Kayo125, a short review by an nsr50 racer.
At a practice day with njminigp, I got to try out once of the Kayo125 bikes (available from svracingparts.com and you can get it set up around here by speedwerkes). It is a fantastic piece of mini-machinery, and very capable out of the box. Comparing it to an nsr50 is a fairly obvious thing to do, since it's similarly sized, races the same classes, and even sort of looks the same from far away.
The bike I got to try was (unfortunately for me) set up with gp-shift. I am not a fan, and it takes quite a bit of processing power to use my left foot "backwards". Sort of like driving a RHD car. I can do it, but I feel like a derp doing it. Easily enough changed in about 30 seconds, but it wasn't my bike, so I wasn't about to mess with it.
The Kayo comes with some decent components and I'm pretty sure this one had some svracingparts goodies like rearsets and a longer tail. I'm sure a few other things, but I didn't have a stock one to compare. The ergos are similar to an nsr, though a bit more adjustable. There is a kickstart (which I didn't try since bumpstarting is just as easy as any other mini). There are some definite similarities in size, shape, etc.(obviously, why mess with a winning formula?). The exhaust sounds nice and rumbly, and the bike overall feels quite solid.
Riding the Kayo compared to the nsr makes you both remember why you love the nsr, and wonder why you still have it and haven't bought the Kayo. Seriously. The steering is a bit more touchy (yes, that's actually possible). The suspension is more compliant and stable. Definitely feels better. Of course this is at my 170lb weight, and I have no idea what the settings were, so YMMV.
The main benefit to the Kayo, however is the 125cc 4stroke power. This thing is a TRACTOR!!!! You get drive all the way through the powerband (though it did run out of steam about 1000rpm before redline, right where the nsr shines). If you're a gear high, through a corner (which kept happening too me because I'm not used to gp shift... "downshifts" became upshifts) there is really no penalty in acceleration. It easily outmotors the nsr with a lighter rider down the straights. No, riding a mini doesn't mean a complete lack of power!
The only place the nsr beats it IMO, is that the brakes are a little less grabby on the Kayo. This may be a function of pads, master/caliper sizes, or just a brake bleed. I'm not quite sure, and I haven't been given permission to just start replacing parts...
As an experiment, the guy who taught me to ride minis and I went for a few laps of chasing each other on the kayo and his nsr. Now, on a good day, when we're both on nsr50s, I can maybe hang on to him for half a lap before he starts pulling away (actually when we're both on the grid for a race, I'm already mentally fighting for 2nd place with whoever else). I hopped on the Kayo, expecting a total loss like usual. I was kind of dreading the competition because I was sure that gp-shift would screw me up. Either way, we met up in the middle of a session, and start playing chase. This was a practice day, and I was on someone else's bike, so we were not going for aggressive passes, just running fast lines.
I started by leading, and was quite pleasantly surprised that there wasn't a buzzy bike next to me in every corner. Hell, I was even confused because i couldn't hear the buzzing. Oh that's because there was a 2 second gap between us. Wait, what? Yeah, I was running away. Swapping places after a couple laps, I was fully expecting to get left in the dust as usual. Except that I didn't! Even on corners where I screwed up, or braked early, I could easily close the gap by mid-corner because of the stable suspension or catch up on power coming out. For the first time in ages, I could show my friend a wheel almost any time I wanted to! Yes, it's just the bike. No, I didn't learn how to ride suddenly (spent the rest of the day sucking as usual on my bikes). The Kayo is a clear winner in that battle.
No I'm not the fastest guy on the grid, but if I have a kayo and nobody else does, I very well may be. I'll be surprised if mediocre Kayo riders aren't sweeping podiums even over good NSR riders.
At a practice day with njminigp, I got to try out once of the Kayo125 bikes (available from svracingparts.com and you can get it set up around here by speedwerkes). It is a fantastic piece of mini-machinery, and very capable out of the box. Comparing it to an nsr50 is a fairly obvious thing to do, since it's similarly sized, races the same classes, and even sort of looks the same from far away.
The bike I got to try was (unfortunately for me) set up with gp-shift. I am not a fan, and it takes quite a bit of processing power to use my left foot "backwards". Sort of like driving a RHD car. I can do it, but I feel like a derp doing it. Easily enough changed in about 30 seconds, but it wasn't my bike, so I wasn't about to mess with it.
The Kayo comes with some decent components and I'm pretty sure this one had some svracingparts goodies like rearsets and a longer tail. I'm sure a few other things, but I didn't have a stock one to compare. The ergos are similar to an nsr, though a bit more adjustable. There is a kickstart (which I didn't try since bumpstarting is just as easy as any other mini). There are some definite similarities in size, shape, etc.(obviously, why mess with a winning formula?). The exhaust sounds nice and rumbly, and the bike overall feels quite solid.
Riding the Kayo compared to the nsr makes you both remember why you love the nsr, and wonder why you still have it and haven't bought the Kayo. Seriously. The steering is a bit more touchy (yes, that's actually possible). The suspension is more compliant and stable. Definitely feels better. Of course this is at my 170lb weight, and I have no idea what the settings were, so YMMV.
The main benefit to the Kayo, however is the 125cc 4stroke power. This thing is a TRACTOR!!!! You get drive all the way through the powerband (though it did run out of steam about 1000rpm before redline, right where the nsr shines). If you're a gear high, through a corner (which kept happening too me because I'm not used to gp shift... "downshifts" became upshifts) there is really no penalty in acceleration. It easily outmotors the nsr with a lighter rider down the straights. No, riding a mini doesn't mean a complete lack of power!
The only place the nsr beats it IMO, is that the brakes are a little less grabby on the Kayo. This may be a function of pads, master/caliper sizes, or just a brake bleed. I'm not quite sure, and I haven't been given permission to just start replacing parts...
As an experiment, the guy who taught me to ride minis and I went for a few laps of chasing each other on the kayo and his nsr. Now, on a good day, when we're both on nsr50s, I can maybe hang on to him for half a lap before he starts pulling away (actually when we're both on the grid for a race, I'm already mentally fighting for 2nd place with whoever else). I hopped on the Kayo, expecting a total loss like usual. I was kind of dreading the competition because I was sure that gp-shift would screw me up. Either way, we met up in the middle of a session, and start playing chase. This was a practice day, and I was on someone else's bike, so we were not going for aggressive passes, just running fast lines.
I started by leading, and was quite pleasantly surprised that there wasn't a buzzy bike next to me in every corner. Hell, I was even confused because i couldn't hear the buzzing. Oh that's because there was a 2 second gap between us. Wait, what? Yeah, I was running away. Swapping places after a couple laps, I was fully expecting to get left in the dust as usual. Except that I didn't! Even on corners where I screwed up, or braked early, I could easily close the gap by mid-corner because of the stable suspension or catch up on power coming out. For the first time in ages, I could show my friend a wheel almost any time I wanted to! Yes, it's just the bike. No, I didn't learn how to ride suddenly (spent the rest of the day sucking as usual on my bikes). The Kayo is a clear winner in that battle.
No I'm not the fastest guy on the grid, but if I have a kayo and nobody else does, I very well may be. I'll be surprised if mediocre Kayo riders aren't sweeping podiums even over good NSR riders.