Simple Maintenance

New sprockets, chain, and rear tire and a thorough cleaning
makes the WR250X look almost cared for. Don't let appearances
fool ya.

There is a rumor that Sev and I are going dirt biking in North Dakota soon. The last time he and I went out, I discovered my Avon Gripsters are mostly worthless in the mud. They aren't totally worn down and I'm cheap, so I almost decided to keep going on the remaining tread until I found a deal on a set of Kenda 705's; almost the same tire but slightly more aggressive. I order the tire on Wednesday and it arrived Friday. (Gotta love Motorcycle Superstore). Saturday, I borrowed Paul Streeter's big-boy tire installing rig (and Paul) and we knocked the tire change out pretty easily.

Unfortunately, as part of scrubbing down the bike and wheel for the tire job, I discovered that the sprockets were worn out and the chain was a little worse for the wear, too. O-ring chains aren't the hot setup for off-road work and this bike has seen some dirt in the last 7600 miles. So, off I went to Dennis Kirk for sprockets and a chain. Two hours later, I'm back home and the chain and sprockets are installed, but I discovered the plastic chain guard "seal" is worn out right at the swingarm, so I ordered one of those (it will be here Wednesday) from my local dealer's website. So, once the parts ordering was finished, I followed the new-improved-and-correct Yamaha procedure (not the one in the owner's manual) for setting the chain slack and had it almost ready to put it all back together. I can get by with the original part until the chain guard/seal shows up.

All dressed up with an infinite number of places to go.

Like an idiot, I decided to change the oil and filter (not quite 3,000 miles on the last change, but "it's only  1 1/2 quarts and $5 for a filter"). Then, I decided to flush the brakes and replace the Yamaha squirrel oil with synthetic fluid. Once I did that, I can't find a good reason not to flush the forks and replace the official Japanese fish oil with more synthetic.

What's left? I found a few things to clean and lube, including the Yamalink bearings and all of the bike's switches and the clutch cable. I gave the little bike one more bolt-checking once-over and decided "enough is enough." The day was slipping away and it was a perfect day to be on the road. It rained while I was doing the maintenance and my favorite dirt roads north of the city would be tacky and a great place to break in a new back tire.

My wife asked, "Why clean it up if you're just going to get it all muddy again?"

"Like Mt. Everest, because it's there." She either did not get the reference or considers me completely crazed. Two hours later, the bike and I are covered in clay and I have put 80 miles on my new oil change and the tire is very broken-in. That's what Sundays are for.