Yagi Maintenance

Since I'm home for a bit, it was time to do some maintenance on Yagi, my Yamaha TW200 DualSport.

I replaced both the front and rear sprockets, managing to break both mounting bolts on the front sprocket while torquing to spec!  I'm guessing it was time to replace them too huh, luckily the local hardware store had same and they didn't break during torquing actions.

The rear tire was exhibiting a small cracks caused by age and weather so it got replaced along with a new inner tube that has that slime sealant already inside, put in by the tire mounting guy at the local motorcycle shop.

The chain was also replaced.  I don't do this often so the operation was a bit time consuming since there's a specific order in which one installs a chain and the rear wheel but in the end I got it.  Some YouTube research led to the technique of using a nut and a c-clamp to help press in the new master link plates together so the clip can be mounted:

The oil and oil filter was changed as it was due since Yagi has reached 24,000 miles.

I checked Yagi's valve clearances and they were spot on!  The intake was at .003" which is midpoint of the range spec.  The exhaust valve was at .005" which also is in the middle of the spec.

Bought a stubby 1/4" drive 5mm Allen socket for the torque wrench tightening spec of 10 newton meters.  Regular sockets are too long you see, given the closeness of the valve covers too the motorcycle's frame at different points.  Now, no problems!

A neighborhood friend noticed the bolt that covers the access port to the automatic cam tensioner was missing, no idea for how long, and it was replaced.  It kind of functions as a dust cover.

Same friend noticed slight seepage on the right side of engine cylinder's base and I tried to tighten the relevant boltss, but they're on tight.  Probably requires new gasket for base of cylinder head ... Don't think I'll be doing that anytime soon.  Yagi is 20 years old, I'll live with the seepage.

The last maintenance is replacing the right fork's seals as they've been seeping for a few months now.  

Home for a bit.

 It was going to be a windy day that while mostly sunny, would only reach 68° according to the weather guessers. 

Sunrise:

So instead of hanging out for one more day, I drove home, arriving at around 1:00 p.m. to an enthusiastic hug from Martha. 

According to the trip spreadsheet, I camped for 71 days this time at a cost of $31.90 a day.

The largest cost, not surprisingly, was fuel for the RV at 46%, next was groceries at 25%, 17% for RV related tasks/propane/Starlink, 10% for camping fees and final 2% was gas for Yagi and meals bought while visiting friends.

About 3000 miles covered by the RV.  Average MPG: 8 .   

Lazy Weekend at the San Luis Lake SWA

I chose to do very little riding over Saturday and Sunday....sallying forth just to pose Yagi for these shots mostly.

Blanca Peak (amongst others)

Challenger Point

Bino shot at 1x

Crestone Peak

Bino shot at 1x

Sunday's sunrise:

Saturday was nice and warm with a high of 81°F, sound would turn out cooler with a forecasted high in the low 70s.  It was sunny though which warmed things up a bit.

After lunch, I rode Yagi to the nearest point where one can walk out onto the ever expanding lake bed.  I wanted to see if I could get a reflection shot of the mountains.

I made it all the way to the waterline, quite soft and muddy.

Sunday's sunset:

First Day of Spring at the Great Sand Dunes NP

Another warm day here in the vicinity of the Great Sand Dunes National Park. The temperatures would reach 79° at their height in the late afternoon. 

I rode out on Yagi, my TW200, at around 3:00 p.m. towards the Piñon Campground inside the National Park.  The campground is closed for the season, so I parked near the amphitheater and walked into the trailhead for the Dunes Overlook trail.

This overlook gives you a good higher view of the sand dunes without actually having to climb the dunes themselves and getting sand in your shoes.  It's about a mile to the top of the small hill that forms the overlook. The trail is littered with rocks and stones so you have to watch yourself, the switchbacks are many but not too steep.

I'll admit I had to stop a couple of times or so to catch my breath on the uphill parts.

Still, I made it and here's what one can see from up there: 

Then there was time for some close-up shots using the binoculars adapter for my camera phone.i really liked the wind-created patterns in the sand.

Well most of the shots I was able to frame correctly in order to remove the curvature of the binocular lens eyepiece, some of them I could not get right and so you get to see the curvature of the eyepiece.

Can you see the people down there?

I made it back to Yagi with no issues and posed her near the base of the dunes:

Finally a video of the dunes atop Dunes Overlook Point

I wasn't very tired but I was feeling a bit sore from all the hiking, especially in my left knee. I'm sure it'll be fine tomorrow.  I returned to camp and processed these  pictures while sitting in the warm sunshine of the afternoon. 

This being the weekend, the place is filling up with other camper rigs and tent campers.