Learning Experience

[breedlove23]

Well. Today was a learning experience to say the least... totally stoked befored the ride totally worried after. The story.....So I am new to the whole dirt bike scene, wanted something to challenge me but could not fork out the dough to lay down a good used bike...well long story short just did it the good old fashioned way and borrowed the money from Yamaha....Anyway so I get a TTR 250 '06. Cheapest 250 I could find. Have not had any problems so far. Got three hunderd + miles on the steed and already am feeling the pinch for some punch....also the very first time I dumped her I bent the cheap steel bars....so I do some research and discover that a slip on exhaust, an opened up air box and a rejetted carb are the way to go to open the old girl up. And that I should have replaced the stock bars with some aluminum in the first place. Away I go to the bike shop. Order my exhaust along with the other goodies and anxiously await my booty. It all comes in soon enough and I start with my first experience with a carb of any kind and a bar exchange. I went with the pro taper contour woods high. I was a little nervous with grips being a newbie but it went suprisingly smooth. Super easy to manipulate the carb once you see how they go together. Had zero problems with the jets or pipe. Ran into a small problem with new fastway f3 footpegs cylinder being a little bit too big. Simply ground of the excess and fitted the pegs. I love the pegs (only got 20 or so trail miles but so far I am in love) compared to the stockers. The bar is also much better than the bent version.....so on to the trail I go I set out on Tin Cup (just NE of Baldwin, Michigan). The ride was totally sweet rain the day before had the dust under control and the trail was all mine. I get through the 21 mile loop and decide that one pass would have to do. Had to get to the honey do list. Well when I get home I decide that I will adjust my shifter to accomadte the new pegs...this is when a look of horror takes over my face and see oil all over one side of the engine. Puzzled I look at the engine but see no leak. Now I am freaking out, wondering if there is even any oil in the bike. So off to the local bike store for oil. Drain the oil and there is plenty left????? Now I am really puzzled. So I start to take off the pieces I take off the side panels...nothing. I take off the seat....still nothing visible....next comes the gas tank! Ah! Ha! There is the culprit a hose about 1/4 inch round is off the the top of engine. (I have no idea what this hose is for but sure enough there it is, I will research in a minute) So I go to put the hose back on a it doesnt reach hmmmmm!!!!! So I take a look at my airbox and finally the light bulb begins to blink (slowly). When I reinstalled the airbox I did not route the hose around in the right direction and the clip did not hold the hose down. Causing me to be in trouble with the wife and spending my time redoing something that I should have noticed in the first place...Moral of the story always route your hoses the right way....or take your time and double check everthing!!!!

 

[JasonJ]

Hi man, welcome to the boards. The line sounds like your crank case vent tube and its not a big deal but should be hooked up right as you know. Sounds like your having a great time learning to ride and learning about working on your bike. Your doing everting right. Doing your homework on line, making the right mods, and figuring out how to do it all yourself. You will save tons of money, gain knowledge, and enjoy your bike all the more doing the work yourself. Mistakes will happen but if you evaluate what you did wrong, learn from it, and make a point to make sure it does not happen again, you will become wise. With a bit of wisdom knowledge will follow without costly mistakes. This holds true for your riding, wrenching, and all of lifes lessons perhaps. Your oil line, your trail line, all will flow from the unity of the force!
Yoda out!