Chain Maintenance - What a Palaver

I finally found time to clean the chain on the YBR250 today. Doing so is a huge pain as it has no center stand. However the job could be put off no longer the chain being in a spectacularly poor state after some 200 gritty miles without lubrication. In theory that shouldn't happen as it's fitted with Scottoiler. If only it were so. 


Unfortunately, fitted at the local Yamaha Dealer, the positioning of the oiler’s injector carrier is problematic. Not only is it very difficult to accurately position the injector but vibration knocks it out of position regularly because it's so far forward and there are issues with the paddock stand. As the tubing and injector carrier are mounted under the swinging arm, they are crushed when the stand takes the weight. Obviously, I've experimented with other positions for the stand but a combination of exhaust pipe, and sprocket nuts means it can only go as shown which completely messes with the injector each time. 

In an ideal world I would be getting that center stand ordered making chain maintainance fuss free. Unfortunately, although there are mountings for it included on the frame, the stand is not an accessory Yamaha offer. Go figure. Right now I'd pay serious money (something you do for any Yamaha part anyway) to avoid perilously lifting the back wheel off the ground using my cheepo Biketec padock stand with the resulting disruption to the oiler. 


My only hope is that the stand is available elsewhere in Europe where the YBR250 is much more common. I've yet to see another in this country and notice that it is no longer available new. Actually, there are so few 250s of any kind knocking about in this country as utility motorcycling is fairly uncommon. I seldom see other motorcycles on my commute. Only in the summer do I ever see the same bike regularly, and that is a F800. There is only one other guy I know of that rides to work just about daily and he does it on a YBR125. He rides it far further than I do before parking it outside his place of work, the Shell Garage in Ilkley. Sometimes I pay the extra 4p a litre just to catch up with him and last time he was without his bike following an off on ice. He and the bike were fine but he was giving it a miss whilst snow was forcast. Can’t say I blame him. 


It is clear that utility motorcycling through all English seasons is not a great seller, especially amongst those with a full licence, restricted or otherwise. No surprise then that a bike too large for a learner and too small, to do everything is not going to be popular. Often the motorcycle press has suggested that bikes like mine is going to be on the up in these times of austerity. I don't see it happening. I'm still very much in a motorcycling minority. Not that I care. And, to be fair, given a chance I would trade up to that NC700x or a G650 if for no other reason that I'd like to be able to carry a wife (I use about two thirds of the 167kg max load). However, for what I actually use my bike, solo commuting, I'd do much worst than the YBR250 (if only the darn thing came with a center stand option). 


PS Tomorrow the kids are in nursery, the wife is at work and the forecast temperature is 10 Celsius so I'm gonna ride my bike for fun.