I have recently bought a 1993 ttr 250, it's a bit rought looking and upon closer inspection the bike has revealed its rough life. Rant incoming, TL;DR at the bottom.
I have a few questions about whats what on the bike, OEM parts, aftermarket replacements and bits that stood out as sketchy or missing completely. Mechanically the bike sounds good, started great on the electric starter (Until the battery died!) and would start on the kicker semi-reliably if we could get a decent kick on it. There's no spring on the kicker, and it's been re-attached on a wobbly philips head screw. There are only a few small rust spots on the frame, though the frame had been poorly sprayed black and is flaking off with the original purple underneath. And one spot of surface rust on the tank.
The bike has clearly had a bad bump on the right hand side, there's no damage to the forks and although it didn't come with a bash plate there's no damage to the engine either. The rear wheel is a genuine ttr wheel, but isn't the original one. The RH footpeg was loose when we got it, and is bent out of shape. Perculiarly, the RH footpeg is bolted on with two bolts, and the LH footpeg is welded onto the frame. Is this standard for these bikes? There's also a repaired hole in the RH fairing and no exhaust heat shield beneath it anymore. Can I get an OEM/aftermarket replacement heat shield?
The headlight isn't standard, looks like a cheap aftermarket Yamaha copy, and is held on with rubber straps around the forks (Is that the OEM mounting?). However it works, and for now I'm happy to leave it where it is. Indicators are cheapo non-standard bulbs, I have some LED replacements on hand however. Rear light is stock and works :). Reg plate mounting is a bodge job at best, plastic angled to just clear the fender with a couple holes and bolts to carry a too small to be legal plate. This is an easy fix too though.
Let's interupt our regularly scheduled bad news with some good - The clock looks like a genuine yamaha ttr 250 clock, and it works, showing 1600km's. But thats awfully low for a rough looking 25 year old bike. I have estimated, looking at the MOT history that the bike has 35,000km's on it, and this is the third clock it has been through... Hmmmmmm.
We may be in need of a new battery too, it came with a ratty looking taped up lead-acid battery, it looks like a sealed battery and hasn't leaked in the sideways mounted battery box on the bike. But is now dead, and may stay so. What should I look at replacement-wise?
The bike is also hotwireable at the moment as it is missing the barrel cover on the headstock. And if shorting the connections doesn't work, you'd probably have good luck turning the non-stock barrel with a spoon. This gave us abit of a shock when we discovered it, so ofcourse the aftermarket barrel on the shop is already in my basket.
The last missing peice we can see is the undertray above the rear wheel, the top peice is missing. Found the replacement on the shop too. Some screws on the bike, such as the ones holding the fairings on, are also non-standard. But they do the job.
Now let's get to the good. As I said earlier, mechanically the bike seems absolutely fine, with the kicker being the only issue we have discovered on that end so far. It sounds good and changes gears smoothly. Electrically everything present works. The previous owner also looked after it it seems.
Its had.
- new spragg clutch
- front pads
- front fork seals
- rear lower shock absorber bearing
- Generator side cover
- seat cover
- maxi tyres
- polisport hand guards
- front brake master cyliner reconditioning kit
- new front and rear wheel bearings
- 2x oil/air filter
- stickers, renthal bar cover, genuine toolkit fixed to frame (With a zip tie).
The rear shock has what looks like a poly bush fitted at the top mounting. It's purple and feels rubbery, I don't reckon it's standard and the previous owner didn't mention it, thoughts?
And something that caught my eye, the bike has what looks like a bar mounted choke control next to the grips, but is a toggle switch for the hazard lights?
My plan is to sort out a few issues with it and get it on the road for greenlaning/offroading. So I want to return it to a sound condition without spending bucketloads.
All said and done, the bike passed an MOT test on the 18th July with no advisories, which was a big factor towards us buying it. Rant officially over, any thoughts on the bits I mentioned? And anything I may have missed?
- More pics to follow
TL;DR - Got a mechanically sound cosmetically questionable bike with a good MOT, clearly crash damaged at some point and has lived a rough life. And yes, I will try and start it with a spoon once the we have a battery with some juice in it again.
-- Edited by BikerMat on Tuesday 31st of July 2018 10:04:27 PM
-- Edited by BikerMat on Tuesday 31st of July 2018 10:09:17 PM
One nagging question I have with this is whether these bikes come with an engine number, silly question it seems. But the v5 said not stated and we haven't found one on the engine in any of the usual spots. No evidence of it being removed either and I haven't found anything on the internet about it. Frame numbers matched ofcourse.4
Welcome to the forum!
Just to contradict everyone else, both my '93 OEs had engine numbers. They're on the top right hand side of the crank case, more or less alongside the cam chain tensioner, and facing up. Neither were noted on the V5s though, and I have seen other engines with nothing stamped on.
The top shock bush is an aftermarket one. Totallyttrs sells them I think.
That gap between airbox and rear mudguard is taken up by the seat base, which should have a strip of neoprene on it which seals against the airbox when it's in place properly.
Removing the right footpeg is necessary for some engine work. They're normally held on with 2 dome headed cap screws which usually round off nicely and require a chisel to remove!
The metal tanks all rust in the corner where the seat rubs the paint off. I would attend to that with some fuel proof tank repair filler from Halfords and a splash of paint before it gets any worse. A strip of clear wrap over it then will keep it neat.
Looks like a good project.
Good luck,
Simon.
Thanks for the replies and the warm welcome to the forum :).
Knowing abit more about the bike has definetely put my mind at ease, especially about the engine numbers. I still have a project on my hands but I can safely say that the current repair/parts list is quite short.
- Ignition barrel and extra bits to fit.
- LED indicators
- Full size reg plate
- Seat seal.
I was wrong about needing an undertray to cover the gap above the rear wheel, I can now see that the seat covers it fully and only the seal needs replacing. Thanks Mossproof :).
- Fuel tank rust spot.
Thanks again to Mossproof I was able to find a number stamped on the crank case just below the exhaust front pipe which matches the first three letters of the frame number, further putting my mind at ease.
Here are some more photos I took of the bike today.
And lastly the carb, its a bit mucky so I'll take it out and give it a proper clean just to be sure, should be a good learning experience.
Good news as to the battery too, trickle charged it over night only to discover a blown fuse was the real culprit. So it can stay for now, though its days are numbered.
The bike looks fun just sitting on the side stand, however that just won't do. So we will be carting it down to Doncaster this weekend to ride it around Uncle Eddies'. Looking forward to it as I haven't ridden enduro bikes before, the seat height is slightly intimidating for my 5'5" self but it should be a ton of fun. After that I'll be waiting for my next paycheck to start work on the parts list, and keeping my eye out for a proper headlight. I'll keep posting updates to this thread as the bike progresses.
Glad we could help
When cleaning the inside of the carb, beware the float pin post - they're easy to break. Plenty of tips here if you check out the carbs section.
I'd be tempted to use bulb indicators. They don't use much current, and I think they're more visible in sunlight, plus you don't have to mess about with relays or resistors to get them to work. Just my preference.
I use a 9"x7" number plate. Passes the mot fine and never been stopped for it, and it won't catch the exhaust gasses and make a noise. Generally as long as they're legible and clean, and you're not taking the p*ss with a fag packet sized plate, or riding like a tw*t, the fuzz will leave you alone Of couse, I'm not in any way legally qualified to give advice...
Have fun,
Simon.
