Yamaha XT225

[RDnuTZ]

I toured the Queen Mary multiple times when I lived in SD. Seemed like it was in a constant cycle of renovation and decay. I thought I read some time ago it was going to be moved? I also remember seeing the Spruce Goose display of the Howard Hughes giant wooden sea plane that made 1 test flight and never flew again.

[SoCal250]

I know when I get pissed off and push stuff back for a while....I usually forget what exactly the issues were and have to start from the beginning again.

I create my own work invoices for my records when I service a bike. These are kept in a file for each vehicle I own. In the notes section of the invoice I notate any open issues, things to keep an eye on, or needed repairs that were not completed.
And to keep track of projects I have a large dry-erase board above my workbench on which I keep a bullet list of items that need attention for each bike (and car). Very useful so nothing slips through the cracks, and I'm not having to reinvestigate to see where I left off. 

[SoCal250]

Last week I swapped out the OE 15T front sprocket for a 16T piece. After getting things all adjusted I discovered that because the axle had been most of the way forward already with the stock 15T piece, the new larger sprocket necessitated moving the axle all the way forward. And I discovered that there wasn't enough chain slack when it was at the forward limit.




So I got a new 428 O-ring chain and shortened it to 122L (stock is 120L).


Also flushed the brake fluid which really needed it! Thought I had done this when I brought it home, but when reviewing my service records I discovered it hadn't been done. New DOT4 and good to go.   


And I added a RAM X-Mount for my phone on the handlebars.
Now it's time for more riding, and a test of my new top-speed capabilities!

[so-cal-sdr200]

Whoohoo, the POS goes ZOOM!
Happy putt'n Russ.

[m in sc]

nice. how's that 16 pull in top gear?

[SoCal250]

nice. how's that 16 pull in top gear?

Dunno. The POS is living up to it's nickname. After getting it all sorted and putting a couple hundred miles on it, I parked it in the garage Sep 05, after shutting off the fuel and running it until it died. Then I put the new sprocket and chain on, but now it won't run right.
Went to go ride it Sep 23 but it won't stay running, stalls constantly, idle and up to about 1/3 throttle is erratic. Only got a hundred feet down the street before I was pushing it back. At first I thought it was just out of gas but that's not it. Slow cranks sometimes too but the battery is 12.7v.
Too pissed off to do any deep investigation or pull the carb for the 19th time. It's been pushed to the back of the garage as punishment. I've got more important things to work on.

I thought about ghost riding it into the brick wall down the street but the crappy thing won't stay running long enough or put out any decent power/speed to even get moving. Dragging it with a chain behind the truck to the dump might be a better option. 

[m in sc]

is the carb starving for fuel?

[Yamanatic]

Had an XT225 a few years ago - swore by it, not at it! Even rode it above the timberline up Mt. Adams in WA State - never missed a beat; no idle or jetting issues, even going 8K feet higher in altitude and into the snow.

Wondering, seeing you didn't have a chance to give it a good shake-down with the old electrics, could it be a timing advance issue? A hanging electronic advance curve (I think all XT225's go from 9 degrees retarded to 31 degrees advanced) can cause wonky idle and hanging low throttle RPMs.

Being an Early American and British bike enthusiast, many bikes I've had were manual advance, and for-instance my '27 Indian could be ridden using a static partial throttle (1/8 to 1/4), and rev from a low idle to in-town speeds using only the manual-advance twistgrip. My '53 BSA does the same, but not to such a drastic extent; kinda like what you describe.

Easy to check with a timing-light and it's probably just fine, but maybe...

Warren

[SoCal250]

Finally found some time to work on the POS again after it's poor behavior on the last ride attempt.
Pulled the carb and gave it an inspection but didn't find anything that could have caused the poor running issue. I guess it will remain a mystery. (The POS is a mysterious animal.)  Cleaned the jets, float valve, passages and bowl with carb cleaner and air. Reassembled and bolted it back up.
Also gave the fuel screw a tweak (+0.25) to 3.25 turns out in an attempt to alleviate a light stumble when whacking the throttle from idle.

Installed the new chain roller and inner bushing. The old chain roller was MIA and the chain had been running on the bushing.




Runs great again!   So I took it out for a short ride (10 miles).   It was a great day for it, it hit 80F at the beach today!
The 1-tooth larger front sprocket made a world of difference! It's quicker because you don't have to constantly shift, and there's no need to take off in 2nd since 1st gear is usable again. And top speed is better. Cruises effortlessly at 50mph instead of straining like it did previously.


Looking forward to taking it out tomorrow for a longer ride.

[SoCal250]

Yesterday I took out the POS for a longer test/shakedown ride. It ran flawlessly. Ended up doing 56 miles through the beach towns and along the coast on PCH from Seal Beach down to Newport and Corona del Mar. At one point I looked down at the speedo and was shocked to see I was doing 70mph. The new front sprocket made it a new bike!

Seal Beach at Rivers End off of First St. looking South


Corona del Mar near Lookout Point on Ocean Blvd


Corona del Mar at Ocean Blvd & Poppy Ave looking South towards Arch Rock, which you can see in the distance


And the highlight of the day was that during the ride I was finally able to finish my recently topped-off fuel tank and go on reserve, which I was trying to do so I could gauge mileage before having to switch over and also get MPG. After gassing up I ran the numbers...
   Miles from full to RES: 146 mi
   MPG: 78.45 MPG Wow, I can't believe the mileage on this thing! I guess there's actually one thing that the POS can do well.

And with each ride it's more clear that the POS is begging for more street-oriented tires. So those are coming soon.

[m in sc]