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I get so annoyed in the steel mills we work at because they always talk Preventive Maintenance, but dont follow through then it becomes Post Malfunction and they are asking how did this happen.
Have fun using a garden hose on this. Especially when you have an hour or so and have to go back out
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Yes, "Gold Belt" was the brand name and they're still being made, although apparently no longer available in the sweet black and gold so many of us had during the yellow YZ era -
They haven't been available through most outlets for many years now so I started using different brands in the '90s since they were so hard to find.
Looks like they're now primarily black with some R/W/B trim. To me, they have that '70s look now.
Sweet find! 🤠
I’ve gotta find some old school Scott boots!
Greasing sealed bearings?
Also NC, I’ve only ever used Shout and a garden hose and my bikes end up looking great every time. Sold my last CRF with about 20 hours on it looking almost as good as new.
I was 15 to my mid 20's before better quality bikes were released and it was enjoyable - but yes it was a lot of work! We rode rain or shine every weekend and after school and work. It was a necessity as the all the bearing locations had no seals in the early days. We were continuously repacking wheel bearings. Bikes were really pretty simple and could be stripped in an hour and 2 hours to reassemble or less. The passion is still here today for me. I have 2 bikes apart in my shop right now getting various maintenance and updates
Hell of a crash out over a pressure washer.
Hook tool - pop out the seal and repack
With modern needle bearings, the zerk hole will only get in between a few of the bearings and not work its way around. 1980 bikes like XRs I think had them but they were sleeve and bushings. Sloppy tolerances but grease could be forced around. I believe a company called “Cancilla” sold needle bearing bushings with a groove that addressed it, but failed a lot at the groove, a stress concentration IIRC.
Say what you want about it, but I'd NEVER ride in those conditions. Ever.
I'm more into postventative maintenance
That's a disposable tearoff - you tear off the rider and dispose of the bike. 😄
I've made pottery like that many times (though it's mostly been red clay) and more than once wished I could afford to get a new bike instead of dealing with the aftermath. 😬 Those conditions don't fall under the "fun" category anymore. ☹️
I grease the chassis once per year on my none race bikes and they're always fine. The lower shock bearing probably needs greasing more, like every 3 months if you ride where it's wet.
On my race bikes, I try to grease the chassis at the halfway point of the series. Everything always looks good except the lower shock bearing, it could definitely use a zert and grease every race.
My 2019 YZ450FX is still running the factory bearings on everything except the wheels and lower shock bearing.
I will pull the bottom shock bolt and let the shock hang down to gain access to grease the lower shock bearing. I pull my bike apart every 10 hours and usually need a lower shock bearing at 20 hours.
I try to wash my bikes after every ride, preferably ASAP. I recently put off washing after my last ride of the year (rode Wednesday and left town for the weekend) and the frame and engine cases stained from something in the soil. I've left my bike sit dirty a few times but sometimes you don't know what's in the soil (especially at tracks you don't regularly ride at) and it could cause you a headache later if you want your bikes to look fresh.
I service my suspension as a complete set every 15-20 hours and re-grease all the pivot bolts while the suspension is in the shop.
Pit Row
Tis the season …….
For bike maintenance.spend the winter in the shop.
Plastic off,airbox out , suspension off , wheels off ,bars etc.
Wash out, off the bits. Regreased as required.drive chain sprockets etc cleaned .frame is washed touched up with scotch brite pads.
I’m always afraid that of that. This is the only bike that was never put away dirty. 2 years, 84 hours and always used a pressure washer and shout. Highly recommend shout over simple green
postventative rebuildenance
There's only one way to become good at mud racing!
Last mud race I ever did was at LACR in spring of 1998, and it absolutely ruined my KX250. That wet sand/mud somehow ruined every bearing on the bike, sucked sand and ruined the cylinder, the list goes on.
I was 23 years old, broke as fuck trying to raise twins and somehow keep racing, and that day I swore I'd never ride in the mud again and that record is still intact. lol
Unfortunately, if you live in the SE US and refuse to ride in mud/wet (especially if you do any sort of offroad), you can end up riding the sofa more than the bike. 😁
I’ve got this buddy in Washington State that hates mud……
I maintain my engine very well, changing the oil, top end rebuilds, clean air filters, shock and fork medium well, spokes kept tight, chain tension correct. Suspension bearings, not so much.
If anyone beside me was willing to admit it, I don't believe I'd be alone in saying that I've never re-greased my linkage.
I'm riding a 2005 Yz125 that I bought new in 2004.
I don't ride as often as some on this forum, but that's not a good excuse. I'm anticipating needing to replace all of the bearings, and maybe more.
Come to Snowshoe its fun!
Think yourself lucky you don’t live in Northern Europe.
Or Wales. 9 out of 10 rides in Wales are those conditions!🤣
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