All done

The crf is all done the cut out air filter cover makes a bit of difference.

The crf is a completely different bike to when I picked it up from honda.

Unfortunately I am now selling the crf as I do not have time to use it so will buy another bike that can be used on road as well.

I am currently studying the options that are availale here in Brasil at the moment. There are several options some are only available used and some are available new:

Used:

Suzuki DRZ400 (Up to 2009)
Kawasaki D Tracker 250 X (2009-2010)
Yamaha XT225 (up to 2005)
Honda XR200 (up to 2004)
Honda XR250 Tornado (up to 2008)

New

Yamaha XTZ 250 Lander
Honda CRF 250 L

I have had a XT225 before and the suspension is not up to offroad use for someone of my weight.
The DRZ and CRF250L are out as they are too expensive here (R$18000+)
The other 2 hondas are also out as they are too old.
I am still studying the Lander as I have a concorcio on one and may get one but my first option is the Kawasaki.

The D tracker is basically a klx250sf which is the supermotard version of the klx 250 s. Out all the options here in brasil the Kawasaki has the best stock suspension it has adjustable Upside down forks and adjustable gas rear shocks. The Kawasaki also has various aftermarket mods and can easily be modified to increase its power from 18HP to nearly 30HP.

New stuff arrived

The cut out air filter cover and clutch lever arrived yesterday.

Here is how the air filter looks with the old cover off.

 New cover on.

 Numberplate back on.

Haven't got time to test the bike tonight but will give it a test in the morning. I did switch the bike on and it seems to idle better.

looking at the amount of dirt and dust in the air filter box I think I am going to have to rotate the 2 twin air filters that I have every time I wash the bike but if the performance improves like the site says it will be worth it.

Back from service

Got the crf back from the mechanics. He thinks that I need a thinner fork oil than the 15w oil I have now.

I will test the bike tomorrow to how it is. One the ride home the bike felt good. Also putting the throttle push cable back on improved the throttle response a lot.

Bike gone for a service

Took the Crf for its first service today. My mechanic is also going to swap out the fork springs for the bbr springs, install the fork emulators and change the fork oil for the motol 15W fork oil.

I also took motol motor oil for the oil change and asked him to make sure that I regulated the carb properly when I installed the new valves.

I also got a notification that the new air filter cover with vent holes and the new clutch lever were posted today so they should be here early next week.

first trail ride done

Did my first trail ride on the crf today. Went really well but manged to bend my clutch lever more. Luckily i ordered a new lever yesterday.

I may cut the lever off as it is a perfect 2 finger lever now!

I will also got to the motor bike shop tomorrow and get some hand guards to stop getting bent levers again when the new one arrives.

I also learnt that 14 psi is too much air for the rear tyre I will drop it down tomorrow to 11 psi as it was before the trail ride his morning. My rear wheel wasnt gripping at all today becuse i listened to my friend who is a bit heavier than me.

We did about 50km offroad today and it was really slippery due to it raining last night. Really enjoyed it. Cant wait till next week with the new and improved front end to see how that does.

The bike is really dirty and a lot more scratched up.

Air filter fitted

Fitted the new air filter just now. I have washed the original filter and it is drying ready to store for when I sell the crf.

Have also just bought an air filter cover with cut-outs for increased airflow:

http://www.penoestribo.com.br/pecas/honda/crf-230/tampa-do-filtro-de-ar-mxpro-crf-230.htm

Also bought a new clutch leaver as I bent mine this morning messing around behind my house.

The bike is also booked in next week to have a service and swap the fork oil, fork springs for the bbr ones and also fit the emulators.This should sort the soft and washy front end out.

I am going to do the first proper trail ride tomorrow so I will see how the carb mods and new air filter work out.

More riding done

Still haven´t done the front suspension mods but have been riding a bit without the mods as my knees aren´t ready to trail ride yet..

The area of waste ground behind my house caught fire last week which burnt out all of the scrub land that was full of near shoulder hight grass and full of snakes!!!!

Now it is a perfect playground.

I have been there playing on the crf all weekend testing my knees as the terrain is challenging but not as hard as we encounter during a trail ride.

My knees have been fine so far so I am thinking of gound out with the guys next sunday so will take the crf for a service and to do the front  suspension mods (gold valve emulators, bbr springs and thicker fork oil) and put the push throttle cable back on and swap out the air filter as well.

From playing around this weekend I can feel the improvement in power the carb mods I did last month have made. It climbs everything near home without spluttering of stalling or loosing power at all. All you have to do now is put it in second gear and pin it and hold on!!! Much better.

Foot Pegs

The new footpegs have made a real difference when I am riding standing up. I found that I was much more confortable when riding standing up and oly sat down when I went round really tight corners. The bigger pegs have also made it easier to cornet while standing up as I can get more weight on the outside leg than before.

I still havent had time to do anything with the suspension o air filter. Will give it a go at the weekend!

stuff arrived

The stuff I ordered arrived yesterday. I have just installed the footpegs.

The new pegs are a lot bigger and feel much better. I will take the bike out tomorrow to see how they are.

Test ride done

Just got back from testing the crf on the road and the difference of the bike is amazing I can not believe that spending R$50 can make such a difference.

Going through the gears the front wheel lifts off of the ground at every gear change.

The bike sounds much better too.

Can't wait till saturday to take the bike for and off road test.

Got confirmation the that the front suspension mods and the new foot pegs are on their way so hopefully next week I will have some more mods to do.

These mods are much needed as the front end now dips even more on breaking than it did before.

All Sorted

I decided to take the carb out again this morning and try and fix the leaking petrol.

After I took the float bowl off and re seated it again and fitted the carb again the petrol has stopped leaking out of the over flow pipe. I guess the float was jammed the last time I re seated the float bowl!!!

That has saved me R$100!

While the carb was off I re-checked the fuel screw on the carb. I put it to the default 1 1/2 turns for now which seems to be good.

At the weekend I will play with the fuel screw a bit more to find the best position for it.

I am going to work on the bike this morning to see how it goes.

The stuff I ordered at xmas still hasn't arrived yet but I received an email stating that they are waiting on the footpegs and they should be in this week so hopefully I will have the stuff next weekend.

Jets in

Swapped the jets out this morning with little problems.

I was exacly how the articles on the internet explained. Very easy.

I havent taken the bike out yet just going to have some breakfast they will take the crf for a ride to test it. I have noticed that the bike starts now without needing the choke which is a good sign. I checked the airbox and exhaust and they were already opened up by the honda mechanic.

Jetting

I have been looking on the internet and it looks like changing the jetting is much easier than I thought. It looks like it is just a case of loosening the cab and taking the bottom of it off. I am going to give it a go tomorrow morning as I have had the 45 Pilot Jet and 145 main Jet for months sat in a cupboard.

I saw this article which describes the process well:

http://www.off-road.com/dirtbike/project1609.html

It looks like the new kit I ordered will be at least another week until it arrives to xmas and new year so it will give me a week to see how the jetting improves the performance before the air filter is fitted.