Rear                                                                       Front

                                                                      Tire depth tool

Tire depth is an imporant factor for safety. Using a Tire depth tool only works on a tire with a central thead. Like the michelin pilot street, there  are are tabs in the grooves to show the wear limit.

I did like the michelin pilot street as its agile to handle. But due to the rounded profile, i do not feel as rooted as i should.

Stp Oil Treatment

Surprisingly, there are many products sold in malaysia that is not shown online.

One of which is stp oil treatment for motorcycles that retails for 6rm for 60ml.

It was extremely thick like a high grade honey. Unfortunately I have thrown away the bottle before I added it in.

Oil treatment meant for cars

Despite the oil being "thicker", i didnt feel any difference.

It was about 100km on my new oil when I was in a crawling 1 hour jam and at some point my clutch started to slip. I read that I should learn to just use the clutch and gear 1 when moving to prevent this.

Product Review : Chevron Delo Silver

Chevron Delo invokes a certain excitement in me. From its packaging, availability smell and texture. Cost me $3.50usd a litre in malaysia. 

This is a great oil at a great price. Only gripe is at 1000km the oil is pretty much sheared. So much for your 10000km oil change reccomendation yamaha!

Product Review :Silkolene 15w50 comp 4

Silkolene mineral oil at usd $3.50 had previously shocked me with its smooth transmission. This had encouraged me to drop the dollar on their semi synthetic version. This is made in singapore. At $8usd a litre it wasnt so bad. On the local advertisement it has ester in it.

Weirdly it needed about 200km before it started feeling ridiculously smooth. At 700km when I had to top up the oil, it was amber in colour. Something I have never seen before.

Very hot city rides didnt affect shifting much.

This shifts better than the maxima extra 15w50!

First oil to feel alright event at 2000km

Product Review : Autoglym Super Resin Polish

I managed to chanced upon a product that does wonders in finishing detail.
Prior to this, i had used novus and ultimate compound.
Will be getting a ultra deep gloss shine to compliment the SRP.

The SRP is very easy to use. However, it should only be used on a paintwork which is in generally good condition but lacks that perfect finish.

Windshied modification

A windshield is a necessity.
Especially when travelling above 80kph
It also allows me to mount my license plate on the shield.. clearing out space where it could affect the cooling of the radiator.

It has been a love and hate feeling to be visible and not look atrocious at the same time.
I am experimenting with the "chameleon sticker" it is actually red but with light, it has a "rainbow" effect that is extremely eye catching.

With trials, this works on public roads. People do notice me.

From a distance

On a brightly lit day

In the basement

Rectifier Replacement

Lately, I had three bulbs blow on me in a time span of two months.
On an extreme tour, i had my meters reset a couple of times at high rpms. At once, it switched off and on when I was on the fast lane. So uncool

Something must be amiss right?

Though there may be many diagnosis of the failing electricity, it can be time consuming and expensive to solve. There are usually four components to electric problems.Battery, stator, rectifier and wiring( to some there may be others like connectors and ground). Since bulbs are blowing(probabbly due to a spike of voltage) I pointed it to the rectifier. Rectifier and stator problems sometimes only happen occasionally. Although the rectifier looks like a solid state unit that will not fail.. well it  does.

My own research shows that ybr125 rectifier looks, mounts and connects exactly like the ybr250.

Here are pics. And the bike has been working fine since.. I will update if the problems will come up again..

Right is new

Bottom is new

Left is new

Understanding yamaha part numbers

For a Part Number in the format XXX-XXXXX-XX-XX

XXX-XXXXX-XX-XX 
The first three digits are the Model Code (every model in the Yamaha Product Line has a unique model number) all parts are given a Model Code of the first model they were used on. 

XXX-XXXXX-XX-XX 
The middle five digits are the Basic Code number and indicates the actual part, i.e. 11631 = piston; 11311 = cylinder, etc.
A "W" substituted in the first position of this five-digit group (000-W0000-00-00) indicates a factory assembled kit which differs in content from the original assembly used in production (i.e. 2M0-W0046-00-00 – Rear Break Pad Ass’y). 

XXX-XXXXX-XX-XX 
The next two digits are the Design Code and Design Change digits (so 01 means the part has had one design change). This part may or may notappear different, but it will be interchangeable with the original part. 

XXX-XXXXX-XX-XX 
The last two digits are the Color or Finish Code. 


For a Part Number in the format XXXXX-XXXXX-XX 

All these parts are Hardware (fasteners), they all start with a '9' and end in '00'. 
The second and third digits tells us what type of fastener: 

0 - 'various' 
1 - bolts, cotter pins 
2 - screws, nuts 
3 - oil seals, O-rings, bearings 
4 - spark plugs 
5 - bolts, nuts 
6 - ISO bolts 
7 - ISO screws and nuts 

The fourth and fifth digits tell us what material/surface finish (e.g. chromed). 
Digits six and seven give the diameter (inner or outer) e.g. 08 would be an M8 size. 
Digits eight, nine and ten are the length (except for '901' bolts for some reason) 
There are also standard fastener types...e.g. 

90105-XXXXX are Washer based bolts 
90116-XXXXX are Studs 
90401-XXXXX are Union bolts 
99999-XXXXX means that a part has been superceded by a kit.


Many thanks to;
http://www.benefisca...uk/help.php#q04 

She rides like a dream (:

Engine oil

Wish list
Silkolene Comp 15w50 $12sgf
Schaeffer vtwin 20w50 $12.50sgd

Boutique oil
Amsoil 20w50
Motul 300v 15w50
Redline 20w50
Mobil 1 20w50

Engine Oil

Nasty topic and different strokes for different users.

Conclusion
Stick as close as you can to the manual reccomendation.
Identify if the type of driving you do is severe. If so change your oil and filter more frequently.
Check and top up your oil frequently.
Do not overfill.
Do whatever makes you sleep better at night.

the bike manual recommendation?

Change oil every 10 000km and filter at 20 000km
Oil to use? 20w50 or 20w40. 20w50 is reccomended. Api Sf or Sg rated oils or newer.

My reccomendation?
Use 20w50 or 15w50 only.
Im still figuring out a right change interval but 10 000km is just a plain retarded crazy abuse on 1 L of engine oil.

Oil filter

Owning a rare bike has its challenges.

Even a simple oil filter replacement sucked.

Ebay and amazon isnt too ybr250 friendly.

Shows that it uses the same filter as a wr250.

I had to use the part number and bring it to the store and voila!

It was the same filter as the all common small 135cc yamaha spark lc135!

The dealership wanted $16sgd for the filter! I walked away.

Bought a thai made filter locally at $4(Which has a red paper filter element)

Bought a indonesian made filter in malaysia at $3.30 (Has a yellow filter element)

Both are similar with no difference in quality. But a yellow filter element has a kick to it as you can see the dirt more clearly.

I was considering a stainless steel oil filter.

But decided paper was the way to go. Toss the old one and pop a new one in. Manual says its good to go for 20 000km.

Reason for not using SS?

1. Downtime and mess from cleaning. Air compressor, kerosene, gloves, toothbrush.

2. Deterioration of gasket?

3. Drink from a paper filtered and a stainless steel mesh filtered coffee. You will have sediments with the metal filter.

4. Reputable SS oil filter are more expensive.

Upon removing of the right side clutch plate cover, there is actually a stainless steel oil filter mesh at the bottom of the sump. It had trapped nasty things in it which i removed with my bare hands and a cloth at the workshop while the mechanic was working on the clutch. 

Ybr250 2010 brake rebuild

I am rebuilding the brakes on this bike

I ran the reds a day or two after ownership.
The front seemed like it will slow down but not stop entirely.
Its dangerous.

I cleaned off the grease on the pads and disc. Starting with the cheapest, I first replaced the bent lever followed by the brake line and fluid change and a caliper service. Bike stops well now to many standards but I am unsatisfied. I bought a rotor as the old one was severely eaten.China made is entirely fine.I used it on my gsxr.

Brake pads are similar to the ybr 125 2010 model. The older models uses two different variations. Ebc part number is fa464. But even fa464 i noticed two different variants.

I bought a china made pad and a oem made thailand yamaha pad.

China pad had a bad finishing, was sintered and slightly less surface area.

Ill be bedding in and using the thailand made organic pad.

Balancing beads for tires

Many shops do not balance tires.

A balanced tire makes a world of difference in riding.

I added some balancing beads into the tire and what a difference!
Feels like a whole new bike!
Helps with the corners and at highway speeds, feels so much smoother!

Bought a 10oz bag for future use!

Do note that 10oz refers to weight and not volume.
1oz = 15ml of the beads.

ybr250 2010 clutch replacement

My gears were hard to shift once being stuck in traffic to a point i felt it was dangerous.
I first changed the level and then the cable.
Upon research, it could be the clutch basket being teethed or friction plate being warped or blued.
Using a better grade oil helped but it affected my concentration and to a certain point dangerous.

After downloading the parts catalog, the two clutch plates were similar to a fz16 which is a common motorcycle in singapore. It contains 6 clutch plates. Two of which are different. EBC replacement part is ck1217 which is the same as a cbx250. However, cbx 250 have 5 plates instead of six. This is rather confusing.

At the shop, he managed to dig up a used clutch plate. He insisted only the clutch plates had to be replaced and not anything else.

The clutch plate was all burned up and bone dry despite the oil being at the right level.
Clutch basket was a little teethed but he said it was ok. Friction disc were fine. The clutch cover was scuffed and he had to smoothen it out. He said it was because of clutch slip.

Bike is much better now but upon a long idle or slow moving traffic, i could feel a hint of difference in changing gears.

If need be, i would rebuild the entire clutch in the future.

Headlight bulb

Here is the normal bulb. Ba20d 35/35 W.

Took a plunge and bought myself a halogen from china to be able to write a review. Wow.. what a difference. It is many times brighter than the original! 

Many bikeshops have it. You do not have to look too far to find it.

Bulb shattered today from switching it on during a cold morning. Bulb lasted two weeks!

exhaust wrap

Well, there is no way to avoid the stainless steel from discolouring so I decided to wrap it. Concerns of excessI've corrosion is a myth if u ride it often. I did it more because of curiousity and cosmetic reasons. Bought it from eBay at $15SGD with six stainless steel tiE's. 

Rear Box

I was contemplating if i should get a rear box.

This bike doesnt look sporty to begin...

Here are some models of contemplation

Givi E20n

Kappa 48

Fork savers

On my shadow ace, i never had a problem with leaky oil forks.

I realised that fork seals lasts longer when shielded from the environment.

I had to remove the fork protector off the ybr250. Which involves taking the fork off. I could break it but i wanted the process to be reversible.

Fork oil capacity and viscosity ybr250

Behold
The only specification for ybr250 fork oil capacity level volume whatever you call it on the internet.

It is really annoying when the manual lacks the basic information about the fork oil level. Even the stealership do not return my call.

I was left to follow suit of the similar honda cbx250.
I put in the recommended fluid which was atf which is about a 7w. Cost me $10.

Initial plan was to follow suit with whatever was in the fork. However, the right side had 100ml and the left had 300ml which was hell of overflowing when I did a fork seal cleaning with an improvised seal mate.

Draining the 100ml fork was hell nasty.

According to the cbx manual i had to put on 295 ml. This resulted in 140mm from the top of the fork fully compressed with no springs spaces or washers in. Seems pretty normal from my experience.

Let me clarify.

Oil Level

Fork oil level alters the second half of the suspension but more to resist bottoming out rather than feedback or damping characteristics. 

Oil viscosity 

Alters the damping effect. 

Heavier fork oil of 15w will give you better feedback during cornering as it will gradually dive. Bike will feel heavier and more footed.

Lighter oil like 5w and 10w will absorb road imperfections better.

Atf is 7w.

Dont go about using any 10w oil because high detergency and anti foaming is important.

I am 87kg.

Starting from the nightmare 295ml and 140mm, I altered it to 215mm with 235ml I could bottom it out with compressing the fork myself. . After riding a little bit more, I added 10ml(total of 245ml) more to hit 202.5mm of oil level(air gap) measured from the top.

Every 10ml will raise or drop the level by 12.5mm

I might do a 15w weight fork oil for my future service because the roads here are quite good.

UPDATE 1 MONTH LATER

I have a 1600km upcoming trip and wasnt happy with how nervous the bike felt.

Went to drain the forks and the left one seemed contaminated.

I bought a 15w dedicated cheap fork oil and will not look back. Feels like a whole different bike now ; planted and offers a plush ride.

Would even consider a 20w in the future.

Below is the only info on the net what ybr250 has a 10w fork oil stock in it

Edit. I have added 10ml into each forks.

Feel slightly better but i think this bike needs stiffer springs

Halogen upgrade

Dont mind me. I had things bike about three weeks to a month and i might be backposting.

This bike uses the ba20d 35w/35w bulb. Beam pattern is Triangular. I kind of like it that it lights up the floor real good.

In the old school times they would use a dremel and a h4 35w bulb as an upgrade.
It would require quite abit of change.
I decided to go against the HID or led because I do not have a proper projector lense.

After much research, i found a rather unpopular halogen conversion that is a direct plug and play.
Since its cheap anyway and good to always have a spare, i got this item OSRAM halogen lamp 62327

Introduction

Just a short introduction.

Ybr250 is also known as the ys250, fazer250 and jym250-2a.
It is very popular for the mountainous ride in china, south africa and mexico(maybe)?

Here is the specification credits to bikez.com but I did edit somethings.

Displacement:	249.00 ccm (15.19 cubic inches)
Engine type:	Single cylinder, four-stroke
Power:	21.05 HP (15.4 kW)) @ 8000 RPM
Torque:	20.70 Nm (2.1 kgf-m or 15.3 ft.lbs) @ 6500 RPM
Compression:	9.8:1
Bore x stroke:	74.0 x 58.0 mm (2.9 x 2.3 inches)
Fuel system:	Injection
Ignition:	TCI (digital)
Lubrication system:	Wet sump
Cooling system:	Air
Gearbox:	5-speed
Transmission type, final drive:	Chain 428 132 O-ring
Clutch:	Multiple-disc coil spring, Wet
Emission details:	catalyzer with an O2 sensor
Chassis, suspension, brakes and wheels
Frame type:	Steel Double Cradle
Trail:	105 mm (4.1 inches)
Front suspension:	Telescopic forks +/- 35mm forks
Rear suspension:	Bottom link swingarm
Front tyre:	100/80-M17 tubeless (Some people run tubes)
Rear tyre:	130/70-M17 tubeless  (Some people run tubes)
Front brakes:	Single disc two port caliper
Front brakes diameter:	282 mm (11.1 inches)
Rear brakes:	Expanding brake (drum brake)
Rear brakes diameter:	130 mm (5.1 inches)
Physical measures and capacities
Weight incl. oil, gas, etc:	138.0 kg (304.2 pounds)
Seat height:	805 mm (31.7 inches) If adjustable, lowest setting.
Overall height:	1,065 mm (41.9 inches)
Overall length:	2,025 mm (79.7 inches)
Overall width:	745 mm (29.3 inches)
Ground clearance:	190 mm (7.5 inches)
Wheelbase:	1,360 mm (53.5 inches)
Fuel capacity:	19.20 litres (5.07 gallons)
Engine Oil capacity:	1 Litre (top of dipstick mark) without dissembly and oil filter change.

A little history

I love cruisers and I felt so down having to sell off mine due to the rising certificate of entitlement prices in singapore. It is basically a piece of paper that gives you the right to own the vehicle for 10 years. It currently stands for about $7000sgd.

So I wanted something that could save me tons of money yet was not too weak in performance. Going through the used bike department got me feeling down because there was hardly any with my budget of 4000$ sgd. Till alas this ybr250. Ybr250 is known to be a learners bike. It is exclusively imported for the use of learning schools. I thought that since it is here, parts should be universal and easy to get. I couldnt get much information on the bike except that it has a top speed of about 160km/hr(from youtube) that it has a fuel tank ranging from 12L-19.2L(the dealer said it was 12L) And the consumptions was ranging from 25km/hr or better.


When i viewed the bike, it was in a terrible state. It even had the tank off. The side stand base plate was broken, the levers were bent in. It was 5 years old with 20 k km mileage. I would imagine the abuse it took spending hours daily in the learning centre. It had alot of crashbars on it so it wasnt really scratched up.

I took it anyway.
And so my journey begins