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One of the more overlooked areas of owning a dirt bike is doing regular maintenance on them. In this post, I’ll be talking about how to maintain a TTR 125 and how to do some basic repairs.
Proper dirt bike maintenance is a simple thing you can do to make sure your machine runs as smoothly as possible and make sure it’ll last a long time. It doesn’t take a whole lot of time and the first thing you should do is keep the thing clean.
If you don’t clean your bike and leave all the mud and sand on it it’ll actually start corroding the chains, sprockets, joints, seals, and lever cables. Make it a habit to spray your bike off after you take it out for a ride. Here’s a quick checklist:
- The first thing I always do is plug the exhaust with a rag to make sure water doesn’t get inside. Then I’ll use a pressure washer or strong hose to quickly rinse everything off (don’t spray too close to the bike).
- Soak the bike in soap and let it sit for a minute or two. Take a brush or a sponge and wash the bike.
- Rinse all the soap off the bike. If your choke is just in front of the handlebars (like mine) be careful about not spraying it directly with water because mine actually seized up.
- Take a stiff brush and scrub all of the dirt off the chain. This will extend the life of your chain and be sure to lube it often as well.
- You can also spray some WD-40 on the engine when it’s dry to make it easier to clean.
You can also do a quick check to make sure all the bolts are tight, tires are good, and there are no cracks or anything like that on the pegs or anywhere else.
TTR 125 Air Filter Cleaning
Cleaning your air filter regularly is one of the most important things you can do on your dirt bike. It prevents dirt and debris from entering your engine and it can only work if it’s clean.
It’ll also impact the performance of your bike if the filter isn’t clean because it won’t allow enough air to go through. Yamaha recommends that you clean your air filter every 6 months or 90 hours (whatever comes first).
I’ve included a video below or you can follow these steps to clean your air filter:
- Take the air filter cover off and then take the air filter out. Plug the hole with a clean rag.
- If the filter isn’t too dirty you can simply wash it out in warm water. If it’s dirty you might have to use a filter cleaner from any bike store out there.
- Squeeze out the water and let it dry.
- Wipe down the airbox and get rid of all the dust.
- When the filter is dry you’ll have to put some oil on it. You can drip it over it or put both the oil and the filter in a plastic bag to get the best coverage.
- Toss some grease along the rim of the filter.
- Put everything back the way you found it.
TTR 125 Carburetor Cleaning
It’s also recommended to clean your carburetor out every now and then because dirt and debris can easily get in and your performance will suffer. The entire process isn’t as easy as some of the other ones but it should take around an hour if this is your first time.
- Make sure the gas switch is turned to the OFF position!
- Pull the fuel line and overflow hose off the carburetor.
- Loosen the air filter clamp and intake manifold clamp.
- Remove the drain plug from the carburetors float bowl.
- Remove the float pin from the bottom of the carb.
- Clean the float bowl, jets, and needle valve.
- Reassemble the carb and put it back in place.
TTR 125 Chain Adjustment
It’s super important that you keep your chain lubed up and that’s why I always do it after I wash my bike. Often times, the chain will need to be tightened and adjusted and it’s pretty simple to do once you get the hang of it. Here’s a video demo:
TTR 125 Spark Plug Replacement
This is one of the easier projects to do on your bike and it’s recommended that you check your plugs every 6 months or 90 hours (whichever comes first). I normally replace them once a year because it’s a simple thing to do and they’re fairly cheap. Here’s how it works:
- Remove the spark plug cap.
- Unscrew the spark plug.
- Put the new spark plug in place and screw in as far as you can with your fingers.
- Tighten the spark plug to its correct specs. I like using a digital torque wrench (I use this one) because you don’t want to tighten it too much or not tighten it enough.
- Put the spark plug cap back on and you’re good to go.
Just remember that your bike will take care of you IF you take care of it. Don’t neglect it because it is an expensive machine and it’s not going to be something that’ll last if you don’t maintain it.
These are the basic things you should do every now and then and the best thing about them is that they’re simple to do.
Let me know your thoughts and any questions you have. Like this article? Feel free to give it a share!
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