A shameless self-promo

I know, I know...it has nothing to do with motorcycles.  The post will be deleted once the giveaway ends so you motorheads can have a clean, moto-only content.

But a man has to pay for his farkles somehow, so here is a shameless self-plug. If you are on Goodreads, consider entering the giveaway. If you are not, check out my "other side" on Amazon or at any ebook retailer.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Mad Days of Me

by Henry Martin

Giveaway ends February 09, 2013.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

WR Farkles

It was actually above freezing this weekend (not for long though), so I made my way to the garage and started working on the WR250R.

The bike came to me pretty much stock, so there was a "need" to get some goodies (or, as I explained to my better half: "Honey, I do need that skidplate, you wouldn't want me to break the engine case and get stuck in the woods, would you?" )

A big thumbs up to SoloRacer for fair prices and speedy delivery. Also to Revzilla for the same.

I used SoloRacer for Flatland Racing skidplate and radiator guard, a license plate bracket, new tailight, and turn signals.
Revzilla got some business form me for a Wolfman Enduro bag (cheaper than Wolfman direct AND free shipping).

I started with the taillight and turn signals. That's where I had my 'idiot' moment. I took the parts to the living room, crimped and soldered all my connections, and then I found out that the mounting nuts won't slip over the connectors. Yeah, wasted time. But, with some pushing, pulling, and cussing, I was able to get the connectors apart again, and fixed the issue.

The next issue I had was with the license plate bracket. It was bent (at the factory, I assume), a little too much, and there was no way I could mount the license plate on it.

A couple of decent whacks with a hammer and a wooden block got it where it needed to be. 

 The front turn signals were easy

Next I tackled the radiator guard. It is a solid little piece, well made, but it could have been engineered a little better. I'm not sure that I'll keep it. It is rugged, yet I feel it doesn't offer enough protection from behind and down at the bottom of the radiator. Also, I wish it would be a true wrap-around design. The way it mounts, it leaves a little bit of the radiator closest to frame exposed. At that location, I'm not worried about rocks, but a small branch could easily get to the core if it came at the right angle.
Mounting this was easy, except at the end when I struggled to attach the side plastics back. There just isn't enough room. I managed to reuse stock bolts, but I had to push my allen wrench through the slots in the guard to tighten them.

The skidplate was the easiest to mount. It is very rugged, well engineered with ample protection, and the bends and welds are of great quality. Easy mounting with four provided bolts. I used a thick piece of rubber at four points were the skidplate ended up touching the frame - both to prevent vibration and protect the frame.

 Finally, I attached my homemade rear rack.

The Enduro tankbag is a good fit, and suits the bike rather well. It doesn't interfere with my riding position at all.

Now I just have to wait for the snow to melt so I can hit some trails. The last thing on the list (for now) is a front sprocket cover and a case saver, but I didn't order those yet.

I love the way the tailsection cleaned up with the aftermarket lights and bracket.

WR farkles

So, I decided to get off my ass and start working on the WR250R. There are a few things that should be arriving next week: rad guard, skidplate, new turn signals and taillight, and a tank bag. These are things that I cannot make or the cost of making them would make it more expensive than purchasing them. But, since I like to make stuff, I decided to make my own tail rack.

 I started with a clean tail and a piece of scrap, 1/4" aluminum.

First order of business was to remove the tail and secure wiring away, then drill four 5/8" holes through the fender. Yamaha conveniently mark the hole locations on the plastic fender.

With the holes done, I made a cardboard template, roughly the size of the final product. I then cut the aluminum to shape, and started working on the final design.

Next, I decided to make some holes for loops to use when securing cargo to the rack. I marked the holes, drilled them, and cut the rest with a saw. Cleaning these up was a real pain (with a file and sandpaper), but I needed to make sure there was a nice, smooth bevel so the straps wouldn't get cut.

The four holes in the plate are not the mounting points. They will be used to either attach something to the rack (like a Rotopax) or just enlarged to get rid of some weight. I had to drill four additional holes in the rear that are used for mounting. Now I'm just waiting for some tapered stainless steel bolts to attach it. For the time being, the plate was attached with plain hex head bolt to ensure proper fit.

The rack rests on 5/8" aluminum spacers that raise it above the fender by about a 3/4 of an inch.