gilbertdave

This makes sense... I've changed the spring (courtesy of being a tubby lad) and the shock only fitted this way up... I kind of (stupidly) assumed that if it didn't fit the other way up, it must be right... So, no need to flip it back over you reckon? If so, how would I make it fit? p.s. Sorry for hijack Andy...

Yikes....really? Presume that applies to a 250txt 2000 as well? Will it have damaged anything if mine is t'other way up ( c spanner rings at the bottom)

Hi Andy, Seeing your response just reminded me, I totally forgot to text you back! Sorry mate. Radiator is all good thanks. With regard to the rest of the changes I made, I'm pleased to say I rode the trial on Saturday consiously making an effort not to be worried about the bike or letting it run for ages and it behaved perfectly. Shame it couldn't account for my lack of balance, but hey ho! Cheers for all the input guys. Dave

I've just replaced the radiator (with a second hand / non leaker), the temperature switch and the rectifier. I am very pleased to say that bike seems to be behaving. At least, it is regulating its temperature whilst riding about outside my house. The whole front end of this year has been driving towards riding at a trial this weekend at my local spot... so hopefully the bike behaves and I can ride it... As an aside, I know Jon (JSE) has been keeping an eye on this thread... Firstly, thank you for the wiring diagrams on trialspartsusa, they were most helpful. Secondly, why does Leonelli supply parts with two wires the same colour and seemingly no indication as to which is which? Its probably obvious if you know what you're doing, but I don't and two yellow wires is confusing?> Nevermind... fingers crossed for success tomorrow followed by success / surviving only my second trial on Saturday.

Ask for a photo showing the chassis number. Part of the number indicates the year of build. I found this when trying to work out if mine was a 99 or a 2000... Hope it helps, Dave http://www.trialspartsusa.com/diagrams/GASGAS%20CHASSIS%20NUMBER.doc

Right, i've been straddling two threads, but it seems my problems are based around cooling. I had some small success with the repair to the rad, but after a few hours it boiled up again. More concerningly, when it was boiling up the fan wasn't kicking in. So, after speaking to a local gas gas agent, he offered to take a look at the bike and he gave me some instructions to identify the problem. I set the bike up to run and we shorted the terminals for the temperature sensor to basically fool the bike into thinking it is hot, the fan ran as expected. We then put it back to normal and just ran the bike for thirty minutes or so... And, well.... it did exactly what its meant to. It warmed up, the fan came on it cooled down... repeatedly... So, I went a rode yesterday and within an hour its boiled up and the fan is engaging! Its really flipping annoying as each time i go out its an hour and half round trip in the car, plus loading / unloading the car etc. I'm now plnning to repalce the rad, temp switch and fan control unit... Surely something in there will sort the problem out!

JSE, defintely wasn't a dig a Gas Gas... I've placed the blame on the allen keys (and a bit on the bloke holding them), but alas they were brand spanking new keys. I actually went and bouht them because my old set were a bit beaten up! How sucky is that. I'll be taking them back to the shop (Halfords if anyone in the UK is interested) and asking for my money and possibly a punch up! Anywho... tomorrow will be a better day (breathe deep and repeat!), tomorrowe will be a better day!

Oh, and cylinder head o rings... Also forgot to mention that so far my efforts have been mostly counter productive. It seems that who worked on my bike last (or built it in the first place) was not shy with loctite. My oil drain plag is now bu66ered and one of the fixings for the water pump is completely round... not sure how I'm going to get that out, but at least I know what I'll be doing this evening!

I spoke to few people yesterday whilst tryign to get various parts delivered and it seems there is now some clear options. It also came clearer that I have two seperate problems. The first is cooling and the second is the issue with the discoloured oil. From a cooling point of view, there are a few theories... If the impeller is not spinning or not properly cycling the water, I will be getting mis-leading temperature sensor readings and it would not engage the fan. Alternatively, the fan contol unit is on its way out and replacing it may solve all my woes. Both problems seem relatively easy to fix. From an oil point of view, I did actually get told yesterday that ATF oil does turn brown if you leave it long enough (an indication to the previous owners maintenance regime). I'm told if there was water in there it would be white, not brown. Either way, the most likely cause of water getting in there seems to be the water pump seals and as the kit isn't stupid money, it may be prudent to change it all any way. So, on order at the moment is a water pump kit, crankcase gasket and fan control unit / relay. Fingers crossed for a quick / inexpensive resolution.

Ok, so that kind of makes sense... The bike has over heated a couple of times. I identified a leak in the rad which has now been repaired (plus I've ordered a replacement. But, would it makes sense that if the water system is losing pressure, it won't cool very well. I'll order a seal kit for the water pump and get that done... Any other tips?

So, you don't reckon I need to worry about the oil? I guess if I change the oil and ride it, I'll know if the problem is still occurring!

Hi all, After twiddling my thumbs for an hour or so this evening, I thought I'd be a model citizen and change the gear oil in my bike. I've not had it that long, so this is the first time. I went and bought some Castrol ATF Dex III "transmax" advanced performance series oil (?). Assuming this is the same Dextron III everybody on here talks about? I drained the fluid and what came out kind of looked like baileys / chocolate milk. I'm not sure this is a great sign . As i had no idea whther ATF is a delightful milky brown by design, I poured a little drop into my drain tray so i could see the colour... its red... more worrying is the fact that when it mixed with what came out my bike, it rose to the top. A childhood staring at oily puddles by race tracks tells me oil is lighter than water and floats. So... is my milky brown oil really an expensive watery cocktail or should i just change the oil and ride the bike and stop worrying? If it is water, is there any way for it to get contaminated under normal use or have i got a problem? If it helps, the bike had been running ok... starts first time, selects all gears. It is a little bit stubborn to get into neutral, but other than all hunky dory. Any an all advise would be welcome Thanks, Dave.

Right... I took the easy route and tried RadWeld. I followed all the instructions and let the bike run etc. then tried it again on Saturday morning. The only noticeable change was that the water spewing out had changed from blue (coolant) to red (radweld)... bad times. So, Saturday afternoon it was over to Dad's to get the bike in bits. We drained out the coolant and flush the system to clear out the radweld and any other gunk and then pulled the rad out. The first thing we noticed is that one of the spade connectors on the temp sensor was disconnected... Once the rad was out, we noticed straight away that the filler neck was badly twisted. Pressumably by someone over tightening the filler cap. To confirm that the tear was in fact leaking, we blocked up one hose and connected a low pressure air supply to the other... some bubbly water showed us that the filler tube was leaking quite badly! I followed some instructions I'd seen, we tried to solder it... without success. I'm guessing the rad is aluminium. So, next effort was Araldite. We used a solvent to clean the area (particularly as it was now covered in soldering flux) and lumped on as much araldite as we could get in the area. Thanks to the warm british sun. the araldite went off in 15 minutes and we retested. There were a couple of little leaks on the back end of the filler tube but we got them on the second attempt. You can't really see the araldite, but I can assure you its there! Finally, we tested the fan with a 12v supply and that worked ok Forgive the rubbish picutre quality (I phone!) Finally, reassembled everything to the bike and refilled with new coolant. I let the bike run for fifteen minutes or so and there was a bit fo steam to start with but that appeared to burning off spilled water... after ten minutes or so it was clear of steam and the fan was kicking in... happy days. I rode for about 2.5 hours yesterday in 24 degrees with no loss of water. I also saw the fan working as well. So, happy days.... for now! Thanks to the old man for his patient assistance. It really amazing the things Dad's know!

I would be inclined to go with the sealing method (mainly because it would seem to be the simplest option). Is anyone aware of any long term problems with using sealer? If not, does anyone know the best product to use?

Right... Just had a bit of a go at identifying the problem... Without luck. I let the bike run for ten minutes or so until it was nice and warm. I saw two tiny drips of water ( like the size of drip you get from a pipette ) but nothing more. But, as the bike got warmer I could see tiny wafts of steam. I didn't let the bike boil up completely but there was a fairly constant puff of steam. I couldn't see where it was coming from though... My best guess is that it is coming from the top right hand corner of the rad, on the side facing the ground. It's also worth noting that the radiator did not come on. I have definitely seen the rad running whilst riding so I know it works, but I don't know whether the bike was hot enough to warrant it coming on this evening... The fact it was steami makes me think it was plenty warm! Any thoughts would be welcome.... Rad weld? Bubble gum and snot? Etc etc. Dave

hi, Yeah, the fan does run and the rad seems to be free of gunk and rubbish. I'll make some time and try and identify where the leak is coming from... watch this space.

Hi All, Was getting my stuff together this morning to go off for a ride and noticed that the bike was a bit wet. Having started the bike, there was definitely a flow of water coming from the cooling system. It appeared to be coming from rad, but I couldn't really see whether it was actually the rad or one of the connecting hoses. The bike has overheatted (blown out steam) twice fairly recently. In both cases I killed it straight away and let it cool down, checked / added coolant as required and it was ok again. I'm guessing if there is a leka in the system it makes sense for it to boil over? So, can I repair the rad (with rad weld or something similar) or am I looking at replacement partS? Anyone with any knowledge can no dount shed some light on it for me Thanks in advance, Dave

I can finally report... I've managed to get it done using the methods on here and with the application of an old head (cheers Dad). I'd done some silly things which were making my life more difficult. I'd taken the whole front brake off the bike in order to get the master cylinder as high as possible (blah blah blah), but I'd also over looked re-fitted one of the fixing screws to the caliper... This meant once I'd got the brakes bled soe they were 90% there and was squeezing them against a piece of steel (same thickness as the brake disc) the two halves of teh caliper were opening ever so slightly and giving the effect of spongy brakes. Still... got it sorted in the end and its back on the bike and at least appears not to be binding any more, so the efforts may have acheived something. Thanks all...

I this evenings efforts are not succesful, I should imagine I'll find it fairly easy to swallow my pride and have someone else do it.

Thanks folks...It looks as though I've got a few more things to try. With some luck, I can confirm my success by posting a photo of my graized face as confirmation that the front brake is now sufficiently powerful to pitch me over the bars! Now to find a giant syringe...

Hi all... I've read everything I can on this subject and it sounds like such an easy process... but I just can't do it! My bike is a 2000 Gas Gas TXT 250 with AJP level / master cylinder and Hebo caliper. Being as I'm an idiot I decided to have a look at my brakes and see how they work... First lesson I learned is if you split the caliper, you let loads of air in the system. Ten wally points to me. So, I followed instructions to bleed the brakes and nothing... maybe a little spurt here and there but not the torrent the instructional videos etc online would have me expect... So, I went out a bought a "pressure bleeding kit". I linked the kit up to a tyre at 20 odd psi as it recommended and the poxy thing burst, spraying brake fluid all over me and my shiny red tool box.. triffic. So, I've disconnected the banjo at the caliper... squeeze the brake, nothing... disconnect the banjo at the master cylinder and still nothing. Then I took the piston out of the master cylinder to check for damage or signs of wear and nothing. I am at a complete loss as to how I can't get brake fluid to go through the small hole in the master reservoir and simply spuff onto the floor through the open banjo connection... am I missing something? I've just recently bought the bike and not taken it out for the day yet, but the brakes DID work before I "maintained" them. They dragged a bit, but they were good enough to get the back wheel in the air whilst dicking about on my drive. So... I beleive I've tried everything that the online literature suggests, so now its time to plunder the minds of those who may have had these problems before? Do I A) need to replace a faulty part B.) let someone who knows what they're doing have a look or C) smash everything with a hammer and cry about it? Any and all advice would be gratefully recieved

Hi, I've managed to buy everything I need online with the exception of a helmet. I bought one and it doesn't really fit... Deep down I knew I should have tried one on first but there you go... Anywhere near Essex that stocks trials helmets? Don't mind a little travel if it saves my bounce from head aches / smashed skull ! Any and all help would be appreciated as I'm desperate to get out on the next bike this weekend!

Ok...so bought bike and I have some bits of the old mud guard. There is a bit of steel that's been out in place and riveted to the plastics, but this has been torn. Does anyone know whether this part of the rear mudguard or is it the seat unit To anticipate the answers... Can anyone recommend then best place to buy plastics for the 2000 txt... Thanks all Dave

Hi, I'm doing the unenviable thing of scouring E Bay for bikes and I've spotted a TXT 250 with a broekn rear mudguard. In the advert the guy describes that the bracket that holds the mudguard in place has broken as well. I spoke to him last night and it seems that the bracket is a sheet steel fabrication and is not a part of the main frame? Does this make sense to anyone as I haven't really ahd the opportunity to look under the mudguard on a gas gas to see whats there. THe guy seems genuine and he seems willing to accept what I think is a reasonable price, as long as I'm not getting into repairing frames etc. Any advice would be gratefully received, Dave

Thanks for that. So... assuming the float isn't set correctly, that would mean the carb floods? I vaguely remember having a similar problem on an old MX bike and I seem to remember that a clean out sorted it. Worst case, replace the float pin in case its slightly bent, causing the float to stick? If thats the case, it doesn't sound too disastorous and probably wouldn't be enough to stop me getting involved!