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I quite like the idea of an all black bike with white stickers and a nice pair of all white Alpine Stars. There again, I like the idea of a one piece trials suit and that would get some laughs too!!!!!

My lad had a 2001 Gas Gas 200 and I lent it to an Expert pal of mine a few times who's around 250lb and it coped brilliantly.

Anything which is in good mechanical condition, starts, runs and the brakes work. That's all you need to ride in the woods.

Anyone still thinking of riding in the Union Jack should note that the closing date for entries is getting very close. Entries close on 12th May!

Well done to Katy Sunter who leads the ladies on Tuesday.

I have to admit I speak to God quite a lot when I'm scared and that's in most trials I do these days.

It is getting harder to find tubless trials tyres now. I use my DRZ400 for the odd long distance trial and used to use the standard Michelin Trials tyre (not the X11). These are harder and only cost

The Techno's came out in '93, the 315's came out in '96 so the Mont design is a little newer but htere's not much to choose between the two as far as performance and reliability is concerned. I had new Techno's from '95 through to '99 and the only thing that ever went wrong with any of them was the thermostat sender. I also bought a '98 315 for my lad a few years back, (when youths could still ride 250's) that was very reliable but I had to keep replacing the rear spokes, which is an easy job on 315's. The only other problem I came accross on the Mont was the dragging clutch. (This was before the days of TC, so I didn't have the benefit of everyones advice on here.) I never could stop the clutch dragging, so it was impossible to find neutral with the engine running. As stated above, either would be good buys for a begginer, it's all down to the condition of each bike.

Looking at the scores it must have been quite a tough day for the lesser lights.

If you buy a bike which is already registered, then it would probably be worth getting it insured third party fire and theft just incase it gets stolen or you want to ride in the odd road trial. This would also keep your no claims going as you point out. Registering the bike for use on the road takes a little more effort and expense, only you will know if this is going to be worth it depending on how many road trials you are going to enter. As a begginer, probably not that many at first, most road trials are a bit tough for a newcommer to the sport. It would probably be worth riding for a while in purely off road events and getting the feel of things, then at a later date deciding if its worth the trouble of mot, tax, insurance etc.

Nick, I personally would avoid 270/280/290/300's you will find that a 250 will give you more than enough power, infact the 200's are very forgiving and can be a big advantage in a wet muddy trial. It is often mentioned that Gassers need more care than other bikes but that's not to say you can't find a well looked after model for the money you have. Remember, buy by condition and not age. If in doubt walk away, there will be another along shortly. It's easy to buy a so called bargain and by the time you've put tyres, fork seals, suspension bushes, chain & sprockets and a mudguard on it, you might as well have bought a more expensive bike in the first place. When you see a bike which you like, post on here in the appropriate forum (Sherco, Gas Gas or which ever) and the members will give you a list of common faults to look out for and the approx cost of repair. There's a lot of good advice on here. Just don't be tempted to ask 'which is the best bike'? As it will just turn into a 'my bikes better than yours' row. I hope this helps. Pete

Hi Randy, or should I call you Rat? Welcome to TC, you'll find that it's a bit quiet on here this week as the Scottish classic and six days is on and a lot of members will be there either riding or spectating. Things will liven up again in a while. To ride in an ACU event, which are the most common, you will need to join a club and then apply for a trials registration. Most clubs only charge a nominal fee, ours is just

I've never done that to a bike but I lost a computer and a DVD machine in a similar fashion. Not involving fire but an upstairs window and a concrete patio. Beware..... using this method to fix your bike won't work well!

Welcome to TC Jim, It would be best to get a TY80 if your lad could master the clutch, however getting a PW would probably give him more encouragement, so you're probably making a wise decision there. Most clubs will be happy for him to ride the PW in the Youth D class but it would be worth checking before you turned up. Warning..... Be prepared to become addicted, trials is a very sociable sport and one of the few motorsports where you can ride with your children over the same course at the same time. We have riders in their 60's who can show many of the youngsters (and the not so young!) how to ride, so don't let age put you off. Let us know how you get on. Pete

What is the advantage in doing the conversion? It sounds like it would not be cheap and the difference in price between the 175 and the 250F isn't a huge amount anyway.

Have you tried pushing the pistons right in, wedging them in place and bleeding them again? There might be air trapped behind the pistons which isn't getting pushed out.

The Stratford Club has a very strong Classic bike membership, these folk make up a large proportion of the working team at all of our big events. The modern bike membership (including myself) help with the classic events and vice-versa for the modern events. But even this hard core classic bike membership can see that it's becoming harder and harder to compete on (and scrutineer) bikes which are 100% genuine pre-65 (or what ever particular date.) I think this is why the class eight is becoming more popular, many riders just want to get our on their bikes and ride in a sensible event, they are not really concerned about winning a class, hence a few modern updates to the machine and they then ride as a special. As I mentioned earlier, we also encourage trail bikes. Ten or 15 trailies at the back of the field help to make the event profitable for the club. Basically, anyone is welcome, we've even had a few modern trials bikes in the past on a no award basis and they were suprised how good the top classic riders were. The Gas Gas rider lost three marks and the winner on a BSA only lost two! And the BSA had the fastest special test of the day! The Sam Cooper Union Jack will (unless the weather turns very bad) always be a low scoring event, but it is a traditional single lap trial with an excellent ride around the Cotswold hills. Get your entries in

If luck is with him, I think Jarvis is unbeatable. But even he can have a bad day in Scotland. Maybe Colomer will do it this year.

Any original twinshock machine fitted with drum brakes which will include any classic machine which has a modern carb fitted. Note: The carb ruling will be enforced as per championship regs. Wrighty is going to do the technical checks for this one.

Here are the details for the Stratford-Upon-Avon round of the Sammy Miller Classic Bike Championship on 20th May. Please note: Trail bikes are most welcome on a no award basis and there is an easy (sidecar) route for riders of any machine who just want a days riding in the Cotsowlds. The trial starts at Blackwell Village Hall near Shipston on Stour and covers 37 miles and 30 sections with a lunch break at the half way point. STRATFORD-UPON-AVON MCC (AFFILIATED TO THE MIDLAND CENTRE ACU) SAM COOPER UNION JACK TRIAL (3rd round of the Sammy Miller British Trials Bike Championship) DATE: 20th May 2007 Permit no: ACU18667 A trial for Solo and Sidecar machines of British Manufacture and Twin Shock and Trail machines of any manufacture, using much of the old COLMORE CUP route. Held under the National Sporting Code, The Standing Regulations for Trials and The ACU Sammy Miller Trial Championship Regulations, together with these Supplementary Regulations, and any final instructions which may be issued and which shall have the same force as these Regulations. OFFICIALS ACU Steward Club Stewards Ron Langston, Lol Worthington Clerk of the Course Peter Barnett Licence no. 334 Secretary of the Meeting Richard Gill. 23 Hillwood Avenue, Shirley, Solihull, W Midlands B90 4XR * 0121 246 5823 email: gill.rf@googlemail.com ELIGIBILITY: All riders must hold a current ACU Licence or a Scottish ACU licence. Any other riders, including Ireland participants, MUST obtain personal accident insurance, produce a licence issued by their FMN and start permission confirming they are licensed and insured. Only riders holding a British passport will be able to score points in the Championship. ENTRIES: On the correct entry form, closing date 12th May 2007, together with the entry fee of

Full results available HERE

Are Sherco's better build quality than Gassers? I had a new Sherco a few years back and it was very poor. The experience put me off ever since.

Results A route Leo Rochfort 10 Martin Podesta 14 Paul Wareing 25 B route John Braithwaite 2 Andy Perry 3 Robert Badwand 6 C Route William Sabin 9 Andy Bishop 11 Geoff Hands 14

We've been fortunate, it rarely happens but it will for someone sooner or later. Even competent, trained people can (and should) be held to account for their actions. It is at this point the person needs to show that they have considered the risks and taken the appropriate action. To be able to do that, there needs to be evidence and that is where the RA form and process comes to play. Remember, completing RA training also means that all officials are working to a common standard and that has to be good for all concerned.

Replace the pipe and refill the coolant and see if it still starts. If it won't go, you may have damaged the O ring between the barrel and the head. Once you've got it running, simply connect the two wires fromthe sender together and see if the fan still works. If it does, you will need a new sender. Then check the coolant again to make sure there's enough in there. Good luck.