cleanorbust

Congratulations, I remember enjoying mine in the 70s. If you have an Ossa MAR with brakes as good as a Fantic you have indeed an outstanding example on your hands. Back in the day they were known for failing to provide any significant retardation not only in wet conditions but if the sun so much as went behind a cloud.

Had no trouble being allowed to try my bike in the back of a Fiat Doblo when I bought it from a dealer. The fit was so close that it was the only way to see if it would work, and since the sale depended on it there wasn't a problem.

Quote: I mentioned it as my rev3 had the same problem that was greatly helped by going a tooth down on the front and 2-3 larger on the back, removing the front sprocket guard also helped. Those two changes would make for a significant lowering of the gearing, no?

Can recommend Rockshocks: good quality, can be tailored to your weight/riding style, they're rebuildable and all parts can be bought individually. Also their personal service is friendly and second to none. Should be well within your budget.

Lots of the top guys of that era used to do exactly that, sometimes four or five times, before launching themselves into a section. Didn't mean they distrusted their gearboxes, just part of their mental prep: being 110% sure they were in the right gear meant they could focus completely on their attempt. Doesn't seem to happen so much these days. Another trick was for a rider to prod his bike into bottom gear about a dozen times, advertising to his watching rivals that he was going to use first gear for the section, then sneakily brush the lever into second just before letting the clutch out.

He did in fact ride the Ossa in one trial, a local Yorkshire Centre one. This caused some raised eyebrows at the time as the move was a surprise, and he didn't actually do very well, not being used to the Ossa's shorter wheelbase etc. He soon patched things up with Bulto and was back on one the next week.

Lives in the Balance (Jackson Browne) And no, that can't be Jeff Smith on the Moody Blues cover - he didn't ride a CZ

1973 Italian world round and SSDT.

There is more than a little subjectivity on this and other points when it comes to an MOT: some testers will let it go and others are much more strict.

Assuming you have a 6 or 7 digit registration number the 7" by 5" plate shown in the above link would not accommodate the legally required size of letters and numbers which a plate made up after 2001 must display. To be legal, compliance with the Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks) Regulations 2001 is required, and the following dimensions should be used: height of characters: 79mm width of characters: 50mm (except letter l or number 1) stroke width of characters: 14mm space between characters: 11mm margin at edges of plate: 11mm Of course, lots of people use smaller plates than this, and that is a whole different discussion.

Sounds like a plan. Easy enough to make a template from card then form the guard from tin or similar, making sure there are no sharp points or edges (another potential MOT failure!) Best of luck!

Letters and numbers must be black.

A chainguard is not required for the MOT according to the tester's manual, however if one is fitted it must be secure and not foul the drive train. Many bikes have passed the MOT without a chainguard, however some testers do have a problem with one not being fitted - perhaps a good idea to get your local tester's view on it before submitting the bike for test. Or of course you could buy (or make - not a hard job on the 247) one just to be sure. As a further anomaly, regardless of the MOT requirements a motorcycle does not meet construction and use regulations if it has chain drive and no guard, so a well informed member of your local constabulary may well take a dim view of an absent chainguard should your paths happen to cross.

You can convert the original cylindrical 200 silencer to be repackable, as I did with mine back in the day: Hacksaw off the last 4-5cm of the silencer. Saw 5 or 6 longitudinal slots in this end section, so that you can slightly flare out the flanges and fit this section as a cap over the end of the silencer. A suitably sized jubilee clip will hold this on and seal the join. The end cap you have created can easily be removed to repack the silencer as often as you like. £100 saved!

Tyre pressures correct? Many riders still run too-high pressures, looking at the lack of sag in their tyres. Sounds like you've reached the stage of learning low-speed "feel" where grip is achieved by a combination of balance, weight placement and developing the connection between your throttle hand and the blocks on your rear tyre. Any of the popular instruction videos may help, as does lots of practice of course. Remember, a good trials rider has to be as tough as nails AND as smooth as silk.

The 247 can give problem of selecting 1st and 2nd only, if the carrier for the selector pawls is replaced upside down. Sounds like yours is a different problem though...

You'll be able to tell if the forks are air type easily as there will be valves incorporated into the caps if so. Recommended pressure on my Cota 247 is 8-12 psi so that should give you a starting point. For preloading, just unscrew the fork caps after slackening the pinch bolts in the fork yoke. Raise the bike off it's wheels for this! Be careful as you unscrew the caps as the threads are fine and the pressure of the spring below it can blow the cap off the fork leg before it's fully unscrewed - keep some downward pressure on the cap as you undo it. If there's no preload spacer in there start with one 15-20mm long. A piece of metal tubing of suitable diameter can be cut to suit. Then just reassemble taking care not to cross-thread the cap.

If the front forks are air pressurised it may help to increase the pressure a bit. Use a bicycle pump with screw-on adapter, that way you won't lose the pressure when you detach the pump. Could also try inserting or increasing preloader between spring and fork cap.

If your preference is for classic bikes I believe the Yorkshire Classic Trials website offer one.

Reminds me of a question which a colleague of this reporter once posed to the listening public: What's the difference between a ukulele and a trampoline? Answer: You should take your shoes off before you jump on a trampoline.

Whatever ratio you end up using, it's worth measuring the oil accurately. I use a medical syringe to draw the oil up and apply it into the fuel can, before adding the petrol. This ensures that if, for example, I'm using a 50:1 ratio I measure and use exactly 100ml of oil for 5 litres of petrol, as opposed to pouring oil into a jug then decanting into the fuel can which invariably leaves some of the oil on the sides of the jug.

I just brush paint exhaust with matt engine lacquer after a quick going over with sandpaper every couple of months. About 3 minutes work each time, keeps things looking fresh. A £5 pot is still keeping me going two years later.

I've had good service from a pair of Wulfsport boots for the past couple of years. Available from £118 when I looked around last month.

Trial loser? No way!

Ways to soften the power delivery: - slow action throttle if not already fitted (has white plastic tube under the grip) - extra head gasket - retard ignition. This has been covered in previous threads on the Trialscentral Sherco forum, or google "sherco ignition timing guide" Enjoy the bike.