So I feel like my bike has reached a stage where I feel its necessary to spend some cash on it. I have a bit of spare cash lying around so here goes.
When the bike is elevated the rear wheel seems to have some play when the wheel is moved up and down. No play when moved sideways. My uneducated guess would be I need to replace the top and bottom shock bushes and bearings. Or should I inspect the bearings first? The bike does feel slightly loose in the sand.
Then another question is my chain seems to make some noise towards the front sprocket. Is it safe to grind away the protective plate as I can see where it touches.
Other than that the engine still doesn't miss a beat. I've had three sets of handlebars haha and the cycra hand protectors have seen better days but still working like a charm. Haven't broken any levers touch wood.
I'm planning on getting a more vicious bike next year and would then like to restore the ttr for a more road/offroad approach. Maybe thinking of a wr or a ktm. Not sure of it should be a two stroke. Any suggestions would be welcome as a second more bush orientated/jump more aggressive type of riding.
It sounds like suspension linkage wear rather than wheel bearing certainly. The best way to see it is put the bike on a pitstand/big box with the rear wheel off the ground. Put a lever under the wheel and lift it up and down to show which links are wobbling. (Get someone to hang onto the bike to steady it 'cause when you're lying on your back with a torch/flashlight, it's not easy to get out of the way if it topples over!) You'll need the seat off to check the shock top bearing. You might end up doing all the lower linkage bearings as once you've done the bits with the most play, all the other lesser worn bits start showing up!
I would leave the swingarm protector - it's sacrificial - once it's gone, the ally of the swingarm is next and that's more expensive to sort out.
I hear a wr250f or 450 can be quite aggressive!-) Much higher maintenance though. Don't go orange - it's the unimaginative choice!
Wynand wrote:I'm planning on getting a more vicious bike next year and would then like to restore the ttr for a more road/offroad approach. Maybe thinking of a wr or a ktm. Not sure of it should be a two stroke. Any suggestions would be welcome as a second more bush orientated/jump more aggressive type of riding.
Kind regards
Wynand
Hey Wynand, forget the WR there not a lot better than the TTR and actually a couple of KG heavier
I would go for a 2 stroke for serious trail work
check this guy out on youtube, he's an aussie guy that does a whole stack of tutorials on riding techniques etc..., he's right into 2stroke beta's and KTM's
Thank you for the replies. I suppose this will be a good time for me to change the bump stop as well.
I will check this afternoon or maybe tomorrow if I have time to strip the bike, and will maybe take a video for further assistance. Maybe its best if I just replace all the bearings and linkage bushes?
