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Just picked her up, named her, and a couple questions...

2K views 14 replies 7 participants last post by  qwerty 
#1 ·
Joined the forum several weeks ago to learn 'from the horse's mouth' what I needed to know about the Yamaha TW200. The direct result:



Just picked up Millicent today (alway remembered this name from the Elmer Fudd/Bugs Bunny Cartoon w/ the large Slavic female bunny named Millicent)...



I digress. She is a 2002 TW200 with 6400 miles on her. She looks good all 'round, minor cosmetic issues like a bent front brake lever and slight scratches on some of the plastic bits. She looks new from 3 paces. Anyway, after riding her gently and not-so-gently for most of the day (Slavic women are quite sturdy)...



1. The clutch clutches at the very end of the lever travel. It's not grabby, but only because I'm now managing it well. I'm an experienced rider and it grabbed the first few times I rode her. I checked the return spring at the motor & it's installed correctly. I checked the adjustment screw barrel at the lever, and it looks like it's adjusted almost the whole way out - not much thread to go. Does this indicate a worn clutch & I should just expect a clutch replacement at some point dependent on my enthusiasm? Or is there another way to adjust the clutch to bring the friction point in a bit?



2. I managed a top indicated sustained speed of 67 mph, and a steady-state ride at 60 revealed a slight miss/hesitation. Would this indicate the need for a valve adjustment or other maintenance? The previous owner (I am the 3rd owner) had no documentation of any service whatsoever, promising only that the oil was changed at the end of every riding season. Compression is excellent. Valves have not been adjusted to his knowledge and definitely not under his ownership over the past 3 years. What can I do to remedy the miss at higher rpms, and possibly the top end as regards to speed? I weigh 160 lbs, and I thought that 70 mph or a bit more wouldn't be an issue on on a long flat stretch while tucked in tight... How much $$ is a valve adjustment, and can it be done at any motorcycle shop, or would I be better served at a Yamaha shop? I saw the post on valve adjustment on this board, but it was for a different model Yamaha. I've never adjusted valves before, although I do have deck screws...



That's it for now. The bike is excellent around town - perfect size for my 30" inseam, and I like the thumper - my previous bike was a 2002 BMW R1150R (opposed twin), and I feel like I've traded up in regards to maintenance and simplicity. The maintenance schedule on that BMW was a bit much. I just want a bike I can hop on and go, you know?



Thanks for reading, and any suggestions/advice are very much appreciated. Many thanks and "laaarrrge kisses" from Millicent.
 
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#4 ·
13, I doubt that Qwerty was asking for an apology. He was just saying to do the logical and let us know how it works out for you. This is not a forum where we scold folks unless they really deserve it. Its just that to keep the conversation going, we have to prod folks to do the logical once in awhile. Ride on, and stay in touch. Tom
 
#5 ·
Understood. The "Do Everything/Check Everything, then we'll talk" message seemed a bit abrupt for this board. There are usually nice tips and hints to get folks started in the right direction, specific to the questions asked, but I've downloaded the manuals/documentation and will work through what I'm capable of and/or have the tools for. Thanks.
 
#6 ·
Wow, I was a little trite. My apologies. Been a rough day.



There is no such thing as a maintenance-free motorcycle. TWs have a 6,000km (~3700 mile) maintenance interval, but the maintenance is easy as any and once you learn how, only takes an hour or so once an efficient work process is devised, if you ditch the stock chain in favor of an o-ring chain.



On any pre-owned vehicle for which there is no evidence of service, it is best to do a complete service so you know where you stand. I'm guessing the bike has never seen a wrench since its 600 mile service. Otherwise, there would be a record.



I expect 67mph is all you're going to get running E10. That's all Tdub will do with polluted fuel. I expect that "miss" you're feeling is a lean surge, but without all other possibilities covered by a recent full service, that is merely supposition. Rejetting might stop the surge and pick up a mph or two. If you want to go faster, you'll need to do a lot of expensive mods or buy a different motorcycle.



Different dealers have different charges for service work. Nice thing about a TW being so simple is any half-decent independent shop can do a good tune-up and service, and get it right. If you go to a Yamaha dealer, you're likely to have the owner's hydro-popping nephew working on your bike. Most dealers give the simplest jobs to their lowliest tech.
 
#7 ·
Adjusting the valves is very doable by a somewhat mechanically inclined person. Follow the tutorial on this forum on how to change valves (its on the XT), just make sure to use the TW's specs.



There is a way to adjust the clutch. It involves taking both engine side covers off. This is explained in the manual, but I found it hard to follow. I had to read it three or four times before I dug into my TW. Once you take off the side covers, you'll be able to see what the manual is trying to tell you.



Ask questions if you don't know, we are all here to help!
 
#8 ·
Thank you! That's just the sort of experienced reply I was hoping for, and I appreciate you taking the time. I was really asking just 2 questions, and you just gave me valuable guidance on one of them. The other question was related to clutch action / lever travel. There's not much in the owners manual beyond what i've done, and the repair/service manual (mediafire?) link pinned at the top of the board seems to require a login or membership, which I'm wary of and need to research a bit further.



Thanks again- this board is a key resource for me, and my plan is to use it to be more self-sufficient.
 
#9 ·
Hey, welcome to the group and congrats on your new bike. First off, where are you from? If your close to me you can ride over and do your service here, walk you through all you will need to keep old what's her name purring like a lion. These bikes are great and quite simple to maintain once you have got beyond that "new baby" feeling. As for your clutch, these are known as a wet clutch and live in the oil bath of the engine, so what ever you pour into your crank case is what your clutch uses as well. I have tried a few types of oil in my bike now and some made the clutch feel like it was done, jerking and hard to get a smooth start. So before you start twisting and prying stuff, get the oil hot and dump it out. Put in some fresh stuff (see the oil topics posted in the forum) and see if that helps you out. Qwerty also mentioned the chain, see if you can see little orings between the outer and inner links. If its just plain old chain, it will stretch and loosen off every ride, causing hard shifting and that jerky feeling due to excessive slack. My stock chain was junk and since I switched to the DID Oring, shifts are smooth and I still havent had to adjust it in over 300km. You said you also have a miss at top end? there are several things that can cause that. Dirty carb is the most common, but a spark plug can also cause this due to the high temp and revs at that speed. Sounds like your mechanical talents are still being developed, so the plug change is an easy one and a good starting point.



Keep us informed of your progress and ask all the questions you need. In time you will know this bike inside and out and you will be the one offering advice to other newbies! Take care and goodluck with your new bike, Chris.
 
#11 ·
If your clutch adjuster at the handlebar is screwed all the way out be sure you have about 10-15mm of free play at the lever (measured at the ball end). It's probably adjusted too tight.

If you can not get the required free play, then you have another adjuster at the engine end of the cable. It's at the bottom of the cylinder barrel (2 nuts, 1 each side of a bracket).
 
#12 ·
There's awesome riding around Carlisle. I'm envious. now that you've posted your locale, maybe a nearby Tdubber can give you a hand.



wrench-puller is right about an improperly adjusted chain messing with the trans and clutch action. Also, before you start chopping the parts, try a quality, ester-based true synthetic oil specifically formulated for combined sump motorcycles. I recently switched from Valvoline 4-Stroke Motorcycle Oil to Mobil 1 Racing 4T in 10W-40 and it made a huge improvement in the feel of the clutch. I was at O'Rielly's this morning and they have it on sale for $7.99/quart. Price is good until April 26th. Since you need to do an oil change, anyway, maybe you'll get lucky.
 
#14 ·
Yep, this area has some great trails and back roads in the mountains. Just took a closer look at the clutch issue, shortened the barrel adjuster to get ~15mm of play at the lever and bam, clutch issue solved. Thank you!



Will pick up a plug tomorrow and shop around for oil. We don't have a Reillys (sp?) in this area as far as I know.



Bike has been perfect so far- using it for every errand, 30 miles worth so far. That's 2 gal of gas in my car. Of course, I might be making up extra errands at this point...
 
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