Make aure you test the cable after refitting it by turning the handlebars fully to right and left, engine not running. As you shut the throttle you should hear a click as the slide bottoms in the carburettor. If you don't hear this, you need to dial in a little slack on the cable with the adjuster on top of the carb. If the cable isn't bottoming properly the engine revs will race on start-up.
And here in Spain as long as you're not being anti-social in some way, and avoiding places with tourists, you can do whatever. People near me ride stuff like motocross bikes to the pub and back without worries.
Blimey. Wouldn't get away with riding a motocrosser to the pub or anywhere else for more than two minutes here in blighty.
I was riding the SSDT when Thorpie was on the CCM (1979). He spent quite a bit of time repairing/rebuilding it through the week. A very game effort, but he soon returned to a Bulto after the event.
It's a man thing. New hobby - do it two weeks - buy a million quid's worth of new kit. Get bored 6 months later.
Ride the Rev - work on your skills. Stop looking for a new one. I would bet you a tenner if you buy a Beta 200 you will be shopping round for something else in 18 months. Use your power of obsession to obsess about balance not bikes.
Fair point. What ratio of rider/bike performance contributes to a good result? 80/20, 90/10?
It does take more than a little acclimation time. To me, considerably more than when switching from 2-stroke to 4-stroke. It requires a deft throttle hand, for sure. I can't totally agree with the comment on difficulty regaining traction once the tire slips. Provided you don't have, or use, the tickover mode (counter-productive in my opinion), it is as simple at closing the throttle. Then SLOWLY reapply. The bike performs incredibly well when you learn to stay off the clutch and ride with throttle only. Totally eliminates a variable that can effect (jar) smooth traction management.
Bike maintenance, or lack thereof, is brilliant. As is the absence of kickstarting, waiting for engine warm-up, hot having a hot engine or exhaust, etc. Once you get beyond the missing petrol engine noise, the bike makes its own sounds. Things that you acclimate to and learn to hear instead. The whir of the clutch gears, tires on the dirt, chain, etc. No desire to return to petrol, whatsoever!
Thanks for this input. Other than launching the bike for big steps, I would have thought the clutch was superfluous as you can go right down to zero and pick away again smoothly on the throttle only. In effect, the bike is unstallable. Or am I underestimating the benefits of the clutch?
I've been having similar thoughts, and intend to test ride latest model this month. I did get a ride on one a couple of years ago but nothing about it tempted me to change (from the point of view of competing in trials - not sure if this is your situation).
Relevant points for me are:
- They're improving significantly year by year. Buying one now could leave me with a bike seriously out-dated by new model in two or three years.
- Although it may cause less bother, riding it on private land without permission is just as illegal, with the same penalties, as a petrol bike. I accept this isn't important to some.
- Virtually nobody in my area, which is a trials riding hotspot with loads of experienced riders, has made the move. Why?
- Looking at the owners FB page, they're not entirely without their problems, and there is a reported tendency for the factory to be deaf to complaints or claims.
throttle cable install on GasGas
in General Trials Talk
Posted
Make aure you test the cable after refitting it by turning the handlebars fully to right and left, engine not running. As you shut the throttle you should hear a click as the slide bottoms in the carburettor. If you don't hear this, you need to dial in a little slack on the cable with the adjuster on top of the carb. If the cable isn't bottoming properly the engine revs will race on start-up.