Hey Blaster Forum — Wheels here.
I’ve been away for about 10 years, but I’m back with a few ideas that I think some of you might find interesting. For the OG members still around, here’s a quick personal update. If you’re just here for the DT / Lanza discussion, feel free to skip ahead.
Back in the day I was really into motocross, and I had a Blaster that I fully built for my ex so she could come along on our regular dunes trips in Oregon and Washington. I was pretty active here and had member Ken O’Connor do the machine work on the Blaster's engine: bored, stroked, and ported along with his Banshee disc-brake conversion spindles. It ended up being an awesome trail and dune machine, and I really hope it’s still out there living a healthy life with its current owner. I sold it shortly after the relationship ended, and I stopped racing MX because I turned 30 and wanted to avoid injuries.
Fast forward to now: I’ve since remarried, and riding is back in my life. Currently in the stable we have a 2021 King Quad 400, a Brute Force 300, and an Ice Bear Champion (CT70-style 125cc clone set up for ADV). They get used for a mix of work, camping, and play.
Getting back into riding has given me the itch for another race machine. In my opinion, the industry was forced in the wrong direction with these bikes/quads and isn't doing enough for sport and play models. The engineering and complexity of modern four-stroke bikes has pushed the MSRP to the $10k+ mark for something that may end up mechanically totaled within 100 hours, or shortly after for second owners who don’t know what they’re buying into. This ownership reality is part of what pushed me away from 450's and into YZ and CR 250's BITD.
Now that I'm a vet, I want something with YZ level of handling with a reasonable cost, power, and maintenance level for trail riding. The only options I've found are a KLX or CRF 300 with thousands in suspension work or a Chinese bike from a Kayo, GPX, Kove, etc. These are mostly a copied/stolen clone of a 2019ish KTM usually with a Loncin 230 2t or 250 4t engine and Kayaba or FastAce suspension.
which brings me to something that may be of interest to Blaster riders.
Back when I was active here, I wanted to do a DT230 / Lanza conversion on a Blaster but at the time those engines were pretty much unobtanium in the U.S., so the idea never went anywhere. They come stock with a power-valve, a six-speed transmission, water-cooling and are designed for longevity. They have great torque and smooth power that's snappy when needed, and tops out somewhere comparable to YZ125.
Since then, Yamaha has sold that engine design and development program to Loncin in China. For those unfamiliar: they’re one of the largest motorcycle engine manufacturers on the planet. They’ve made some updates to the design, and the engines can now be imported for roughly $1,000 (tariffs may be a big hit, depending how you source it). You’ll often see this engine marketed as a KEWS motor, and it’s also sold in bikes imported by GPX / KAYO / KOVE etc.
I’d really appreciate feedback from anyone here who have owned or spent time on one of these GPX / KAYO / KOVE bikes, as I’ll likely be picking one up soon. There’s also a decent chance I end up building another Blaster along the way if I find a good candidate for the power and handling it deserves.
Hopefully some of the old regulars are still around. I’m happy to answer questions from the newer guys too.
I’ve been away for about 10 years, but I’m back with a few ideas that I think some of you might find interesting. For the OG members still around, here’s a quick personal update. If you’re just here for the DT / Lanza discussion, feel free to skip ahead.
Back in the day I was really into motocross, and I had a Blaster that I fully built for my ex so she could come along on our regular dunes trips in Oregon and Washington. I was pretty active here and had member Ken O’Connor do the machine work on the Blaster's engine: bored, stroked, and ported along with his Banshee disc-brake conversion spindles. It ended up being an awesome trail and dune machine, and I really hope it’s still out there living a healthy life with its current owner. I sold it shortly after the relationship ended, and I stopped racing MX because I turned 30 and wanted to avoid injuries.
Fast forward to now: I’ve since remarried, and riding is back in my life. Currently in the stable we have a 2021 King Quad 400, a Brute Force 300, and an Ice Bear Champion (CT70-style 125cc clone set up for ADV). They get used for a mix of work, camping, and play.
Getting back into riding has given me the itch for another race machine. In my opinion, the industry was forced in the wrong direction with these bikes/quads and isn't doing enough for sport and play models. The engineering and complexity of modern four-stroke bikes has pushed the MSRP to the $10k+ mark for something that may end up mechanically totaled within 100 hours, or shortly after for second owners who don’t know what they’re buying into. This ownership reality is part of what pushed me away from 450's and into YZ and CR 250's BITD.
Now that I'm a vet, I want something with YZ level of handling with a reasonable cost, power, and maintenance level for trail riding. The only options I've found are a KLX or CRF 300 with thousands in suspension work or a Chinese bike from a Kayo, GPX, Kove, etc. These are mostly a copied/stolen clone of a 2019ish KTM usually with a Loncin 230 2t or 250 4t engine and Kayaba or FastAce suspension.
which brings me to something that may be of interest to Blaster riders.
Back when I was active here, I wanted to do a DT230 / Lanza conversion on a Blaster but at the time those engines were pretty much unobtanium in the U.S., so the idea never went anywhere. They come stock with a power-valve, a six-speed transmission, water-cooling and are designed for longevity. They have great torque and smooth power that's snappy when needed, and tops out somewhere comparable to YZ125.
Since then, Yamaha has sold that engine design and development program to Loncin in China. For those unfamiliar: they’re one of the largest motorcycle engine manufacturers on the planet. They’ve made some updates to the design, and the engines can now be imported for roughly $1,000 (tariffs may be a big hit, depending how you source it). You’ll often see this engine marketed as a KEWS motor, and it’s also sold in bikes imported by GPX / KAYO / KOVE etc.
I’d really appreciate feedback from anyone here who have owned or spent time on one of these GPX / KAYO / KOVE bikes, as I’ll likely be picking one up soon. There’s also a decent chance I end up building another Blaster along the way if I find a good candidate for the power and handling it deserves.
Hopefully some of the old regulars are still around. I’m happy to answer questions from the newer guys too.
