buying a yamaha 600

[brentoncole]

hey guys im going to buy a 1988 yamaha tt 600 tomorrow and was wondering what you guys think i have yet to see it in person but if i go there and it starts i think im gonna get it i talked him down to $450 on the phone and was all psyched to go get it and then my dad brought up the power aspect and now im thinking a 600 might be way too much for me what do you guys think im 5'7" 160lbs and a pretty good rider
any one who has owned/ridden one chime in and hey its this or a 1982 xr500

 

[brentoncole]

oh ya im 17 and have owned 6 different bikes just never a big bore

 

[Ol'89r]

A TT 600 is a pretty heavy and top heavy bike. At 5'7" it may be a little tall for you. Ask the guy if you can ride it around a little bit before your buy it. Can't go too wrong at $450.00 unless it is a total beater. Riding it will give you a chance to check it out a little bit and make sure it has all it's gears and do everything it's supposed to do.

Good luck. :cool:

 

[brentoncole]

cool going to look at it at 6pm i heard around the net they are really hard to kick start and one guy broke his ankle when it kicked back is this just poor technic cause on youtube everyone kicks them over just fine and i was also wondering how the decompression valve works is it automatic or do you pull a lever and when do you release it? im sure the guy will show me how but i wanted to know alittle something before i went to see it

 

[Patman]

AJ might weigh 135 pounds after a BIG trip to the buffet line and a shower, hemanages to kick of a CR500 or really pretty much anything just fine. Even makes it look easy so I suspect poor technique and the Internet might have something to do with the broken bones.

 

[brentoncole]

hey guys i just bought it it is in awesome shape for an 88 all the plastic is there and it only has some light scratches and one small melted wavy area on the exuast side mudflap new headlight the guy started it and it ran for a couple seconds but wouldnt idle so now i need to take the carb off and it is really hard to tell what is keeping it on i took the fuel line and clamps off the manifold along with the airbox tubes but i cant get the throttle cable off oh ya it has two carbs and one bowl i think he said one is a back up carb or something i would like to get this done tonight thanks guys

 

[brentoncole]

status report: i got the carb off but i had to take the manifolds off with the carbs was the nastiest carb ever and it runs great i have no problem kicking it over but it wont start with the choke on and you have to hold the throttle back because the idle is non existent i need to find the idle screw

 

[Ol'89r]

Do yourself a BIG favor and spend a little more money on a good service manual.

If your bike won't idle, it is usually caused by a clogged pilot jet or clogged pilot air passage. Physically remove the jets and make sure you can see daylight through the orfices.

You may also want to check the valve clearance. Tight valves will cause your bike not to idle. This is easy to do on a TT600 but a manual will be a big help.

 

[brentoncole]

hey i already cleaned the pilot jet this wasnt my first carb rodeo but yeah i really do need a manual lol and i found what i think is the idle adjust its a nob directly under the two carbs and it was turned out like 500 turns literally and my bike idles good and around 1000-1500rpm but it sounds really loud how low can the idle be set because i like my bikes to idle quiet and when ever i put it in first and release the clutch i dont have to give it any gas and it will take off in a fast walking speed 5mph? wich i find uncomfortable id like that to be around 2 or 3mph so if i have one foot off im not running on one leg

 

[dirt bike dave]

I'd make sure you have the right valve clearances before you get too carried away fiddling with carb adjustments. The valves will get tight with wear, and will tighten up more as the motor heats up.

Think about it - if your valve clearances are too tight, the valves are opening earlier and closing later, and may not even be closing all the way after the motor gets hot. Valves opening early or not closing all the way is a big problem for the motor at low rpm, but it may still run strong at higher rpm.

By making the motor idle fast you could be covering up the problem of tight valves. Get the valves adjusted and it may idle nice and smooth down low.

 

[jb_dallas]

BC, have you ever heard of the saying you get what you pay for? That is a very heavy bike with outdated suspension by todays standards...even if the suspension were new. You have already bought it, so my advise would be to get it running correctly, sell it, save your money, and buy something newer.

 

[brentoncole]

hey i think i got a little more than i payed for i should be able to make an easy 800-1000 off of it adjusted the valves and it kinda runs better cant really tell to much but i have critiqued the idle to where i want and now im working on the lights i cant seem to figure out what is wrong i found two loose bullet connectors one by the gas tank so i plugged that one in and nothing the lights still dont work then a lone bullet by the rear light but i dont see a connector for it (brake light option maybe??) so i was wanting to know is there a fuse somewhere maybe behind the headlight? or a wire i could test to see if im getting juice also im having a hard time at low throttle it seems like the throttle is being pulled around by the CV-carb(secondary) kind of hard to pull the throttle back in the first 1/5th 1/4th throttle area and hard to back off too but its alright if i go past that

 

[brentoncole]

smoothed out the throttle with some grease and it likes the idle to be high or else the throttle does that sticky pully thing the back light had no bulb so i soldered a car bulb that i found in and it worked good for about 5min but then the front and back started blinking and went out they both have good filaments but i think the draw was too much and it must have burnt a fuse

 

[jb_dallas]

Man, I hate to burst your bubble here, but you arent going to make $800 to $1000 on that bike. I am on Craigslist everyday looking for deals and have been doing so for quite some time. Dont get me wrong, the bike is worth what you paid, $450, but you arent going to make alot of money. Around here, you can buy those old big bore 4 strokes for $500-$800 all day, depending on the condition. I can buy a decent '98 or '99 WR400 for $1450...why would anyone buy a TT600 for the same price?

 

[blanc]

Leave the Kid alone, do you remember starting out!!! Post a pick of the bike dude Id be interest in seeing it. Steve

 

[jb_dallas]

I wasnt busting the kids chops, I was attempting to provide some direction. If he is spending money on a $450 bike thinking he can turn a grand profit, someone that knows better has the obligation of stating otherwise. I wish someone would have chimed in and provided some direction on a couple of my "deals"

 

[brentoncole]

sorry i never got a pic up to let ya guys see what i got but i guess my pics were just too large any ways i found a guy who wants my tt600 and he just sent me an email and wants to trade me his 1986 cr500 which from my research was the best year for the bike and wanna know if its worth it or not and if i could even ride the beast ive heard of people getn real hurt on these bikes well let me know
thanks guys

 

[jb_dallas]

In your original (first) thread, you said that you were concerned that the TT600 is too much power for you. Like I have said before, a TT600 is a heavy dinosaur of a bike. A CR500 is a very powerful motocross bike and should only be ridden by experienced riders. I take it from your threads that you are not a very experienced rider. Comparing the TT600 to a CR500 is like comparing a huge 1960s sedan to a corvette...they are night and day. You should do some research on the differences between 4 strokes and 2 stokes, especially 2 stroke motocross bikes. You cant compare displacement alone, for example, "one is 600cc and the other is 500cc's, so the 600cc must have more power." It doesnt work that way...they are completely different engine designs. I dont have time to explain the details at the moment...I can explain later or maybe someone can chime in. DONT trade for the CR 500....you will hurt yourself....that is way too much bike for you.

 

[brentoncole]

i figured as much i had a cr80 so i know a littleabout 2 stokes and how unpredictable they are but i was talking to him and he was trying to play the fact that it has a leaking head gasket down like it was no big deal and that the coolant just happened to be drained then tried telling me its worth 1200 to 1500 by the way my 600 wasnt nearly as powerful as imagined it would be, definatley heavier tho...lol

 

[jb_dallas]

Tell us a little about yourself...height, weight, age, riding experience, what you plan on riding, and budget and we will help you get a bike that is more suitable for your needs. I can guaranty a TT600 isnt the answer. Remember that cc's dont always mean faster. I got my a$$ kicked this past weekend by a guy on a KTM 250 SX (2 stroke) and I ride a Yamaha WR426 4 stroke. Why? 1) he is a better rider 2) his bike is lighter, more nimble, and faster in a sprint. I could get him in a long run, but that doesnt matter when you are riding trails. Its all about what you are doing with the bike.

 

[brentoncole]

well im 17, about 5'7, 170lbs, ive been riding since i was 13 and have had 4 dirt bikes(kd80,cr80,xr100,tt600) i ride mostly woods/mountains and feel im a pretty good rider but, ive never raced any one so i dont really know right now i have zero dollars and a xr100 and the tt600 wich im trying to sale/trade for a better bike. by the way dont really like 2 strokes i just thought i could resale/trade the cr500 for more than what people think the 600 is worth p.s. i loved my cr80 as far as size and suspension
but hated that it was a 2 stoke so if that helps a little

 

[jb_dallas]

Thats a tough one...until you can gather up some money, you might want to keep what you have. If you can learn to ride that heavy TT600, you should be a better rider when you get on a lighter, later model bike.

 

[brentoncole]

ya im pretty good on it as it is but i find it really hard to keep up right when i lose traction like in the mud it seems like it wants to just fall right over from being top heavy

 

[brentoncole]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cBqT-Fuugk