made to the frame, but aside from black paint, I have yet to see the differences. Next ride was on the same trail loop but my only restraint was limiting WOT to stints of no longer than 50 to 100 yards, which is about 3 spots on this loop. This is where I experienced a bit of the dreaded Husky mid throttle bog. Not much mind you, but noticeable. The WOT performance was orgasmic... every bit as strong as the 150. Again, I think the Ducati ignition has made a big difference. I got back to the pits and raised the needle one clip position to see if that helped the mid transition. I also softened up the forks and shock from the pogo-stick MX settings to my preferred old-fat-guy "sofa on 2 wheels" settings. Also, it dawned on me during this stop that I had changed the chain from stock to a DID X-ring. initially, it was very tight through the guide which leads me to believe this may have contributed to the "bog feel" during mid transition. I lubed the chain till it was dripping on the ground and headed out on the same loop for ride #3. This time, NO bog. Crisp transitions and plenty of GO at all throttle positions. Not 100% sure, but I think the needle adjustment was all it needed. The chain was probably not a huge contributor. This time out, I concentrated on going as fast as I could and wringing things out as best I could within the limits of my old fat guy mind and body. The little smoker delivered a fun factor that was off the charts! Scalpal handling. LIGHT weight feel. Tossability, flickability, and plenty of power on tap. The coolest thing of all was the fact that the bike only needed one minor jetting tweak as opposed to the many it took to get the 150 dialed in. I think this Ducati ignition is the real deal. Compared to the '11 150, the bikes seem almost identical with a tad more bottom on the 150. Identical handling. I will keep the 125 top until it wears out. IMHO, it doesn't need the 150. The power should only get better as the bike breaks in. I'm well pleased. Jetting on the 125: 460 main 45 pilot 1.5 turns AS #4 slide 4th clip down on stock needle 6.5mm float height
Interesting report. Its great when with a little trackside tinkering you get a desired result. Well done Mate.
I was told by Jeff at Hall's that the ignition is the same on the 2011 and 2012 CR 125's. Only the WR models got an upgraded ignition. There must have been other changes that are making a noticeable power increase?
I called Bill's yesterday to chat about a few things, and Bill told me the same thing... Only Ducatti ignitions on the WR platform, not the CR
Jeff said there was an error in the original press release. Same parts on the 11 and 12 CR 125 for the ignition. At least I don't have to order a new ignition now to try it.
Hmmm. Interesting. I guess I need to pull the modules off both my bikes and verify part #'s. If true, it'll leave me wondering why the '12 runs so much better with very little jetting tweaks. I can say without a doubt that the '12 runs better out of the box than the '11.
Bill's CR150 strait up rips , couple jetting tweaks was all he did and this was with a sparky. He said the new WR's run just about the same.
Yes this is a a problem we need fixed even on most all closed course races here a sparky is a must with the USFDS stamp ta boot.
Put a 36 pwk on there and hold on. By far, the best thing I EVER did for that 125. I rode a few TMX equipped 125/144's last weekend and couldn't believe how sluggish and dead they felt. Even the 144's with motor and carb work felt weak on the bottom and mid vs. my stocker with the 36 carb. The 36 carb is incredible on these small bore bikes.
My bike was sluggish and dead feeling too with that 38 tmxx on there. Not sure if its so much that it's a Keihin carb as much as its smaller and doesn't flood the motor with too much fuel at small throttle openings. The 36 gets into the power much earlier and with more authority. I've swapped them back to back and there is no comparison.
I really like the top end with a 38mm Mikuni though. Even the 38 PWK is not as good. And really the bottom end is fine if you are not used to riding around on a 300 I did not have time to ride Brandons bike but I am sure a 36mm PWK makes the bottom a lot better, I know it did on my 06.
I thought that CR150 Bill had was about as good as they get, I cannot get over how good it ran out of the box. I would like to try a Doma on that thing.
