Yet another update on the CT90

Sometimes the drab, grey days of a Lower Mainland winter are useful...I have the opportunity to update this!

Back in the early Fall of 2024, I had thought of doing another day-trip or two where we could BOTH be riding. So with that in mind, I pulled the old CT90 out of it's corner and went to give it a thorough check-up.
I soon discovered that she didn't start as easily as she used to and when I got her started, she didn't run well at all. After fiddling with it for a while, I decided to re-install the WinCycles carb that I had ordered. This particle carb would leak if I over-tighten the bowl screws, so I had put it away and opted for one of the Chinesium carbs that I purchased from Amazon.
Now, it was the Chinesium carb that was the problem, so I thought I'd give the WinCycle carb another chance.
It was while adjusting the float level, that I noticed the bowl gasket was too large and would encroach into the float's space...this is why the float would stick OPEN when I tightened the screws!
Trimmed away the excess with an Olfa knife and sure enough...that worked...no more leakage.
Unfortunately, the CT still wouldn't run properly, even with the WinCycle carb, so I started looking around for a USED Keihin.
As you can guess, used CT90 carbs are as rare as hen's teeth...but I managed to locate one about 30 miles away...and the guy was willing to give it to me for FREE...can't beat a deal like that!
So once I picked it up, I set about to cleaning it well...lots of compressed air and tiny brushes into every cavity, passage and orifice. Ordered a rebuild kit and re-assembled the carb and installed. Took a few minutes to get things right before she would start, but I finally got her going and adjusted.
The requisite road-test revealed that she couldn't even make 40 mph, so I imagine there will be some more adjustment required...probably dropping the needle clip to get a bit more fuel into her might help. So, this is still a work-in-progress, but it's great to have an OE carb back on this model again.
Wonder when was the last time she had one?

New Year...new start

 Just picked up a 2019 TW200 today.

Back where we started from...

What I didn't like about the CRF300L Rally

It's not until you've replaced an old habit with a new one, that you get a bit more critical about the last one.
This goes for partners, jobs, addresses, and especially vehicles.
Now that my days with the Rally are close to being in the rear-view...I can righteously state my opinions about this model and what I liked/disliked about it.

Pros:
There were many...
- The mileage was excellent. To be able to do a 7 hr day in the saddle, on ONE stock tank of fuel is phenomenal.
- The ride was decent, although it required a modification to the rear shock.
- Throttle response was snappy and I was never "looking" for more power.
- The overall curb-appeal was there, many people commented on its looks.
- The lighting package was awesome.
- The fairing kept me dry during the frequent rains we have here.

Cons:
There were a few too...
- THE RATTLE!!! That notorious 5K rattle...absolutely hate that noise. It literally sounds like your engine is about to fly apart. The worst part is that 5000 RPM is a great cruising speed.
- Seat...one of the most uncomfortable I've sat in, and I used to own a DR650.
- Fairing...although it kept me dry, any sort of maintenance is a brutal exercise as several panels need to be removed to accomplish the simplest of tasks.
- Trailside maintenance...forget it. You can't even access the spark plug without dedicating a couple of hours for panel, tank and rad removal...
- Fuel Injection. I know most new riders are fond of this, I'm not. On most other bikes, I can pull the carb at trail-side and remove a piece of crud stuck in a jet. Good luck servicing a dysfunctional throttle body.
- Maintenance. Although the service intervals on this model are huge, the actual work to perform is (as mentioned before) brutal. In order to CHECK the valves you need to remove most of the fairing, the fuel tank, the rad fan and possibly even the rad (means draining/replacing coolant)...then you should have enough room to service the valves.
- Speaking of valves...shims on buckets...Ugh!
- Rear shock: As mentioned, it needed to be 'improved' to accommodate 2-up riding, but even in its stock form the rear shock is stupidly under-sprung.
- Weight: After having to pick it up from a downhill position TWICE in the past 6 months...I realized that I'm not as strong as I thought I was.
- Throttle: Notoriously twitchy at off-idle, means you'll be using the clutch a LOT in low-speed conditions. There is no hesitation AT ALL...the only fix for this, is an upgraded ECU for another $200 Cdn.
- Height: This model is quite tall, so if you expect to flat-foot, you're going to need to lower it somehow. Yet even when lowered, it still has a high center-of-gravity.
- Chain: The stock chain will remind you that it needs service. This one would start making noise as soon as it needed lubing or tensioning. This could be seen as a plus, but I don't like to hear ANY kind of odd noises coming from my bike.
- Chain adjustment: For some reason, this seems to be a critical issue and the method of measuring is un-necessarily complicated. Lifting the chain mid-span and measuring with a tape is good enough on most other models.
- Parts: I kept reading about the vast and extensive "after-market parts-availability" but this was only true in the US.
- Passenger footpegs: Set too high up and too far forward for an adult; had to manufacture special brackets to move them down and back.

I'm sure there are a few of each that I've missed, but this gives you a general idea.