huski

Does the knock go away with the clutch pulled in?You hopefully haven't damaged the gearbox but you may have chipped the kickstart gear when you started it and a piece is stuck to a gear somewhere in the clutch case.,which makes a knock out of proportion to its size .Worth a look before you go any further,you're going to have that case off anyway

Beta ,easier to ride,better made,4 years newer and better spares availability,no contest

Don't think his Gas Gas is much better or worse than a factory Beta or Sherco,it's just what he's used to Casales didn't take long to adapt and he's been Gas Gas right through his career.Nothing official saying what his plans are anyway.

There's a big hole in the market at present,this could be the ideal time to bring it to market.A lot of riders would have bought new GasGas by now if they were available and have kept their bikes longer than they normally would.Dont know how soon and in what quantity or what price but hopefully it will prove to be a competitive and reliable bike.Needs stability and support from the factory downwards,the market won't give what appears to be a Jotagas mk 2 a third chance

Don't see him on GasGas after this season,unless they can return to production very soon which isn't likely.He,s definitely 2nd best in the world,so I reckon he could go anywhere except Montesa?Whether he's going to risk an unproven brand or opt for an established one is the question

A petrol engine produces the same power down to the last drop of fuel,a battery powered one doesn't.Its battery life,weight of batteries and recharge facilities that are the problem at present.True you can have spare batteries but you're limited to staying fairly close to the spare ones,once they start fading they lose power very quickly,and electric motors produce very different power curves to petrol ones .We might go electric one day,but it's not soon.Ktm will stay petrol for the foreseeable future

If you mean the bushes that go in the swing arm bearings they are hardened.Machining them is easy,but the right steel and hardening process is important or they won't last

IF KTM were to buy the assets and the name would they make the bikes in Spain or Austria?KTM pretty much own the enduro market where they have a good reputation and their motocross bikes enjoy a big slice of that market too.If it were to happen I think they could soon dominate the trials market too.They have a well established global dealer network,I don't think it would be that difficult for them.The GasGas pro is a popular and competitive bike,it was the management that let it fail.

280 is slightly less torquey but revs higher,I found it easier to ride but I'm not brilliant.My son who is pretty good preferred the 300 ,we tried them both at the Jotagas test day ,I suggest you try one if you can find one,there's not many about.2014 models are quite an improvement on the previous year,2015 are not much different to a 2014

If you decide to spend more the 250 beta would be my choice,best steering lock,best build quality,easy to ride and good spares availablity

Check the spark as soon as it dies.Sounde like something electrical fails when it gets too hot but is OK cold It's a process of elimination,I think it runs well too long for it to be fuel,and a blockage would still be there when it's cold.What colour does the plug come out,wants to be light brown

If you can afford it get something newer.The early 250 Sherco wasn't that good,certainly not the best of the time I would look for a Montesa 315 if that's the price you're restricted to.Old trials bikes can be expensive to put right even doing the work yourself and are often a poor buy,unless you can find one that's been properly maintained,which is rare at that age A good one sells for a little more than a poor one,so it's not cost effective unless you don't mind the cost and enjoy the work.The ride of something of that era and something'a decade newer is huge and not a massive amount more to buy with far better spares availability

If you can get the earth clamp from the welder next to the weld it's safe,but if not remove the electrics

Pistons tend to rattle rather than knock,does it go well or is it down on power.If the flywheel weight is loose it sounds like major engine work is needed,worth taking the ignition cover off to check

Was there water in the airbox?The breather pipes don't have a vacuum in them to make them suck.The air filter access panel doesn't seal well,I duct tape mine and have never had this problem.Are there traces of dirty water getting through the filter and into the carb,pretty sure this is where the water came from.Have you sealed the flap on the bottom of the airbox

This might sound harsh but I feel the abilities of an 09 Raga are more than an 05 4rt,think it's a backwards step.I suggest you post on Montesa forum as to how best to ride it,some people learn to ride them well

The 02 would be lighter,more powerful and manoeuvrable,but the pro wasn't really sorted till 04.Theyre both old bikes,the 270 with a rebuilt engine would be a wiser buy Front wheel bearings are a cheap and easy fix

Keihin is better for smoothness and power once it's jetted correctly but it has to be correct to make it worthwhile.Plenty of people on here can advise you on what they use as a good start point .Dellorto is adequate for most,depends if you're good enough to find a standard 300 wanting more..Dellorto seems to tolerate a small amount of dirt or water better,handy if you're a long way from your van and tools

You might find something worth having for £1500 but it's borderline ,if you could find 2250 you'd get something newer and lees likely to need work,Suggest a 2010/11 beta 250 if you're going off GasGas which I prefer out of the two..buy on condition rather than age and take a friend who knows what they're looking at when you view it.Dont know where you live but Southern bikes generally have an easier time than northern ones. Good luck

If the spares were made by subcontractors those companies will still want to produce and sell them so no problem and know they're going to get paid for them.Most of the consumables are used by other brands anyway.All the importers will want spares to be available so will be doing everything possible for it to happen,there's a lot of bikes out there.Prices of spares might have to rise to sort this out,which is better than having an unusable bike for the sake of a £50 part which is unavailable.Riders choose the brand they ride cos it's the one they want,most aren't going to want to buy something they like less after taking a hit selling a Gas gas at the moment.Dad of 2 is right in his views but Maico made most of the bike inhouse so when they folded so did the spares

Sad reflection of the WTC when one of the few riders capable of winning a round has to ask for support,let alone the salary that his talent should provide

They're not fiery but still powerful but ride it first .

How does a company rack up a debt of that size without the management not realising something major needed changing and allowing it to go this far.Surprised the banks allowed to it to happen too,no wonder the Spanish economy is in the shape it is if this is normal .Gasgas 249 has found out afair bit,but knowing what happened and proving it are quite different.Hopefully the new lot will do it properly,there's a lot of decent people's livelihoods involved

Unless you're open to centre champion contender or better ,a 250 is plenty.A fair number of the bigger bikes have had owners of that status and had a hard time .Better to wait a bit and get the right bike,most of us have bought the wrong one at some time and regretted it

Wonder what the new guys will have to do differently to avoid creating debts like we see now .Cant see the banks being too keen this time round so they will have to put their own in ,likely to make them more focussed .Good luck to them,hope they can make it work