winter riding

[mayhew ian]

i have a 1999 yamaha yz 125 and i wannna ride it on the ice i have it studded and i know i need to jet it richer but i dont know the exact specs. and i was wondering if you have to change the coolant ratio. if there is anything else i would like to know! thanx

 

[AARONA]

I have been living in Alaska for the last 7 years and have had a lot of great winter rides. I've heard a few different views on setup as well, so take this with a grain of salt. I have never siezed a bike in the winter though. One bike I rode a lot was a 1996 CR250. It had a 175 main jet, I switched to a 185 and rode in temps up to -20F. I rode several times and would stop and check the plug. Thats the trick to me, is run it down a stretch WFO and kill it, then check the plug. If your too lean, keep going up on the main. I left all of the other jetting alone, because it is like mud, and goes through the low end so fast your always in the mid-top part of the power. Another thing that can help is to soften all the clickers up. The cold temps make the susp very stiff. I have used a studded front tire with a Moto-Ski for the front, and a sand paddle that I shaved down and studded on the rear with good luck in medium pack snow. If its deep snow, go get a snow machine!
Hope that helps.

 

[skyshot44]

Throw on some hand guards. The winds on the lake will freeze your pinkies.
It's probably safer to go up two sizes on the main jet, then work from there.