KAWASAKI KX125: BEHIND THE BUILD

We have built a lot of project bikes with Justin Myerson from Motowhips over the years and are always blown away with each bike. This KX125 is Justin’s personal bike and took almost two years to build in between working on customer builds. It features an updated KX250 four-stroke front end with a mounting kit using a newer four-stroke gas tank, subframe and modified airbox, allowing the use of newer plastics and changing the overall look. Motowhips worked with other industry-leading fabricators to come up with a kit that allows newer KX four-stroke plastics to be used on this early 2000s KX two-stroke

The true beauty of a Motowhips bike is in the tiny details. Virtually no part of the machine hasn’t recieved loving attention. Mettec titanium fasteners can be found on many of the factory-level race machines because they are 47 percent lighter than the OEM steel units, stronger and have been manufactured in the USA since 1995. Hand-fabricated out of Ti-6AL-4V titanium and Tig-welded, the Pro Pegs from Moto Stuff feature a larger footprint, a 30-tooth design and are lighter than the OEM models. On top, Xtrig ROCS Pro triple clamp are machined from billet aluminum and feature a custom Motowhips coating to match the Faster USA hubs. Handlebars can be mounted in 12 different positions with the Progressive Handlebar Damping System. The Pro Circuit Works-style pipe is stamped with a high-quality carbon steel construction with hand-welded and -pounded seams for increased performance throughout the power curve. Hinson billetproof clutch components for the mid-2000 KX125 are a huge upgrade from stock and constructed of T6 billet aluminum that is Akadized for five times the wear-resistance. Dunlops MX33 tires are designed for soft-to-intermediate terrain and feature block-in-a-block technology for more aggressive corner and slide control in off-road conditions.

Nic and the crew at Decal Works collaborated with Justin at Motowhips, coming up with a set of custom graphics that brought the entire build together to provide a clean, classic look.

Faster USA hubs are machined in Southern California out of solid billet, heat-treated 6061 T6-certified U.S. aluminum. Outer wheel spacers are machined out of 7075 aluminum to prevent grooving and have water-deflection contours machined in them that are designed to extend bearing life. Motowhips custom ceramic-coated the hubs to match the Xtrig clamps.

Pro Circuit’s Ti-2 Shorty silencer features all the same performance increases as the popular R-304 model, but features a carbon Kevlar shell, titanium tubing and a titanium-stamped end cap made at their facility in Corona, California.

Motowhips does a variety of custom coatings that not only make the bike look factory but provide performance benefits. These coatings can be seen throughout the “Kryptonite” build, including the suspension components. They aren’t inexpensive to do, but make all the difference in the world

The Moto Stuff 280mm oversized front rotor kit is laser-cut and machined out of heat-treated 400-series stainless steel and features a hard-anodized 6061 billet-aluminum caliper mounting bracket.