dadof2

Are you sure you have got the seal grooves completely cleaned out. Even a minute amount of corrosion in the groove can cause the symptoms you describe. If you can get a dentists examination mirror to thoroughly check the seal groove.To clean the grooves properly you need to make a hooked scraper then polish them out with fine or medium wire wool wedged in so it takes on the shape of the groove. You are far from the first person to be fed up with GGs failure to carry brake spares in stock.

Either a duff HT coil or duff stator can cause these kickbacks. As soon as you get the engine running check the timing advances and retards correctly using a strobe light and marks on the flywheel.

I think Jarno Sarrinen may have been the rider who started the knee out style. I rate Jarno as right up there with the best and but for his tragically early death he may have gone on to be the greatest of all time.

I sometimes wonder what goes on at Honda UK, how much they support their dealers and weather they really care about customers. Several years ago I wanted a large capacity Honda road bike so I enquired at my local dealer. They did not have any in stock but said they would get back to me in a day or two. When they got back to me they said Honda UK might have some in about 6 weeks but could not be sure. I then bought one from a grey importer who had 2 in stock and could get as many as he wanted from a Honda Belgium warehouse at a few days notice. The 4 Honda dealers reasonably local to me (Neil Sissons, White Bros, Bill Head & Bob Jackson) have all gone. One of the funniest stories I heard was a sales pitch from a well known suzuki dealer. A lad I know was contemplating a grey import GSX 600 as it was much cheaper than official UK bike. The official dealer told him grey imports were made of poorer metal than the UK spec bikes.

There are all sorts of things that can be done to a 2T to try to clean it up but all add cost and complexity to such an extent its probably easier just to use a 4T. My concern is that some legislation will appear that makes it impossible to register 2T bikes for the rad.

Dellorto carb?

Very nice, a much better interpretation of no stop riding than happens at many trials now

These can be real b-----s to shift. My method was to leave the fork tubes fully fastened in both yokes. Drain fluid and remove bottom allen bolts, mudguard and bracket etc. Replace front wheel spindle Put block of wood on top of spindle and longer piece under bottom yoke Between the 2 pieces of wood use a jack and carefully press the fork sliders off

Telecat - was NV website for general interest or is there something specific to my original post - is so please provide a link to the page Thanks

Canada 280i. I have seen some "Chinese" bikes that were c--p but also some that have proved to be rugged and reliable despite abuse and lack of maintenance that would quickly wreck any European trials bike. Whether a Chinese manufacturer ever chooses to make a trials bike only time will tell, but no one should underestimate the rate at which their quality in engineered products is improving. Sooner or later at least one (if Mont / Honda is not already) of the European manufacturers is going to start sourcing significant numbers of components in the far east and the others will have to follow suit if they are to remain competitive cost wise.

Dabster, its hard to tell if you are deliberately misquoting my posts or you just can't read properly. Where EXACTLY did I say cheap Chinese bikes are the way to go? I note you have avoided answering why the heavy Mont / Hondas have better resale values and why trialling was more popular when bikes were heavier. As for gas gas reliability they are certainly loosing customers because people believe they are unreliable often with the good reason of personal experience, Malcolm Rathmell (Sherco importer) is probably rubbing his hands with glee at the number switching to his marque. Not so long ago I felt there was a fair chance my next bike would be a gasser, thinking I could probably live with the potential gearbox problems, but after seeing frame breaks and water pump problems as well I have decided against a gasser.

Useful tips when undoing any tight fastener. 1) Apply a shock in line with the axis of the fastener whilst applying torque 2) Use a T handle so that torque is applied to the wrench at 2 places at 180 degrees opposite not just one side.

Last figures I saw gas gas had biggest market share and possibly still have nationally. Based on what I see at trials I think beta may be catching up and sherco seem to selling quite a few.

Yes they were Lifan, scooters and small motorcycles but some are badged differently. In General the 4 strokes are Honda copies and the 2 strokes Yamaha copies. You find Lifan engines in just about anything from wackers, generators, buses, cars and trucks.

Dabster - I am beginning to wonder if you make your living supplying lightweight parts? Take a look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lifan_Group If these cheap products were that bad this company could not have expanded at such a rate. Vast numbers of these cheap bikes provide reliable daily transport in developing nations. I can remember when British manufacturers (BSA, Triumph etc) laughed at those little Japanese step thrus, saying its Ok lads we will not bother with those we will concentrate on "real bikes". Next thing the brits were begging for government handouts before going bust. Why was trialling more popular and more new bikes sold when they were heavier? Why do Mont / Hondas command much higher second hand values than lighter bikes?

I was at a motorcycle (road bikes mainly) dealers a few days ago and with regard to small commuter bike he said these were the last batch of 2 strokes he was getting. Manufacturers were going 4 stroke only because in many markets catalytic converter would be required from 2016 for motorcycles type approved for road use / registration. He did not have any legal info in particular or if this would apply to UK or EU, he just assumed it would based on what manufacturers supplier had said. Anyone else heard anything?

Any market research company or company marketing department will confirm that lack of reliability is a big turn off for customers and damaging to brand reputation. The lower the cost, the more is sold (all other things being equal) this is known as price elasticity of demand and is well established, the only uncertainty being the slope of the price demand curve for a given product at a given price. A minimum weight rule is the FIMs and it would be up to them to discuss further rule changes with the manufacturers. It would also be up to the FIM to decide if they wish to push this further down via negotiations with national bodies such as the ACU. I am not in favour of increasing the weight of bikes just for the sake of it, it is because I believe bikes are now so light it is affecting reliability and increasing costs and is to the detriment of the sport. I think the ideal weight of a trials bike would around 75kgs or a shade more. At this weight the radiators could be a shade bigger, the sump shields and engine casings a bit thicker, gearbox internals more robust, discs and sprockets need not be perforated, frames a bit stronger and the use of exotic difficult to repair materials such as titanium and magnesium avoided. I too regret the demise of the 500cc 2 stroke in motoGP and even more so in motocross where the move to 4 strokes has seen an increase in costs and a decrease in reliability. A few days ago I looked at a 125cc 4stroke Chinese trail bike new for £999. upside down forks, reservoir gas shock etc. There is absolutely no doubt that a decent 250cc trials bike for less than £2k could be build if there was a decent sized market.

May be easier to suggest something if you said what part of UK you are in On Ebay someone in Derbyshire is selling off a whole range of Yamaha TYs. instead of spending 4k as a beginner you may be better off spending around 1k (probably a bit under) say on a good Ty250R. They are easy to use and you should be able to sell it on for little loss in a few months or a years time. By this time you will know what your ability is and be in a much better position to wisely spend 4k.

Seals wear due to abrasive particles of sand mud etc. Damaged fork tubes (usually caused by dropping bike on rocks0 can also cause them to leak.

Try Dellorto UK

If you kick the bike over without the spark plug earthed this can wreck the CDI. Basically what happens is that if the spark energy can't dissipate to ground it goes back into the coil and CDI and burns something out in there. Before replacing the CDI again check the stator (source and trigger coil) outputs.

There seems to be an assumption by some that the sport of motorcycle trials is in a healthy state, it is not, its barely struggling to keep going. BVM has just gone and there are other dealers barely viable or possibly operating at a loss and hoping things will pick up. The continual development of lighter and more fragile bikes had / has to stop otherwise the sport would disappear up its own blinkered backside. Of course riders will nearly always want what they believe to be the most competitive bike and that is why restrictions on development has to be by rules, not voluntary action by individual manufacturers. You only have to look at what Graham Jarvis can do on a relatively heavy enduro to realise that a minimum weight of 80 kg would not spoil trialing. If the sport wants to increase participation it need to lower costs and increase reliability. If bikes are not sold in greater numbers there will never be enough money to provide supported rides to talented riders, and more bikes will not be sold until they are perceived as being better value for money.

Generally yes You will need a certificate from the dealer who sold it new or the importer, then contact the DVLA. If its a grey import it may need to be inspected at a VOSA centre who will certify it (or not) as meeting legal requirements for UK roads. If you are lucky DVLA may register it on a Q plate without questions other than a receipt / proof of ownership. You then have to get it MOTd.

Very difficult to advise on this. What would be ideal is a 100cc with Ty80 port timing and 17 / 20 inch wheels. 80s tend to lack torque but may be Ok for your sons weight. A 125 will be a bit heavy and may be hard for him to control and very difficult for him to hold upright or pick up when he gets into difficulty. My view is he would be better and safer on an 80 at least until he gets a bit of strength and confidence. But try before you buy

Gasgas249uk - why suggest a twin shock?