NEW BIKE....suggested wrenching?

With the current sale on new bikes...I'm leaning towards picking up a WR125/144.

This will be my first new bike purchase. I've read a few posts on here about people "tearing down" their new bikes. If I picked up a new one, what would need to be done to it? Can anyone give me a suggested check list?

It's a good idea to pull all the bearings, axles, pivot bolts out and slather them in waterproof grease, so years later things like your swing arm pivot bolt come out easily! Add lock-tite to a lot of the bolts too, at least the engine mounts, subframe mounts, muffler/exhaust mounts, brake caliper bolts, etc...

A little never seize or grease on your tank shroud and side panel bolts, will save you from spinning inserts in the future.

When I got my wr150 I tore it down to just a frame and engine. I greased all the rear suspension pivot bearings,swing-arm bearings,steering head bearings and wheel bearings. The factory is very skimpy with grease on every-thing. I also disconnected all the electrical plugs and used dielectric grease on all the connectors. I lubed the brake caliper slider pins with lube for this purpose(NAPA or any auto supply store has it), and as others have said use anti-seize on any bolt that threads into a steel insert in plastic. Remove the chain adjuster bolts ( I coat them in a mixture of anti-seize and water-proof grease) and re-install. Coat front and rear axles,rear suspension linkage bolts and swing-arm pivot in grease.Make sure all the electrical grounds are clean and tight,re-assemble and torque every-thing to spec.Lubricate clutch cable and lever pivots(I use chain-lube for this). I buy my bikes in the crate when-ever possible and do this procedure before the first ride,it goes a long way towards extending the service life and makes working on them easier down the road. Take your time with it and have fun,you will also get to know your bike a lot better.

awsome advise . the only thing ido different is ride easy two or three times. huskybear great advice.

lube your cables with dry graphite, it really helps and they don't pull in dirt, never get worn,

guaranteed not to rip ravel or bag at the knees

You might consider to solder the majority of wire connections in the harness also putting heat shrink just over the wire connections (soldered or not ) is a good prevention for corrosion issues on you electrical contacts (especially when you have a habit of (unintentionally) dumping the bike in water )

Robert-Jan

Pull the axel adjusting bolts on the swingarm and add liberal amounts of anti-seize. I just suffered a frozen then sheared bolt in the swing arm here that rendered me grounded. Cost 150.00 to have it machined out and heli-coiled.

We just replaced all the rear suspension bearing on my son's 2010 CR150 that we bought last fall.
NOT a fun job! A little grease goes a long way! We also have a stuck tank shroud bolt
Good Luck!

+1 on this. Was meant to be riding today. What I thought would be a quick change of wheels last night has now become a major job.

McKay did your bolt shear off down near the thread? Mine was coming out, albeit very tightly, and I had hoped I'd get it out but the head eventually twisted off. Tossing up what next. Have enough thread there so may try welding a nut on and see if I can get the rest out. Otherwise I'll have to cut and drill out, but it's very hard to get in there and I must still have about half an inch left in the swing arm. Major pain in the arse.....

Put some Loctite on the kick stand bolt, mine became loose after a few rides.

Run it in carefully, just touching the power for the first hour or so then steadily over a few hours bring in the power more and more. I did 800Kms on my kato 300 on the road like that and have had 3 years of original top end and trouble free everything else. Just means you cant race your mates on the first couple of rides....

I had about three threads left, tried welding but I knew it was already seized. Didn't work. Had to take it to a shop with a mill and chuck in there, its tough because it takes a long bit to get to it and it wants to deflect. Take your time on this is my suggestion.

Yep, tried the welded nut too but just snapped at the weld. Real tough spot to get at to drill and tap without the right tools. I'm bodgying away with a tap jammed in a 5.5mm socket and 1/4 inch socket extension! Getting there slowly..... Now thinking better take a look at the swing arm pivot and linkages noting all the warnings on this site about them rusting in...