Yamaha TRX850 Enthusiasts Forum

Hi there. I am a Canadian living in the Perth area. I just bought a used 1996 TRX. She has 36K kms, Dark green with silver frame and engine.

I have a few questions.

She's burning quite a bit of oil. Can't see blue smoke, but sometimes has a '2 stroke' smell to the exhaust. From reading the forums, it's seems to be normal. How much is normal?

She has a rather mechanical noise to her. This is not my first twin (I had a 2004 Vstrom DL650 in Canada) and she is much noisier. There is a sound like a loose camchain. Are the camchain adjusters weak in this bike (like in many Hondas)?

Some previous owner took the cores out of the stock exhausts. It's obnoxiously loud. Does anyone has some stock cores in the Perth area they would be willing to sell me?

She seems to be geared very high. Reving around 3500 in top gear at indicated 110 km/h. This seems really low. Is increasing the size of the rear sprocket a useful mod?

Otherwise, it's an entertaining ride. I wasn't expecting something so sporty. I am normally a very cautious rider but this thing brings out the hooligan in me. Reminds me of a lighter, more powerful, less comfortable Vstrom. Even has a small top end rush like a 4. Very stable and incredibly easy to ride.

My riding history.

Canada
1982 Yamaha XS650 (first bike)
2004 Suzuki Vstrom DL650
2003 Kawasaki ZX9R

Tasmania
1998 Suzuki GSXF 750

Western Australia
1996 Yamaha TRX 850

By the way, if you are in the Perth area and want to show me some good riding roads, I am definitely game.

Hi there and welcome to the forum.

I believe oil usage depends on the bike, some use very little and others seem to use quite a lot......If you feel it uses too much oil, there are topics in this forum you can search on that will put you in the right direction to rectify the issue.

They are quite a noisy engine, that said it has been known for cam chains to skip a tooth and mash the head so if in doubt, do what i did and change it, also check the adjuster.

As for exhausts , there is a good selection available, again have a look in the members rides area and see which ones you like. Stock cans are ok ,but the TRX prefers a free'er flowing system, ie the standard system is restrictive.

Hey man, Welcome. I live in Perth ( morley ). Probably a bit short notice, but I am off for a nice country run with guys from work on Tuesday morning.
As for your questions regarding engine noise;
Im on my second TRX, they all have a lot of mecanical noise. you will find that this is a trate of all Yamahas of the era, fours inclluded. The motors are incredibly strong as they were first designed for use in the super tenre dakar bikes. With only 36k on the clock it sould have a lot more life left in it. mine has close to 90k and has no probs at all ( just had some work on the carbs and it is running as new).
Did you check the service history? TRX's generally need the valve clearences checked at 40k.
If you want a quieter exhaust, look into a staintune system. Very high quality and they have removable baffles so you can adjust the noise volume (mine stay out!).
If you need a new mechanic, I would recomend the bike doctor on Scarborah Beach road in Mount Hawthorn. I would not recommend a dealer as they charge like wounded bulls and have a macca's drive through feel about them.
Enjoy the new bike and let us all know how you go.

Welcome!
Most of your questions are already answered but ...
exhausts are 'obnoxiously loud' ??????????? rubbish !!!!!!!!! I did a 'bafflectomy' on mine and it sounds just fine. Even good enough to go through our standard British MOT. (Admittedly, I did make up a 'tea-strainer plate' in 3mm alloy that fits between the end cap and the main body of the silencer - drilled with a series of 3mm holes with a total area equal to the original end pipe - which does take the LOUD edge off the pipes) Sounds lovely on the over-run and cost me just less than bugger-all to do as opposed to spending a fortune on after-market cans.
Anyway, hope you have many happy times with your new toy.
Red Rex.

Red Rex wrote: exhausts are 'obnoxiously loud' ??????????? rubbish !!!!!!!!! I did a 'bafflectomy' on mine and it sounds just fine.
Red Rex.

But you are getting old and deaf Graham

Cheeky bugger ............. who said that

I'm with Red Rex on this. I've taken the baffles out. Sounds much better. Not too loud unless you cane it. just keep the revs down till you get past the neighbours.
Mine has 38,000 kms and uses hardly any oil.

But your bike (with 36k kms) will need new emulsion tubes and the valve clearances checked if it hasn't been done already.

Sorry. Didn't mean to offend by saying "obnoxious." I like the sound but I worry others don't. Not preaching here, but I try to keep the neighbors happy and I find that a loud bike 'seems' faster than a quiet one, therefore it's much easier to get tickets on a loud bike.

That said, I have gotten used to it and I haven't heard anyone complain, even non motorcyclists. So I guess the I will enjoy it. I certainly don't feel like spending money on aftermarket cans anyways, I am one of those heretics that don't mind a stock exhaust. Please don't burn me at the stake.

Thanks for the tips btw, and thanks for the ride invite. I am a teacher, so I can't easily play hookie off work. I would be happy to ride in the afternoons or weekends though.

Couple questions. My bike is running rich. Is that another 'thing' about these bikes?

Anyone done a rear sprocket increase in size? How's that work?

It's mainly about getting used to a bike with 'character.' I am liking it so far.

Thanks for the tip about the mechanic. Right now I don't have a registered car and I live in Rockingham so I will prolly have to go local. I may DL a Service manual and go for it, I dunno. Green96 if you are going on another ride email me at iamcanjimnospam@hotmail.com. Remove nospam before using email addy.

Interesting user name, Don't know if we want too know how it came about.

As these things are dry sump the oil should be checked with the engine running, and preferably after a run,
I sometimes wonder if oil usage is more about not being aware of how these dry sump things work.
I will try and e-mail you a gearing chart which will give you something of an idea what speeds you get with different sprocket ratios.

Good luck going out and about.

Mine is 2-3 teeth up on the rear sprocket (can't remember how many), geared to rev out at about 120mph, I think. Still perfectly happy cruising c. 4,500 - 5,000 rpm around 80, and it will now pull its fifth gear. Doesn't sound like you'd be in favour of doing 130 on the road anyway, so to me it seems like you'd see a benefit. Wouldn't bother spending the money until you need a new chain though.

I understand it's a TRX trait to run very rich. If you've read about the emulsion tubes problem ("search"), consider whether it could be something out of the ordinary. Emulsion tube wear eventually ends up with the bike fouling its plugs, at which point you're pushing it home.

One reason, aside from v-twin noise, that people change the cans is the enormous weight of the stock ones. It's not like an R1 where you buy an aftermarket can and add 5 kg to your bike's weight (or 10, if it's made by Yoshimura). But I am with you on the annoying the neighbours thing. It gets old when they start shooting at you and pouring diesel all over your driveway.

Probably the first thing to do with your bike if you're new to TRXs is the blue-spot brake swap. It's very, very simple (unbolt old brakes, bolt on new ones), costs not very much from a breaker, the performance is much improved (especially if you also get a used 14mm master cylinder from a YZF/R1/R6) and they don't need regular cleaning like the old grey calipers. Combine with some kevlar or steel-braided brake hose for best results.

iamcanjim wrote:Sorry. Didn't mean to offend by saying "obnoxious." I like the sound but I worry others don't. Not preaching here, but I try to keep the neighbors happy and I find that a loud bike 'seems' faster than a quiet one, therefore it's much easier to get tickets on a loud bike.

That said, I have gotten used to it and I haven't heard anyone complain, even non motorcyclists. So I guess the I will enjoy it. I certainly don't feel like spending money on aftermarket cans anyways, I am one of those heretics that don't mind a stock exhaust. Please don't burn me at the stake.

Thanks for the tips btw, and thanks for the ride invite. I am a teacher, so I can't easily play hookie off work. I would be happy to ride in the afternoons or weekends though.

Couple questions. My bike is running rich. Is that another 'thing' about these bikes?

Anyone done a rear sprocket increase in size? How's that work?

It's mainly about getting used to a bike with 'character.' I am liking it so far.

Thanks for the tip about the mechanic. Right now I don't have a registered car and I live in Rockingham so I will prolly have to go local. I may DL a Service manual and go for it, I dunno. Green96 if you are going on another ride email me at iamcanjimnospam@hotmail.com. Remove nospam before using email addy.

This may be of some assistance with gearing.
It is a little heavy but will give you all the info you will EVER need
http://www.gearingcommander.com

Welcome,

I may be able to help with stock exhausts.
PM if interested.

Rat