After a full year of riding my Honda CR144 Long Haul bike, the time has finally come to bid the sweet little ripper good night. This is certainly a bittersweet affair; on the one hand, I am glad to be getting rid of an underpowered little machine that requires a cocktaillike fuel mixture just to keep the detonations away. But at the same time, I have had more fun riding this two-stroke this year than almost any other bike, and it's a bummer to think that this may be the last 125cc racer that I ever call my own.
At the last update (Nov. '06), the 144cc had been ridden hard and put away soaking wet. After about five too many hard rides, we threw the Honda on the lift stand and went through the bike top to bottom. The fork seals were replaced, as were the well-worn rear brake pads, and some fresh clutch plates were swapped for the still-smoking metals and fibers, along with the springs. We also took care of some excessive rattling, which was caused in part by a blown-out rubber silencer mount and the lack of an exhaust flange gasket, where the pipe connects to the engine. Cables were lubed, fluids were refilled, bolts were checked and a Dunlop D756 rear tire was slapped on the back in place of the worn Pirelli. We even cleaned the pipe with some pool acid to regain some of that old bling-blam! The 144 looked as sharp as ever and felt much tighter all around.
Once buttoned up, we again put the Honda through another grueling bout of track days and hard rides. The motor continued to rip, but as the hourmeter clicked on, it was apparent that the bike was feeling a bit tired. Because the 144cc engine is almost unbearable when ridden slowly, the bike acquired an excessive amount of abuse from the countless revved-out laps. By the time we hit 42 hours, every Dirt Rider staffer in the bike's rotation was so familiar with the picky powerband that we could all ride the bike to a sky-high level of fun. Jimmy and I spent an entire day at the Lake Elsinore MX track just racing our Long Hauls around, and I watched the 144 carry him over a number of jumps that he wasn't clearing on a 250F-no small feat with a 185-pound pilot aboard. We also took the CR to a couple of shootout days as a "downtime" bike for waiting testers, and it proved to be a huge hit, most notably with one of the Women's Intermediate riders on hand. Every new rider went through the same series of emotions regarding the 144: pure curiosity, slight frustration, gradual acceptance and sheer amusement. We again rode the beans out of the bike, and a good time was truly had by all.