Got small-bore smoker? CHECK!

[typeone]

boooo.. .

dug into my carb this afternoon to check jetting and finish inventory of what i've got to begin testing. found the carb top rubber gasket ripped letting dirt/water in (top of slide was kinda nasty) and a chipped carbon reed. BISH!

gotta order more parts now, muther f'er

at least the Stealth Racing idle screw went in OK. had to grind a little off the fuel inlet post but otherwise smooth sailin'. the latest batch had bad threads, guess i lucked out.

[petro]

So… how terrible of an idea would it be for someone to buy a WR125 of this vintage as a first dirt bike to chase their kid around the yard on a PW50 and an occasional session of falling down in friends’ and relatives’ woods?

I’ve had my eye out for a KDX200 or CRF230F to start off on but price wise they aren’t much different (and nuts for 10-20+ year old bikes). So other than the fact that it’s a no longer manufactured Italian built bike with hard to find parts, a tall seat height, and the forum with all the useful information on them is totally dead, what could go wrong?

Also seeing the prices in the for sale ads on here when searching this made me cry.

[boosten lebaron]

I would go for a kdx all day long. Resale value will be exactly what you paid for it. You should be able to get one for $1500 pretty easily. Parts are readily available.

[Paul_E_D]

KDX is the droid you are after.

[petro]

^^This was my original goal for exactly those reasons, but I think $1,500 is pre-Covid pricing.

Anything maintained, running and less than 30 years old seems to be $2,500 (or over $3,000 if it was made in this millennium). Bikes priced ‘right’ don’t last 6 hours before they’re gone.

That’s what pushed my thought into something newer and more modern for similar money.

[boosten lebaron]

I would have zero problems running one from the 80s. 86 is when they put the kips system in do anything after is fine. Many argue the air-cooled ones from 86 to 89 are the best of the bunch. Once you start looking into the 90s then yes they get more expensive.

[typeone]

ah, man, all my pics are gone/broken. wanted to relive the 125 > 144 > 165 journey. hmmm. wonder if i can fix somehow but don't see a reference when editing.

---

petro, even though i loved the Husky WR to death while i owned it, a few years later some parts were getting tough for the following two owners after i sold. no clue what's available these days but if you're seriously entertaining the idea, give Hall's Cycles a call in IL. they'll give you the straight dope on parts availability. very durable bike but some things may be harder than others to get, i remember suspension parts being an issue.

KDX is a great option if you can find one in your range that's decent. how big are you? how about an XR200 or XR250?

---

very nice Husky WR in CT here prob wouldn't ever have to do a thing to it!

[typeone]

'87 KDX in Shrewsbury, MA

[loudbeard]

'87 KDX in Shrewsbury, MA

Jesus, video in the ad screams 'This bike will not idle!"

[petro]

petro, even though i loved the Husky WR to death while i owned it, a few years later some parts were getting tough for the following two owners after i sold. no clue what's available these days but if you're seriously entertaining the idea, give Hall's Cycles a call in IL. they'll give you the straight dope on parts availability. very durable bike but some things may be harder than others to get, i remember suspension parts being an issue.

The parts availability is definitely a concern - hearing they were getting scarce several years ago is a wake up call. Reaching out to Halls is a good idea, I may do that.

KDX is a great option if you can find one in your range that's decent. how big are you? how about an XR200 or XR250?

Totally agree! I’m considering the XR in the same line of thought as the CRF/KDX. I’m 5’9 200ish right now but optimistically looking to get back to a healthier 175-180 eventually..

very nice Husky WR in CT here prob wouldn't ever have to do a thing to it!

And you found the ad that spawned this whole thing for me! The small delta in price between that and these older, more affordable, smarter choice bikes is what I’m having trouble coming to terms with.

I understand every bike value has a floor, but that ‘87 KDX with zero mention of condition other than ‘runs good’ for $1800 is hard for me to wrap my head around.

Ultimately it may come down to parts availability for me, because I tend to hang on to things pretty long term, with a goal of ‘real’ riding with my kid(s) if they stick with it and ever grow tall enough to move up to a more capable bike.

[typeone]

Jesus, video in the ad screams 'This bike will not idle!"

i thought it revved clean. but yeah, your comment reminds me of another ad i looked at, bike description: RUNS MINT ... but does not idle. (was not a tiddler MX racer)

[typeone]

And you found the ad that spawned this whole thing for me! The small delta in price between that and these older, more affordable, smarter choice bikes is what I’m having trouble coming to terms with.

I understand every bike value has a floor, but that ‘87 KDX with zero mention of condition other than ‘runs good’ for $1800 is hard for me to wrap my head around.

Ultimately it may come down to parts availability for me, because I tend to hang on to things pretty long term, with a goal of ‘real’ riding with my kid(s) if they stick with it and ever grow tall enough to move up to a more capable bike.

hear ya, talk to Hall's about that specific bike and see what may be hard to get otherwise they are super fun woods bikes, true MTB w/a motor feel. not a torque monster though, and they can be tall, which might be an issue getting on/off a lot chasing kids. they kickstart very easy but the kicker is super short. i did snap one right off one time.

XR250R would be a bullet proof tank but not light to pick up over and over and requires a proper long-kick to fire. not a big deal, but something to think about.

[typeone]

...you have me reminiscing had to dig up a photo of my 165. had so much fun on that bike. wrenching (for every morsel of power) + riding.

[typeone]

...just thought of another resource you could check in with IF seriously considering the Husky WR. reach out to Walt 'wallybean' on TT, he's the guy we all worked with to boost the little 125's. it's a bummer CafeHusky crashed. was an awesome community of enthusiasts.

[petro]

Appreciate the input! The photo really doesn’t help in making the logical decision lol.

[typeone]

that's why i posted it

...and i just ran into it on FB while reconnecting with the CafeHusky group. guy had it in storage for 3 years and took it out in April. looks fantastic still. amazing to see my fingerprints all over it. wild. i'd love to ride it back-to-back against my current 200.

[petro]

Is yolo still a thing?

[typeone]

congrats, man! thing looks mint. rip it up/down the road yet?? i will look for the parts i mentioned later today.

[petro]

Not yet! Too dark by the time I got back Saturday and rain washed out any chance yesterday.

It has the high capacity fuel tank which was a nice surprise when I picked it up. Unfortunately the “fully street legal kit” it was advertised with is just a headlight and cluster (which won’t get me very far in CT), but that was more of a luxury than a necessity.