A forum for owners of Yamaha TTR250 trail and enduro bikes!

Eric G · Member

New member from Virginia

TTRfan · Super Guru

Welcome to the forum Eric biggrin

The Yams I remember were white/black with red decoration wink

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Regarding fuel mixture, if your TTR is running good then relax. If keen, remove the airbox cover to see if it runs better. If it does then the mixture is on the rich side.

Look forward to seeing some pics of your trails - they sound good.

Did a 7,000+ mile road trip of the States earlier this year and just clipped the top of WV - Wheeling is the town I remember.

Cheers

Brian

Cubber · Super Guru

Welcome to the TTR forum, Eric.

Martyn

Eric G · Member

Thanks for the welcome fellows. I appreciate the feedback about the fuel mix. I'll have a go at it.

The bike in the picture looks like an early YZ without the aluminum swingarm. Is that a Pacific model? I don't think I've seen that on a YZ, but I've seen similar on the GT Enduro models. I'm probably sounding a bit long in the tooth, but that bike looks very similar to a Hodaka Combat Wombat.

Ive not ridden up in WV. I have traveled up that way though. Terrain seems very similar to my location about four hours to the south. WV and KY have a great organized trail system called The Hatfield and McCoy Trails. I'm looking forward to giving them a go.

texasT · Senior Member

Welcome Eric,
Great place to sort out any issues you may have with your new bike.
I am a bit bigger than you and I have not had many issues with power on mine.
Actually thankful that it is not scary-fast. (I sometimes forget I am an old fart)
...My 04 is 2 turns out and runs super. I would guess you may be a tad more than that??
Enjoy reading all the tips here!
greg

Sahararover · Member

Hi Eric, welcome!

Nice looking TTR you found there!

Just came back from your beautifull country, I was on vacation and did the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Regarding mixture, after doing what was sugested above you could also put a new plug in and check how it looks after a few miles.

TDVT · Senior Member

Hi Eric & welcome from another state-sider. Mine is also an '04 & I have it plated here in VT. Sounds like we are in similar terrain & have have found the TTR to be a good match for me (old) & the trails I ride. A little snow here as well but this is nearly hunting season so best to stay out of the way.

I would urge you to get yourself a skid plate for it. Not too expensive & one less thing to worry about when you're in the woods.

Is your headlight surround painted or white plastic? It looks like the stock configuration but mine & most others are blue.

Have fun, Ted

Eric G · Member

Thanks for the welcome. Glad to hear you enjoyed the Parkway. Its beautiful this time of year. I wouldn't mind if the speed limit was more than 50, but I suppose thats how to keep folks safe while the enjoy the foliage. I live a couple of hours from the parkway, between the Appalachian Trail and Cumberland Gap. It really is a great place to ride.

Checked the plug. I wish the previous owner had used anti-seize, but I got it free without breaking it. It looked a nice toasty brown. Kinda cafe au lait colored. I think thats about right, not cooked and not fouled.

Eric G · Member

Hello TDVT,

I've got to say right off, I'm envious. I'd love to plate this bike. I could access way more places to ride than via trailering or at least it would be simpler. I think you are probably right about the terrain similarities. The entire western part of VA is either Blue Ridge, Piedmont or Cumberland ranges with little similarities to the rest of the state. VT sounds cool. I admire the independent spirit your neck of the woods is known for.

VA turns muzzle load season on Saturday. I hunt also and had some concerns about romping around during deer season. Sundays are no hunting days in VA, so I thought I might get a few more Sundays in before the weather gets brutal. I've been in the woods hunting and heard bullets rip through the branches over my head. One major draw back to hunting in national forrest.

Good catch on the headlight. I painted it. Had some sort of foam adhesive on it that was a bear to sand off. I patched two holes with JB weld and would have gone back with blue, but blue frame paint is hard to find and expensive, so I went all white.

As a teen, none of the bikes I rode had skid plates (I can't make myself say 'bash plate' yet. LOL) I'm guessing the intent is to prevent case fractures. Do they help enough to warrant the cost? I've not seen one for sale in VA. The one Brian sells looks sharp, but the price plus shipping is an investment.

Eric G · Member

Thanks for the mix recommendation Texas. I'm not actually sure where the mix screw is set. This will be a good opportunity to tinker. Does the ambient temp have anything to do with the setting? We've got 70 degrees today, but by Sunday it will drop to the upper 30's.

I've been pleased with the power also. I don't need a dragon at this point in life either. I'm an old fart too and call my TTR the ultimate Papaw bike. Its nice and smooth handling, but has enough torque to romp a bit in the corners and whoops. I may work on the suspension a bit. I like plush, but its a dives a bit more on landings and hard braking than I care for. I suppose its all a trade off in some form or another. My boy's schoolmate's dad rides a KFX 400 and I can hang with him fairly easily.

I do enjoy the tips. Every Ford I've owned has had an owners group and I've learned a lot from Ford Truck Forum. This is way better. I figured that this bike would have an enthusiast following, but this forum really exceeds that. Strange too, nobody seems to know much about this bike in the states. I see lots on the TTR 125 and TTR 90, but those are kids play bikes. I also see a lot of talk about the 225 and 230, but the enthusiasm for the TTR 250 seems to go way beyond any of the following for those bikes.

TDVT · Senior Member

I think the headlight looks nice white. Mine is a bit rough around the edges too & I had thought to cover it in numberplate backing but the curvy surface makes that impractical. What paint/primer did you use? Let us know how it holds up, that is slippery plastic. I wouldn't mind painting my side covers either as they are even more beat up.

As for the skid plate, there are some available here, not quite as nice as the UK or OZ versions. I didn't have one my first season but was lucky with all the rocks here, mostly hit the frame tubes. You'd be surprised how often you hear rocks bouncing off the plate when you have one. I haven't come around to "bash" yet myself though I have heard it used more frequently in the US these days.

04TTR250 · Veteran Member

welcome Eric!

Eric G · Member

I started with a Valspar plastic paint. It didn't work well at all. Wouldn't cover for squat. I went back to the tried and true Rustoleum. After I hit it with 200, 400 and then a left over piece of 2000 grit wet/dry, I sprayed Rustoleum primer, Rustoleum white enamel and then topped it with about four or five coats of lacquer (which wasnt hard as fast as it dries). It has held up well after a two weekends of mini moto-cross and a day or big woods cross country riding. I did get some spider cracks in the white enamel when I broke a mounting post, but otherwise its been good. I liked the white, but the cost of the Yamaha blue Color-rite is really what changed my mind.

I'm looking at skid plates. I think you are right. It appears to be a worthwhile investment.

Are you able to follow the dialogue with the fellows from the UK, OZ and NZ? I think that VT has a unique accent and idioms. Southern Appalachia does too. I can make out most of what the English speakers are saying and it reminds me a lot of some of the common idioms here. I don't here them in public so much, but our private speech is very similar to the non-state-siders it really makes me curious how different my area is from more populated and urban parts of the US.

Nippy tonight. Lows in the lower 30's. Got 5 gallons of porter in the fermenter yesterday. Christmas beer is coming!

-- Edited by Eric G on Monday 4th of November 2013 12:18:27 AM

Eric G · Member

Thanks for the welcome 04! I think I'd much rather be in your neck of the woods than mine right now. Your summer is coming. Its getting cold here. Dark at 6pm.

LRJ · Senior Member

Welcome Erik.

I am lucky to have a CA-plated 2000. I recommend a skid plate, also. I also hear a lot of rocks bouncing off it. They might not have hurt the engine, but I worry less with it on. My skid plate came from Moose.