LOOK OUT, HE'S LEAVING THE PAVEMENT

For a couple of years I’ve wanted a little dual sport motorcycle that I could use to traverse dirt and/or gravel roads and maybe even some trails. I thought it would be an economical and fun way to find geocaches as well as being fun to use on the farm. I almost bought one a year or so ago but I thought the price was a little high.

About a month ago I heard on one of the local radio station’s “Call in Classifieds” program someone wanting to sell a ’95 Yamaha XT225 which is exactly what I wanted. The XT225 is a little dual sport bike that is street legal as well as being ideal for trail and back road use. It also has a low seat height which ordinary dirt bikes do not. I think I mentioned it to Hallie saying I would like to get something like this and sell the smaller 4 wheeler that isn’t used much. She encouraged me to do this thinking it would be a lot of fun riding it around the farm. Of course, I didn’t need too much encouragement.

The buyer was asking $1,700 which seemed a little high for a machine this old but I thought I’d take a look at it anyway. What I found was a bike that this kid had bought new when he was about 13 years old and now at 26 wasn’t using it anymore. (In case you’re doing the math, he bought it in ’97 but it was still new). The bike was pretty much in pristine condition and the only thing I could find wrong was a bent brake lever and dead battery. It had obviously been sitting quite a bit as it had only 1,200 miles on it. I really wanted it but still thought the price was a little high so I offered him $1,200. He said he wanted to try to sell it for the higher amount but would keep me in mind if he was unsuccessful.

For the next three weeks or so I perused all the ads but did not see this bike or any other listed for less than $2,000 or so except for a ’96 just like this one in CA for $1,500. So I called the seller again and asked if he had had any luck selling it. He said no but he was just about to list it in the Moneysaver, our local advertising paper. I offered to split the difference in what he was asking and what I had offered and he accepted so I bought it for $1,450.

The last few days I’ve spent lubing the chain, suspension, kick stand, cables and brake and shift levers. I was able to straighten the bent brake lever by putting it in a vise, heating it with a torch and using some bicycle handle bars as a lever to straighten it. I drained the gas tank and put in fresh fuel, replaced the brake fluid, installed a new spark plug, adjusted the chain slack, changed the oil and installed a power takeoff for my GPS. After putting the battery on a trickle charger it has worked fine so far.

I commuted to work this morning for the maiden voyage. After riding the Triumph it was like riding a little moped. I felt like people were looking at me and laughing. Actually, it’s a fun little bike and I think it’s going to be just what I wanted. I thought I’d better post these pictures before I wreck it. M/W