After many happy miles, I’ve properly broken in my Yamaha TW200. I love the bike!
Part of the fun is that I’m not fretting about it. I just ride it into, over, through, or around anything… and if I smash directly into it… well that’s ok too. Suppose I had something like a big sexy BMW dual sport… a machine I lusted after for many years. BMW makes some of the coolest bikes out there and they can run rings around a TW on pavement without breaking a sweat. However, a BMW is also a payment inducing conglomeration of complex shit. All of it is as expensive to fix as it would be annoying to diagnose. The TW, by comparison, has the complexity of a potato. Not much can break and what can break is cheap. Simplicity is priceless!
I’ve got a little over 1,200 miles on Honey Badger. Probably 80% on dirt. Maintenance in 2021 has been a breeze. I had a rough year getting things figured out in 2020; sinking it in a pond, smashing a turn signal into a tree, thoroughly scaring myself on sand, etc… That all calmed down (or at least I did). In 2021 it’s been sweet and mellow: hop on and ride.
HOWEVER!
I was perusing some TW200 forum and a dude was bitching that the OEM chain stretches. Several others chimed in “yeah, it’s a pain to check the tension all the time”. Huh, that’s weird; mine has been absolutely fine…
WAIT!
Had it been fine? Once I engaged my noggin I realized I had no idea if it was fine or not. I’ve never had a chain driven motorcycle before. I simply never thought to check tension. I’ve slathered it with lube and ignored it otherwise. It seemed fine as I rode it around the hinterland.
What might be the repercussions of my ignorance? (“Repercussions of Ignorance” would make a great heavy metal band name!) It turns out the chain can stretch enough that it’ll pop off the rear sprocket. This can go pear shaped. It might wrap around the rear hub, get wedged in there, and lock up the rear tire. If it happens fast enough you get to enjoy a quick airborne view of the handlebars as you leave the surly bonds of earth behind. A more likely scenario would involve standing by the trail in God knows where; looking at a totally inert bike and wondering why the damn thing decided to drop anchor in mid ride.
I watched the always pleasant and very informative TDubsKid to get the idea:
Had my perfectly running bike been running perfectly, or was I a clueless dipshit? Only one way to find out…
I did most of the work with the tools I carry on my bike all the time. That’s how I’m figuring out what tools I need. This toolbox is forever bolted to my rear rack. (The bottle of Tylenol looks totally uncool!)
The rear chainguard is a plastic hunk held on with two 8mm bolts. I think I’ll swap them with 8mm wingbolts in the future. Then I’ll be able to remove it quickly without tools. If anyone knows why that’s a bad idea, please tell me soon.
I needed to put it on my motorcycle lift and elevate it so I could freely spin the rear wheel. Shame I don’t own a motorcycle lift.
I put a block of wood on top of a little folding step stool and levered the bike on top of that. It was a bit of a hassle for one man but I figure the bike can and will be serviced using tree stumps and whatnot in the future so might as well figure it out now. (Warning: don’t do this unless you installed an aftermarket skid plate! Knowing my personality, I had an aftermarket skid plate on the little bike before its first oil change. One of my wiser moves.)
The tire just barely touched the ground… so I shoveled a divot in to the lawn so it could spin freely. It looks stupid but worked fine. This was just to clean the very dirty chain. 
Then I found out my waterproof toolbox was not waterproof. So I dumped all my shit on the lawn to dry it out.
There’s always distractions. The chickens needed feeding. The little jerks are molting and I’m getting very low production. Today I got ONE EGG! I’ve been feeding 15 little feathered cretins in increments of 50 pound bags of feed… yet I can’t bake a cake! Daaaamn! It’ll change in a few weeks. Until then, the hens are on probation.
I made a quick run to a nearby motorcycle shop to get chain cleaner, higher quality chain lube, and a funky shaped chain brush. It’s the first time the chain has been clean in a good long while. I might as well do it right. Also, it’s a lot easier to clean when suspended and the cover is removed. After it was clean, I lubed it with good lube instead of the shitty chainsaw crap that woodland critters tried to eat back at camp.
I noticed this little “key” link. I haven’t messed with chain since I was a newspaper delivery boy. (Yeah, they once existed.) Back then I had a tool to “break the chain” for my bicycle. I think I had links to reform the chain too. (I’m not sure. It was a long time ago.) I have similar tools for my chainsaw but I don’t want to comingle my tools.
If anyone wants to comment about this, I’m all ears. I think I ought to get a small chain breaker tool and some links and carry them with my bike. I really do go solo and I need to “self rescue” if needed. I want to be able to repair things as needed.
About this time Mrs. Curmudgeon noticed a tool box dumped on the lawn, a motorcycle on a stepstool, over top of a little mudpuddle I’d made with the garden hose. I’d make simple maintenance turn my lawn into a homeless camp. Whoops.
TDubsKid says a dirty chain seems tighter than a clean one. He was right. After it was clean, the chain felt loosey goosey. I took the bike off it’s silly plastic stepstool and put it back on it’s tire. Then I checked my chain tension.
HOLY SHIT! WAAAAAAAAAAY out of spec! Damn!
Here’s a lesson for all time; if you don’t check something you don’t have a fuckin clue if it’s correct. Let me rephrase it in ways that both sides of our emotionally overwrought, bullshit laden, modern political shitshow will appreciate.
- Follow the science (hint: science is not a dude in front of a TV camera!).
- Audit every state!
It took only a few minutes to adjust the “snails” at the rear axle to tighten the chain. I used two largish wrenches to loosen and retighten the axle. I didn’t bother with a torque wrench. I wonder if I should be carrying those two bigger wrenches with me into the hinterland? Adjusting the rear brake is a matter of a wingnut… which is almost laughably simple.
Here it is all re-assembled. It’ll never be this clean again.
I had another idea; I’m thinking of removing the rear passenger footpegs. I can’t imagine any realistic scenario where a hot girl in a bikini wants to take a ride so it’s pointless to have them. Is there some useful aspect I’m not thinking about? Any thoughts on the pros and cons of unused passenger footpegs?
As with all things TW, it was the simplest job in the world. (I’m supposed to have checked every 300 miles all summer.) After I was done, I went on a test ride which recoated the entire bike in mud… as God intended.
I felt pretty impressed with myself. I sounded a lot like Jeremy Clarkson:
