Yamaha Vrr Info?

[mgjackson69]

My sister-in-law recently acquired for me (at the behest of my wife) a Yamaha VRR for the princely sum of 2400 THB. I have ridden the bike and gave it a once-over (after it was purchased...<shrug>). It runs (so-so) and is in what I would call average condition. For the time being I am leaving the bike with the family in Nong Hin...after I have a chance to spend a few days with it and fix the show-stoppers, then I will ride it down to the house in Chok Chai and start the project.

I have been riding and doing most of my own mechanical work for about 30 years. However, I have zero experience with 2-stroke motorcycles.

Secondly, I have no information on this motorcycle whatsoever, and Google seems to turn up a bunch of "garbage" sites, mainly in Spanish.

Does anyone have some links to general 2-stroke information, and/or this particular motorcycle?

Thanks.

[goldfish]

No idea on the bike. If you have the time/money/interest then check out 'Performance Tuning in Theory & Practice : Two-Strokes by A.Graham Bell' available on Amazon. I read it a long time ago and recall it was very informative

[submaniac]

Hi, I am fairly certain that the Yamaha VRR is the same bike as the Yamaha TZR and TZM. Same chassis, but the bodies/fairings are different. The VRR is probably the oldest of the models (by its styling). But I understand you can add a TZR or TZM fairing to it. In terms of information on the VRR, like repair/manuals, look for TZR or TZM's because it is the same mechanicals and a shop guide on one of those will work on your VRR.

[Thanh-BKK]

Hi

Congratulation to the buy. The VRR is an easy-to-maintain bike with sufficient power and an engine that just won't die if you take a little precaution. I know of VRR's doing the 100k kilometers on the original engine/crank shaft.

Few things. Check the mileage - if it is approaching or beyond 50k Kilometers, have the cylinder bored and a new piston installed. Not totally necessary but can save headaches later. When the cylinder is taken off, check (or have checked) if there is any "play" in the con rod - if there is any, have the con rod bearing and the rod itself changed, as any "play" in the lower bearing will sooner or later destroy that bearing and likely the piston and cylinder along with it, if worse comes to worst you can have a nasty accident the instant that happens due to seizing piston/blocking rear wheel. A new piston is roughly 200 Baht, including boring the cylinder it is below 500 Baht and you're good for 50k Kilometers headache-free rides.

After the procedure has been done, ride the first 1,000 kilometers with a little 2T pre-mixed with the fuel top increase the overall oil ratio. So when you fill gas, just add some 100cc of good 2-stroke-oil to the tank. After some 1,000 kilometers the "running in" of the new piston is complete and you can stop pre-mixing. Also, during that initial 1,000 kilometers, i would not rev the engine higher than 8,000 rpm unless absolutely necessary.

Change the engine oil (gearbox only as it is a two-stroke) every about 3,000 kilometers as the clutch runs in the oil. When you get it done at a shop, INSIST on a good 10W-40 or 20W-50 oil, do not fall for the cheap SAE 30 or SAE 40 they want to put in there. That stuff may be fine for a Wave, but the Yamaha gearboxes will "thank" you with hard gear shifts (specially downshifting) and quick clutch wear.

Apart from that, always use good two-stroke-oil (not the cheap crap from the supermarket, i recommend you Castrol Go! 2T) and have the 2T pump set a bit higher. if your VRR is equipped with a YCLS-system, best is to remove it - it can (and does!) fail and the your engine gets no oil.

Also, have the air filter cleaned (better yet, replace it) because the Yamaha gets thirsty when the air filter is clogged.

Any specific problems, feel free to ask me - i don't ride a VRR buy a member of the same family, my trusty old RXZ which never lets me down and has, thanks to a bored up cylinder, also got a VRR piston hammering away in it

Two-stroke for life - power needs no valves!!

Kind regards......

Thanh

[mgjackson69]

Thanks for the replies, guys...good information all.

About my first action will be to just go over the bike from end to end, see what works and does not. From the little bit that I rode it, it is in dire need of a tune-up...whatever that entails on a two-stroke, I need to learn. It seems a bit lacking in power and will not rev too much, sputters. But it does start easily and idles well.

I do know of a local shop in the village that works on two strokes...the guy rents the place from my mother-in-law. So I will likely take it to him for a tuneup...but it would be good to go armed with a bit of knowledge also.

The rear wheel does not roll freely, but it does not feel/sound like a bearing problem, so I am thinking that the rear brake is not completely releasing. But at the same time, the rear brake disk does not appear to have been overly hot, so it may be "temporarily" stuck.

Oh yeah...the front brake does not work at all. One of the screws holding the cover on the front master cylinder is munged up, and the sight glass is cloudy, so I could not check the fluid level...I am guessing empty.

On the plus side, it does appear to have two nearly-new tires, and the chain and rear sprocket look good...I did not pull the cover to see the front sprocket.

Cosmetically, it looks like it has sat outside a lot, the paint is fairly well faded. Bodywork and windscreen are missing some screws, the seat needs recovered. One mirror has the glass broken. The sheet metal is in good shape, not beat up.

Electrically I am not sure. I did not check the lights, although the turn signals and indicators do work, and the neutral indicator works. The tachometer seems to work; the speedometer does not. The horn does not work, but I am not sure if that is a problem with the button or the wiring.

So it looks like I have a lot to do. The good thing is, there is no rush...I have another motorcycle here and my truck, so I am not on foot.

Thanks again for the replies...keep them coming. I am sure that I will have many more questions as this adventure continues.

[Thanh-BKK]

Hi

Engine doesn't want to rev and sputters, but idles well - check carb float bowl for rust particles or water. Also check fuel filter (should be on the bottom of the fuel cock, you may need to remove the left side fairing panel to get to it), if this is clogged not enough petrol goes through. Also replace the air filter, it's on the right side (remove fairing panel and open the airbox, the filter itself is just a foam thing that is easily replaced). Tuning: Turn the air screw fully in (that's the smaller one on the left side of the carb, the one requiring a screwdriver). Then, from fully in, turn it 2 1/4 turns out and you're done with the basic carb setting.

Does yours have a drum or disc brake in the rear? VRR is available in both versions. If it's drum, spray some WD-40 on the bolt that goes from the brake lever (on the hub) to inside, this is likely the cause if the brake doesn't want to open fully by itself. If it's a disc brake, take off the caliper, remove both pads and check the brake pistons if the can move freely, if not, have the caliper serviced (new ones are VERY expensive!! But servicing is possible and cheap). If it's disc brake it will likely have to be bled after such procedure, have a mechanic do it and change the brake fluid when you're at it. (edit: Just re-read and saw you've got disc, so yeah, do as advised. if you need a new disc, i've got one sitting here collecting dust, brand new, never used, due to buying the wrong one when modifying my RXZ to have rear disc, too).

Front brake - easy enough, bleeds easily. Change the brake fluid, again check (or have checked) the caliper for proper function. This is a floating caliper so it has to be able to move sideways easily.

About the rear wheel: Check the bearings nevertheless - it's a weak spot on the RXZ and the VRR, being member of the same family, likely has the same. I'm already on the fifth set of rear wheel bearings in the two years i have my bike. With your bike on the main stand (or on the side stand and a second person holding it in a way that the rear wheel is free) try if you can move the wheel sideways - if so, get new bearings. If not, take off the brake caliper (WITHOUT taking it apart so no bleeding required!) and check if the wheel turns freely. If still not, have the bearings replaced, a set cost around 100 Baht and takes a mechanic some 15 minutes to change. Also see if your chain is overtightened - if you sit on the bike, you must still be able to move the chain in it's middle by about 2 to 3 cm's up/down, otherwise this also makes the wheel turn hard and it destroys the wheel bearings.

Speedometer: Check the cable. Take it off at the front wheel and turn the inner cable, see if the speedmeter needle moves - if yes, replace the part that drives the cable (no idea what it's called in English, the one that sits on the wheel axle, this cost around 150 Baht). If you find that the cable itself is broken, of course, replace it (80 Baht).

Horn: Likely the horn itself (missing or broken). Should cost around 100 Baht for a new one.

Lights: If they do NOT work, at first spray some WD-40 into the light on-off switch - another weak spot on that kind of bike. Those corrode quickly! But WD-40 works miracles in that spot, same with the indicator (turn signal) switch if it refuses to "let go" when you press it. Replacements are of poor quality, genuine Yamaha unavailable. If the lights still don't work, check the bulbs. If the bulbs are ok, you'll need a new voltage regulator - this unit sits under the tank and can fail. Replacements are cheap, around 100 Baht.

Another thing you should do: Clean the exhaust. Take the whole system off, close it watertight on one end and fill it completely with that stuff that is used to clean ovens - this removes carbon perfectly. Let it stand over night, then remove the stuff and flush with gasoline. Allow to dry out for a couple of hours before putting it back on or you may experience some nasty backfiring. Alternatively you can remove the silencer insert from the rear end (if it's the "3BS" type of exhaust like on the regular RXZ) and "run it free" - which means a number of kilometers under full throttle (which is going to be LOUD!) to burn out the system - you will get sparks flying, don't panic. Two-strokes need that occasionally

Oh, and in regards to the "lack of power" - check on the cylinder inlet, where the carb is connected. There should be a hose going upwards, about as thick as a finger. See if that is there. If you only find some sort of cap, it means that a previous owner has removed the YEIS ("boost bottle"), without it it is next to impossible to tune the bike correctly.

I hope you'll get the bike up to speed - let me know if you do, there's way too many Farangs riding these fun two-strokers here

Best regards......

Thanh

[newtron1376]

i just picked up a vr 150 and want to do some work on it.

can anyone guide me on where to get an owners manual in english. i am in

new york and there is almost no information on this bike here in america. the bike came from thailand but i don't know how it got here. is there a company i can get fairings from. any info would be great...thanks

[newtron1376]

i just picked up a vr 150 and want to do some work on it.

can anyone guide me on where to get an owners manual in english. i am in

new york and there is almost no information on this bike here in america. the bike came from thailand but i don't know how it got here. is there a company i can get fairings from. any info would be great...thanks

[MaiChai]

I have a TZR with VRR fairings and stickers! VRR is a TZM/TZR without a power valve (does not make a whirring noise when you turn the switch). All three bikes have the same 150cc engine, but the VRR does not have the power valve on the cylinder (which controls exhaust gas flow to give more performance). VRR and TZR have the same frame made from 1" square box tubing. TZM has a large box frame and looks more of a sports bike.

The bike is very simple; put it this way I have done loads of maintenance and never needed a manual (even disassembled the power valve without a manual). The TZM 250 is basically the same design, but has two cylinders and two power valves operated in parallel. This manual I do have and gives you a good idea of how its put together. If you do come across a manual, do let me know. All I can say is that the TZM is very popular in Malaysia and Singapore, so you might find a manual on one of the forums in these countries.

VRR seems very popular in South America.

Parts are readily available here, simply because all three bikes (VRR/TZR/TZM) use common parts (some which look common to the TZM250 too; brake bits look the same).

I do love this bike; I also have a NSR150, which needs time to rebuild; will get round to this sometime. However this is the bike I buzz about on in Bangkok and its dead reliable (probably due to its simplicity).

Final tip is 2 stroke bikes are very fussy with fuel, so make sure you put the right gas in, otherwise it will never run right no matter how much you tune it! There are other posts on the forum on this, so do a search for them.

I am in Chok Chai 4 in Bangkok if another poster is talking about the same Chok Chai (as in Lat Prao).

[mgjackson69]

I am in Chok Chai 4 in Bangkok if another poster is talking about the same Chok Chai (as in Lat Prao).

The Chok Chai I was referring to is in Korat...not the famous Chok Chai Farm, but Amphur Chok Chai, 30 km south of Korat City on Highway 244.

But, I also have a room in BKK in Khannayao, not far from Ram Intra/Eastern Ring Road Interchange...so in that regard I am not far from you.