bostit

Hi Dave, Guilty as charged, had a good ride on Saturday until I 5'd the second to last section! Rode the ex. Nigel Mills Armstrong, this machine is definitely NOT for sale. Rhayader any good?

I've been looking for a few years and followed up the Itallian e-bay link. I found Centro Hiro in Italy who apparently can supply most engine parts (I've seen photos of all the parts I asked for). I haven't bought anything from them yet but I now have two engines in need of overhall so if you PM me with your details perhaps I can add it to my shipment? They don't appear to speak english which makes things interesting!

Check that the brake lever and the push rod into the master cylinder has not been adjusted so as to stop the flow of fluid back into the reservoir. The push rod needs to be loose ie. not pressing hard on the master cylinder. I had this problem and it cost me a new hose when it exploded and heart failure when it happened again in the SSDT (cooled by a bottle of water from the Army).

I ran a Dellorto at Red Marley last year but it's not really in the spirit of the sport. Try a 3 slide, 110 main jet, 35 pilot, 105 2stroke needle and a cut away atomiser as a start point. Will work ok but will still spit and stall when you don't want it to. I think really low gearing is the answer for red marley if it's dry cos the sections can be tight & fiddly.

Have got a '84 Armstrong twinshock that I'd like to re-position the footrests on. I am paranoid about damaging the electronic ignition if I weld the frame with the engine & electrics still in place, am I worrying unneccesarily?

I used to dry my air filter in the tumble dryer after washing it. Then the ex-wife came and took the dryer away with her new chap, bet they couldn't guess where the vague smell of petrol in their washing was coming from.....Does work well though, but haven't tried it again, don't want another divorce.

Sounds like the Kings Norton Group Trial to me. Starts from the Fox at Broadheath. Think it's on again in March and yes it's a great day out.

Got them on the Armstrong & the Cub and so far so good, they're pricey so it's a question of how big your budget is but I wouldn't put you off them.

Contact for Rock Shocks - Pete Edmondson on 01543 685430

The Rock Shocks are updated from the 80's product and now have a threaded body for preload adjustment (as per Falcon Alloy & Classic shock) but I wondered about them not being gas filled. All I can say is they give a more modern action than the gas filled NJBs & Falcolns I've used previously, so far so good.

No experience of Betors, had NJB expert on the Armstrong, oh dear! Falcon on the Cub, people rave about these but can't really see what the fuss is about, now put Rock Shocks on the Armstrong and it's just great. Expensive but very good, if you can afford them have them.

Knew Martins' emigration was on the cards, does anyone else do a 250 conversion? or will the new owner be offering them? any idea of cost?

I like my Armstrong but as Scotty says the engine parts are few and far between. These bikes were built at the same time as TLR's, Fantics & Majesty's and are comparable in most areas (but don't comand the same sort of money). Chassis and cycle parts are standard european trials bike issue (SWM, Fantic, Montesa etc.) only the engine to worry about. If your up for a gamble I'd say go for it, if not I'm in the market for another so if you don't want it........

Bad news Mike, sorry to hear it, I had my (then) pride and joy Gasser nicked in '93 and it was found in Colchester 2 years later by the Plod. It showed up on the Police National Computer as nicked. I subsequently bought it off the insurance company as salvage, tidied it up and sold it on at a price reflecting it history, so sometimes they do re-appear. I've got a CMT320 and really like it, hard enough to find bits for them without some low life nicking it & who doesn't really know what the've got.

Totalshell, does the NGK 4 give any benefit when opening up from tickover over the 6? Also I have found Champion more robust in the past than NGK any thoughts on that?

Does anyone have experience of the flywheel kits? that may suit my style of riding, I've got a slow action throttle I can try although I struggle on steps when I use them thats' why I was looking at other alternatives. Is the clutch master cylinder off a later model and is there anything else (other than forks) from later models I should put on it?

Have just aquired a 2003 280 Pro, it was at a price I couldn't miss as I wouldn't normally have gone for a 280, I recon 250 is good enough for someone of my limited tallent. It has a head spacer fitted but otherwise it's standard, given that it's come at the right price I can chuck a bit of money at it without being out of pocket, what other mods would you guys recomend?

Any indication of cost Woody? Would you fit these in preference to Falcon? PS good luck next week, hope it stays dry.

Noticed an advert for Rock Shocks in the TMX, the first Fantic I owned had them fitted but I was too green to know if they were any good. Does anyone have any experience of them? are they any good by todays standards? has anyone bought any?

Solution to the problem was leaking O ring on the base of the carb inlet pipe. Cleaned the burrs off the casting and set a spare O ring in silicon sealant, problem solved. Thanks again for everone's help.

Thanks for the help guys, I suspect it is only partially heat related because the carb is cold to the touch when running and it was bl**dy cold when we rode on Saturday, the fuel pipe is on the opposite side to the exhaust so it doesn't vapourise or get heated up here. Have changed plugs but haven't checked heat ranges so could do that. I did suspect the worn carb slide and I would like to change to a more modern carb but I need one that is jetted ready to go because if the bike has a fault other than the carb it will drive me spare trying to get the new carb working and coping with the fault. So this is where I am, if I have an air leak it will be on the induction (sucking) cycle of the engine, there are 4 or 5 areas to look at leaving the worn carb aside, these are the carb inlet rubber (looks ok), Inlet pipe to head (Cr*p method of fixing and tiny O ring), crank seals (replaced) and cylinder barrel base gasket (renewed but need to re-check torque on retaining studs). I'm going to silicon the inlet pipe to the head in addition to the O ring and re-torque the barrel. With respect to the carb has anyone got contact details for Delorto or Keihin suppliers? Really appreciate the help, keep it coming.

Can anyone help? I have a problem with my recently finished Armstrong. It has a Mk2 Amal concentric on it, goes great for half a trial then tick over gradually increases and the engine starts to run lean, knocks & rattles etc. Any attempt to adjust the pilot screw & tick over are fruitless once this happens. It is very like what happens when you are running low on fuel ie the engine speed increases, but in this case it does not stop running. If I go to the bike now it will run sweetly until it has been going a while. If asked I would say it has an air leak but the engine has new crank seals and new base gasket. Changing the spark plug when its knocking doesn't improve it, and I've raised the needle to its top groove ie richest setting, no improvement. The tank breather is clear and the fuel is visible in the fuel pipe, but I can't get low fuel level in the float bowl out of my mind as a possible cause(like when it's running out of fuel). Has anyone seen this on other bikes with the Mk2 Amal? Does anyone know where I go for an alternative carb (Delorto?) All the info I have says the carb is 27mm but the Amal info says 26 or 28mm! The slide in the carb is worn, I'm prepared to replace the carb but I thought I'd ask first, it may be something simple I'm missing!

I think the point has been made by the other posters that the Pro is lighter and developed for state of the art trick riding. I've got a 2003 TXT Edition, when I bought it I so wanted (and still do) a Pro. In the TXT's defence however, I think I'm right in saying the engine is common with the Pampera trail bike and it's bullet proof. Mine dragged me round the SSDT with zero maintenance during the week and sounds and rides ok now. Comes down to how important weight is to you and how much time you want to spend tinkering.

I think this defines the difference between a 40 year old 199cc Cub and modern bikes, if you've got the Cub lined up it will go where you want it, if not, they don't always come in to get you out of trouble. Skilled riders won't understand this because they are where they want to be, the rest of us aren't! 250cc Cubs seem to have the 'go' to solve this and give you a choice of gear other than first.

Tried the K&N(S&B actually)filter over the Sammy one, no real gain with the running but its smaller and neater (in my opinion). I think the riding style thing is relevent to a point, but it depends on what type of trials you use it in, some of the stuff round here in the midlands is very tight and nagery which is why everyone uses fiddle Bantams.