At Keefer Inc. Testing we pride ourselves on riding the crap out of our test bikes. However, when it comes to smaller bikes, it’s not like I can Benjamin Button myself and ride 65’s/85’s. 1990 West Coast 125 Supercross Champion Ty Davis put together a Jr. 24 Hour Challenge Team for the 24 Hours Of Glen Helen that focuses on the younger generation of off-road racing. We need to keep kids on dirt bikes to help grow our sport and Ty has been working hard to make this happen. Dustyn Davis (son of Ty) has our 2019 YZ65 test bike, so we thought why not let him and his buddies loose on this sucker for the full 24 hours as a durability test so to speak. While those kids were at it why not have another batch of kids on our 2019 YZ85 as well. Our goal was to get the kids away from FortNite and get more riding time in, while getting some quality testing information downloaded as well. It’s a win, win! No PlayStation’s and XBOX’s here people! Below are the modifications that were performed to the 2019 Yamaha YZ65/85 and the outcome of each machine, directly from ZipTy’s team. -KK
2019 Yamaha YZ85
Put IMS footpegs on (wider) to help the kids feet, spreads the pressure more evenly so they don’t get sore over a long period of time
G2 Aluminum Throttle tube- due to kids falling, more reliable than the stock plastic.
Cut Bars- for kids to have better control of the bike and handle better
Pro-Taper bendable levers foldable to eliminate the levers from breaking if kids fell
Dirt Tricks Spokes for reliability and longevity
DID Chain for durability
Rekluse Manual Clutch- For reliability
Steahly Stator with lighting coil for the lights
Galfer Custom Brake line made to clear the lights
Uni Air Filter
Mousse front and rear to eliminate flats less tire changes
Maxxis Tires
VP Fuel 110 mixed 50/50
IMS oversized tanks for less pit stops
Seal Savers to keep mud out of seals
Baja Designs Lights for lights at night
Zip-Ty Custom made light brackets
Zip-Ty Coolant to keep the bike from overheating with muddy conditions
How It Performed:
The 2019 YZ85 survived the full 24 hours in the muddy and rainy conditions without any issues. The Yamaha handled well in the tight technical sections and was easy for the kids to maneuver. We had a wide range of riders who race NHHA, Motocross, Big 6, and WORCS. The only problem we encountered was that the kids we used were not tall enough for the YZ85. In order to get them more comfortable, we cut the bars down 5mm and took a little preload out to lower the rear of the bike. This helped get kids to touch their feet in tighter sections of the trail. The kids liked the performance of the engine as it was exciting off the bottom, but not too pipey where it wasn’t connected to the rear wheel in the slippery conditions. The engine character was aggressive enough for the more experienced kids, but easy enough to ride for the novice kids that we used. The suspension was a little stiff (even when adjusters were backed out) for the kids on small chop because all the testers were smaller in size (70-100 pounds). We knew the Yamaha was known for its durability, but this race proved it, even with five different style of riders.
The 2019 YZ85 made it 43 laps that equaled 344 miles and finished 23rd out of 38 teams.
2019 Yamaha YZ65:
Customized seat for easier access for air filter changes
Galfer Custom Brake line made to clear the lights
DID Chain for durability
Uni Air Filter
Vortex Sprockets
Mousse front and rear to eliminate flats less tire changes
Rekluse Manual Clutch- For reliability
Maxxis Tires
VP Fuel 110 mixed 50/50
Seal Savers to keep mud out of seals
Baja Designs Lights for lights
Zip-Ty Custom made light brackets
Zip-Ty Coolant to keep the bike from overheating with muddy conditions
Put IMS footpegs on (wider) to help the kids feet, spreads the pressure more evenly so they don’t get sore over a long period of time
G2 Aluminum Throttle tube- due to kids falling, more reliable than the stock plastic.
Cut Bars- for kids to have better control of the bike and handle better
DID Chain for durability
Pro-Taper bendable levers foldable to eliminate the levers from breaking if kids fell
Millenium Re-nickelsil the Cylinder for durability
AME Half waffle for the Kids hands Super glued on
Shock Spring one rate softer, Pushed the forks down in clamp 3mm for stability
How It Performed:
We ended up changing the front and rear brake pads once, air filter once, one rear wheel, and poured in 20 gallons of fuel. The team had to replace the stator back to stock due to a failure that made the bike cut out/misfire. Once stock stator was installed we had zero issues. Each tester loved the power and all said that they were able to keep up with the 85 team for most of the race. Why? Because the Yamaha YZ65 engine is powerful enough and can keep up with the 85 in the tighter sections of the course. With the race being so muddy this slowed the overall speed down, which helped the 65 team. The Yamaha YZ65 suspension was plush enough for the 65 team and all of the kids thought it provided enough comfort, even with several pounds of mud packed on the machine. The Yamaha YZ65 finished the event with 43 laps that equaled 344 miles and finished 24th overall out of 38 teams. With Yamaha introducing the 2019 YZ65 this year, it proves that this first year model is a reliable bike for the little ones.
2019 Yamaha YZ65
Customized seat for easier access for air filter changes
Galfer Custom Brake line made to clear the lights
DID Chain for durability
Uni Air Filter
Vortex Sprockets
Mousse Tubes front and rear to eliminate flats/less tire changes
Rekluse Manual Clutch- For reliability
Maxxis Tires
VP Fuel 110 mixed 50/50
Seal Savers to keep mud out of seals
Baja Designs Lights for lights
Zip-Ty Custom made light brackets
Zip-Ty Coolant to keep the bike from overheating with muddy conditions
Put IMS footpegs on (wider) to help the kids feet, spreads the pressure more evenly so they don’t get sore over a long period of time
G2 Aluminum Throttle tube- due to kids falling, more reliable than the stock plastic.
Cut Bars- for kids to have better control of the bike and handle better
DID Chain for durability
Pro-Taper bendable levers foldable to eliminate the levers from breaking if kids fell
Millenium Re-nickelsil Cylinder for durability
AME Half waffle for kids hands that were super glued on
Shock Spring one rate softer, pushed the forks down 3mm
How Did It Perform?
Changed brake pads once, air filter once, one rear wheel, and 20 Gallons of fuel. Had to replace the stator back to stock due to a failed custom stator. Kids thought the power was fast, yet easy to ride hard as they were able to keep up with the 85 team for most of the race. The suspension seemed to be more forgiving on the Yamaha YZ65 as the kids never complained once about anything suspension/chassis related. The 65 team had a wide range of talent that ranged from motocross to off-road and each of them performed well for the 24 Hour long haul. The Yamaha YZ65 team did 43 laps that equaled 344 miles and finished 24th overall out of 38 teams
The 65 team picked the Yamaha because Dustyn Davis (son of Ty Davis) raced it all year and we wanted to prove that the Yamaha could withstand 24 hours of kids beating the shit out of it. This raced proved that there is superb durability for a first year 65cc model from Yamaha.