TTR250- First ride review

[888]

Picked up a mint condition TTR250- 5900k's. First "adventure" ride on the Pirongia West Road out to Oparau, loose gravel, downhill, sharp corners.
-Sprocket set up of 13/44 is fantastic on tarmac, 140k acheived with no worries. 13/44 was absolutely perfect for my panicked style of off road riding on the gravel.
-Front Brake needs to be upgraded with a braided steel HEL, I had it on as hard as I could while I was desperately trying to make corners (failed only once, lucky there was no cliff) and there really wasn't enough feel
-Rear Brake was fine, only time I locked up the back (actually multiple times) was when I was panic downshifting coming way too fast into tight corners. Almost came off about six times.
Tires- new Pirelli MT90 Scorpion was awesome on the gravel, kicked out a bit when caning it but gave great grip. Front Dunlop 606 (well broken in with 5900k's) did great on the road and tracked true on the gravel.
Rear View Mirrors- Excellent view.
Cons- Clutch lever too high, had to lift my foot off to downshift- should be easy to adjust??? (any advice appreciated!!) Removed the stupid strap on the seat and asides from the front brake, that is all the negatives I've got! I will open her up and rejet in the near future. I took the back road out to Raglan (from Kawhia) today and was able to really nail it on the hard pack. Have not adjusted suspension yet. I'm lovin' this bike!

[cooneyr]

....
Cons- Clutch lever too high, had to lift my foot off to downshift- should be easy to adjust??? (any advice appreciated!!) Removed the stupid strap on the seat and asides from the front brake, ....

Whats ya doing with your foot on the clutch lever. Awkward riding position Oh you mean the gear shift lever. Generally these are on a splined shaft. Loosen and remove the bolt (shifter won't come off unless you remove the bolt) then pull off shifter, rotate down one spline and re attach.

The strap over the seat might be a pain on the road but if it is a good strong one they can be a god send when off road and stuck. Good for yanking back of bike out of holes etc.

Cheers R

[Transalper]

I imagine the reason the gear shifter is so high is previous owner had a good solid pair of boots so needed it high to be able to hook the toe under for the upshift.
Both my bikes are the same, leaver is so high I lift my foot off to down shift but it's just high enough to get my toe under with my good boots on.

[dino3310]

bugga my legs in a moon boot, i would be keen for some rides

levers be hand or foot are all adjustable, as cooneyR said and the clutch lever you can loosen on bar and rotate it slightly down.
You sure the front brake dont just need a bleed/clean, i never use them going into corners on the metal if im going in to hot i lock up the back get it sliding start turning then opening up the throttle and power slide around... well thats what i try to do

[dino3310]

OI wheres the photo's

[NordieBoy]

I run my foot levers very high.
Out of the road of accidental usage.

[888]

Photo to come- any suggestions on how to adjust front forks? There are two valves but I'm not sure if a mechanic needs to adjust. While the rear end felt great, I'm now thinking that the front shocks felt a bit stiff while going across ruts.

[dino3310]

Photo to come- any suggestions on how to adjust front forks? There are two valves but I'm not sure if a mechanic needs to adjust. While the rear end felt great, I'm now thinking that the front shocks felt a bit stiff while going across ruts.

hey mate if you dont know shocks dont touch em, get some one who knows what there doing do it.
to wrong a setting could impeed performance and SAFETY.

[888]

Thanks for that advice- I won't mess with 'em! I've adjusted the gear shifting lever and the difference is awesome. I can now shift down without lifting up my foot, this will give me the crucial extra few milli-seconds to respond to corners.

[JATZ]

Photo to come- any suggestions on how to adjust front forks? There are two valves but I'm not sure if a mechanic needs to adjust. While the rear end felt great, I'm now thinking that the front shocks felt a bit stiff while going across ruts.

Oooo go on... have a fiddle

You know you want to

[Skinny_Birdman]

Interesting stuff. I had a great run out of my TTR 250, my advice if you are going to go to the trouble to re-jet it, ditch the horrid heavy muffler, or at the very least remove the header restrictor. DON'T remove the restrictor unless you are about to rejet, as the previous owner of mine did. Took an afternoon on the dyno to fix it.
Surprised on your comments re the brakes. I abused the mortal s*** out of my brakes, and never ran out. Have they been bled recently?

Photo to come- any suggestions on how to adjust front forks? There are two valves but I'm not sure if a mechanic needs to adjust. While the rear end felt great, I'm now thinking that the front shocks felt a bit stiff while going across ruts.

If we are talking about the Schrader (tyre) valves in the tops of the forks, I was told (by Linton at DAS, reputed by some to be a suspension guru) just to pop the pressure out of the valves every so often, as they are some kind of atmospheric compensation. No adjustment possible, without modifying things or changing to heavier oil etc.
I found this website quite handy.
The other thing I'd watch out for if it has the long rear mudguard is that it tends to rattle loose. I used loc-tite for a while, then gave up and drilled out the captive nuts on either side and replaced them with nylocks.
Have fun, they are a great wee bike.

[dino3310]

If we are talking about the Schrader (tyre) valves in the tops of the forks, I was told (by Linton at DAS, reputed by some to be a suspension guru) just to pop the pressure out of the valves every so often, as they are some kind of atmospheric compensation. Have fun, they are a great wee bike.

aw those valves same as my XR, i bleed em every now and then as my manual sez 0 psi

[888]

good advice on the rear mudguard, as far as bleeding the front forks: do you mean letting all the air out? Or is there a measured psi that should be maintained? By the way, I just came back from a great ride on a west coast farm north of Mokau- only dumped the bike once while stupidly using the rear brake going downhill on a steep paddock. That'll teach me!

[dino3310]

yip air out, your manual will state air pressure if any mine sez 0.
sometimes falling of is part of the fun

[888]

Yes, my work mates were in the ute behind me and I have rarely seen the boys laugh so hard. Another question- 22 rear and 18 front psi is what the sticker on the bike recommends-whaddya reckon the best psi for (dry & wet) gravel? While the Pirelli Scorpion is on the rear I'm staying away from any mud...