Okay, so today I’m gonna talk about something I’ve been messing around with lately: Yamaha trail bikes. I’m no expert, just a dude who likes getting his hands dirty and seeing what makes things tick.
It all started a few weeks ago when my buddy, let’s call him Dave, picked up an old Yamaha TW200. This thing was beat up, I mean really beat up. But Dave got it for a steal, and he was all hyped to get it running again. I offered to lend a hand, figuring it would be a fun project.
First things first, we drained the old gas. It smelled like varnish, seriously nasty stuff. Then we pulled the carb. Man, that thing was gummed up tighter than a drum. We soaked it in carb cleaner overnight, then spent a good hour scrubbing all the jets and passages with tiny wires and compressed air. Reassembled it, slapped it back on, and… nothing. Still wouldn’t start.
Next, we checked the spark. Pulled the plug, grounded it to the engine, and cranked it over. Weak spark, barely visible. That pointed to ignition issues. We started tracing wires, checking connections, and testing the coil with a multimeter. Turns out, the coil was shot. Ordered a new one online, and a few days later, it arrived. Popped it in, and BAM! Strong spark. We were getting somewhere!
We tried cranking it again, and this time it sputtered to life! Rough as hell, but it was running. We let it warm up, then started adjusting the idle and air/fuel mixture screws on the carb. Took a while to get it dialed in, but eventually, it was idling smoothly. We took it for a quick spin around the block, and it actually ran pretty well. Suspension was shot, tires were bald, but it ran!
Now that we knew the engine was good, we started tackling the rest of the bike. New tires were a must. We went with some aggressive knobbies, since Dave wanted to do some off-roading. Replacing the tires was a pain in the butt, but we got it done eventually. Next, we rebuilt the front forks with new seals and oil. That made a huge difference in the handling. The old oil was like black sludge!
We also replaced the chain and sprockets, adjusted the brakes, and gave the whole bike a good cleaning and lubing. It wasn’t perfect, but it looked a heck of a lot better than when we started. Dave even added some new graphics and a handlebar pad to give it some flair.
After all that work, the TW200 was a completely different machine. It started easily, ran smoothly, and handled surprisingly well. Dave was stoked, and I gotta admit, I was pretty proud of what we’d accomplished.
But the real fun started when I decided to find my own project bike. After searching around for a bit, I found a beat-up Yamaha XT225. It wasn’t as rough as Dave’s TW200, but it definitely needed some TLC. I’m planning on doing a similar rebuild, but I might try to do some modifications this time around, like upgrading the suspension and adding a bigger carburetor. I’ll keep you all posted on my progress!
Anyway, that’s my story about getting into Yamaha trail bikes. It’s been a fun and rewarding experience, and I’ve learned a lot along the way. If you’re looking for a fun project, I highly recommend picking up an old trail bike and giving it a try. Just be prepared to get your hands dirty!
