Whip master: Imagine what you could do on a sub-200-pound bike that you can’t do on your 224-pound 250 four-stroke.
Smithsonian: This a carburetor—soon to be in a museum.
A: Let’s not waste time answering that question.
The YZ125 is unchanged from last year. The real
question is whether the 2014 YZ125 is faster than the
2014 KTM 125SX. And, the answer is, maybe not faster
but certainly as fast. At 34.01 horsepower, the YZ125 is
only six-tenths of a horsepower off of the KTM 125SX,
which peaks at 34. 66 at 11,200 rpm.
Surprisingly, for an engine that hasn’t seen a serious
mod in eight years, the YZ125 holds its own. It never
beats the 2014 KTM 125SX at any point on the dyno
curve (and actually gives up several horsepower to the
KTM in the middle—from 6000 rpm to 8400 rpm), but it
sticks with it on top.
Q: HOW FAST IS THE YZ125 WITH A YZ144
KIT INSTALLED?
A: With GYTR’s YZ144 kit installed, the YZ125 gains
two more horsepower in the middle and doesn’t lose any
top-end power. The GYTR YZ144 kit for the Yamaha
costs $859.95 and fits all 2005 through 2014 Yamaha
YZ125 models.
The downside of the YZ144 kit is that while it makes
the YZ more competitive against the YZ125 and KTM
125SX, it still can’t match the output of the KTM 150SX.
Q: WHAT MODS SHOULD EVERY YAMAHA
YZ125 RACER MAKE?
A: Here is a quick list of things that YZ125 owners
can do to make their bikes more competitive.