mercuryrev

To illustrate how clued up some French officials are...... This happened to me, there's no, 'a friend told me' I was asked by a French local government official for a French sales receipt for a UK motorcycle, that I had bought in the UK, from a UK resident and they even sent me an example French receipt to help me. I was told by a French policeman that I have to change my driving licence now, despite the French authorities suspending UK licence exchanges for the time being. Even when I showed him a copy of the decree (rules) he still insisted I have a year to do it, or I would be in trouble. At the end of the day, customs officials are there to do their jobs, so if they think you need a carnet, they want to see a carnet. If you don't have one and they don't check at the border, you've been lucky and can carry on with your holiday. If they do check at the border or, as Chris says, further along your trip, and you don't have one, expect a load of hassle.

I think the problem is that nobody really knows at the moment! I'm pretty sure French customs won't know what is the correct paperwork, they will just form their own opinion and if you don't have the right paperwork, then sorry, you're not bringing that into the country. What has happened in the past, what is supposed to happen, won't apply for a while until Normality breaks out. Equally turning up without every last scrap of paper you MIGHT need is a recipe for disaster. Having spent 5 years dealing with French bureaucracy, I know that the only way to win is to do it their way. Oh and it's not their fault, we voted for this.

Thanks Greg, your help and advice really helped me, thank you very much for that. I am slowly getting to grips with the bike, practicing in the garden or riding at the local club when we're allowed. Clubs here are very different to those I've ridden with in the UK. The idea here is to try to help each other improve, rather than just ride and have fun. I am always getting help, advice and being gently challenged to improve my riding, which is probably pushing me more than I would on my own with this bike. I could never understand how most riders here seem to be at a higher standard when they start competing at the few trials we have. With the amount of help and advice any new rider receives, it now makes sense. I'll try the third gear thing, do you start it in gear? Some of the guys at the club (all using 280s) like to start their bikes whilst they are rolling, they swear it's easier like that. My french isn't good enough to truly quiz them however. Happy Christmas to you too and I echo your thoughts, wouldn't it be great if that came true.

Yes it was the S3 head and insert and yes I did it myself. It isn't a particularly difficult job, unless you catch one of the head o rings and then fill the cylinder with coolant (don't ask how I know). So just be careful with that. I'm not sure on years but the later bikes need a new head and insert, early bikes could just have an insert fitted I believe. Mine is an '17 Racing. The parts aren't cheap and I did agonize over whether it was worth persevering with the whole thing or cut my loses and get a 250. I really struggled to start the bike and it is now much easier with the head fitted. I know there is a knack and I know I haven't acquired that, so it must be the head. Power might be a little softer, but not much. I am returning to trials after about 7 or 8 years and I was never that great, preferring to just have fun rather than compete. Trying to remember everything again and get back up to where I once was, has been harder thanks to having a 300. Having said that my skills(?) have had to improve quickly thanks to the extra power. A 250 would still suit me better but I've enjoyed it all, working on the bike and the challenge of making it work for me and vice versa. I have also had superb help and guidance by Greg, the OP of this, as well as all the other contributors. Hope all that helps.

I managed to get some riding in last weekend and with the new head and insert, the bike is definitely easier to start. Until I get tired I can now start it either first, or second kick. However it never starts if the throttle is opened, it has to be closed or it refuses to start. Power is pretty much the same, I think, perhaps slightly softer, although I am now starting to get used to the bike. Another club member had just bought a Vertigo 250 and, stupidly, I had a ride..... It confirmed what I knew, with a 250 I feel in control of the bike, with the 300 GG I feel that the bike will bite me unless I am totally on it. It's getting better however and I'm not giving up as I've put a lot of work into this bike.

Thanks for that, I managed to ask a friend in the end who has done the job quite a few times. Thanks again

As a follow up to help others, I bought a kit from the very excellent Splatshop. All went well aside from trying to get the springless seals to sit in the dog bones. They were certainly not spring less, they were springing everywhere, off the floor, the ceiling...... I can see why there were no seals when I stripped it. Plenty of dried blood however..... If I did it again I would use the wider bearings for the dog bones, which do away with the springless seals. They have less rollers but have built in seals. I'd rather change them more often than have to fight the separate seals. HTH

Can anyone please tell me which way round the seals go in the dog bones? When I stripped the suspension there were no seals on the dog bones..... Thanks in advance

This whole discussion seems to revolve around using, or not using, the clutch and I have no idea why. I don't think I said don't use the clutch when doing a zap, did I? As far as I'm aware it's possible to use the clutch in pretty much any manoeuvre. The use of the clutch isn't reserved for a zap, nor not allowed in a double blip, is it? My point is if the obstacle necessitates it, you have to use the clutch to give you more instant power. The confusion seems to be compounded by different videos showing the same technique but then calling it something different. I am very far from being an expert and I appreciate that technique is a huge part of this game but I don't feel the need to 'label' and put a finite definition on a technique. If I need to get over a rock, log or bank, I need to do two things..... unweight and possibly lift the front and get the rear to drive, or roll, over it, with, or without, lifting the rear. Just out of interest, and this is no way a criticism..... If I need to climb a five/six foot, very steeply angled bank and I rev the bike with the clutch in, dump the clutch (thereby lifting the front wheel), then without using a kicker, I hit and drive up the bank. What would you call that? A roll up? A zap? Splat sans kicker? Also, if I want to get over a large tree trunk and I use the clutch to lift the front wheel onto the log and then as the front suspension rebounds, I give the bike a second blip (as well as dumping the clutch) and I unweighted the pegs lifting the rear wheel either on top of, or 3/4 up, the log.... Is that a zap or a double blip? I can see the need to apply labels when teaching a technique but as above, when different labels are applied to the same technique by different people it gets very confusing.

Thanks for the reply Never had it apart, the bike's new to me and I'm in lock down, so the bike's getting some TLC! It has had a bit of a beating in a former life, so I'm guessing things could get messy....

Planning on stripping down the rear linkage on my 16 racing and as far as I can see there are three options. A Jitsie kit, an All Balls kit, or individual OE parts. I've never had much success with All Balls kits in the past on road and dirt bikes, however. Anyone got any recommendations or experiences please?

It's me! I can start it second kick with my left leg but as I have a bad right knee it's just too much for it. I've tried a friends 280 GP with a low comp head and can start it fairly easily with my right leg. Although he did then tell me that he has a different CDI on the bike. I'm ok if I just ride and practice on the bike without stopping and starting it all the time. If I am stopping it every section then if becomes a pain to start it with my left.

Funny you should say that as almost a year ago we set off to drive to Milan via Menton to go to EICMA and see Elbow play, on the way back we stopped off at Dherbey. What a shop, it is truly trials heaven! Most bikes were available to test in their grounds, although they weren't interested in letting me try a Repsol. I've used them a few times for parts and whilst they're not cheap, they are fast. I'm sure they'd be interested in an extra salesman, every moto shop I go to mention they've sold a bike to an Englishman! As you say, it is a beautiful part of the world too. Sadly it was a cloudy day around Grenoble, although we'd crossed over from Italy earlier to be met with sunshine and the first snow of the year in the Alps. One day I am going to research as many trials clubs/venues in nice spots around France and go on a road trip. I also need to suss out the French pastime of trial randonnee.

No idea what was in there before, it looked like oil but it might have been some cheap stuff. It looked clean and new when I got the bike but there was also a lot of black gunge on the sump and oil filler plugs. I am pretty sure the bike has been ragged in the past but it seems to run nicely. The condition of the bike meant that it was a far cry from what I would buy in the UK but it was all that was around at the time and it was a passport to being able to ride here and to making friends. There was also a bit of politics in buying locally. I got the impression that they were just trying to sell me any old bike at first. There was a bit of 'sell the english bloke the heap in the corner'. Then they found out I knew a French guy that supports their trials school financially and the frostiness changed. A bit of banter and I was suddenly offered a new mudguard and some new stickers. Respect is a bit thing here and I hadn't earned any when I first walked in the door. Buying from that shop has earnt me plenty of brownie points, now I get emails and phone calls asking if I want to come and ride with the owner of the shop. Got a couple of days of nice weather to come and then I'll be stripping down the rear linkages, checking and replacing if necessary. Did you replace anything when you did yours, sorry I can't remember what you said? Had the notice come through from the French version of the ACU, no competition or practice until 1st December at the earliest.....

Back on subject...... Changed the gearbox oil to 380mls of Putoline GP10 and it feels to my uneducated finger, that I now have much better feel in the clutch. Only round the garden and over some logs, but it feels smoother and I can find the biting point easier. Back to the starting problem..... Splat shop seem to have the best deal at the moment and fast shipping to boot.

Strangely there's been a huge number of UK registered cars for sale down here lately..... Not to mention the amount of posts on FB about how to register for just about everything that should be registered for. Why people risk not getting into the health service here I don't know. I like to think mistakes are just something to learn and profit from, you had to do what you did and now you have a goal to work to. We left because we wanted all the things that rural France still seems to offer but the UK doesn't any more. Most of all a respect for others regardless of who they are, or what they possess. I can thoroughly recommend the Gers, or Haute Pyrenees, our 300 year old farm house with 2000 sqm of land cost a lot less than a 2 bed flat in Kent. It's the 30th October and I'm outside working on the bike in shorts and a t shirt.... Hijack? What hijack? Sorry Greg.

Thanks very much and I'm sorry to hear about your wife's dad. We understand the pull of family back in the UK, my other half's daughter is expecting and whilst we will go back for a few months (if CV allows) we've had discussions over should we go back permanently, or even share our time between the UK and France. The residency and 90 day thing is a pain though, I wonder when it will dawn on people exactly what we are losing. In all honesty, I've only just started warming to life here, my other half loves it and has friends here with similar interests. I thought it would be a 2 wheeled playground until I understood the power and frequency of the local hunt! My French wasn't good enough at first and the local trials clubs were all a fair distance away sadly. Then a chance meeting lead to getting to know some guys setting up a new club 20 minutes down the road from us. Four of them own the land, they're all French and they have been so kind and welcoming to both of us. Unfortunately their insurance means one of the owners has to be there for you to ride but as I'm fast making good friends with one of them, I get to know when at least one of them is riding. I hope you get to still spend some time down here, it really is a lovely way of life and here at least, full of kind, generous people. Plenty of bargain properties around here too....

Lovely location to have a place and yes the French love their taxes! Shame to lose it though? Another benefit of Brex*t. We've got about 7 months to go and then we can have permanent residency and at the moment, once my French improves, I will apply for naturalization.

Thanks Greg, really kind of you. Enjoyed the commentary too!

With the cases higher than the last time he locked down, I don't think it's likely we'll come out any time soon. We've rented a place in Portugal for 3 months, starting in December, trouble is we can't get there. Where in France do you have a place?

Sorry, I was a bit shocked by the news that we can't ride last night. That's a lovely Mexico, love the colour too, I was a fan of the Mk 2 RS, largely as my mates at the football club had them and we used to race back from a match to the pub. Seemed the height of cool back in the day. We have an open section to our barn, large enough to use as a practice area. We also have a few old concrete drain sections and some hefty wood from the old above ground pool, so it could well get turned into a trails area. Macron said that we should try to shop online to keep the economy going, so I can also see a suspension rebuild on the horizon. I blame my Mrs for the lockdown, we managed to get her Sherco insured yesterday, (trials bikes must be insured for public liability at our club) so she was due to have her first ride at the club this weekend! Where we are in France the numbers are quite low still and everyone has been pretty good with mask wearing. Although I have seen someone pull down their mask and do the two kisses thing when they met someone! Last lockdown was tough, with police road blocks everywhere, you had to prove where you were going, even if just for a walk! Only essential shopping and you weren't even allowed to ride a push bike. Highlight of our day was seeing a car drive past the front gate! We have relatives and friends back in the UK and it worries us just how bad things are probably going to be. I was amazed watching Macron last night, not once did he say what a good job his government had done, instead he said they had made some mistakes in the past. Contrast that with Boris et al.... Thanks for the chart, very kind of you.

Nope, no S3 head, mine's a racing rather than a GP. So the change is a bit more costly. The guy at the shop assured me he'd set the carb up perfectly. He's an ex works mechanic, although chatting to my friend at the club, he's not the best mechanic at the shop. As we're now in lock down until mid December I'll go through the carb too. 6/7 weeks of riding round the garden to come! Funnily enough my Mrs's son rebuilt this.....

Sorry Greg I missed your reply until today. Thanks for your kind offer, I'd actually be really keen to have a quick spin on your bike and compare the two. Unfortunately no one else at our club has a 300, they all ride 280s for some reason. It's not so much the work I'm not keen on (I really enjoy working on this bike, much more than my old Beta), it's which direction to go down. I dropped the oil on Monday intending to run the Putoline Light you mention. I have a friend who rides a 300 in the British Champs and he reckons it really works well. As there are big rumours here of a lockdown I've not done any more with the bike, as we needed to stock up on stuff, just in case, to keep us busy throughout the winter. If we do get locked down and the oil change doesn't work, I'll have a look at the clutch plates and see what lies within! As I understand it, it's possible to alter the plates and therefore the action? I need to get my head around that...... The bike had a new clutch put in it just before I bought it so I wondered if it was just bedding in. I was a bit surprised that the sump plug had a lot of black gunge on it, yet the oil was good, maybe the plates bedding? If the clutch gets sorted I'm not sure which way to go. Dropping the capacity would work no doubt but I wouldn't be able to recoup any money as bikes here normally have a logbook and changing the capacity on that would be amazingly complicated. Dropping the compression would be cheaper and if it didn't work, I'm pretty sure I could sell the kit. I have to say there is something about this bike that makes me want to get it working for me. Maybe I should just give up and chop it in for a new one but that just feels like failure! As just about everyone in our club rides a gasser, I jokingly asked one of the owners of the club, if I bought a Beta would I have to leave the club? "Betas sont pour les filles" (Betas are for girls) was the reply I got....

Your blips and zaps are all double blips. Much better examples now you're using a bigger obstacle, well done. You don't have to use your clutch on the step you're doing but when you move onto larger obstacles you will. There might even be an argument that if you used your clutch on the obstacle in your video it could be slower and more controlled. There is no need to rush it all, in fact there's plenty to suggest you should take it slower. If you don't have room in front or after the obstacle for example. Your splats are a zap without touching the obstacle. A splat is using a kicker to take off from in the aim of landing on the obstacle and then driving over it. Have a watch of the video I put up on your other thread.