YR64L goes dirt!

[Cr1MiNaL]

This is my first post in this section... ever ! I think.

Meet "Sand Beetle" my new (2nd hand) dirt bike.

The gr8 YamahaR64Life has decided to answer the calling of the Dirty Few - A subsidiary affiliation of the Mega Few and go dirt! So today I picked up a mint 2000 RM 125. Unfortunately this is my first off-road bike and I hate to admit that I am a little jittery!

I am going to Woodhill to test the new beast out with a mate tomorrow. In the past I have shared my experience of road bikes with others where I could and would appreciate some online support from the dirt, so to speak. I know absolutely nothing about off roading other than stick your leg out and give it hell.... Yes, that pretty much sums it up.

So how do I look after my new baby? Change oil every two rides and clean filter every ride, lube chain every ride. What else? As some of you know I really like to look after my bikes so will be keeping her as clean as my road bike, but other than that what should I do to keep her running mint?

PS: She's just had a full rebuild 10 hrs ago. Also if your at Woodhill tomorrow and see a noisy smoky yellow rm about please don't give me shit or I'll own you next time your on the road lol.

Any advice would be appretiated.

Ta

YR64L.

[gammaguy]

quick!!

post a picture of your arms and legs BEFORE you get them in plaster

[B0000M]

firstly, get yourself some new tyres, cant see the front very well but the rear looks rooted. at the end of the day its going to be a sand / dirt shovel, and theres not much there to shovel with.

other important things are

fuel mixing oil, i presume you're not completely retarded, but ill put this in here anyway. use a good synthetic oil, a lot of people like to use castrol TTS, Motul 800? (the expensive motul one) the yamalube stuff, anyway something of a high quality.

oiling of air filters is also VERY important, your filter is only as good as the guy that oiled it. use a designated filter oil - these are sticky as. once again, i pimp the castrol stuff which is also cheap and goopy. if you prefer the spray on, be sure to use generously and squeeze it through thoroughly

lube lube lube. if it moves, grease it as often as possible. as the bike will be getting muddy and sandy in comparison to your road bike, it will get washed more / more thoroughly to be kept in a clean state, this will also tend to fuck moving parts. either way you lose here.

coolant. as mx bikes tend to get hot and have no overflow bottle, keep an eye on your coolant each day you go out as they tend to drop some out the overflow most days.

trans fluid. some people will try to sell you expensive trans oil- ive been using ordinary auto trans fluid since the mid 90s and so far have never had a problem, as have others.

the air bleeders on the top of your forks are there for a reason, use them regularly

chains & sprockets, dirt bikes eat chains and sprockets much faster than road bikes. make a habit of keeping it lubed, personally i use a proper chain lube, others swear by wd40, either way keep it lubed and watch for wear, there should be roughly 20mm of play in the chain mid way down the chain.

tyre pressures, anywhere between 8 - 15 psi, the lower the better usually, but too low and youll fuck rims and tubes on rocks etc, so keep an eye on this.

handy hint for tying your new toy down, have the bottom of your tie downs slightly in front of the bars while being behind the axle. this helps to pull the rear of the bike down at the same time as the front so that you only need to use the 2 ties at the front.

gear - wear as much protection as you can bear / afford, as you are new to this, expect to crash, a lot.

if you need anything bike related, i highly reccommend scott411 on this forum who is "mr motorcycles" in pukekohe, even if you're not in auckland - one email and the next day your products arrive.




edit,. the speels i write when im bored..... lol

[motorbyclist]

prepare for constant maintenance of your machine, get all the tools you need and make it a habit.

also, ALWAYS check your bike runs before you leave for a ride. nothing sucks more than spending the whole day disassembling your bike in the carpark.
similarly, remember to slacken off any tie downs on your forks if you are leaving it for any length of time or the seals will eventually blow out much sooner than if you didn't hold them under pressure for hours on end.... some people put a block of wood between the tyre and mudguard to take the strain instead

stand up.

and when in doubt, hit the gas. always better to fall off the back than go over the bars, and if the front isn't loaded it isn't going to plough into the ditch/mud/whatever and jumps aren't going to end in stitches

and finally, don't be afraid to dump the bike. in fact number one thing to master is getting clear of it in a bail. welcome to the world of dirt riding - bails don't write off your bike and speed/cagers/police generally aren't an issue

[Rodney007]

good shit dude....... gimme a go next time ur out !!!!!!!

[motorbyclist]

and after a quick look at that rear - dude get new tyres ASAP

personally i recommend the michelin starcross line for good wear and grip in all conditions.

(and as rule of thumb use soft tyre pressure for soft ground like mud and sand, and hard pressure for hard ground like dry paddocks or rocky terrain)

[flyingcr250]

quick!!

post a picture of your arms and legs BEFORE you get them in plaster

ha ha ha haha ha its true you know!!

[DUCATI*HARD]

clutch it up before you jump bro,,,to give that xtra launch,,,and hold onand be prepared to brake bones,,,hava good one raj

[clmintie]

Give the roots at Woodhill your utmost respect (especially the ones at 45 degrees to the track) until you've got the hang of them. Keep your weight well back in the soft whoops and well forward in the corners. Try to stand a lot, legs nearly straight, bend at the waist, head over the bars, elbows out to the side and let the bike move under you...

Full report tomorrow evening please....

Tires look a bit past it and check the chain, looks a little tight.....

Oh, and ENJOY...........

[clmintie]

and get some new levers, those daggers will rip you to shreds in no time. Good to have 'balls'... but even better if they're on the end of the bars.......

[motorbyclist]

actually it might pay to put the padding back onto the crossbar on the handlebars

and while decent, full aluminium bar hand guards/bark busters may cost a good $120 or more, they are more than with it - if you break that brake lever at the mount you will need a whole new brake reserviour/master cylinder unit, plus levers themselves cost $12 and up. imo bark busters are more lever protectors than hand guards - your hands should be clear by the time the guards hit anything

and always carry spare levers and mounts

in the meantime make sure the clutch/brake levers are loose enough so they can move/spin around the bars if you fall, but stay put while riding. this will save a lot of levers

[FlangMasterJ]

Congrats on becoming an off-roader.

This a 'what not to do' vid

[youtube]SbHIxXiFAyA[/youtube]

[scott411]

everytime i watch that video it makes me laugh, i love how he jumps up and sprints back to the bike like a titles on the line,

[Dent]

For riding skills, the Shane Watts DirtWise DVD is a good watch, if you can tolerate the "aussie, aussie aussie" flavour and advertising.

[FROSTY:Me]

You have two ears and one gob --use em in that ratio. The offroad guys have taught me heaps
I WOULDN''T be riding untill I'd sorted out the bike. Get new tyres. New levers. Buy a set of spares and buy a plug and propper mx plug spanner.