dadof2

I did the Lakes 2 day as my 4th trial only 3 weeks after starting trialling. I lost about 300 marks and was not far off last. It was in January in those days. Saturday was quite pleasant and sunny with only an odd shower. Sunday was bitterly cold rain with snow on the tops of the hills, I can remember trying to warm my hands in turn by holding them against the barrel. It was certainly a learning experience and at times I wondered why I was doing it. If you can ride for the number of hours consider doing it and miss out any hard sections you don't like the look of.

Try to ride one for a days trial before buying. I know of some riders who find the lower shock mount / linkage bolt rubs on their heel and causes soreness and boot wear.

A number of problems arise as wiring looms on any vehicle age. These result in loss of power in electrical components and systems including ignition circuits. These defects often do not show up with simple resistance testing but they do significantly reduce current flow. Age defects include: Wires reduced in cross sectional area due to corrosion or fatigue cracking. Resistance to current flow due to corrosion on connectors, corrosion on wire where it is crimped into connectors or loosening of connectors Leakage of electricity due to failing insulation. Vehicle manufacturers minimise wire sizes to save money, most wiring looms would benefit from larger wires.

Have you considered getting a bracket made for the swinging arm and fitting a second brake cylinder operated by a left handlebar lever.

Rossi is a champion but I can never hold him in the same regard as those that risk(ed) their lives at the the TT such as Hailwood. Bou is the best rider as regards modern WTC but he is not as complete a trials rider as Sammy Miller or Bill Nicholson Upping the minimum weight limit a making it a condition of WTC entry that the bike is offered for sale at production bike list price immediately after the event would be interesting.

Bilks, those clearances don't look right either in metric or imperial. If they are metric they look very very tight. I would expect piston to bore to be between 0.0015 and 0.0025 inch which is 0.038 to 0.0635 mm In answer to original posters question your ring end gaps are far too big but I don't have correct info to hand.

There is a crucial word in this report "could" I suspect that this report is not complete or accurate as are many press report. When you know the full facts things are often very different to the brief press report "they hand over ­registration documents for any vehicle they sell" For starters you do not hand over registration documents, you send them to the DVLA. Nor does the article state what the legal loophole is, what section of the policy or which Act. All looks a bit iffy to me.

Generally these are a good sound, reliable bike with better build quality than modern bikes. All down to condition and how well it has been looked after. A shade heavier than modern bikes but nothing that matters on easy and clubman courses. Look up Jason Finn videos to see what can be done on one.

If you wash your bike while the engine is hot this is likely to happen.

Before doing anything else pressure test the engine. You just need to make blanking plates for the inlet and exhaust and fit one with a tubeless valve. Pressurise the engine to between 5 and 10 PSI and see if the pressure drops, look for bubbles in your coolant or air coming out of the gearbox breather. If engine seems pressure tight try giving it a decoke, sometimes this revving with throttle close is caused by glowing carbon in combustion chamber or exhaust port. What heat range is your plug, if you ride a rials bike harder than normal you should go up a grade or two.

Are you sure it is a gas shock?

With traction usually limited by rear tyre grip and rear suspension (only twin shock capability in this case) is more power really an improvement? Just my opinion but I think the old Yam 250 motors were some of the sweetest running engines ever made and ideal for twin shock trials with adequate power in standard form, and I have always been a bit on the heavy side.

JASO FC – lubricity and initial torque requirements same as FB, however far higher detergency, exhaust smoke and exhaust system blocking requirements over FB. JASO FD – same as FC with far higher detergency requirement. ISO-L-EGC – same tests and slightly higher detergency requirements (piston varnish) as JASO FC. ISO-L-EGD – same tests and requirements as JASO FD. Make sure it meets at least either the JASO or ISO specs above, if not, don't use it. Just because its synthetic does not mean it is any good.

I would not bother. The standard TY 250s from 1975 on should have any amount of bottom end power if running correctly. It should be able to pull anywhere in second gear from the slowest tickover.

Get a had exerciser and strengthen your muscles instead of taking springs out. Trials bike clutches are very light, almost effortless compard to 500cc MX bike or large road bikes.

TIG is best for your airbox Abrasives of any kind are not recommended for preparing aluminium for welding as they leave embedded particles of abrasive and binder which contaminate the weld. Use a stainless steel wire brush, stainless steel wire wool and a special type of file like a rasp. As previously advised aluminium needs to be cleaned with alcohol, acetone of dewaxing solvent using a brush or lint free cloth. Aluminium is covered with a layer of refractory oxide that has to be removed in order for the joint to fuse. When oxy acetylene welding or brazing aluminium a very corrosive flux is used to remove this oxide. If any trace of this flux is left on or in the weld severe corrosion and porosity will occur quite rapidly. I use a KempoTIG 250 but the newer variable frequency sets are better for thin aluminium

What defines a good spectator sport - I have not got a clue.

First check the ignition timing with a strobe light. I don't know exact figure for this bike but 2.5mm BTDC should be near enough. Check the carb float height. Check the cold start enrichment assembly is clean seals undamaged and seating properly. Sounds like it is running rich. Try turning the petrol off and see if it will rev out properly (4 stroking ceases) as the fuel runs out and the level in the carb drops.

Complete guesses Clutch touching engine case Kick start idler gear

Just want to correct what I said on my previous post, I meant to say it is the aluminium footrest brackets that crack, not the footrests.

Check kickstart works smoothly and all gears engage easily. Ask for sump guard to be removed and check underside rear engine mount area in particular. Both frame and crank cases can crack in this area.

No the front rim was OK, just a shade bent. What happened was I pulled back on the bars to wheelie at the rock step and the handlebar snapped off at the clamp (no handle bar braces in those days). I then put one half of the handlebar in each clamp to ride back to the start (quite a few miles) only to find front tyre went flat. Then had to drop forks out of yokes to change the inner tube, as I could not remove the bent spindle with the tools in my bum bag.

You don't say what your bike is exactly. Could someone have put in the wrong clutch hydraulic fluid, dot 4 instead of HSMO or vice versa? This can make the slave cylinder seal swell and stop the clutch engaging properly. If possible et someone who knows these engines to have a look, I have come across several mis assembled GG clutches, even finding the kickstart shaft shim washer on the clutch release bearing in one.

You don't have to have trials boots, safety wellies with steel toecap and instep are fine on easy courses and are about 1/10th the price of boots. I would go for a 200 or 250, older 125s tend to have very little bottom end power and this can make them hard to ride. Also a 125 has probably had a hard life especially if thrashed by a youth rider.

Beta pistons are cast (not forged like Mahle) so there is a theoretical chance of fatigue cracking after a certain number of hours. I would think the chances of your piston cracking at typical low revs trials use is about the same as your chance of winning the lottery. If you were to remove the piston and barrel, measure wear and crack test every 300 hours I would think that more than adequate. Aerosol dye penetrant kits for crack testing cost about £10 to £15 in the UK. Beta aluminium footrests do crack and can snap, this could cause a crash and injury so it is worth crack testing them every few months once they are over a year old.