Master Trail Plonker

“Master Trail Plonker ”

Written on: 11/05/2012

For a guy in His Mid 40's, who has had enough of the Moto- competition, this 2007 Yamahe XT 225 works well. This Cycle was designed to plonk along the trail at an easy pace. And it does so in a nice way. The power is put to the ground evenly with no burps or hiccups. Trailriders cruising along will most likely not get out of third gear but that is plenty fast for someone just out to be-bop down a trail or a stretch of single track. It will pull up a decent Hill even with a maxiumum load of roughly 400 pounds. First Gear is very tractor- like. The bike reminds me of watching a BillyGoat traverse a steep rocky hillside; surefooted and confident. I stalled the bike on a sandy uphill with a passenger onboard. No problem. Just pull in the clutch lever while downshifting into first and hit the E-start! You're off and running again! Forget falling over on a steep hill because the seat height is so low that even someone close to 5'0 can sit flat footed. Being able to touch the ground like that is a big bonus. Remember that you are out for a scenic trail ride.
The steering can be slowed down or quickened by adjusting the PreLoad on the rear shock. when riding out in the desert or long trails, I have softened the preload in order to achieve better stability. This did make the steering much slower when attempting to turn. Stiffen the preload some when riding tight twisty trails. That will quicken the steering.
The maintenance is easy enough with oil changes and filter cleaning. The Airbox is very waterproof and the bike can probably handle a few deep water crossings, although I have not tried this yet.
Since I ride in sand alot, I changed the stock front tire to a more sand worthy Kenda Trackmaster 3.00 x 21. That made a nice solid difference in the sand and it is comfortable on the street for my riding. changing the PSI also helps while offroad; roughly 10-15 PSI.
Overall I think that the bike is a fantastic Trail Plonker and it will provide you and a passenger with many happy times. Just don't think you can go out and blow past all of your buddies because I don't think that Yamaha had that in mind when they put this scooter out on the Market.