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Father and son fun
in full Moose Racing apparel. That’s me on the left. Chris straddles
the saddle of the 125L on the right.
 e
can thank Bruce Brown’s movie On Any Sunday and guys like John
Penton and Dick Burleson for helping to shape motorcycle off-road riding
into the family sport that it remains today. In terms of gear and equipment
it doesn’t take much to bring the family together for dirt day,
either. Of course, proper riding apparel and trail-worthy bikes are
essential, and it helps to have a pickup truck or van to transport the
party to the hinder lands.
I already possess the pickup truck, a
new Dodge Dakota Crew Cab that also serves as transport for my two boys
and their friends during snowboarding season or for a safari to the
local beach for some summer surfing. But when my younger boy Chris mentioned
that he wouldn’t mind giving trailbike riding a try, I was at
a loss for a bike, or, rather, bikes. My Honda XR350R had recently given
up the ghost (its transmission let go, taking the top end with it in
a fury of shattered parts), so I was without a ride. Adding insult to
injury, my wife had sold her XR100 years ago when our boys were infants,
so there was nothing in the garage for him to learn on, either.
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My
KLX300R as it sits with all the new parts. The inventory includes
FMF pipe, Pirelli tires, Barnett clutch and a gaggle of Moose products. |
| At
a glance, the little KLX125L looks like a full-size off-road bike.
We equipped the mini-thumper with the same items as on the 300R. |
The solution was simple: a couple of new
trail bikes would be necessary to fill the vacuum. Due to a rather ambiguous
and biased set of clean-air laws and regulations, the fair state of
California where we live makes it tough to register a new two-stroke
for off-road riding, so I concentrated on a couple of four-stroke models
for us. Kawasaki filled the order, a KLX300R for me and the nifty little
KLX125L for Chris. The 125L is low to the ground (19- and 16-inch wheels
with a seat height of 31.5 inches) and lightweight (179 pounds claimed
dry weight), making it the perfect learner’s bike. Chris quickly
mastered the basics aboard the 125L, and after a break-in period (two
sessions in the Mojave Desert), I figured it was time to give our bikes
a little muscle. After all, nobody rides a stock off-road bike, and
I was out to teach my son all the ropes!
So, in the tradition of Tim “Tool
Time” Taylor, I took my son shopping for performance parts. First
thing we did was obtain a couple of Moose Racing Steel Lift Stands so
we could work on the bikes in comfort within the confines of our garage.
Moose offers stands in two heights, which worked out great for our bikes.
The taller MX stand (M71-0300) worked best for my bike, while the Dual-sport
Stand (M71-0400) is a little lower, so it easily fit beneath Chris’s
smaller KLX125L.
Father & Son Racing. Well, father and son fun is more like
it, as our two Kawasaki KLX dirt bikes are primed and ready to hit the
trail.
Then it was on to the good stuff. First
and foremost on the wish list was a new pipe. Make that pipes, because
we agreed that everything that I was going to do to my bike, we’d
try and duplicate on his. This was male bonding at its finest.
I’ve written numerous articles for
this magazine about FMF pipes, so I was rather familiar with their stellar
performance, which cinched the deal for me. I opted for a pair of PowerCore
Silencers that easily mount to the stock header pipes. These mufflers
are U.S.F.D. approved, they produce a pleasing, bellowing exhaust note,
and above all they noticeably increase power, especially at low- and
mid-range where I prefer it for the trail. Indeed, in the case of my
300R, the FMF pipe really perked things up, transforming that liquid-cooled
junior thumper into a rather impressive powerplant. We matched the pipes
with new free-flow Moose Foam Air Filters that fit directly into the
stock air boxes.
Oddly, the 300R’s carburetor didn’t
require any re-jetting (probably accounting for the high desert’s
thinner air). The engine throttle remains crisp and responsive, with
no backfiring or hesitations when I open the slides. The plug exhibited
a nice cocoa-brown color, too. The 125 presented a slightly different
tale.
Chopping the throttle was generally followed
by a few slight burps through the exhaust, so I reasoned that the fuel
circuit was on the lean side. None of the local dealers had replacement
slide needles for the little Mikuni carburetor, and I was in a hurry
to fix it so I performed a little hot-rod magic of my own. I removed
the slide, then ever so gently sanded it smooth with 400-grit sandpaper,
working to make the needle slightly narrower, yet careful to maintain
the same taper. This, I hoped, would allow additional fuel to enter
at mid-rpm. And guess what? Once again, Father knows best—it worked!
Part of the learning experience is working on your own bike. Equipping
the 125L with new parts gave Chris valuable in-shop know-how.
The
power boost allowed me to change gearing on the 300R, replacing
the front 14-tooth sprocket with a 15-tooth from Moose Racing’s
inventory. The added gearing allows me to ride the bike at respectable
speeds on fire roads or across broad stretches of desert. I also
used the opportunity to replace both bikes’ rear sprockets
with new aluminum ones from Moose Racing. Interestingly, the aluminum
replacement sprocket for the 300R tipped the scale 22 ounces less
than the stock steel unit. The 125’s new sprocket was also
slightly lighter than the steel one it replaced. I also used the
occasion to replace the chains. I went for the gold, giving both
bikes new Moose RXP gold chains.
We also tapped into the Moose catalog
for a lightweight aluminum handlebar (M-4022) for the 300R, and
a more stylish steel bar (M-1014) for the 125. Both handlebars are
finished in black, which really complements the Kawasakis’
green/white/black colors and graphics. Speaking of colors, we replaced
the hand levers with Moose’s color-accented Competition Levers
(clutch and front brake). Ergon-omically shaped, these levers have
anti-friction bronze bushings, and their color rubber inserts (Chris
chose black, mine are green) assure that our fingers won’t
slip while braking or quick-clutching through the gears. We matched
these with a pair of Factory 909 Velocity color-accented (green)
handgrips from FMF. And to provide grip inside the engine, I installed
Barnett clutch plates and discs on both bikes. I always used Barnett
clutches on my race bikes; why settle for anything less for my play
bikes?
By now our Kawasakis were beginning
to not only look cool, but perform much better than stock, and for
a minimal investment. But wait, there’s more! In this case,
we needed some really sticky-tacky rubber because those Southern
California desert rocks and boulders can be brutal on a trail bike’s
rubber. Being of Italian descent, we could have only one tire brand
on our bikes—Pirelli! Actually, the choice was made based
on several more relevant factors, among them the brand’s success
in World Championship Grand Prix competition. It helped, too, that
Pirelli offers a wide range of tire models and compounds to suit
various terrain and dirt conditions. Most of our riding will take
place in the desert and local mountains where the soil is generally
hard-pack sand and rocks. Given that, I wrapped the 300R’s
stock rims with MT18-series rubber front and rear, and the 125 with
MT32 at both ends.
Pirelli describes its MT18 as a tire
design for “intermediate-to-hard-terrain” conditions.
I found that the tires grip especially well when traction conditions
are hard, and the reinforced sidewalls allow me to put the 300R
into a controlled slide for fire roading and other TT-like antics.
Although I can’t confirm how the 125L responds to the MT32s
(that 125 is just too small for me to ride), I chose this tire because
it is said to be more resilient over a wide range of conditions,
something I figured would be handy for a novice like Chris.
By now the bikes were looking—and running—pretty darn
good. On the other hand, the riders—Chris and me—were
another story. In the spirit of Tool Time Tim I reasoned that we
also needed new riding gear and apparel. Most of my existing apparel
was well worn, and Chris being a newcomer needed a fresh ensemble
of clothes and gear. Helmets were my first priority, and since I
already had quality gear that fit comfortably, I left that department
alone, instead concentrating on pants, jerseys and boots for the
both of us.
Moose’s Sahara pants and jerseys
are among the best bargains on the market, so I outfitted Chris
in a set of matching blue/black/white duds from that line. I put
myself into a matching combination of Moose XCR pants and jersey,
and for footwear we shod our feet with Alpinestar USA’s new
Tech 8 boots.
All that’s left now is to use
our new toys and gear as much as we can until things begin to wear
out. After all, that’s part of off-road fun—to use the
bikes and accompanying gear as much as you can. And when gear and
equipment wear out, we simply head back to the dealer for replacements.
So far, Chris seems to enjoy the sport.
Right now we’re at the point where I’m teaching him
the fine art of sliding a bike in the dirt, and at home he’s
gaining more knowledge about how mechanical things operate. Most
of all we get to spend more time together, in the garage or out
on the trail. As Bruce Brown showed us more than three decades ago,
these and other fine points about motorcycling can happen on any
Sunday.  |
The Moose Racing clutch and brake levers have non-slip inserts
so your fingers maintain contact when the going on the trail gets
rough.
FMF’s Factory 909 Velocity handgrips allow you to color-coordinate
the grips to your bike. Naturally our grips have the green inserts.
The Moose Racing rear sprocket shaved about a pound and a half
off the 300R. The Moose gold chain certainly looks cool!
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Parts List:
All parts numbers and page references are from the 2004 Parts Unlimited
Off-Road Catalog.
The particular model bikes are noted in parenthesis:
Product (bike) Part Number
Pg.#
Pirelli tire (125) MT32-11 front 338
Pirelli tire (125) MT32-10 rear 338
Pirelli tire (300) MT16-92260 front 339
Pirelli tire (300) MT16-66060 rear 339
FMF Power Core 4 SA (125) FMF043024 460
FMF Power Core 4 SA (300) FMF042000 460
Rear Fender Pack (125) M-129 213
Rear Fender Pack (300) M-129 213
Enduro Jug (125) M1001W 214
Enduro Jug (300) M1001W 214
Moose Skid Plate (300) M234 220
Moose Folding Shifter (300) MKA9 226
Emgo Work Stand 84-27992 234
FMF Velocity Handgrips (125) FMF909-2207 542
FMF Velocity Handgrips (300) FMF909-2207 542
Acerbis Disc Cover (300) 18-6483-06 (white) 597
Acerbis Mounting Kit (300) 18-6495-00 597
DP Brake Pads (300) SDP-321-MX (front) 767
DP Brake Pads (300) SDP-815MX (rear) 767
Dakar Dual Sport Kit (300) 94-231 DK 833
Acerbis Rr. KX Fender (300) 15-8053-03 597
Product (bike) Part Number Pg.#
Barnett Clutch (125) 2012-118 (5 plates) 901
Barnett Clutch (125) SP-5-16 (4 stl. plates) 901
Barnett Clutch (300) 2012-112 (7 plates) 901
Barnett Clutch (300) KP-8-16 (6 stl. plates) 901
From Moose Racing:
Comp Levers (125) no # 489
Comp Levers (300) no # 489
Carbon Steel Handlebars (125) M1076 (green) 533
Carbon Steel Handlebars (300) M1076 (green) 533
Alum. Handguards (125) M6002-4 (black) 557
Alum. Handguards (300) M6002-4 (black) 557
Handguard Protectors (125) M601-02 (black) 557
Handguard Protectors (300) M601-02 (black) 557
Handguard Mounts (125) M6002-11 (outer) 557
Handguard Mounts (300) M6002-11 (outer) 557
Front Sprocket (125) M606-35-14 499
Front Sprocket (300) M602-26-15 499
520 O-ring Chain (300) M573-00-112 744
Air Filter (125) M762-70-06 931
Air Filter (300) M762-40-03 931
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