125-200cc Walt's 144 kit WOW!

I am a bit behind the curve on the 125 to 144 conversion, but am excited nonetheless. I recently sent my cylinder to Walt to bore and grind the PV. My wife's bike was ready for a topend, so it was the perfect time to justify the conversion.

First, Walt is a great person to deal with. He helped me with every step of the process. He cared for the parts as if they were his own.

Second, the bike is just awesome now. After about 2 seconds on the bike I noticed how well it transitioned from bottom thru the mid to the top. It now snaps from below the PV opening to wide open like it should have from the factory. Even with the 125 running really well, it never ran like this. No more hesitation in the mid.

Now, I feel like I can loose a tooth or two on the sprocket. I also think I can move the PV linkage back down a bit. I am running the RM needle which may also have helped the mid a bit.

All I can say is do not wait to do the conversion. It is well worth it. You also should have Walt help you if he is willing and has the time.

JS

Yup, walt is the man. I have a fresh walt 144 in the box waiting to replace my beat 144 topend. If i would stop riding the bike for a bit i would put it on.

My cr 144 has about 50 hours motocross use and should be ready for top end work. I will get hold of Walt this winter after snow flys and have some time.

I have not ridden any other 144s to compare Walt's work on the PV to stock, etc. But, my expectations have been surpassed. Our bike has such a nice powerband now. It has all the good points of a small bore 2 stroke (free revs and great topend) without any of the negatives the stock motor had (lag, lag, then scream, scream). The only thing about the stock motor my wife liked was the ability to chug around on single track all day long without ever having to hit the PV. She can do that now, but is not used to the bike pulling through the mid so easily.

I play raced a bunch of guys on big bore 4Ts on a GP style track and never had more fun. I was able to slam the little bike into corners, cut inside, or rail any line I wanted, which has always been the best attribute of the 125/144. But now, I have enough meat to dig out of corners and stay within striking distance of the big bores on the next corner to make my move...ha ha! After about 3 laps of this I had several guys pull off the track and watch me on the track as I screamed by on the bike. I bet they wished they were having as much fun on their bikes.

JS

Congrats! They sure are fun bikes and Walt is great!

Thanks JS. I just try to help out the Cafe Husky folks.

So Walt, will your PV grind also help out us with the OEM 144 kit? Are your PV mods your secret?

The OEM valves aren't bad at all. Overall I think that Husky stepped up their clearance specs a little with the 144. The bottom height is a little conservative, but with the pipe they bolt on the 09-10 125's who would know. I imagine that if they have improved the power bands of the '12 125's that you can probably point to a better design for the pipe as one probable reason. That doesn't mean that you can't improve the power valves as far as smoothing out the transition a little with some added bottom/mid. Also by re-porting the rear transfer to the 125 spec's you get some better breathing on top. The PV mods are certainly not a secret and I have given them to several people who wanted to do the mod themselves. What I try to do is set the bottom valve height to 6.5mm below the top of the exhaust port. Then plane the bottom of the valve to end at the stock end point. Polish all the surfaces when done and you have it. Stock oem valve to cylinder wall clearance has been ~.040" on the last couple I have done. That is a pretty decent improvement compared to many that I have worked with. I work to get my valves down to a .020" clearance which is still safe and definitely seals better. On the Oem valves you will need to machine down the retaining collars to improve this dimension. The collars themselves are pretty brittle(hard) so be carefull how you handle them. Also the valves themselves are aluminum and you really need to take your time when you get close to your goal dimension as it is really easy to overdo it. I use an old ring inserted with a piston to get everything square with the world when doing your measurements and drawing your cut points. Also I have found the best way to check your valve to ring clearance is to take a piece of solder and carefully compress one end to the dimension you are trying to achieve. You can then insert it like a feeler guage to check your clearance. I actually have 4-5 of varrying widths to let me know what I need to remove. I know of one very good tuner who does this by eye but my old eyes aren't that good anymore. Feel free to PM me with any questions or anything else I can help you with. This is not about making money. This is what I like doing and will continue to like it until it turns into a full time "job". My winters tend to be full of time imbetween riding trips. Working in the shop is much more fun than sitting around watching sportscenter.

PS, Remember when you are checking your valve to cylinder wall/ring dimension the power valves need to be installed with cups, collars, and shaft.

I also will have an option for you folks with the oem 144 to ride at the NW gathering. Cool stuff that just gives you more options if you want them.

Walt's a good guy , been babysitting me for a couple of years now

I'll have to take you up on the ride offer. See you there!

Yes sir Walts the Man! Everybody that rides my Walt special can't believe it's a 144. It's still my favorite bike of all time and at my age it's been ALOT! JS enjoy your WS144 (Walt Special 144).

Walts kit is on my list for this winter, just have to recover from buying a Rekluse for my TC250 first.
GP

I would like to know more about the 165 and how it made, Walt??
Tim.

454x,

When I am sure of all the parts and pieces availability and working well together, I will post a detailed report on the 165. Should be in the next couple of weeks. I really hope to have a completed kit installed for the NW Gathering, but it is going to be close.

hi walt im only new to this forum ive riden huskys sinse i was 15yrs old a tuner by the name of paul rooney give the barrel sorry jug a tidy up 4 me and it made a masive diferance it was a 1984 wr 125 he had a lot to do with the big teams around that time now im a lot older and not much smarter ive wonted to 144 a125 my current bike is a 2004 cr model thats has done very little work can i contact you via email or phone any help would be great the only other tunner ive found is gorr cheers mate mitch

I am still running the 144cc with Walts PV mods. I rode what will be the last national enduro for 2012. The Perry Mountain MC, Gobbler Getter Enduro. WOW, More up and down hills with rocks and roots than I have seen in years. The club does a first rate job but this is major technical riding. The WR150 performed like a champ. Tractored up all hills without complaining. I LOVE THIS BIKE !
I hope some of you can make this event next year. You WILL get your moneys worth.
Dwight

Perry Mtn got some awesome reviews on the www.Georgiaoffroad.com site.