Tech tips - Home Style

[Controversy]

Share all your bush mechanic and home quick fixes here.

Like, what the other thread said about the tape on the perch, or anothor one is to drill a hole into the leaver (about 30mm from the ball end) where you would want it to break in a stack.
If you dont have bar ends, put a 5 cent peice into the grips and then put them on this stops the grips from getting a hole in the end of them where dirt and mud build up.

[Lee_250f]

if a bolt pisses u off>>>Use a COLD CHISSEL. thats my resolution for any piss ant bolt that annoys me. cold chisel the bastard.

[yamaha_54]

use mr sheen on ur plastics 2 make them nice and shiny and also on ur lenses in ur goggles wen its wet and it will help the water flow off wen ur riding

[JAYKAY]

when you cut your guards use a lighter to smoothe down the rough edges

[Controversy]

if your foot pegs are getting worn/blunt use a round file to sharpen them up.

[gloverfmx411]

if somethings fu#ks up on it just buy a new bike, easy as that (well if uve got the money)

[JAYKAY]

well said glover i might just do that the next time i break my clutch lever.

[RM 125 OF MDMCS]

haha
dam crappy 04 rmz250
wot a pile of shit the lever broke

[one_industries]

lol ermm i dont have one

[yamaha_54]

put cable ties where the spokes cross over.
put talcom powder on the inside of the tyre 2 help prevent punctures
use a large rubber malut 2 hit the tyre back onto the rim so u dont pinch the tube

[JAYKAY]

why do you put cable ties where the spokes cross over

[Mungoman45]

helps stop em ratteling loose and also if they do come loose and find their way out of the thread completely, it'll help keep em attached to ya wheel, so that ya can just screw em back in, save ya havin to replace it (or them).

[[TOPGEAR]]

get cooking spray, spray it under all the mudguards or over all the plastics if you want. the dirt will just slide right off.

[NOLIMITS]

Or you could look after your bike and make sure they are tight by checking them every time you wash it.. Which of course would be after every time you ride it so you can keep an eye on any damage or things look like breaking, falling off etc..

If you look after your bike stuff shouldn't just fall off it.. If something looks sus or damaged etc fix or replace it before you ride it again.. You don't want it to fall apart 2km's down a dirt track in the middle of the bush.. Screw that.. I've been out with guys and that stuffs gone down because they don't look after their bikes and it roots everyones day..

Sorry... .Just thinking aloud..

[[TOPGEAR]]

yeh, u cant look at ur bike while riding. what if u are bush riding or something ??

[yamaha_54]

Originally posted by [TOPGEAR]
get cooking spray, spray it under all the mudguards or over all the plastics if you want. the dirt will just slide right off.

will CRC do the same coz iv heard that is will even let rubber from burnouts slip off?

[[TOPGEAR]]

yeh probably, try it. but i think it might just dry

[Controversy]

if your gaurds are discoulred-white from where you bent them too much, get a heat gun and heat them up and they should return to normal. also with a heat gun warm the rubber from burnouts then it will be easy to scrape off.

[ALLEN]

yeh i was gonna say about that cooking spray on the gaurds.works pretty well i reckon.

[Yammi_man]

ey who said you cant look at ya bike while ridin through the bush... i tryed it... then i found out what a tree looks like close up!! ;)

[[TOPGEAR]]

for exhaust springs, they are a *****.

instead of using wire cutters or something like that to grip them, make up a little tool. ill post a pic of mine later or tomorrow.

one end has a hole, where ur finger goes through, its about 20-25cm long, and the other end has a hook where it goes on the spring.

has to be strong thin metal, no cheap shit

[fmx_freak]

that sticky hair spray stuff use it instead of grip glue

[[TOPGEAR]]

exhaust spring tool,

[fmx_freak]

do anyone else have some tips???

[[TOPGEAR]]

yes, when a cow charges at you, get the **** out of there lol

[DTguy]

always regularily check your magneto cover, cause dirt and water can get into them and make rust and shiz, plus after i ride and plan on laving my bike for a while, i put the piston a TDC and spray cmpressed air thrrough the gas line to the carb, it blows all the gas in the lines and float bowl out of the over flow tubes, makes for vcleaner starting after the long wait

[[TOPGEAR]]

the magneto cover, is that the cover where the flywheel is behind ??

[meesh]

use a leave blower to dry your air filter, works sweet

[fmx_freak]

never half change a tyre and then go inside when you have dogs around because they enjoy chewing on tubes!!!!!!

[Controversy]

alwyas after washing your bike take the alternator cover off, especially if yours is still stock plastic becuase water gets into it easy.

[Yammi_man]

ey u all know the cut and polish for cars... u know wax on, wax of ;) yeah well use that on your sticker kit and plastics, works great cos it shines up ya bike and seems to get out all the dirt thats in scratches, what water cant get to. Its a bit of a pain in the ass doin that everytime u go for a ride, so i just suggest doin it ia ya tryin to sell ya bike!

Happy polishing!

[Yammi_man]

oh and also u should clean/change ya air filter after every single ride, may seem like a pain if ya only go for a 10 minute ride but the guy i spoke to who re-sleaved me cylinder, pointed out all the markes from where dirt and water have been sucked through the air filter. Trust me its worth it when ya have to re-build ya top end, it can go from a standard $200 re-build to a $600 re-build.

Also never start ya bike up just after ya wash it, as ya air box is full of water and the water gets sucked into ya carbie and into ya head. Never good!

[[TOPGEAR]]

i get my sleeves, piston & rings, hone and rebore for $200-$250 including labour :)

[Lee_250f]

HOLY SHIT topgear. how the **** does that work??? my rebourne and resleeve and tht was $360 and my piston kit was $140. then all gaskets and labour and shit added up to i think about $650!!!

[ALLEN]

i cut and polish my plastics all the time i dont do it for ages i wax on then wax off.

[Yammi_man]

yeah i wasnt quite shore who does polish there plastics, i thought i might be a few centrys behind on that one, but just incase ya didnt know...

Yeah TOP_GEAR wtf? u hold some1 at gun point to get that price??

[Lee_250f]

come on topgear. wats the go???

[Robbo66]

Heres a few tips, but i am not to sure if they have been said or not.. but anyway..

firstly, about drilling holes in your levers.. you drill through that hole at the end. its a good guide and you dont need to drill as much to get through. you want the very least to brake off your lever.

when putting airfilter oil on your filter, just put a small hole with a screwdriver through the bottle so you dont waste it, and so it doesnt all pour out at once.

When you foul a plug and you take out the old plug kick it over a few times to get all the crap out of the combustion chamber.

Keep Your Fuel Cold. For you racers, mix 5L doses, and put the jerry can in a esky of ice, to cool down the fuel, so you wont lose any octane from your fuel. then before your race, take it out, and fuel up. thats only for high performance bikes, so they run the best. but, will work for anyone. you may want more then 5L, depending if its a 20 lapper.. hehe

oh.. and you cannot forget the #1 tip.

If it moves when it shouldn't, use duct tape.
If it doesn't move when it should, use WD-40.

[[TOPGEAR]]

my dads friend owns dandenong engine reco, i get it done there. doesnt include the gaskets though.

[[TOPGEAR]]

Originally posted by Robbo66
you may want more then 5L, depending if its a 20 lapper.. hehe


yeh, u might want more than 5L if u have a 8.5litre tank.

[Robbo66]

but you dont use all 8.5L per race.

[penuts]

yeah on an 85 maybe not but on a 250 theres more chance of doing it tho youd haveto riding so hard and be on the gas heaps to do it i went thru a tank and a bit in lancelin and thats beachsandy dunes n i was on the gas most of the time

[Lee_250f]

yeh but how long where u riding for? heaps longer than one race easy if u were jsut out hammering on the dunes.

[Robbo66]

1 of my races goes for about 10 minutes. i only need about 2L just to make sure i dont run out.

but like i SAID, you may need more fuel!!!!!!

[JAYKAY]

Originally posted by Robbo66

oh.. and you cannot forget the #1 tip.

If it moves when it shouldn't, use duct tape.
If it doesn't move when it should, use WD-40.

Amen i broke the bolt on my front brake perch so i taped my front brake on woot woot.

[[TOPGEAR]]

hey robbo, thanks for that tip about looking ahead. tried it on monday and i absolutely blasted the track lol.

[wayne]

after riding always release the pressure on the top of your front shocks, this help keep ya seals from stuffing up. turn the little blead screw with your front wheel off the ground, and you will hear a bit of pressure releasing.


and when storing it keep the bike on a stand, to keep the pressure of the front wheel.

might save you one set of fork seals over a couple of years.

[[TOPGEAR]]

i need one of those push stands. i was so pissed of last night. i was trying to get my bike up on the crate and i was tired. couldnt do it so i started kicking shit.

but then i got the car jack to lift up the back of the bike and then i slipped the crate under.

[wayne]

always shake ya 2stroke petrol (lucky 4bangers) before putting it in ya tank, the oil can seperate and ya get shit fuel. haha u r jsut lazy.
i lifted mine up again last night. and rember i got my sideplate bolt and fuel tnak bolt missing, so i gotta go to the nut and bolt shop b4 this sat.

[[TOPGEAR]]

lol, i was painting all day and i had my arms up in the air. they were ****ed.

plus i just filled the tank with fuel and i washed it, so that added extra weight

[wayne]

easy way to tighten ya chain.

loosen ya axel, and get a screwdriver shove it in your rear sprocket between your chain and sprocket, and turn it about 90 or so degrees. then tighten up ya chain tensioners, and it will be at the perfect height.
(works for my bike)
o and rember to do everything back up, and take ya screwdriver out.

dunow if this has been said,

loosen ya clutch and brake perch, this way when ya fall off instead of breaking ya leavers, it jsut slides ya clutch right around.
but dont have them too lose that it moves when ya pull ya leavers in.
also make it easy to make quick adjustments while on the track.

putting new grips on:

clean ya handle bars with water to get all the shit/mud off then let it dry.
put ya thumb over the other end of ya handle bar to the grip you want to put on, then put the grip on and slide it on ver fast, this makes the bars pressureise inside and puts a air bubble around the grip which allows it to slide over ya bars easily, then when doing the other side it shoudl slide on as the other side is pluged up.
rember to do it pretty fast as some of the air will escape.
hope that helps.

[[TOPGEAR]]

put lock tite on ur side panel bolts, the one where the seat goes through.

when i was riding once i lost my seat half way around the track haha

[wayne]

checking ya spoke tension:
tap your spokes with a screwdriver, the loose one with make a different sound to the ones that are tight.
tho you could have all loose spokes.

[TOPGEAR], haha i think i should do that, my sideplate/seat bolt is missing, as well as the one up the top of my fuel tank.

[skaterz]

use diesel to loosen bolts

[Mungoman45]

WAYNE:....mate,....the maximum characters for one post is 100,000...therefor there really is no need to space out several points over 10 posts.

[Beadie]

easy way of lifting bike to put it on stand:
get behind the bike, grab the back wheel with both hands, and lift.
the bike should pivot on the front wheel, and you can just slide the stand under, or move the back of the bike over the stand, and presto!!! one bike on stand.

remember- lift with your legs, not with your back ;)

[FMXhellraiser]

One good and useful tip... When you get your air filter oil, put it in a tupperware container the size of your airfilter so when you go to oil your filter you just dunk it in really fast and pull out and let the excess oil drip back in.... it saves time and you won't waste as much oil.

[wayne]

sorry mungo, didnt think of puttin it all in one post:faceoff:

[I_Bleed_blue]

when cleaning ur pipe if it is a black one spray spray on butter onto it, verry nice shine

[[TOPGEAR]]

yeh and if u dont wipe it off. when u ride u will smell all burnt shit.

[deathtroop666]

hahahahaha:p

[I_Bleed_blue]

actuly it smells like toast:P i like it actully
also put some on the tip of ur muffler(2stroke) and when that oily stuff dribbles out it makes it easier 2 clean off

another way 2 get rid of unburned carbon is degreaser(obviosly)

[[TOPGEAR]]

good bikes dont drillbe from the exhaust :P

[Yammi_man]

change ya 2-stroke oil brand, should stop the "dribble"! Suprisingly ive gone from TTS to this shit caltex stuff, and me bikes never run better, and yes... no dribbles! and cheeper too

[K-ran]

i too changed from TTS to Caltex and have had the same results.

[Robbo66]

I've got a money saving tip. If you use Castrol, move to BP. Because Castrol is just BP with a different label that cost's more.

How do I know? I am sponsored by them. And my Brother work's for them. (Unloads the trains of fuel).

[Controversy]

I use motul 800 oil on my 00' 125 and it still dribbles.ive also just had the muffler repacked so it could be due to the shorty style muffler.

[METAL_MULISHA13]

Originally posted by [TOPGEAR]
yeh and if u dont wipe it off. when u ride u will smell all burnt shit.

and then mybe later u could go up to the shop and buy some bacon and eggs and start cookin'. HAHAHAHA!!!!!

[YamahasRsweet]

i run my bike on TTS and i have no problem with dribbles and i only use it cause i can get it cheap

[[TOPGEAR]]

i have never had dribbles from my exhaust on any bike.

dribbles of flames on one occasion :)

[alexander]

i spray tyre shine on my plastics and tyres it makes them shine real nice

[[FMF_FATTY]]

this isa little advice for those who dont know it if ur bike leaks oil out the back of the muffler check ur jetting or get someone who knows how to , to do it i changed my main jet to a 400 on mi 125 and no oil anymore

[KX80KID]

bump for a handy thread :D

when removing old grips that are quite stubborn.. just get the air compressor gun under the grip.. let the air in and the grip will pop right off :Z440:

[[FMF_FATTY]]

or just cut them in half with a stanley knife.........and peal off

[lil bevin]

i use tire shine and my plastics and just lightly wipe it and its comes like new

[rm125kid]

use the compresser to put grips on... works swell

also... under your clutch and front break perches... if you get some Tefflon... not sure how u spell it... but its used by plumbers on threads...
anyways role that around ya bars a couple of times and then put ya perches bak on and you can do them up tight.. but wen u fall off the perch will slide around :)

and wen ya go riding... always take cable ties and ducktape or race tape

[Honda_Rider380]

bike usualy dribble oil out cuz ur running them to rich.

[[FMF_FATTY]]

bike usualy dribble oil out cuz ur running them to rich.

thanks mate sounds like im going to have to rejet My Ag 200 before the next ramp sesh

[cam_229]

Spray deisel, yes thats right deisel fuel under you guards if its a muddy day and the mud wont bulid up and add extra weight also if you run a bash/skidplate stuff a chunk of foam between the plate and engine case to stop mud building up in there.

And Robbo66 fuel does not loose its octane, no matter how stale fuel is it won't loose its octane rating, it looses its volatility, which means that the vapours (the most volitile part) have evapourated, if you keep fuel in a well sealed metal jerry it should last for ages, but it will go bad in bikes and plastic jerrys because the plastic can breath.

Also for keeping water out of the air box when washing your bike I use some old ear muffs and modified them so that where the bits are that go over your ears were there is now bits of faom with a thin layer of rubber they sit nicely over the holes on the side of the airbox and stops exessive amounts of water getting in there.

Spray Joker 440 on you chain adjuster bolts and spoke nipples as they have a tendency to seize which can be bad news bears.

Thats all I got.

[Dying-to-Live]

I just got a 2005 kx 125 and oil leaks out of its muffler i dont know whether its because it is running rich or wat can someone please tell me wat i need to do to get it to stop. (bike has a racing sparkplug in it and im mixing the fuel and oil at 40:1.

[rm_125rider]

your not riding it hard enough, thats what happend with me and then i started getting quicker and riding it hard and the oil went away

[Dying-to-Live]

wat like hitting band more often and always keeping hard on the throttle

[killer yz 250]

its a 2 stroke just get used to it haha, unless its a gaint amount i wouldnt worry

[rmboi93]

i used to have that porblem when i started riding, then when the bike was being floged it went away, also i used to hold it pinging in band for longer than usual sometimes to clear all the shit out. worked.

[__PETEY__]

k this mite be off topic sum what but if some one culd tell me that wuld be great, everytime i start my bike it blows an od amount of smoke out and always has i just am curious why this is and mates say it still ther after ive gotten up it for a while to