Trail Rider Magazine

10 Trail Rider www.TrailRider.com T il Ri Rid T il ilRi Rid TM MX144 e little Engine at Could Small bores, no doubt they're huge fun but can they actually be an alternative to what we're accustomed to? As an older (and larg- er...) woods rider, our bikes have increased in cylinder size on a linear basis as the years clocked by. Like most of us, this guy start- ed out on 125's and loved the lightweight, fl ickable feel they off er. As time progressed and pounds increased, engine displacement increased proportionately. We've grown used to calling for more power in so many aspects of our lives. Would it be possible to regress somewhat in our dirt scoot choices? To be honest, this heavier fella had been doubtful. Could reverting back to bikes of younger days actually prove to be fun? We're open-minded; we'll see. A recent phone call from our friend Brett Bavisotto of Bonjoe's Cycle Sport in Grand Island, NY, our local TM dealer, with an of- fer to race their new TM MX144 at the 80th Sandy Lane Enduro sure sounded appealing. Having been buried in snow here in Maine for the last several months, we were chomp- ing at the bit for ripping some of South Jersey's sweet sandy single track. Bonjoe's team is dead serious about bike prep and our test mount wasn't going to be another gener- ic, out-of-the-crate bike test. Bonjoe's was going to set the little 144 up to suit the rider; in this case, a somewhat portly older rider. It's rare that we get to ride custom-tailored bikes. is was going to be a hoot! Our test bike was an MX model, set up for aggressive woods racing. It would be sprung and valved for the rider and application, being south Jersey sand and endless whoops. Ken McCurdy from TNT Suspension Devel- opment off ered his expertise to help with the woods revalve, along with installing heavi- er springs front and rear. G2 Ergonomics off ered up their hand guards and COR Moto Graphics supplied the trick Trail Rider Magazine/ Bonjoe's Cycle Sport full graphics package. is was shaping up to be a pretty cool test and event, certainly as close to a factory ride as this guy has ever seen! Regular readers will recall our recent test of the TM 300EN and all of its trickness. e MX144 is a very similar machine, perfect hand-welded, twin spar TM-designed aluminum frame, along with a works- like tubular aluminum sub frame. Billet hubs, triple clamps, brackets and rear brake lever complete the factory bike feel. Italians are known for beauty and style and TM displays their heritage proud- ly; they build gorgeous machines. As for the powerplant, like all TM engines, the 144 is built entirely in-house at their factory in Pesaro, Italy. e 144 is not just another big bore 125; it's specifi cal- ly built for the displacement. Where their 125 yields a bore and stroke of 54mm X 54.2mm, the TM144 is a 56mm bore and a relatively long 58.2mm stroke. TM's approach has two positive eff ects over the typ- ical big bore 125. First, increasing the stroke greatly increases the low-end torque. Second, by using a slightly larger (than a 125) but still very light weight piston, you get a very lively, quick-revving engine, typical of a small bore 2-stroke. Like all full size

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