dadof2

http://www.opieoils.co.uk/pdfs/castrol/Motorcycle%20Oils/2%20Stroke/TTS.pdf See the above data sheet for Castrol TTS. The wording is identical to Smith and Allans wording for their fully synthetic 2t. Looking at the data sheets S & As oil is slightly more viscous at 100 degrees C. But perhaps S & A s oil is made by Castrol.

In general trials is much safer but you can still break bones. Trials does not have the buzz of racing but it is a good entertaining day out and cheaper than MX. Certainly well worth a try.

Agree with #2

I think the attraction towards castor oils is historical and they still are very good lubricants, the best castors being as good or better than the best synthetics when at the limit. When I first had any interest in motor sport, 2 wheels and 4 everything ran castor oil and karts still do. Because of it widespread use in racing it probably leaves the impression that it is the ultimate engine oil

I occasionally use saddle soap, usually rinse off heavy muck with hose and toothbrush, not detergent and oil them while they are still damp and soft.

Bike details? Photo?

You need a T type allen key so you can apply significant torque whilst keeping the key straight in the head of the bolt. It is far better (difficult to explain without diagrams) to apply force to the key at both 3 and 9 oclock simultaneously. Thoroughly clean out the bolt head and glue the key in with JB weld. Alternatively if you can support where the bolt screws into, give the allen key a hard blow with a copper mallet while applying torque.

janvixen's post has an interesting comment about old castor attacking case hardened components. Castor oil is Hygroscopic (water absorbing) and once it has absorbed water it becomes acidic. This acid then attacks carbon at the grain boundaries in hardened steels or cast iron. I have never seen really bad examples of this, what I have seen far more often is just dirty gum that stops fresh lubricant reaching bearing surfaces which effectively run dry, overheat and cause more charring of lubricant before failing completely. Same acidic corrosion can happen to fuel injection components in your car if you run cheap bio diesel without a regular flush of mineral diesel.

Depends to some extent on how you want the suspension to feel. A good rider who hits things hard and tackles big steps and likes to bounce the bike about probably has about 33% sag. Someone who rides the clubman or green course would probably be best with 35 to 40% sag. Too stiff is worse than too soft so don't go too hard. Make of spring does not matter, so long as its the right inside diameter, not too large outside diameter and won't become coil bound at full compression it will be OK. http://www.airedalesprings.co.uk/springs/compression-springs/ See above link. They would be able to measure your spring (including its rate / stiffness) and make you one to suit your weight. I have never used this company for motorcycle springs but their extension and "industrial" compression springs give good service and are well priced. There may be a similar spring maker near you.

Reply to #11 I think the rear suspension travel for a 2014 is 164mm (check your handbook) therefore 90mm sag is 55% (90/164 x 100) which is far too much. You do need a heavier spring. Since you are 96kg it looks like the splatshop 20% stiffer spring would be the way to go You will also need to stiffen the forks a little, maybe more oil or spacer and if that is not sufficient, stiffer springs. Just a guess but a 25mm long spacer turned from polypropylene or nylon would probably do, but stiffer springs may be better, front is not so critical because it is often nearly unloaded but up gently sloped slippery rivers in particular a stiff rear and soft front will upset stability and loose grip.

Low oil level will cause a soft fork. Restore your adjustment, oil type and oil level to standard as per handbook.

Some BETA 200s do make more top end / barrel area noise than you might expect even when all clearances are correct and nothing is worn. They can sound like a "bag of nails" yet still run well and pull very strongly.

http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/5mm-white-led-n28fn See above. The purpose of the PCB (in addition to providing LED mounts) is to control the voltage for the LEDs. If you can check the supply voltage / power to the PCB it may be that you can replace it with a zenner diode and a traditional bulb holder. The zenner diode may not be required if the voltage is already regulated to the 12 to 15 volt range. If none of the above works you could use the fan power supply to power a decent headlight as you fan won't normally run on the road.

The PHBL does not have a choke It is the position of the plunger that counts. When plunger is down the enrichment circuit is closed - normal hot running position When the plunger is up the enrichment circuit is open - cold start position

Have you put the right fluid in, should it be DOT 4 or HSMO ? Park the bike so there is a definite upward gradient in the hose and slave cylinder all the way to the reservoir and leave it like that overnight. It is likely there are minute bubbles in the fluid that are causing loss or slave cylinder travel and these should rise out overnight. Another method is to put PTFE tape on the bleed nipple threads to seal them, Fit a 4 ft long clear tube to the bleed nipple (tube full of clean fluid) and the vacuum bleed towards the reservoir. Vacuum expands small bubbles and makes them more likely to rise out.

I would say that a significantly heavier rider benefits from a stiffer spring but the forks need to be matched Suspension is a very complex subject that can't be covered in brief posts. Generally speaking a soft spring with a lot of pre load is used for comfort whereas a stiffer spring with less pre load is used for precise handling. Both soft and stiff springs attempt to maintain the vehicle at its preset ride height. On most vehicles the aim of the suspension is to absorb bumps, maintain the vehicle at the correct attitude to the road and maintain good wheel to surface contact. This is not the case with trials bikes, particularly in stop permitted type riding. Here the spring / suspension is used as an energy store, the energy being released when required to hop the bike up obstacles or bounce the front wheel round. A lower level rider probably benefits from a suspension set up that primarily absorbs bumps whereas a top level rider will need a more reactive suspension to assist their riding. Whatever level of rider you are it is no use having suspension that bottoms out frequently, this just causes instability and loss of grip. Take the spring off your shock and refit the shock to the bike, then stand on the bike in your normal riding position whilst a friend takes a side on photo which clearly shows the position of the rear wheel relative to the rear mudguard, this is fully bottomed out. Refit the spring and ride the bike in sections with your friend filming it. Then rerun the film in slow / stop and check for bottoming out. It should only just or not quite bottom when you lift the front and load the back to ride a large step or hit a large bump. Any more frequent bottoming and your suspension is too soft, so you need more preload, a stiffer spring or more compression damping. If your static sag is 40% of suspension travel or less, prevent bottoming by increasing compression damping. If your static sag is more than 40% of suspension travel you need more pre load or stiffer spring. Some would suggest 35% is the option point rather than 40%. One of the great benefits of rising rate / linkage suspension is that it is able to accommodate quite a range of rider weights whilst still providing acceptable performance. It is also fortunate that a set up that suits a good / expert 70 Kg rider is usually adequate for a somewhat heavier rider of lesser ability. That statement pretty well holds true for MX and Enduro as well.

"Manufactured using specially selected additives to prevent rapid deteriation through oxidation. Its tenacious affinity for adhesion to metal surfaces, even when these surfaces are subjected to extreme temperatures, provide excellent anti-sze properties - an important consideration with highly stressed engines running at peak revolutions. In common with all SAE 40 oils, it is relatively viscous when cold; circulation may, therefore, be sluggish in the colder weather immediately following start-up. For this reason, care should be taken to ensure that the engine is thoroughly warm before stressing it heavily. It is a "one meeting" only lubricant. Fresh oil should be used at the commencement of each meeting and drained at completion. Vehicles should not be stored indefinitely with these products remaining in the crankcase." The above is taken from the site of a castrol R type oil supplier. I used to use these oils for Kart racing and still would but we use to strip and clean the engines every meeting and throw the petroil mix away once it was 3 days old. I have also stripped 2 and 4 stroke engines that had used R type oils for extended times and they were badly gummed or wrecked. If I had a bike I valued that had been laid up for some time with R in it I would certainly try very hard to check for gumming and satisfy myself it was clear before running it. PS - Laird, I think you have mixed up winter and summer

Even wear all round is OK. If there is more wear or it extends further on one side suspect bent fork tube.

It circulates water around the exhaust area for cooling as this is the hottest part of the engine. I have an 07 Beta on which the case was corroded when I bought it. I cleaned it up and coated the corroded area with JB weld and it has been fine since. Even if you can't stop the corrosion completely you can delay purchase of new case quite a bit. Use BS5680 antifreeze (blue ethylene glycol) mixed at 50%.

http://www.castrol.com/en_gb/united-kingdom/products/cars/classic-oils/classic-engine-oils.html The above is worth a read, also http://www.advantage-motorsport.co.uk/castrol-r40-engine-oil.html?gclid=CK-CzLfC18ECFQ3LtAodpF8AXw I do not know of any manufacturer who would advise Castor bean oil for a 4 stroke trials engine and most would outline several disadvantages.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1ifm_e8a5U#t=688 Not always perfect, note the gesture at 10:58

Castrol R, or any other vegetable oil is not the right oil for a trials bike. Give the engine several flushings with flushing oil (any cheap high detergent diesel oil will do for this) and then switch to a straight grade oil, SAE 40 or 50 in summer, maybe SAE 30 in Winter. Ordinary 10w40 or 20w50 will do for a one off ride (warm the bike up gently) http://www.smithandallan.com/products/transport-classic-and-vintage/

You won't know what you need until you have the bore measured, may need a replate. For bits try Sandifords or you may get pattern (or genuine) parts cheaper from an Apico dealer.

Perce - do you know something we don't, perhaps at Richmond you know someone who works at S & A? Shell was purely a guess, but one with some foundation. A few years ago S & A used to make much of their relationship with Shell, but they no longer do and seem to be offering products from an ever increasing number of suppliers. Shell until 2011 was the largest supplier of petro chemical base stocks to the North West UK but then sold out to Essar? however I it likely many Shell base stock customers would continue to get most of their supplies from Essar. Perhaps it could be expected that S & A would use Petro Plus products from nearby Teeside but there has never been any indication of this. Certainly I doubt if S & A 2T is same as Shell 2T as S & A have always claimed to blend their own and their current own product literature supports this. There are a vast number of additive manufacturers in the UK and it would be a fair bet S & A use at least several of these. Their oils work and are well priced and thats what matters. I much prefer S & A to Rock Oil or Silkoline for example.

Pretty good all round bike. Easy to ride. generally reliable Look out for stripped fasteners on chassis and corrosion in water pump housing, If severe corrosion or leaking a new primary case is needed. Clutches can be a bit variable.