ybr 125 - maintenance advice needed

[mrr1]

hi all - after binnning my Fazer just before xmas and snapping off pretty much everything that stuck out on the left hand side I've decided to get a cheap winter hack. I've bought a 55 plate YBR125 with 15k on the clock, years MOT & tax for 600 quid off fleabay. Its been dropped a couple of times - a few very light scrapes here and there but nothing that won't fix up nice and shiny with filler, silver spray and some TLC. Engine runs sweetly and rest of bike is straight. I just need to know whats the best oil & plug to pop in and any other advice to help the little thing run as best it can.

cheers
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TRX850, TDM900, ST1300, CB650SC Nighthawk, ragtop Saab, gym membership, messy divorce, large chested blonde fiance
Damn, I'm loving my midlife crisis.

[miguel_costello]

you can use 10-40w oil. as for the plug maybe check out fleabay again...

[Mark65]

CR6HSA is plug, and mine runs better on the 15w40 semi

Mark
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07 Yamaha YBR125, 07 Honda CG125 , 15 CBR300R (Chocolate Crank, Deaded), 16 CB500FA, 19 Honda Forza 300, 70 Suzuki SV650

[neil.]

You might want to do a fork oil change if it hasn't been done already. 10w fork oil is what they specify for it and there's no set interval for changing it, but I was told 20k miles was 'well overdue', so 15k sounds about right. Mark (above) has put heavier oil in his forks and added spacers to increase pre-load on the springs to stiffen the whole lot up, so you may want to do that if you find them a bit too floppy.

As for engine oil, I now use Halfords 10w40 semi-synthetic, no problems. Used to use Shell VSX1 but it was quite expensive. Don't notice any difference with either to be honest. I tend to find after about 2'000 miles, it needs topping up a little bit.

I put a CR6HiX (iridium electrode) plug in for the sake of it. Bike starts first time even in these freezing winter temperatures we're getting now, but was also good with the standard plug. Only a couple quid difference so I thought what the hey... Apparent advantages (so I've been told) are hotter spark, uses less battery power, more efficient burn, a bit more MPG.

If it's the '05 model, check the battery as it ships with the type that needs topping up with distilled water, and people do overlook it, letting the level drop. It may have been replaced with a maintenance free battery by the previous owner, which doesn't need any attention.

Halfords also do a BA20D fitting 35/35w halogen bulb (cylindrical in shape) which is an excellent, considerably brighter replacement for the OEM krypton type (round in shape) in my opinion. It's the only bulb I've tried that doesn't flicker when I'm maxing the speed out on a dual carriageway/motorway. Halogen bulbs I've bought off eBay have been useless and tended to blow quickly. The Halfords one has been in for a good few months now and still going strong.

There's a Haynes manual for the YBR now which is worth getting, and there's also a service manual by Yamaha themselves: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/175946/YBR125ED_3D9-E0.PDF

Parts catalogue: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/175946/Moto-YBR125ED-3D91-2005.pdf

Owner's manual: https://ymenvom.nl/manuals/U3D9E0.PDF

That should keep you busy.
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CBT February 2008 | A2 June 2008 | Yamaha YBR125 (written off) | Honda CBF125 (current)

[Bubbs]

[miguel_costello]

yup, hoon it downhill with the wind behind you

[neil.]

[Bubbs]

[Alexio]

[s1h]

Afternoon, Wheres the best price you have found on the CR6HiX plug?

Mine is having a bit of bother starting in this cold weather and was going to change the plug and came across this forum.

Cheapest I have found for it is about £8. Does that sound about right?

[Mark65]

Hi
Neil has it pretty much spot on, i changed to 15w fork oil and put 1 extra spacer in and raised the oil height by 10 mm, a lot better for me at 15 stone doesnt nose dive at the slightest sign of the front brake, i also put in a halogen bulb too, try ebay for parts too just type in ybr on the search. Every now and then i run a tank of shell v power through it, but it never lets me down, spark plug is changed at 3000 mile intervals and oil every 1000 miles.

Mark
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07 Yamaha YBR125, 07 Honda CG125 , 15 CBR300R (Chocolate Crank, Deaded), 16 CB500FA, 19 Honda Forza 300, 70 Suzuki SV650

[Mark65]

[mrr1]

great advice chaps!!!

i took the silver flea out for a good spin today after a new air filter, nw iridium plug and a healthy dose of muc-off chain oil. -When i bought her i took the front wheel off and put the whole bike into the back of my car so the first thing i discovered was the speedo cable hub hadn't found the slots on the wheel hub - a bit of a faff to sort but done after 20 minutes. The front caliper was glad of a bit of a strip and clean, rear fender needed refixing. Only things that bother me now are the clutch and the back brake. On my fazer I like the biting point to be about half way between lever fully in and lever fully out, on the ybr the clutch itself won't allow that. The first time i rode it you only had to rest your fingers on the clutch lever and the clutch would be slipping, i assumed the lad who had it before had set it up like that however thats not the case. When I adjusted the cable you simply end up with a clutch cable thats really saggy and a clutch lever that flaps around for half an inch. As for the back brake when you really press on it something clicks and the pedal drops a couple of mill or so. Its more disconcerting than anything - theres that horrible thought that they're about to go pop and fail. Does any of this ring any bells?
____________________
TRX850, TDM900, ST1300, CB650SC Nighthawk, ragtop Saab, gym membership, messy divorce, large chested blonde fiance
Damn, I'm loving my midlife crisis.

[Mark65]

Hi
I think you can adjust the cable outer with the adjuster under the petrol tank, though i cant gaurantee it, i just use the adjuter at the handle as i prefer it to bite near the end.

Mark
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07 Yamaha YBR125, 07 Honda CG125 , 15 CBR300R (Chocolate Crank, Deaded), 16 CB500FA, 19 Honda Forza 300, 70 Suzuki SV650

[mrr1]

I never noticed that adjustment thing under the tank - just been to have a look at it - how does that work?
____________________
TRX850, TDM900, ST1300, CB650SC Nighthawk, ragtop Saab, gym membership, messy divorce, large chested blonde fiance
Damn, I'm loving my midlife crisis.

[neil.]

My back brake has started doing this, it feels as if it's not releasing properly. I am hazarding a guess that it's because the springs that hold the shoes together are worn out and/or the cam is sticking and needs a bit of a clean and a re-grease. For now, I've adjusted the nut on the rod to allow a bit more free play but I really need to sort out new shoes/springs and a give it a bit of TLC around there - it's on my to-do list for my next available Saturday/Sunday, honest!

The adjuster under the petrol tank is for when you have too much free play at the lever due to cable stretching, and can't adjust it there any further. You essentially fully tighten the nut at the lever (which 'resets' it) then turn the adjuster under the tank until you've taken up as much free play as you need. After that you can carry on adjusting it at the lever. I haven't needed to touch the under-tank adjuster yet though.
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CBT February 2008 | A2 June 2008 | Yamaha YBR125 (written off) | Honda CBF125 (current)

[mrr1]

thanks. Actually my back brake appears to be releasig ok, it does the clicking thing as you're actually braking......

More worrying though is what I've just spotted with the forks. How the hell I missed this when I bought it is beyond me....... The forks are bent back at the wheel about an inch. Its easy to spot when you're stood up by the bars looking down the fork legs. Both sides are bent back by the same amount. - looks like the previous owner has run into a kerb or something. The bike rides straight enough but it still worries me. I can't see any creases / ripples on the frame. How safe is it to ride like this?. Can the forks be straightened? Is this possibly a DIY job or will I need an engineering shop?
____________________
TRX850, TDM900, ST1300, CB650SC Nighthawk, ragtop Saab, gym membership, messy divorce, large chested blonde fiance
Damn, I'm loving my midlife crisis.

[Mark65]

Hi
They can be straightned as long as theres no creases, i was quoted £25 each when i noticed mine were bent, i had been riding it for at least 6 months like that, i still have my old ones as my bend was only about 4-5mm on each leg measured with a straight edge. As for safe to ride if theres no creses on them and they work smoothly i personaly would think ok maybe, but it depends on where ,how far, and fast i would be riding, nice and easy i would probably use it till i could get it fixed
Lukily my yamaha dealer (Wigan) who i bought the bike off split the cost of the new legs 1 each and sold mine to me at cost, and i got help from lonewolf and colin in the workshop to change them .
I was thinking of ebaying my old ones as i only noticed the bend when i took the forks out to change the oil weight.

You can get import forks on ebay £85 each, but i dont know if they are the exact same , you would need to check.

https://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Yamaha-YBR125-Left-Hand-FORK-YBR-125-2005-BRAND-new_W0QQitemZ300350734297QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Motorcycle_Parts?hash=item45ee4c7fd9

The actual fork leg ( the long chrome bit only) on its own is around £100 each from yamaha.

Mark
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07 Yamaha YBR125, 07 Honda CG125 , 15 CBR300R (Chocolate Crank, Deaded), 16 CB500FA, 19 Honda Forza 300, 70 Suzuki SV650

[Bubbs]

Just to go off topic slightly....

I changed my YBR rear brake shoes yesterday (first time ever) and noticed that everything was full of grime and needs a good once over. Now I'm new to all this so don't know what grease to buy etc. Any ideas? The haynes manual was going on about copper grease, and the YBR handbook just says grease.... is there a difference??
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Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.

[neil.]

Copper grease is better at coping with heat and won't melt all over the place, so that's why it tends to get used around brakes. I have also read that it's a good sealant and water resistor, and is specifically meant to stop things seizing. Not sure why Yammy suggest lithium grease. Gonna be sorting mine tonight as the cam is actually starting to seize now (Today, I had to hook my foot under the pedal and pull it up to release the brake shoes)!
____________________
CBT February 2008 | A2 June 2008 | Yamaha YBR125 (written off) | Honda CBF125 (current)

[Bubbs]

[neil.]

Not all parts, just the backs of brake pads and bits that need greasing on brake parts. It's not good at bearing a load which makes it useless on bearings, where you'd pack lithium grease. The back wheel just 'dragged' along, rather than locking up, but it's not good either way and is pissing me off today as it's on my mind.
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CBT February 2008 | A2 June 2008 | Yamaha YBR125 (written off) | Honda CBF125 (current)

[neil.]

Well I just replaced the shoes with a new set - old ones were glazed over but still had a good few mm of wear left. It was rather filthy in there and the cam had completely seized up to the point where it was impossible to actually remove it without the help of a bit of WD40. Springs were still strong, so I basically degreased everything with paraffin apart from the inside of the drum where I used brake cleaner and wiped all the old dust out. Greased the cam and rocker pin, then fitted the new shoes and put it all back together. It's now all very smooth indeed, no clicking, no seizing, no nothing. And this isn't something that's included in the service schedule from Yamaha...
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CBT February 2008 | A2 June 2008 | Yamaha YBR125 (written off) | Honda CBF125 (current)