My Dual Sport Setup on the Yamaha XT

[@adz62]

Started watching you channel a year ago and being a 60 year old 30 inseam rider I love your videos. I got started on TDubskid channel and then found you. I owned a 1974 TS185 like your father. I now own a 2002 XT225 and I am bringing it back to life as it has been in storage for 11 years. I am enjoying this time with your videos filling the gape between the currier deliveries of parts for this new project to get it road worthy.

[@mikemysicka3564]

Great information! I just got back from a little mixed 40 mile ride and I am loving this bike, I think it will be the perfect last motorcycle for me.

[@jimmytmoto]

Right on, that's great to hear! Enjoy the bike!

[@samriddell6043]

great to here your front sprocket and fork mods are doing well

[@jimmytmoto]

Thanks, Sam!

[@justinkostelecky6201]

I’m happy to report that the 14T front sprocket doesn’t seem to affect mpgs at all. I’ve been daily ridding my ‘07 225, and running at 55-60, I’ve been pulling 70 mpg!

[@DontDrinktheKoolAid24]

I just bought handguards, cargo rack, waffle grips and a 14T sprocket last night! Now this video has me even more excited for my parts to come in. I have only owned my xt225 for a couple of weeks but your videos have help me plenty!

[@jimmytmoto]

Congrats on all of the new goodies, it sounds like you'll have a cool setup! And thanks for letting me know the videos are a help, I appreciate it.

[@exploder69]

You forgot the foot pegs. They are probably the number one upgrade from the silly half-size stock pegs. www.dmospecialties.com/ makes the only ones in existence. I know they seem expensive, but they are 200% worth every penny.

[@justincoleman2740]

Hello. Just got mine a few months ago. Perhaps the perfect bike for me. What cargo rack did you go for?Happy riding brother!

[@DontDrinktheKoolAid24]

justin coleman I got the ProMoto Billet Rack-it Cargo Rack

[@ricklarmer461]

Hi Jimmy, it is now April 2021, I am curious how your XT 225 is holding up? I recently bought a sweet Crf250L. She is heavy and I will be selling her to get something more light and nimble. I really like the 225. My only concerns are what I’ve been reading about cold starts. I think I will always drain the carb before shutoff, and also if I don’t ride it for a few weeks, I would disconnect the battery. What are your thoughts? I’m really not a mechanic and probably won’t work on it much? I Like the Idea of fuel injection on 250,s but like the other attributes of the light 225. Thank you

[@ihate_5x108]

I really want one of these bikes. I have a gen 1 KLR that I ride at the moment but since my girlfriend wants to start riding as well I figure this would be a good second bike, especially since it sits a bit lower than my KLR does. It also just seems like a fun lightweight bike, so hopefully I can pick one up soon.

[@clivegreenall309]

Hi Jimmy, Thanks for the "walk through" of your bike's mods. I just finished watching your series on the SR 250 and thoroughly enjoy your channel. We've just been downgraded to level 3 for Covid and are now allowed leeway on local travel, so I'll be getting back to more leisure trips. I was interested in your Kenda tyre comments as my KLR has Kendas which are fine on the dry tarmac, but deadly at the hint of a wet surface. I'll be replacing them in the near future with Shinko tyres if I can find a dealer. Ride Safe Regards from S Africa Clive

[@jimmytmoto]

Thanks, Clive! Let me know if you get a hold of the Shinkos (they're readily available here in the states), I'd be interested to hear how you think they compare.

[@ngzcaz]

Interesting.. you did a few of the mods I did on my 2019 XT250. Handlebar risers, handguards, drop a tooth on the front sprocket, footpegs and of course a skid plate where I live is a must. Had the chance to buy a lower swingarm which dropped the bike another inch. Even better balance than stock. Had to crank down on the monoshock to avoid bottoming basically due to the swingarm mod and front sprocket change moved the rear wheel forward instead of staying in the middle of the bike. That's what was causing the bottoming. Now the rear wheel is in the middle of the bike again to utilize all the travel. I tried putting Schrader valves in both fork tubes like the old days as an assist and a bit of air but little if any difference. What helped the forks was about 7cc more fork oil. Haven't changed the tires yet.. Hope this helps someone. The XT250 is a great bike when ridden within it's limits. I consider it a true dual sport.

[@jimmytmoto]

100% agreed on the XTs being true dual sports! They do just about whatever you ask as long as you aren't in a hurry. Your mods all sound great. I've wondered about putting Schrader valves on the forks, thanks for letting me know they didn't really do that much. I remember my first set of "super trick" air fork caps for my '77 RM80. Ha!

[@ngzcaz]

@@jimmytmoto The only other time I tried the sir assist forks was on a 1975 CZ 400 motocrosser. Great power and handling. Absolutely horrible suspension. Supposed to be 7 in the front, actually a tad over 5, and 5 or 6 in the back, actually around 3 to 4. Best bike for wheelies, power and otherwise I ever had.. Around corners, in the straights, longest around a mile.. just got tired of hanging on keeping it in the air. The Schrader valves were a cheap try then and now. Just drill the caps, thread it for the valves, spin them in and add some air. Around a $ 5 try for both.. Unfortunately it didn't work any better then as it does now. Maybe cutting the springs, adding spacers etc would work. I'd rather ride now then mess with it further..

[@steveosborn1863]

Very helpful and practical suggestions thanks

[@fredfeldmeier8228]

Very nice and educated video.. thanx 👌

[@beaunaro]

Good job Jimmy. Many of these mods will fit the XT 250, I think.

[@justincoleman2740]

Just sent a question regarding the rack and magically this vid comes up. Good info sir. Looking forward to improving my set up. Team 225!

[@jimmytmoto]

Right on, Justin, let me know what you end up going with!

[@justincoleman2740]

@@jimmytmoto Hey Jimmy! I went with the precision rack. Very happy. Solid as can be and very versatile without being too bulky in the bush. Loving these hot days in the bush .

[@josephseakor7335]

You have not answered my question Sir, about the timing Chain

[@imyourhuckleberry357]

Nice informative video....Right now I am trying to figure out how to dial in my suspension on my DRZ.I love the turn signal aware device .

[@jimmytmoto]

Thanks! I don't know much about the DRZ suspension, do you feel like it has a good range of adjustability? I have a buddy (a new rider) with a DRZ and he'll eventually need to set his up, too.

[@imyourhuckleberry357]

@@jimmytmoto Yes, the DRZ has fully adjustable shocks

[@eduardoatillo5287]

Nice upgrade

[@muriuwangai3617]

Hi, I soo much like your channel. I have a xt225 here in Kenya and was wondering if you could throw my way or sell the me the hand rubber grips and the acerbis plastic guards as soon as you acquire some others of your choice. There aren't shops selling the items here apart from Chinese imitations. Advice

[@PennsylvaniaDualSport]

I betcha Cogent Dynamics makes a shock for that bike. They make one for the XT250. Had one on my 250L and now my DR650. Not just having the proper spring rate for the weight of the bike and you.. you tell them exactly what your intensions are and they’ll valve it custom to your liking. Even there regular Mojave shock with no compression adjustment was amazing. As far as the forks, my wife has emulators with heavier springs in her XT250 since stock they were too soft for anything but a fire road. The emulators (also made my Cogent) are designed to operate with 5w oil. The valves are tunable emulating a cartridge style fork.

[@jimmytmoto]

Thanks a bunch for this recommendation, I've been eyeing the Cogent Dynamics complete shock and fork mods (they do offer both for the XT225). It means a whole lot to hear you believe in the product enough to use their mods on three(!) different bikes. It's probably $1000 for everything, all totaled (fork, shock, shipping) for the XT225, and I've just been waffling on spending that amount on a $2400 motorcycle. BUT...with every recommendation like this I get a step closer. Really, I love the little XT and am not even close to buying another bike, so I should set aside the money. it really would let me get so much more out of each ride, it sounds like, and comments like this help me make another big step closer to making the leap. Thanks for the perspective!

[@PennsylvaniaDualSport]

jimmytmoto it has nothing to do with the value of the bike. It has everything to do with the value of the bike to you. My wife’s XT.. she absolutely adores that bike. Why would she say “ahhh.. it’s only worth X amount.. why invest in it”. You invest in it to make it yours. To make it work for you. I had a brand new 2018 Beta 300RR... I still got it revalved and sprung for my weight and terrain. All your doing is fine tuning something for you personally instead of something set up for the masses. Even the WR250R.. with its modern day suspension... has terrible uncontrollable rebound out of the shock from factory which needs to be revalved. Those of us with less than Graham Jarvis skills (who races a stock bike) need all the help we can get out there and having a tuned suspension makes a world of difference. Get the suspension 😉

[@jimmytmoto]

​@@PennsylvaniaDualSport you should definitely get a commission on this sale! Ha! These are all great points and you're absolutely right. In the back of my mind I've wondered...should I get a lowered WR250R? Or a KLX250 and a big bore? Sometimes I just want to try something different (FWIW, I've owned 20+ motorcycles since I started riding and racing in 1975). But I've recently decided that the XT really is the bike that I want to ride for the foreseeable future and that I absolutely have the most fun on, and now you're convincing me that it's worth it to invest further in the platform. :) Speaking of Betas, my dream ride would be an XTrainer 300 with the factory lowered suspension and seat. It's not in the budget now but, man, that bike has my attention.

[@ngzcaz]

@@PennsylvaniaDualSport What you say has a lot of merit... provided one can afford it..

[@karysashair4728]

Pittsburgh lift?

[@The_sinner_Jim_Whitney]

I can NOT recommend highly enough the Seat Concepts seat, at least on my TW. I thought it was pretty decent before, but I didn’t know what I was talking about, haha! I can ride that little booger til my arms wear out every day for a week now, with no saddle soreness whatsoever. Even seemed to help with my lower back getting stiff somehow. If it was $600, it’d be worth it.

[@michaelpattie9244]

Great video thanks

[@bobraduchel5284]

Good video. Have you considered braided brake lines?

[@jimmytmoto]

Definitely. I saw that Galfer makes a braided front brake line but never pulled the trigger. I don't really care for how the brake cable is routed and all the extra length and thought a little bit about adapting a stiffer straighter brake cable from a more dirt-oriented bike, also. Maybe a project for this winter. Do you have any experienced with a braided line on this bike?

[@bobraduchel5284]

@@jimmytmotoI like your videos. Good call on straightening out the line. Been pondering that myself. On my KZbin channel Piker's World I cover braid on front and rear on an XT250, on two horribly edited videos, but it applies to almost any bike. You will be shocked at the improvement braid makes both in power and articulation. Also I did a video on making a cheap adapter for floor jack to safely lift a bike as a bike stand would. My short old man body was the mother of invention for that one :)

[@jefftaswelder9154]

Very nicely thought out video Mr Jimmy😁👌 have you thought about the D606 tyre , i get around 5000ks out of one on my DR650 soooo should be able to get a fair bit more on a 250cc bike 😉👍 keep well mate and ride safe ish 😎🍺

[@jimmytmoto]

Hey Jeff, it's interesting you mention the D606...I always thought they'd be too aggressive (knobby) for much road riding and that they'd wear much faster than that. If they're going that well I'll have to give them a try, for sure! What's the handling like on the road? Do they give up much on the tarmac?

[@jefftaswelder9154]

@@jimmytmoto that is all i run on my bikes👍😁

[@bobbysnuffer6987]

Have you fabricated any part on the motorcycle that Yamaha or any aftermarket company have not yet created?

[@josephseakor7335]

Can I buy s papas

[@josephseakor7335]

I am in Liberia, with my bike Yamaha XT 225. I want to get the correct spare parts for it. Can you advise me on that please sir

[@trailblazer8380]

Ebay is where I usually get parts from

[@josephseakor7335]

How can i get the spare parts for my bike

[@johnyoung7794]

If your cheap and have a lot of time on your hands you can order parts from China at quit a savings. I have 2 XT225's so my parts pipeline is always full. The XT 225 was distributed world wide and is still a favorite in many nations.

[@josephseakor7335]

Timing Chain