Raptor Titanium Offset Footpegs (Yamaha YZ250F/450F)

If you’re a Yamaha guy, chances are you may be looking to get your cockpit a little more roomy right? The Yamaha YZ450/250F needs a better rider triangle in stock form so I scoured the internet to see if I could find a way to improve it. A lot of factory motocross teams run Raptor Footpegs and up until recently I didn’t even know they made custom offset pegs for current motocross machines. I discovered that Raptor Titanium makes two separate custom offset pegs that are 10mm back as well as 7mm down and weigh in at 300 grams per set. I ordered up both to see if it could help my cockpit woes.

Raptor Titanium is located in the UK and make these custom offset pegs to order, so there is some lead time on each order. I ordered my two sets and got them in approximately 25 days, which I was just fine with. Raptor pegs are developed in collaboration with OEM manufacturers and factory motocross/supercross teams, offer superior strength, crafted by British engineers using hand-fabricated, aerospace-grade 6Al-4V titanium and the latest manufacturing techniques to produce some of the most cleanest welds I have seen, they are CNC-machined back-end for precision fit, are ultra light-weight at only 300g per set (including springs), have razor-sharp teeth, a wider 24-tooth platform offering a greater surface area and come with a set of stainless springs. 

The Raptor pegs are works of art and are very light when holding them compared to the stock pegs. Installation was fairly painless, but you will notice that the Raptor pegs will slightly have an upward bend to them unlike the stock pegs which sit fairly flat. I thought the slightly upward bend would bother me, but it actually keeps the ends of the pegs from dragging up faces of jumps or from digging into the ruts as much as the stock pegs (even with the different offsets). I decided on the RX003 design which has a middle bar/cleat (with teeth), but Raptor does have a peg that offers an open cleat design which really deters mud from packing in if you prefer that route. The teeth are super sharp and offer a superb standing platform and make it easier to feel more confident when standing on the balls of your feet. Sometimes with stock pegs, the teeth aren’t sharp enough for you to ride on your toes and you will slip off the peg easier. The Raptor pegs invite you to ride on your toes/balls of your feet more and offer you the security to get into the right foot position. Below are the two offsets that I tried from Raptor Titanium and how I felt about each position on a 2021 YZ450F. 

10mm Back: 

I tried this position first and quite honestly was surprised that I didn’t like it more. The position of the peg put my knees in an awkward position when I was braking which upset my technique. I also felt that by putting the pegs 10mm back, it made shifting and braking a little more difficult to get to for my size 10 feet. I am 6’0 and I personally think going 5mm back would be a better fit for me and my stature. I do like the position when seated going through corners as it prevents my knees from getting too close to the handlebars or from smacking them with my knees. 

7mm Down:

This is was my favorite setting as it helped the cramped seated position of the stock pegs and allowed me to move around on the bike more freely because it allowed me to stand up easier without having to get too crouched. I also like that it didn't affect me when I scrubbed a jump or went through deep ruts. The 7mm down position still gave me enough ground clearance for both. Having the pegs 7mm down also gave me a more relaxed feel with the Pro Taper SX Race bar bend that I have on my bike and makes the dip in the stock seat not as apparent. If you’re 6’0 or over, I feel like a tall seat along with the 7mm down pegs could really change the way you feel on the Yamaha for the better. 

Overall:

Yes, these are pricey, but if you’re looking for a more comfy feeling out of your Yamaha then going with one of these Raptor Peg options are a god send! There are only a couple companies that make offset pegs for the Yamaha, but the Raptor pegs seem to have the most quality out of the bunch. If it was any other bike than the Yamaha, I wouldn’t spend $300.00 American dollars for a set of footpads, but the Yamaha really needs this mod to help my tall lanky ass feel more comfortable when I am riding. To me it’s spendy buy, but necessary if you’re needing some cockpit help. Head over to www.raptortitanium.com to see more and place an order.

Since these are pricey, if you have any questions, please feel free to email me at kris@keeferinctesting.com

Yamaha YZ125 Pipe/Silencer Comparison (Pro Circuit Vs. FMF)

For over 10 years the YZ125 engine has remained the same. At one time it was the best 125cc engine around, but in recent years that award has gone to KTM/Husqvarna. KTM and Husqvarna’s latest 125cc engines have a wider powerband and is simply more exciting everywhere on the track. Compared to the KTM and Husqvarna the YZ125 lacks bottom to midrange. The rider has to fan the clutch more to remain in the meat of the power curve, which can make a rider more tired in race conditions. I know it’s a 125, but compared to the other two models, it’s just more work. However, once I put my 14 year old son on the YZ125 he mysteriously had faster lap times compared to his KTM 125 SX. How can this be? The reason is “I think” he can corner better because of the KYB suspension and the fact that the YZ125 isn't that “barky” off the bottom end helps him carry more speed. At least this is my theory. This is his first year on 125’s and he doesn't need a rocket ship quite yet because his arms look like spaghetti strings and his legs remind me of a long bird. There’s just not a lot there yet! He’s all D&R! 

To allow him to compete with the other kids his age on the other two colors, he does need a little bit more down low, in order to get out of the gate better. One of the best performance upgrades you can buy for a YZ125 is a good-performing aftermarket pipe/silencer. Exhaust pipes are relatively inexpensive and they do not directly affect the durability of the machine. I tested the FMF Factory Fatty Pipe/Shorty silencer as well as the Pro Circuit Works Pipe/R-304 Silencer combos to see how they compared to one another. I then let Aden chime in on what he feels was better for him. Editors Note: (Aden’s opinion was given to me before this article was written)

FMF Factory Fatty/Shorty Silencer (Kris’s Breakdown): The FMF pipe/silencer combo adds a little more pulling power out of corners over stock, while the mid range on the FMF pulls slightly longer than stock and climbs farther through the top end. The FMF set up doesn't provide more over-rev over stock, but you will notice a healthier second and third gear pull down the straights. The YZ125 runs much cleaner with the FMF pipe/silencer (compared to stock) and looks stealthy as the silencer is hidden behind the number plate. I like that the FMF pipe comes with o-rings already installed and is ready to put on. The faster the track, the more this combination shined.  

Pro Circuit Works Pipe/R-304 Silencer (Kris’s Breakdown): The Pro Circuit Works Pipe and R-304 silencer has a deeper sound than the FMF/stock system and gives the YZ125 more bottom end than the FMF. The PC pipe/silencer has increased pulling power out of corners (mid-range) and just feels like it’s more torquey. When rolling the throttle on you’re able just to feel more meat as you’re able to shift the YZ125 a little sooner. The top end signs off a little earlier than the FMF, but the Pro Circuit allows the rider to have more freedom with his/her riding without having to cover the clutch as much. 

Aden’s Opinion: “In my opinion I think that the the Pro Circuit pipe works better for me because it’s more aggressive coming out of corners than the FMF pipe. Do not get me wrong, the FMF pipe is a really good pipe & silencer, but I like the Pro circuit pipe, because it fits my riding style better. For example, my dad tells me I’m more of a 4 stroke kinda guy, I guess because I lug the bike a lot and the Pro circuit pipe has more bottom end, when I fan the clutch coming out of corners. In my dad’s world he calls that “recovery time”, I know this because I hear him say it all the time on the phone. The FMF pipe & silencer takes a little longer for the aggressiveness to hit when I am coming out of corners. Both pipes are better than the ugly looking stock stuff, but to me I prefer the Pro Circuit by a nose”. -Aden Keefer 

Conclusion: Both companies provide a better product than stock. I did raise the needle clip up to the second position (from third) before we started testing and that proved to be the best overall jetting from sea level to 3500ft. We think both companies have a purpose and have areas where their the strongest. If you are riding GP’s or faster type of tracks the FMF system works well because it allows the YZ125 to pull longer on top end. If you are riding tighter tracks or have a child coming off of an 85, the Pro Circuit system could help give him/her more recovery time when they make mistakes (and they will make mistakes).

If you have any questions about this test, feel free to email me at kris@keeferinctesting.com.

FMF Factory Fatty Pipe/Shorty Silencer (2020 KTM 125SX)

Since the delivery of our KTM 125 SX, my son Aden has been riding it non stop. He also has been barking in my ear about getting a pipe and silencer so it “sounds cool”. While I am usually reluctant to add parts to my kid’s bike for the sake of just doing it, I thought this could be a good way to test a pipe and silencer to see if it actually helps the Austrian two stroke power plant. After I discussed “the conditions” to my kid, I called upon Lil D and the boys at FMF to send me a Factory Fatty pipe and Shorty silencer to try. 

What were Aden’s “conditions”? The conditions were that he had to install the FMF products and help me write this test. I took it upon myself to ride the 2020 KTM 125 SX in stock form as well as with the FMF Factory Fatty/Shorty combo at couple tracks. The installation was fairly painless for my 13 year old. He learned how to use a spring puller for the first time as well as how to push the rubber grommets through the silencer mounting points without stabbing himself with a flat blade screwdriver. Once he got the FMF pipe/silencer installed he of course had to start his bike and see how it sounded and I will have to admit, it sounds pretty bad ass. The pitch of the KTM 125 SX with the FMF pipe/silencer is more of a crisp/barking sound rather than a richer/raspy sound that the stock pipe/silencer comes with. Ok, now that we smoked out the garage and pissed mom off, we loaded up the bike and went riding! 

I went back and forth with the stock set up as well as the FMF a couple times at a few different tracks and I will say that the FMF Factory Fatty pipe/Shorty silencer combo did help throttle response as well as low end grunt. Coming out of corners (with the FMF Fatty/Shorty) the KTM 125 SX has a little more acceleration pull on corner exits and could be shifted a little earlier without falling off. The mid range pull was also longer and overall crispness of the mid range seemed improved. The FMF Fatty/Shorty seemed to lean out the bottom to mid range (in a good way) and made the KTM feel more playful around the track. RPM response was improved throughout the power and the throttle felt more connected to the rear wheel. 

The top end pulling power/over-rev was slightly shorter than the stock set up so I wanted to play with jetting to see if I could get some of that back. I went back and forth on a few different main jets as well as needle jets, but came back to this set up below: 

Jetting Specs:

Needle position: 3rd position from top

Jet needle: 6BFY43‑71 

Main Jet: 520 (500 Stock)

Idling Jet: 35 

Choke nozzle: 80

Needle Jet: S‑7

Idle Air Adjusting Screw: 1.5 turns out/open

With this jetting the KTM 125 SX pulled longer up top and gave Aden/I more over-rev in 2nd-3rd gears. To me these two gears are the most important for Aden as he learns how to improve his corner speed as well as technique. Sometimes Aden will leave it in second or third gear too long (instead of shifting) and having this jetting allows the KTM 125 SX to pull a little longer. This jetting was good for sea level up to 3500ft. Anything higher than 3500 feet elevation and I would go back up to the 2nd needle position. 

Overall, there is some performance gains to be had with the FMF Factory Fatty/Shorty Silencer. Aden has put over 14 hours on the system and the silencer still sounds good and not blown out. He did manage to put a small ding in the bottom of his pipe and that made him mad, but he’s ok with it after he took some WD-40 and Scotch Brite to the thing! Proud dad moment! The Fatty is $249.99 and the Shorty costs $134.99. A lot les expensive than a four-stroke system! 

Below is Aden’s opinion of the FMF and stock pipe/silencer. I wanted to let him have free range on what to talk about, so he can try to get better at communicating his thoughts into a testing format. During the course of this test I never shared my thoughts about the FMF Fatty/Shorty for confidential purposes. His opinion is unedited, but I did clean up a few grammatical errors for the sake of reading. After reading his opinion, I couldn't help but write down my thoughts about his opinion. It seemed too good not to share with you all. Enjoy! 

Aden Keefer Opinion: 

The differences between the stock pipe vs the FMF Fatty/Shorty pipe is that the FMF pipe hits stronger coming out of corners, but on the other hand the stock pipe is a little bit more linear coming out of corners. The stock pipe takes a while for the power to kick in which was ok on hard pack desert tracks that I rode. I did like the FMF pipe more because it was aggressive and you can put the bike anywhere knowing that it’s gonna have the little extra power. The one reason I do like the stock pipe is that since it’s more of a longer silencer I can control it better when I get tired because it’s not so aggressive. Don't get me wrong though! I think the FMF pipe and silencer is one of the best pipes out there. Not does it only make your KTM 125 SX faster, it makes it look super cool and it sounds way better than the stock pipe. I also noticed when we put VP C12 in the stock pipe/silencer it made it run aggressive, but when we also tried out VP C12 with the FMF pipe/silencer it ran like a race bike. It made it so fast that I was pulling all the 450’s going up Mt.St.Helens at Glen Helen. I also think cleaning the FMF pipe/silencer is rewarding. My dad loves to vacuum because he said he can see his progress with his work. I like cleaning my FMF pipe and silencer because I can see my progress as I scrub it with an SOS pad. So to wrap this up, I think that the FMF pipe and silencer is the best pipe out there for any 125's out there.

Dad’s Thoughts About Aden’s Opinion: 

-I appreciate some of these testing comments and at least it shows that he is listening to me a little. So you’re saying there’s a chance! Hallelujah!  

-I like that he could feel that the FMF Fatty/Shorty had more bottom end. That shows me that any kid could install this product and feel the difference. 

-It’s funny that he recognizes how the KTM works on different terrain and can appreciate a smoother power at times. I am glad he’s not a balls out rider! Safety first!

-Pulling 450’s up MT. Saint Helens? Eaaaaaaasy there tiger!

-Of course when I was his age I also thought something that was aftermarket was way cooler! Why? Because it wasn't stock! Duh! After reading his opinion it seems that he’s into the styling of the “Raw Fatty look”. Me too, Aden, me too! 

-Here we go with the C12 talk again! That is all this kid was talking about for a few weeks! “Dad, let’s get some C-12”! “Dad, let’s get some C-12”! I broke down and got some. The C12 did make the KTM’s pulling power stronger, but also leaned it out enough to warrant the jetting change. However, the jetting change that worked with the VP C-12 also worked with pump gas too. Don’t be scared to run that jetting with either fuel. Aden wanted it because of the smell! Mom’s still mad because her kitchen smells of C12 and Maxima Formula K2. Sorry, babe! Not really, because our house smells like a race shop now! :)

-Aden coming in hot with the vacuum reference! Wow! My secret is out now. Great!

-Good job Aden. We have some work to do, but good job son! Love, Dad!      

Michelin Starcross 5 Soft First Impression

By Joe Oehlhof

Editors Note: I wanted to stay away from this impression as I had some help with the development process of these tires. Michelin sent Joe a set of Starcross 5 Soft tires for our 2019 Suzuki RM-Z450 and this is what he had to say after several hours on a set. I thought it would be cool to hear Joe’s thoughts since he used to race with Michelins back in the day (when they were involved with AMA Pro Racing).

I tested these tires on three different tracks with varying soil types and track designs to come up with a wide range of conditions. Sunrise MX park in Adleanto CA offers a track design on relatively flat ground with differing soil types ranging from hard pack to sandy loam. Milestone is flat as well with a bit tighter layout filled with fun jumps and soil types from hard pack to sticky rutted clay. LACR utilizes a sand quarry and has a layout with good elevation changes, high speeds and a soil type of hard base with loose sandy soil on top. So three different tracks with a broad spectrum of layouts and soils and the Starcross 5 performance was excellent on this wide variety. I also stuck with a tire pressure of 13.5 in both front/rear tires.

The front is now my favorite front tire, the stability on hard braking coupled with the grip and plush feel on initial turn in as well as the continued grip throughout flat or rutted corners is superb. The Starcross has decent durability (slightly better than a MX3S), great bump absorption, and consistent grip even with a little wear are just a few highlights of this excellent tire. I am a front end steering rider so these fit my riding style well for the conditions that I ride. I ran Michelin tires when I was racing professionally and when I look back at the tire I raced on back then, these Starcross tires are much better on initial lean and carcass feel.

The rear Starcross 5 is an excellent tire as well as offering great straight line traction along with excellent bump absorption and unbelievable side knob traction (when leaning into a rut or pushing those side knobs into a hard pack flat corner). Once the tire got a little wear the side knob traction was still pretty dang good, however the straight line traction decreased a little, but the bump absorption was still great. The tough choice for a tire manufacturer is finding the balance between traction, performance and durability. The ability to produce a tire that has great grip is there, just ask anyone who has been fortunate enough to ride a spec tire (like I did), but they only lasted literally one race. Michelin has done an excellent job of providing a lightweight, durable tire with excellent grip. This rear tire is so sticky on lean that it sometimes is tough to swing the rear end around on bowl type corners. It took me sometime to get used to that, but once I figured it out my confidence went up. The rear tire side knobs will chunk if you ride hardpack too much so be forewarned. Michelin makes a Starcross medium if you’re in need for some hard base dirt type of riding.

Well done fellas, stay tuned in upcoming weeks for an impression of the Michelin Starcross 5 medium compound as we get into warmer weather out here in California which means harder track surfaces. Yippee! UGH!

Acerbis Footpeg Protectors

Have you ever been ripping ruts or laying it over in a corner only to find that your footpegs are stuck upwards? You either spend the next straight slamming down on the peg (with your boot) or maybe you find yourself pulling off of the track to get the dirt out between your return pedal spring/pegs. Yes, it’s a pain in the ass and some bikes are worse than others (like the Honda CRF450R). Well, Acerbis has been making these rubber footpeg protectors for sometime, but a lot of you may not know about them. 

Constructed of EPDM 40 rubber, the Acerbis footpeg covers are designed to keep dirt out of your footpeg/return spring area so that the pegs can return properly once you bury it into a rut/corner. The installation takes some patience, but once you manage to spread the rubber around the peg and onto the footpeg mount/spring area, you can position it so that it is tucked up in there neatly. 

The Honda CRF250R/450R collects the most mud/debris in the footpeg area and I frankly got sick of trying to stomp down my pegs after I have ripped a deep rut. The Acerbis rubber protectors kept the dirt out of the footpeg springs throughout each moto and I never once had to worry about getting my footpegs hung up. The rubber is fairly durable and can withstand some abuse of rocks, sand, and the occasional strong power washes. I have only ripped one rubber protector (at Glen Helen) on a rock and although it sliced the bottom of the rubber, it still held onto the peg and did its job for the rest of the day. 

For around $20.00 I would keep a couple sets of these Acerbis footpeg protectors handy in the tool box for early morning motos or just leave them on 24/7. The Acerbis footpeg protectors fit all modern Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha, KTM, Husqvarna, and Kawasaki dirt bikes. You can get these at rockymountainatvmc.com or acerbis.com.