Noob Racing Inc., and a Ralley Lite Lite Yamaha

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LoopSoosStroop

Race Dog
Joined
Nov 30, 2009
Messages
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Location
Randpark
Ok, so this is a year of firsts. I've decided to get off my ass and challenge myself a bit.

Three months ago I bought a Yamaha TTR250, originally just with the intention of playing around on it and maybe doing the occasional Lesotho trip. I chose this bike because of its simplicity and ruggedness. It's air cooled, unstressed, has kickstart backup for the happy button, is relatively light (115 kg dry), has proper ground clearance and decent suspension and discs all round. Basically it’s what a Tornado tries to be, and it’s made in JAPAN.  

The 249 cc beast:
DSC_0304_zpsea44dad8.jpg


Also, and most importantly, they are cheap. I paid R19k for mine, a 2006 model in mint condition with 2170 km on the clock. Bargain.

Instead of just enjoying a bike again after a few years plans have escalated out of control. Why not do a few races and actually learn how to ride? Do a few off-roads or enduros?

Better two-thirds:


This week I joined the Gauteng Offroad Club (GOC) and purchased a MSA club license. The plan is to do a few of the GOC races this year, the Wild West fun enduro races and potentially the Kalahari Desert Race and then the Amageza after that.

Now you might think that the TTR is not well suited to this adventure. However, it is better suited to this than I am, and I’m sure in a few years I might be fast enough to warrant a proper off-road bike. For now, not falling on my face too often and just finishing races is a priority. What also helps is that I weigh 75 kg’s (unlike my forum name would like you to think), and will not overload the bike.

So far I’ve managed to make the bike crash proof to an extent. This was well tested on the 17th of Dec when I came off at Wild West and sprained both my wrists and one thumb, and cracking the other thumb. Bike was much better off than I was, and I could ride it home.

So far I’ve done the following to the bike. The Yamaha hand guards came with the bike.
- Stripped off everything unnecessary. Passenger footpegs and reflectors, tail tidy etc.
- DRD rear silencer (from a WR450), Twin Air filter and opened up the airbox. Makes a massive difference from the stock setup (and saves over 2 kg’s).
- Magnetic sump plug and proper oil every 1000 km.  
- Pro taper bars and lego stack risers.
- Michelin T63 tyres. Not racing tyres I know but they are incredibly versatile, especially when coupled with the next item.
- Tubliss front and rear. Best thing for a small bike ever. With Slime this system is virtually puncture proof and you can run pressures down to 0.7 bar no problem, the tyre will never de-bead. That’s why I’m not too fussed with getting dedicated racing tyres, as the T63’s just hook up when you drop the pressure. If you do get a large hole or gash in the tyre you can also fix it with “snotproppe”.  I’n not keen on the expense of mousses, so this is a great alternative for me. If all goes pear shaped, you can also just carry a tube as backup.
- Polycarbonate 3 mm clear protector for the headlight. I’m going to be roosted a lot, so the glass needs to be covered up.
- Cheapy Ebay hour and tacho meter.

Tail tidy tucks in the rear indicators, and rear bag for tools:
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Number plate comes off with one bolt, and is epoxied to an alu plate to keep it together after a few offs (obviously I will be racing without the number plate and mirror):
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Tubliss, need I say more:
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tubliss-diagram-1.jpg


Pro Tapers just make a bike look fast:
DSC_0312_zps31d97a1a.jpg


2250 km in three months, and Ebay R150 cheapy:
DSC_0314_zpsb3635e06.jpg


Headlight protector and cheap small indicators:
DSC_0321_zps0812304e.jpg


So, the bike is ready and I’m getting fitter, into the deep end we go. Will put some race reports on here and some more detail on the GOC series.

My plans to turn the bike into a Rally lite bike for the Amageza will also take shape through the year.

Roadbook holder so far:
DSC_0329_zpsa6e29818.jpg

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