I've been reading the TTR Forum for a few years now and feel that it is about time I put finger (or sometimes fingers) to the keyboard.
I bought my TTR250 about 4 years ago off a highly respected Technician at Yamaha New Zealand. One of my lifelong mates was the National Parts Manager at YNZ for over 40 years so I was never going to be allowed to buy any other brand of motorbike. I was told that the well known Aussie rider, Geoff Ballard, had plans to buy this TTR to keep in NZ as his "Kiwi Bike" but I got in first.
Now that both my mate and I have recently retired, we are planning to make the most of our bikes. His is a WR250. In February 2015 we put our bikes on the back of a Ute (Pick-up) and drove them down to Wellington (bottom of the North Island) and put the bikes and ourselves on the Cook Strait Ferry to the South Island. We rode the Molesworth Station and Rainbow Road, both of which are seen as a "Right of Passage" for dirt riding in NZ. We had a great trip and hopefully (if I have set this up correctly) the photo under my name shows my TTR in the middle of the Molesworth Station which is NZ's largest farm (Government Owned). Both the North and South Islands of NZ have amazing rides and we vowed to return to the South Island when we had no time restrictions.
My wife and I visited Brian and Trish Sussex (Mr and Mrs TTR as they were then) in May 2015 and had a very enjoyable day being shown the sights around Exeter and Dartmoor. We plan to return to the UK and Europe in 2019 and will head down that way again. Brian and Trish were fantastic (as was the beer). Brian have you sprayed that Gorse on Dartmoor yet ??!!
My TTR:
Been modified to 263cc
Totally TTRs sourced Short Front Pipe, Bash Plate, Decompression Alloy Plug, Micro-fairing rear indicator lamps, Fuel Tank Decals, Rear Disc "fin" and many other bits and pieces.
Has a One Industries "sticky" seat
GYTR Muffler with detachable baffle (I believe was made in Australia under licence)
Ventura rear Backpack Rack (I think a NZ design but definitely made in NZ) The two bottom brackets stay on the bike and give added protection to the rear indicator lamps plus a RH grab/lift handle.
As far as I'm concerned Totally TTRS is the number one source of Parts for my TTR and I have found the cost of freight and the speed of delivery to the other side of the World,very reasonable.
Steve, if that endorsement works it will cost you several pints in 2019 !
No 325cc conversion required here as my TTR has plenty of grunt for me and is quite happy to throw me off whenever it feels like it !
Have two sets of wheels. One set shod with Bridgestone TW301/3 Trail Wings (for more sealed road rides) and the other set with Michelin AC10 (for dirt and some road rides).
Once I get the hang of how this Forum system works, I will send a couple of photos.
Welcome to the forum Jeff! It was a nice surprise to switch on the PC this morning and see your post
Dartmoor gets a bit spooky at this time of the year with the mist swirling around the Tors.
I certainly won't be spraying any gorse up there because there is an old Devonshire saying that "When the gorse is out of bloom, kissing is out of season". If you realise that gorse flowers all year round you will get the meaning
Make the most of your retirement and see you in 2019!
Brian
PS Here are a couple of reminders of your visit:
Gorse at Haytor
Warren House Inn, Dartmoor - where the fire the peat fire is said to be “always in” and according to folklore, when the new Inn was built the then landlord transferred smouldering peat (vags) from the original building, to the hearth in the new one.
Hi Guys and many thanks for the welcome to the Forum.
I consulted Dr. Google and it seems that the Ventura Racking System is a product of Dold Industries in Hamilton, New Zealand and they have Distributors Worldwide.
The Back Pack system was perfect for my needs and it is very well made. There are hard luggage options etc that I've seen alot on big road bikes here.
I have only "dropped" my bike once with it onboard and it was a slow speed "drop" in very soft sand and the Rack and Bag were unmarked and not twisted.
Mine is the tall one in the link that Malcolm put on the Forum and it can be mounted either way. I prefer it with the Pack to the rear. Ventura do emphasis that it should not be used as a backrest. Even with the bag facing the rear, you can still see the indicators and rear lamp.
From what I remember it wasn't cheap but I was still working when I bought it so coin was still flowing in.
I was told, about a year before retiring: "Buy all your toys before you retire"
I think there is a person in NZ building a TTR250 to perfect condition. My Yamaha NZ mate gave me several Genuine Yamaha Parts that this person rejected because of scratches or imperfections. You would have to be extremely fastidious to have rejected them and that is all we can think the reason was.
Brian: is Gorse the County Flower of Devon ? When the English farmers came to NZ they bought it with them so that the landscape would look like home (the Scots did the same with Thistle !) Little did they know that both flourished here because of the fertile soil and perfect growing weather. They spent most of their days spraying it with weedkiller and burning it ! This job continues to this day.
Arr the Warren House Inn, I remember it well. Pity the mythical "Black Beast of Dartmoor" had the day off !
"Mist around the Tors," oh yeah, give me abit of that and a warm pint !
Glad you have found the (ttr) force to introduce yourself
When you come and visit in 2019, I will have a spare bike waiting for you, me and Brian will take you out on a nice trail ride on Dartmoor And happy to buy you a couple of beers
The 263cc conversion was already done by the previous owner.
I've swapped the Shorty Header and Standard Header back and forth a couple of times as I thought I had a leak at the flange but it was a stud that wasn't as tight as it should have been. I reckon the difference is in low down torque But I think there is something on the difference in the FAQs and maybe in an attachment where the Pipe is shown in the Totally TTRs Shop. In my 45 years in the Car Industry the theory of getting the exhaust gasEs out as fast/smoothly as possible but still with some back pressure is probably true here. Would be interesting to hear from other Forum Experts on the subject. Back pressure is required, other that when it is foot to the floorboards all the way, like a Dragster. But hey, it sounds bloody good with no baffle, doesn't it ?! Most Harleys seem to get away without any baffles here and a baffless TTR is hardly up in the decibel numbers like them.
My TTR was is good condition when I got it but it is not a case of an easy life, away from the dirt and rough stuff. The previous Owner was an expert rider and probably didn't drop it as often as the current Owner ! Having the rough Parts to put on when heading to the rough stuff helps keep the good Parts good.
So you've swapped back and forth between the two header pipes so I'm after your opinion. You are saying with the shorty header pipe the main difference is low down torque? How so, more or less??
I have read on the FAQ's and header info in the shop. With the shorty pipe the mid range is supposed to be stronger and it can pick up a couple of HP. I assume those HP are at the top end. IS that your experience?
I know my 263 is stronger everywhere, (Standard header pipe, GYTR - but different to yours- muffler) I'm worried about losing too much of that old school strong bottom end. I've built it for torque.
PS I'm lucky to have a nice new revvy injected WR250F to ride as well and it's good to be able to choose a ride. Western world problems, which dirt bike should I take.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I ride 99% off road, and then mainly chase tight technical single track here in Victoria. My current set up is working well but I'm wondering about that shorty header.!!!
I know longer headers are usually good for torque, shorter for power. I'm assuming the shorty will increase power but shift it up the RPM's. is this correct and how much loss off idle.
I'm just after your thoughts on both header pipes with regards to the TTR's especially as you have a 263 as well. I haven't bought anything for the TTR for a while and that SHINEY pipe is calling out to me.
Thanks
Steve
PS I'm going outside to spray blackberries which are taking over my garden, another lovely gift from those English.
Ooo it was about 6 months ago that I did the last comparison but in my mind the Shorty Front Pipe made it breath better so maybe it was stronger from low down and right through the mid-range but I only took notice of the low down comparison, which I thought was better with the Shorty Pipe. I guess you have to remember that Mr. Yamaha made the standard pipe that long for a reason and if he could have made it shorter, he would have and could have saved a couple of inches of exhaust piping per bike.
Hopefully Brian or Steve will pick up on this subject as they would have heard all the stories. Has someone every done a Rolling Road Test, could be the question for them.
Suffice to say, I reckon the TTR "breaths" better with the Shorty Front Pipe and my TTR also has two holes (30mm and 40mm) drilled in the Air Cleaner Cover which help get more air in there. Does yours have these ? If not, I can send you a photo of mine. Not recommended going into deep water with these uncovered ! I guess most TTRs have had this mod done because Mr. Yamaha (him again) has to pass induction and exhaust noise tests before getting the bikes certified for sale but once sold .......
The idle change between the two was not noticeable.
The shiny front pipe does look cool and being Stainless Steel it is easy to bring the shine back up like new with Autosol and elbow grease. I bought mine back from UK on our 2015 trip and it is not very big so it sat in the bottom of a medium sized suitcase. No problems with Airport X-rays and did have an explanation ready if they did question it. Don't know what postage from UK to Aussie would be.
My riding Buddy has a WR250 and the injection makes it smooth right through the range, as you would expect.
Hope this helps although reading back through it I do sound abit vague, sorry. Shout yourself a Chrissy present and be like Nike - Just Do It !
Cheers
Jeff
P.S. ah yes, Blackberries there's another imported weed. Seems to have mostly gone from NZ after years of spraying and burning but you can still buy the Pies and Jam (Jelly to the U.S. readers) Was Aussie blessed with Boxthorn ? That was another "wonderful" import via the Pioneers.
Not wanting to seem like a grizzling Kiwi but when are you going to come over and collect your dam Opossums ? Thankfully, your snakes didn't get this far and we are still snake-free. We are still working on the Opossum population by shooting, poisoning, trapping and running over them, although the later option is not recommended on a motorbike ! I believe they are protected in Aussie so if you are that keen on them .......
Thanks Jeff,
Sounds like Santa might be getting me a pipe!!!
Yes we got the thistles, gorse and boxthorn too.
Whats an Opossum, I thought they were from America.
Yeah we have possums but being natives they are protected. Just like kanga's sharks snakes and crocodiles.
Anything imported that goes feral is fair game though, feral cats, dogs, deer, pigs camels etc.
And New Zealanders who seem to thrive in Australia!!!
On the question of shorty pipes, there is a thread here http://ttr250.activeboard.com/t54606826/shorty-header-pipe/
Here is some info copied from it:
The shorty pipes on sale here were made specifically for Totally TTRs by a local firm whose main business is making complex stainless steel exhaust systems for Maserati's etc.
The impetus to get them made up came from the October 1999 edition of the US Motocross Action magazine which reported that a free flowing end can/exhaust adds power (and significantly reduces weight over the stock item) but a larger bore header pipe did not! Shortening the existing header by 5" however produced 2bhp extra on the dyno. Sadly, I have not ben able to source a copy of the article to see if they included the dyno charts.
CRD developed and sold a shorty pipe for the TTR250 and it must be assumed that they would have done the development and checked that it actually added power. Pity I can't find any advertising material from the time to check their claims.
CRD no longer sell the shorty pipes but they (very) occasionally come up on eBay. They don't have the exhaust guard mounting points which the Totally TTRs version does have
I happen to find a CRD pipe and, oddly enough, the Totally TTRs' version is remarkably similar
Many thanks for that Brian, I knew you would come through.
Steve, I don't think you will be unhappy with Santa's gift. Might be a good idea to buy a Flamge Gasket as well. They are meant to be a "oncer" but you can usually get a couple of "uses" out of them. Will be interested to hear your comments on the differences on power etc that you experience, as your knowledge in this area seems better than mine.
Last word on Gorse and Possums:
My Spellcheck must be the American version because when I put in Possum it corrected it to Opossum and who was I to argue.
Thanks for your feedback on the header pipes.
My credit card just copped a hit , I just ordered a shorty pipe plus other goodies so Steve check your in box.
I'll let you know my thoughts when its all bolted up.
My engine builder still owes me a dyno run too!!