02-apr

Actually it could be argued that fitting a twinshock set up to a monoshock is a period mod. One of the very first TY monos in the country (in the twin shock period remember) was converted to twin shock by a chap, in the north-west area if memory serves me right, because he thought the standard setup put too much strain in the back of the gearbox. He was proven right in a few cases too.

If you mean where I think you mean then it is potentially a very sensitive area, partly due to there being no parking to speak of, and its location is best kept off the internet. We don't want to lose this one after forty years or so of happy use. Just look what's happened to Addingham Moorside. Ask anyone at the next trial and you should get an answer to your question.

Sorry chaps no offence intended to anyone, just an old guy's thoughts. I've never seen a Beta with vents there before, only solid plugs. My local dealer tells me the 07 breathes through the inlets at the front of the tank and I have no reason not to believe him. As I said, look more closely at the photo, that area looks very different to the current model and could that black bit below the tank be a flattish tube leading to the air filter?

I used to think that trials riders, in particular amongst the sporting fraternity, were appreciative of the things that really matter in a bike but what do we have here? Comments range from the colour (I look at the rocks, not the bike, when I'm riding) through the stickers (they won't last long anyway) to the fat bars (a fashion item that won't improve anyone's score and the sections aren't exactly littered with broken 7/8 inch bars to indicate a particular weakness). Okay the carb might still need a tweak but we all want something to do to feel we have improved a bike and it's an easy fix, though I concede it shouldn't be necessary in this day and age. How come nobody but nobody has picked up that this bike incorporates the most significant trials bike design improvement in a decade? Look more closely at the photo and read the script. You will now be able to ride through something deeper than a dog's drinking bowl without drawing in water and blowing the barrel off its flange. Yes, the air inlet is at long last sensibly positioned, something modern frames could always so easily have allowed with their large section frame members. I seem to recall that Walter Luft's Puch had a similar steering head height inlet in the Sixties but if I'm wrong Big John will no doubt correct me. I reckon this model only improves Beta's reputation as a bike for the thinking rider who wants practicality as well as perfromance. I think