Hi all. New dirt rider with a new dirt rider question.

[jmnvhc]

Hey! I just purchased a used wr250f and a ttr230 for my wife (who's never ridden a motorcycle before). When I was testing out the ttr for her I was amazed how low 1st gear is... it's a almost a crawl, but perfect for her. The wr is an '04 and the ttr an 06 and they both look like they rolled off a showroom floor through and through. Not used much apparently.

I have a few years street experience but am looking for to playing in the dirt for a change (no slow drivers to get stuck behind, no lanes... heaven :) )

Anyway, the question I have is about tieing the bikes down... is it harmful to the forks to compress them when tightening the straps?

If so what do I need to properly tie down the bike without damaging the front suspension?

Thanks...

 

[IndyMX]

It's not going to hurt them to compress them when you tie them down, so long as you don't leave them like that for a long period of time.

Say, if you are going across the country, and it's going to take you a few days to get there, I'd probably loosen them up while I was parked for the night..

If you are just taking them out to the ORV park, and only going to have them in the truck for a couple of hours, no problem..

If it worries you though, you can always buy a "fork saver", they're about 40 bucks, and go between the tire and fender, and don't allow the forks to compress more than about an inch.

If you are handy, you can make one. Figure out the distance between the tire and the fender with the fork at the top of the travel, cut a 2x4 that length, and you're done.

 

[jmnvhc]

Thanks, I don't think we'll be hauling the bikes more than 1-2 hours at the most, so won't be a problem.

Going trail riding for the first time tomorrow... if anybody's going to be at Brown's camp tomorrow near Portland, OR, I'll be the guy picking up the wr250 off the ground :)

 

[jmnvhc]

Hello again,

The trails were a blast... even caught some air a couple of times. Besides being comfortable working the clutch, shifting, and throttle, I'd have to say there is nothing in street riding that prepares you for tight trails. It actually reminded me a lot more of when I went mountain biking on similar twisty trails.

I have a few other noobie questions:

1. I bought a service stand, and I'm weak... is there a trick to lifting the bike onto the stand by yourself?

2. Is there a particular type of cable loob that's popular, or are they all the same? How often should I clean and lube the chain?

3. I've seen that greasing the swingarm is also part of maintenance... is this a once a season type thing?

4. Same question with valve clearances, once a season?

For the record I did look in the manual, but it states intervals in terms of races... and I'm definitely not pushing it that hard (racing granny). I just wanted to see what experienced riders do to their bikes for routine trail riding.


Thanks for the help! I'm hooked...

 

[jackflack44]

1. When you have it in your hands swing your hip onto the bike to put some extra "umph" in it. Or lift some weights :)

2. I haven't noticed any differences.

3. I haven't really heard of this.

4. 2 stroke rider don't know

 

[jackflack44]

Of course im only 14 so you might want to get some second opinions lol

 

[jmnvhc]

Of course im only 14 so you might want to get some second opinions lol

I did the typical new guy thing and I searched the forums AFTER I posted, and there was a long thread about getting the bike on the stand... so about 20 second opinions agree with you.

Of course, at MY age, I'm liable to break a hip trying :)

Thanks...

 

[IndyMX]

After a few months of riding a 450, I've noticed my right leg has gotten a bit bigger than my left. It's probably a combination of kicking that beast, and lifting it onto the stand.

You should probably lube the swingarm & all other suspension linkage bearings a couple times a year. But it really depends on how much you ride, how much water you ride thru, and whether or not you use a pressure washer.

As with all of your maintenance items, you will have to tailor your maintenance schedule to your own situation.

That said, you can never really overdo the maintenance.

 

[jmnvhc]

I'm taking my wife to the camp this weekend to ride the big roads with her, she's pretty stoked and so am I.

I'm also planning on heading to a MX/GP track called Eddieville in Washington with some friends in September... gotta get as much fun in before the NW rain comes back :think:

Thanks for the advice guys...