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Verman
Jul 4, 2005
Third time is a charm right?
I always wanted a dirt bike growing up, same goes for playing hockey and having a drum set. Those were three things I wanted most as a kid. My parents are awesome but they never got me a bike, they knew a drum set would be obnoxious and hockey was expensive.

I got my first job when I was 15 and bought a drum set in my own. When I graduated college and started my first career job I started playing hockey and have been playing for the last 10 years.

Saturday at the age of 34, I bought my first bike. A 2007 WR250F



I'm super excited and can't wait to get riding.

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Verman
Jul 4, 2005
Third time is a charm right?

shacked up with Brenda posted:

friend's sweet ride on sunday



My tailbone hurts just watching that.

Verman
Jul 4, 2005
Third time is a charm right?

Since buying my bike in October, my buddy also wanted a bike so we picked up his (a crf250x) a few weeks back. Our schedules finally clicked this past weekend so we got out to Tahuya State Forest near/on the olympic peninsula of Washington. It was a blast. We both had a poo poo ton of fun and I'm kicking myself for not getting into riding sooner. It was exhausting but in a good way. We avoided the tight single track for the time being and stuck to quad trails as they were slightly wider. There were a lot of sections of loose river rock which was weird to ride through and just made me feel very uneasy. It was kind of like riding on a metal grate where one wheel wants to go one way and the other wheel the opposite. I need to pick up a better pressure gauge to play with tire pressure. I think I might have been too high. I also need to make a few minor adjustments to control placement (brake pedal, shifter) as they felt very high and low and generally difficult to reach with my foot.



Seriously though, it was a ton of fun but way more exhausting than I expected. And if riding all day wasn't enough, I had a hockey game at 11pm the same night. I fell asleep drat near instant when I got home at 2am this morning.

Verman
Jul 4, 2005
Third time is a charm right?
Second real ride on my bike. Meet up with some dudes off thumper talk at tahuya. It's been freezing overnight aground here and there was some frosty and ice on the trails.

Things were damp and slick as it warmed up. Might have hit 40 this afternoon. Any stick over 2 inches thick was trying to pull me off my bike. The logs and rocks were straight death.

I tried single track and holy poo poo that's hard. It's so tight I never felt like I had enough room. I dropped my bike probably a dozen times and ended up beneath it once. The weirdest things were insanely difficult. It was exhausting but a fun time. I was the newbie and the guys were super patient and helpful. They even adjusted my suspension and tire pressure to help with the bouncing around. I'm the one standing there with the thumbs up holding my bike while this internet stranger lays in a thorn bush adjusting my bike. The other photo is someone adjusting their own bike while I take a break from falling.


Verman
Jul 4, 2005
Third time is a charm right?
I'm based out of Seattle and I've got a street legal WR250 that I'll probably have a license to ride on road if I get off my rear end and take the test this summer. Until then I'm always up for trail riding.

Verman
Jul 4, 2005
Third time is a charm right?
4th weekend will probably be a poo poo show but I should be available for anything that's not too intense.

Verman
Jul 4, 2005
Third time is a charm right?
I would probably be down for that. I'm a pretty novice 34 year old rider so im not looking to kill myself or anything, just cruise around trying to avoid destroying my bike or body.

Verman
Jul 4, 2005
Third time is a charm right?
I might have to back out for Sunday. Wife needs the car. God we need a second vehicle.

Verman
Jul 4, 2005
Third time is a charm right?

BabelFish posted:

So I bought a used 250 dual sport (xt250) to get back into riding and try my hand at some dirt. I'm in the greater Seattle eastside, anyone got any suggestions for starter trails/dirt roads in western Washington State?

Edit: Also, does WA require a separate off road sticker for plated bikes? the DOL website isn't very clear about already-plated vehicles.

It all depends on where you go.

I have a plated bike with orv tabs and have been stopped to check for both depending on the area. I was told by the DMV that I needed both if I wanted to ride both. Plates are obviously required for roads (and most dirt forest roads, especially in national Forest). Orv tabs are required for most off-road or trail riding in the state (and Oregon). If you haul your bike somewhere to ride, it's a good idea to also have whatever vehicle passes you will need for that vehicle (state or federal passes). Between my orv tabs and plate on my bike, and a discover pass and America the beautiful pass in my car, I've never had a problem anywhere I've been.

Reiter is the closest place to Seattle. It's small and pretty novice but it's a great place to go and learn. They do have some tough terrain there as well but you have to try and find it. Tahuya is much bigger and has a wide mix but still very beginner friendly. I would suggest going with someone familiar with the area. Riding alone can be dangerous.

If you're plated and just want to stick to dirt roads, there are a lot of roads around Snoqualmie pass/stampede pass area. Not a lot of trails but fairly well maintained dirt roads with good views and easy cruising.

Verman
Jul 4, 2005
Third time is a charm right?
Went riding yesterday with a few strangers from thumper talk. What was supposed to be some casual Forest road riding and exploring of an area quickly turned into technical Pacific Northwest alpine single track. It was mostly all good though as it was fun but challenging as we were trying to reach a nearby peak.





We were taking a break in a large open area before the final stretch of trail when this guy comes rolling down out from said peak. He's alone, smoking a cigarette, wearing work boots and jeans and riding a tw200. Says the trail isn't too bad.

We press on. It's tight and keeps getting tighter. Switchbacks on a 40 degree slope. The trail on average is about a foot wide. The switchbacks were steep and often laced with huge rocks or stumps. To get up them without falling, you either needed to pivot turn (I can't do) or attack then with speed and sort of wall ride the high side to come through it with momentum. I eventually got it down until I didn't. As I was going through one of the switchbacks, I gave it throttle and rode the high side. I didn't see the root on the exit that bounced my front tire out of the corner and heading off the trail and down the mountain. I bailed and prepared to hug some foliage.



The bike landed upside down but didn't slide very far. It landed on a small bendy tree. I somehow managed to grab a small tree and stopped from rolling further down.



That was the end of my day. I was exhausted, had dead lifted my bike a few dozen times realizing it was only going to get worse. I was hungry and needed real food. The trail was steep enough that I rode most of the way out with my engine off. Each corner was steep enough that in 20 feet of entry and exit of the 180 switchbacks those two points were 15-20 feet of height difference.

It was a good day riding though. Found a new area and will definitely be back.

Verman
Jul 4, 2005
Third time is a charm right?

Elviscat posted:

Where is this?

Just south of Easton (Washington) power lines

Verman
Jul 4, 2005
Third time is a charm right?
Seeing as there hasn't been much traffic in here lately, I have been working on my bike a lot the last few weeks. I replaced the fork oil, bushings and seals which has them feeling like new. I replaced the linkage bearings and seals, rear shock seals and bearings. I've added full wraparound handguards. Greased my front wheel bearings, replaced my rears. Replaced my ripped seat cover. So I finally got out and rode it. It was hot here in Washington this weekend, around 80 when we unloaded around 11am.



It was great riding aside from me burning through a coolant overflow hose that I forgot to route correctly after removing my exhaust. On our way back to the truck, we took a downhill single track trail thats about 2 miles long. We were about a half mile in and I stalled my bike. Went to start it and my electric start stopped working. I could hear the solenoid clicking but the starter wouldn't turn and my computer would turn off and on when I would hit the start button. No big deal, I'll just kick it over. 15 minutes later, its still not starting. At this point, 1/2 mile uphill to the nearest road was going to be brutal. We didn't know how the rest of this trail went but we knew it went mostly downhill back to the truck. I decided to coast it down, and we would push/tow when we could. We were in a section of really tight switchbacks which didn't allow me to gain much speed for a bump start. I come out of a corner and see a few yards of straight so I roll through the corner and bump start it. It bursts to life and I ride out as smooth as I can to keep it running. It was a fun day, just really hot and exhausting. I'm very happy I didn't end up having to walk my bike out. It would have taken forever.

Now I'm going to diagnose my starter, see if its repairable or just order a new one, or if the problem is even the starter at all. Dirtbikes; ride, repair and repeat.

Verman
Jul 4, 2005
Third time is a charm right?
Yeah it just opened up on the 5th. Trails were in good shape. I had never been out to Walker before so it was fun even though I stuck to the easier trails out there just to get my feet wet. We went on Sunday so I'm not sure if it was the heat or mother's day but it wasn't very busy. We saw people on the roads but rarely saw anybody in the trails. Having ridden tahuya, reiter, Evans creek, etc, it was definitely more rocky and rooty with lots of elevation gain. I've only heard how insane most of the trails are there so I was cautious in blindly exploring.

Verman
Jul 4, 2005
Third time is a charm right?
I'm always surprised more people aren't posting in here seeing as how many people are posting in the other moto related threads.

A few weeks back during Memorial day, I went up to Cle Elum to ride and camp which was great. Lots of remote camping away from the campgrounds etc, places where you can ride right out of camp which was great.

Enchantments from across the highway




Got a flat the second day. Stump made a perfect stand. Tried to repair it and all of my patches (stick on type) were dried out and useless. Being a holiday weekend, nobody nearby was open so my riding was done. I bought all new patches (traditional with rubber cement) and will bring spare tubes with me from now on.


I decided to replace my tires and try something new. The tires were from before I bought the bike three years ago (date codes were 2015/16). The rear was rounded off, chunking knobs, and the inner sidewall was wearing into the tubes. Based on a lot of recommendations, I replaced my front Kenda Washougal II in 100/100 with a GoldenTyre 216 in 90/90 and replaced my rear MotoZ tractionator Enduro I/T in 120/90 with a Tusk Recon Hybrid in 110/100. I haven't been able to get out and ride yet so I'm eager to see how they do. I also went with thicker tubes to hopefully prevent pinch flats. Holy poo poo do new tires go on so much easier than old hard tires.




Apologies for the lack of riding photos. I tend to be the photo taker between myself and my riding partner.

Verman
Jul 4, 2005
Third time is a charm right?

Elviscat posted:

Oh poo poo, is that Taneum?

We were just a little bit north and west of Taneum but in that general area. Since all of the official campgrounds were closed, we had to find dispersed sites which were pretty easy to find. We were far enough away from people that we didn't hear anybody while in camp at night. I had heard the area was pretty insane once you got off the forest roads and quad trails. My buddy and I are still pretty novice riders so deadly exposure and extremely difficult trails are still beyond our comfort level for the time being. We just explored the area and used some of the big open areas to practice enduro skills like wheelies, log hops etc. It was great. I feel like I never get enough time to actually practice.

Elviscat posted:

Friends buying poo poo bikes
Yeah, I feel like this is really common with dirtbikes, quads and most other types of recreational vehicles. Too many people want to use them and have fun but nobody wants to take the time or money to maintain them. In the same way, a lot of people can't justify the price of a new machine that is intended to get dirty and dropped. I have a hard time convincing myself to buy a new bike when the time comes but after the money I have sunk into my first bike (a used 07 wr250) bringing it up to snuff, I definitely see the value in an unmolested machine with zero hours on it. The crazy part is the used market, especially in the PNW is insane right now. People are asking $2k for anything with an engine now. Bikes that are typically $500 scrap bikes are selling for $2-3k. I dont understand it but people are still buying them up.

Verman
Jul 4, 2005
Third time is a charm right?
Most of the shorter folks and ladies I see on the trails around Washington are usually riding crf or ttr 125/230s or older XR 100-200s. Sometimes you see someone on a cr/yz 80. Rarely you'll see a Suzuki or Kawasaki of similar sort. I feel like I see more crfs though.

I always thought there was a big market for more capable bikes for smaller riders. The gap from kids bikes to adult bikes was pretty wide for a while and the in-between were usually dulled down heavy trail bikes.

Verman
Jul 4, 2005
Third time is a charm right?

meowmeowmeowmeow posted:

Why is getting handguards on such a lovely process?

My cycera guards just don't want to line up with the bar clamps and not interfere with either the top triple or the headlight assembly. I've got protaper bars, I assume the guards would work with a normal bend but no.

Do you have a bench vise? I got mine to fit my WR perfectly but it required the slightest bit of bending. Most guys I know usually resort to some modification to get them to fit perfectly. So long as your not heating them up and going slowly, you should be fine. They're surprisingly strong.

Verman
Jul 4, 2005
Third time is a charm right?

TotalLossBrain posted:

So the Tao Tao bike I ordered on Amazon got lost in shipping (?) and the seller refunded me. After spending more time on Facebook marketplace and getting frustrated with people, I ordered a Segway X160/SurRon electric bike instead. Seat height and power level seem ideal for my teenagers to learn on. I'll update when I get the bike.

As someone with a real dirtbike, I would love to hear your opinion on the RunRon. I've heard cool things about them. I've considered an electric bike of some sort for my yard to not upset neighbors. Thinking electric trials could be real fun.
Sucks about the Tao Tao, at least you got your money back. I can't even begin to fathom trying to buy a bike right now, especially on the used market. People are asking insane prices for their piles of poo poo, and many are getting it.

also ... lol

TotalLossBrain posted:

Bonus: Some dude getting stuck on a rock. According to the camp host, this happens frequently.


I have so many questions.

"Yeah this happens a lot" ... but does nothing to keep it from happening. I wonder how many people have punctured an oil pan on that thing. (also thinking that SUV is probably all wheel drive right?)

I was just backpacking north of Mt Adams in Goat Rocks last week. Man, I need to get out riding. I've been busy with other stuff lately and haven't got out. I replaced my tires and was waiting to adjust my valves before I got out riding again (which is all done). I need more riding buddies as my riding partner is always busy.

Verman
Jul 4, 2005
Third time is a charm right?
Man I want to go riding this weekend but all my buddies are busy.

I put new tires months ago and adjusted my valves last week and haven't ridden since.

Verman
Jul 4, 2005
Third time is a charm right?
Jesus that sounds awful. At least there were no injuries? I just accidently watched an Instagram video of a guy getting his boot/ankle speared by a downed branch.

I really wanted to ride this weekend but my buddies were busy and thankfully so because the heat would have been painful. It was near 100 in Seattle today. The thought of wearing a helmet and gear while riding a hot bike in 100 degree weather sounds brutal.

Verman
Jul 4, 2005
Third time is a charm right?
Wow that's clean. Hopefully you got a good deal on it.

GriszledMelkaba posted:

I got a ride to the ranger station the last 2 miles of my breakdown adventure from an extremely racist hunter in a giant f-350 (he's half latino so he's allowed to). I hate liking shitkicker shithead hobbies

Same. I ride dirtbikes, shoot guns, hike/backpack, hunt, go off-roading, and work on my vehicles. I'm constantly shocked by the things I encounter in my hobbies. I'm half Mexican but I look like the Webster's definition of "average white guy" so I fly under the radar and pass the initial visual inspection to most racists and its always shocking how quick they are to let it fly.

I did pull a guy out of a snow field. I really wish I had taken a photo. He had an f150 with Trump flags on the back and dug too deep. I yanked him out with my 4 runner which had to have been embarrassing. I only wish I had an Obama sticker for him to look at.

Verman
Jul 4, 2005
Third time is a charm right?

meowmeowmeowmeow posted:

Thanks for the advice of the WBDR, gonna go do the Carson to Packwood to ellensburg sections and back this weekend with Jeep support which should be aces.

Nice I'm jealous. I really want to do it as well and I think I can get my buddy to drive it as support which is the best way since I'm on a WR250 and I don't want to haul a bunch of poo poo or buy seat bags.

Verman
Jul 4, 2005
Third time is a charm right?
Not to mention it's torture on your bike. Any time I see a sand paddle or a dune flag on a used bike listing I just keep scrolling.

Also the first thing that comes to mind when I think of dune riding is Seth enslow from crusty demons 2. Every time.

Verman
Jul 4, 2005
Third time is a charm right?

Elviscat posted:

Ride dirt bikes, try not to die of heat stroke kinda day in the PNW.

Lots of downed trees from the recent windstorms.

I keep forgetting to swap my 49 tooth rear sprocket for my 50 tooth, the powerband with the 49 is godawful for trail riding.

Also need to put the new tire on the front, tubliss and new 120 section tire on the rear, with a tubed, cooked front makes the front want to scrub constantly in low-traction environments.



X-post of my Euro install from the other thread:

Where do you ride? I can't keep track between here and thumper talk who rides where. I'm in Seattle fwiw.

Verman
Jul 4, 2005
Third time is a charm right?

Elviscat posted:

Tahuya, didn't we go out together once?

I don't think so...? Maybe. I've only been out riding with new folks twice, both off thumper talk.

Tahuya is fun. God I haven't ridden in a while. I don't think I've been there in more than a year. I need more riding friends.

Verman
Jul 4, 2005
Third time is a charm right?

Elviscat posted:

Do you have the 701? I'm likely wrong, since I have the memory of a goldfish.

Anyway PM me if you want to ride some time, I'm 30 minutes from Tahuya, Saturday mornings and Sunday afternoons are my freest times on the weekends.

Wr250f. Sounds good and same. Weekends unfortunately are easiest for me.

Verman
Jul 4, 2005
Third time is a charm right?
I got out riding today with a buddy, just went to Reiter which was unfortunate because it's currently being logged and a lot of the trails were closed unbeknownst to us. Bike wasn't starting which was a little annoying, swapped plugs and noticed my plug was fouled so I'll be looking at my jetting later. Once I swapped the plug, bike started right up.

Riding was fine especially since we haven't got out in months. My new tires really felt good. Much more confidence inspiring in corners. It was a little chilly though ...





Verman
Jul 4, 2005
Third time is a charm right?
Maybe try to find a spare rear off a parts bike and put a more sand oriented tire in it so you can swap when you want?

Verman
Jul 4, 2005
Third time is a charm right?

BIG DRYWALL MAN posted:

Anyone in NoVA / DC area want a free 02 KTM 300 exc? I moved back to Colorado and didnt bring it with me and really didnt / dont want to deal with the hassle of selling it and if a goon could put it to good use, all the better. It kicked over last year but probably needs the carbs cleaned, 20ish hours on the head as well.



Oh man, that's crazy generous. My buddy needs a bike but we're in Washington state and that would be a crazy drive for a free bike.

**Ok wait, my buddy is actually interested and is willing to fly there tomorrow (he's a commercial pilot) and ship it back** if you're for real and it's still available.

Verman fucked around with this message at 22:29 on Jan 18, 2021

Verman
Jul 4, 2005
Third time is a charm right?
Well bigdrywallguy came through and the ktm made it to Seattle. My buddy is super thrilled and the bike is in great shape. Didn't start initially but we cleaned the tank and carb and got it running three kicks later. Still can't believe this happened and everything worked out. Bigdrywallguy, you're a legend.

Just starting it, I felt like I was riding Godzillas dildo. My feet and hands were buzzing. Can't imagine what it's like pinned.

http://imgur.com/gallery/0Ifhorc

Verman
Jul 4, 2005
Third time is a charm right?

dema posted:

Can I ask about dual sport poo poo in here or should I go to that creepy ADV thread?

I wanna do poo poo like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jP50pvIqHKY

From my home in Denver. So, a good bit of slab. Couple day trips. Probably staying at hotels and not camping.

A KTM 500 EXC F a good place to start? I think they look rad. Maybe the Six Day version?

Not looking for a do it all motorcycle. Good with a dirt bias. Have a CBR1000RR that I've done a bit of sport touring on.

Never ridden a dirt bike on dirt before, but I've got a good dozen years of mountain bike riding and racing. If that counts for anything.

Dema! I remember you from the road cycling thread a few years back before I switched to dirt biking. I actually thought about you the other day when I saw a miata with a bike rack on the back.

If you have motorcycle and mountain biking experience, you should be able to pick up dirt biking pretty quick. From a skill standpoint, this looks like mostly nice dirt roads to me. Some of the areas are a little steep and loose rock but not all that bad, might be tricky on a big bike but easy peasy on a small bike. The exposure is pretty extreme but thankfully the width of the roads are pretty wide. Its definitely not tight single track or anything so I imagine you would be more than fine on any dual sport bike around that size. I wouldn't want to ride a 1200gs through this but some mid size enduro bike should be able to handle it with ease.

That looks like a really awesome ride though.

Verman
Jul 4, 2005
Third time is a charm right?
Nice.

Verman
Jul 4, 2005
Third time is a charm right?
Just out of curiosity, what's the service/maintenance intervals of the new ktm 500? I know a lot of dual sport bikes really vary from just a few hours to a few thousand miles. Bikes more focused on dirt seem to run much shorter where as those more capable on road seem to be longer.

My wr250f for instance is like 4-6 hours or like 400 miles (between oil changes). That would be the only thing I would watch/worry about if you're going on long road rides. Nice thing on road is you're not constantly feathering the clutch like you would be the equivalent time on a technical trail.

Verman
Jul 4, 2005
Third time is a charm right?

dema posted:

Chicken Corners was super good. Some little technical parts and quite scenic.







Photos look great. How did the riding go? Always curious from someone coming from road riding

Verman
Jul 4, 2005
Third time is a charm right?
Got out riding two weeks in a row.

Yesterday I got out to the central/east side of Washington. We started riding in the rain which made the rocks pretty slick and we were soaked but eventually it got sunny later in the day. First time riding sandy dunes and it was fun but tricky to get used to. Kind of like the difference of skiing hard pack and powder. I was surprised how much throttle I needed to use and for the love of God, don't slow down or lean forward.





A few more hours of rocky desert riding and we started heading towards the car. My bike died and wouldn't restart. Battery started going dead due to all the electric starts. Changed the plug. Let it sit a while. No idea. Tried kick starting it with no luck.

I pushed my bike a quarter mile out to the road, road doubles on friends bike back to my vehicle and went and got my bike. It was a long day. I ate tacos at the Mexican place nearby before driving home.

We're going to check the compression tomorrow. I think I might be in need of a new top end. I really hope compression is fine (I doubt it) because I don't have a lot of cash right now.

Verman
Jul 4, 2005
Third time is a charm right?
Yeah it was mattawa/sale mountains. We never made it to beverly. I usually ride the upper part of the mountains, never the sand. I'm a fairly new rider so that rocky road down was a bit too much for my buddy and I the first few times we went out there. I was riding with a new friend this time do we got down. That rocky road is a bitch getting back up though. Thankfully the bike died above the sand in top of the mountains but in a sandy gully. It was a 100 foot sandy hill climb and I was 3/4 up it when it died. That last bit may as well have been a mile. I side hill pushed it to make it easier and just kept going downhill.

Back story on my bike running. Last year my bike died on a ride and wouldn't restart. Thankfully most of the ride back to the truck was downhill. I successfully bump started it and rode it out. Kick compression felt lighter than before.

Over the winter I figured it was time to go over the bike. I shimmed my valve clearances back to spec. Also thought to clean my carb and rejet using and jet kit. First thing I found was my main jet had come loose and was sitting in my float bowl. After installing the jd jet kit, I mistakenly put the clip on the needle 3 positions from the wrong end at first, corrected that.

When I started riding again I was getting a lot of exhaust popping on decel which I originally thought was a rich mix, come to find out it was lean. I also replaced my exhaust gasket in case of an air leak.

Biggest mistake was in deep cleaning my carb, i removed my tps sensor from the body. I've since used a multimeter to get it back to spec readings but it's never run exactly right since. I rode it unplugged once or twice since and I'm not a fan of how it rides while unplugged, it feels very timid in comparison.

So fast forward to yesterday, I fixed the needle jet clip position, had the jd jet kit as specified for the elevation and temperature, new exhaust gasket, tps sensor dialed in. It started right up and ran well. Ran strong. A bit of exhaust popping on decel but I opened up the fuel screw a little bit and it mostly went away.

The bike started to die randomly throughout the day and didn't want to restart. After 5-10 minutes or so it would start back up again and run well. It did this probably 3-4 times that day before not starting at all.

So, I'm at a loss. I'm not the most savvy person when it comes to bikes and being my first dirt bike, this is helping me learn.

We're going to check the compression. Given how easy it is to kick over I think the top end might be at the end of it's life. I've probably only put 70 hours in two years but no idea with the previous owner. The top end was clearly redone at some point, no idea on the total hours though.

I might end up taking off the baja/tusk enduro wiring harness to see if there are any demons lurking there.

I will say, carbs and all the possible combinations of jetting based on temps, elevation, humidity levels makes me want a fuel injected bike next time. Not to mention accessing the carb on the aluminum frame wr is not easy. (Remove Exhaust, gas tank, rear sub frame).

So that's where I'm at today.

Verman
Jul 4, 2005
Third time is a charm right?

TotalLossBrain posted:

While at Morrow OHV I noticed my head bearing rattling. I figured I'd regrease the bearings while at it. After I pulled the fork legs out I noticed that the side that's been leaking very lightly for a few months now (I am dumb and should have taken care of this sooner) compresses far more than the non-leaking side.
The only shop close-by employs an independent suspension tech who is booked out. Seems like fork seals aren't that hard to do yourself, especially on this model (WP 43U cartridge), so I ordered some wiper seals and dust seals and oil.
Any goons do their own suspension maintenance?

I did my kyb forks on my wr250 last year, pretty easy for a first timer. Hardest part was I needed a specific castle shaped tool for the cartridge that needed a: to be ordered from yamaha for $70 and would take a while to arrive, or b: make my own out of perfectly sized steel closet clothes rod from home depot for $10. I chose the latter and it worked perfectly. Thanks internet for showing me how.

My forks were also leaking so while I was doing the seals I just redid everything to know for sure that my forks were fresh top to bottom. New oil, bushings and seals. Also installed quick air bleeders. Just go slow. Watch some videos or look through the manual before you do it. Make sure you have all the necessary tools before your start and have a little extra oil on hand. My forks felt brand new after.

A vise and soft jaws made the whole job much easier.

Verman
Jul 4, 2005
Third time is a charm right?
Did a compression test on the wr, 70 psi. Womp whomp. Guess that's pretty clear. Top end time.

Might order a leak down tester to see if it's just rings or an air leak somewhere else but I figure if I'm getting into my top end, I may as well ensure everything is new and to spec.

Verman
Jul 4, 2005
Third time is a charm right?
I mean I can't really complain. Bought the bike for $2800 two years ago pre covid insanity. I've put 70-ish hours on it mostly trouble free (engine wise). Its my first dirt bike and I knew I wanted a cheaper used bike as my first to beat around as I learned and its been great. Its also helped me learn how to wrench on a bike and this will be one more aspect of fixing a bike that I get to learn. To spend a few hundred bucks on the top end isn't too bad. I just didn't want to spend $1000+ at a shop for something I can tackle on my own, not to mention how backed up they are right now.

Given where my valve clearances are at now, the yamaha tech when I bought my last shims said thats about the last shim job on those valves before a valve job, I'll also likely have that done/do it while the engine is apart as well. Unfortunately we're in the process of buying a house and close mid may so cash is tight, moving to a place with a garage but I don't feel like moving a bike in pieces so I might not be riding for the next month.

Verman fucked around with this message at 21:23 on Apr 27, 2021

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Verman
Jul 4, 2005
Third time is a charm right?

TotalLossBrain posted:

I went to Ahtanum State Forest yesterday, second day after opening back up to vehicles/OHVs rather than snowmobiles.
It was surprisingly snow-free. Didn't check out the Darland Mountain loop as that was probably still blocked off by snow. We did do Nasty Creek trail which had almost nothing at all for snow. Just some short, fun patches.



Cool, I've been wanting to ride out there, never been. I'll need to replace my top end before I get riding again though :smith:

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