scorpa3

Yes, I think I will do this over the next few days, I bought the bike from BVM so I may be able to ask Steve Saunders. Unfortunately I didn't drain the oil into a measuring jug the first time I drained it, so I have no idea how much is in there from the factory. I just drained out everything, then put the specified amount in and opened the drain hole. That's when things got weird and about 1/3 of what I'd just put in came back out the level hole. I've ridden the bike almost every weekend for the last two years, I've changed the oil probably 8 to 10 times and always used the level hole. I just hope I'm not storing up a load of trouble by doing this!

It sounds as if they should know what they are doing. It's not like they're some back street bike shop. It's a shame they've put you in this awkward postion. Like you say. If the shaft is so bad, why did they carry out the repair in the first place withuot changing it?

I can see where your coming from with this and perhaps you are right. But surely Yamaha wouldn't put a level hole in the gearbox then expect you to ignore it but not tell you to ignore it? I am looking at my original owners manual and it states 600ml of SAE 10w30. It also says, "Fill with oil (600cm3) through [arrow to filler cap] and check oil level after operation." Unfortunatley, this doesn't help us much with our dilema concerning the level hole. However, how else can we check the level like they say?

Buying off Ebay is no different to buying privately anywhere else. If you wouldn't buy a bike unseen out of TMX or MCN, don't buy it unseen off Ebay. It's not rocket science! I've used Ebay to buy and sell quite a few things including cars, a boat and a motorbike with no hassles. There are lots and lots of really good people buying and selling all sorts of stuff on Ebay. There are some crooks as well though so you do need to be sensible. Check sellers feedback. See if they have sold items as well as bought them. Have they done any substantial deals before, or is it all bits and pieces? How long have they been registered? For instance someone who has only been registered a few weeks, racked up 20 positives by buying biros and washers for a few pence each, and is now selling a bike would worry me. If you've got your wits about you you'll often be able to spot a scam, and if you don't feel comfortable about a particular auction for any reason then just don't bid. Contact the seller and see how they respond. Are they helpful or evasive? Ask for a phone number. If it's a long way away, try to get a local to give it the once over for you -- maybe someone here lives nearby for instance. Paying by Paypal can give some protection, but I wouldn't rely on it. If the seller has a verified address though at least you'll know where to send the County Court claim if it really goes horribly wrong! As you may have seen in anther thread I have just bought my Beta off Ebay, from someone 350 miles away without even contacting the seller. It was the bike that I was looking for, the price was good (but not too good to be true), and nothing set any alarm bells ringing, so I hit the "Buy it now" button and paid via Paypal straight away. I was taking a calculated risk, but I was pretty confident that it would be OK and it was. There are definitely good deals to be done by contacting sellers whose bikes haven't met the reserve. Use the advanced search on completed auctions and you'll often find plenty of possibles. Bear in mind though that if someone regularly completes their sales outside Ebay then they may be leaving a trial of unhappy customers without receining any negative feedback. "Buyer beware" definitely, but I certainly wouldn't write Ebay off. I agree, this advice is spot on. There are baragins to be had but make sure you are satisfied that the product is what you want. If you bid, then you are expected to buy, unless the item is significantly 'not as described'. So please DO go and have a look BEFORE bidding. I've had generally very good experiences of buying & selling high price vehicles including trials bikes on ebay. I always describe an item accurately.... there are some who don't! I would recommend you follow cg125's very good advice.

Sounds like good advice. No names, no pack drill but are they a specialist motorcycle suspension dealer?

FAQ's is a good idea. I wonder if this is something Andy could easily set up? I tried to find the old posts about leaking spokes a few weeks back. I knew the question had been answered before, but I couldn't seem to find it. Ok.... me being thick, but I did try. So I posted a new question which was fully answered and many thanks for that. Other examples of FAQ's which I have noticed are concerning Stators, Beta Carbs & best make of tyre. I'm sure there are a few more questions which it would be handy to have a quick answer to.

I'm not being funny here, but have you ever managed to get 600ml in? The first time I changed the oil on my '05 SY when it was a few hours old. I drained the gearbox and put 700ml in the top, then about 300ml came back out of the level hole. Next time I changed the oil I measured what came out - sure enough it was only about 400! Am I doing something wrong?

You mentioned Halfords. I took some bodywork into Halfords and they used their colour charts to find a perfect match and mixed it then and there. Really pleased with the result.

Here's another one while we're on the subject. Spend three evenings cutting out sections. All day Saturday marking out. Put on four routes, all marked from the begins cards to the ends cards (hell of a lot of staples, but easy for riders to follow) Only to be told.... "The B route is too hard and the C route is too easy. What you need is something in between the two!" Aaaaargh

I class my TY as a classic, as I do my VFR750, both are a design icon for there age....no need to wait 25 years.... TY 250 mono's are coming up to 25 years old and the first gear driven VFR750's were introduced about the same time. So I would think it's fair to call your bikes classic.

But it will always be the same 'die hards' who appear time after time. Every club/sport/activity has the same thing. A core of hard working regulars who prompt/encourage/bribe/shame/lead the other members into doing their bit to hopefully keep the activity going. That's just how it is.

MGP Senior 1996

This man has a little taste me thinks - perhaps I am biased here but I would NOT class it as THE best looking bike. Probably the RC30 is one of the the best looking Jap bike, or road bike from the 80's onwards. Most modern bikes look the same, park up at the TT and all you see are line upon line of similar bikes, park an RC30 amongst them and you are guaranteed to meet some admirers when you go back to the bike. Do you remember seeing your first RC30 in real life? I do, it was in a motorcycle shop and was

Yep bizzarly ... put in the amount stated on the crank case. Open the small hole by the rear brake lever, then wait while half of what you put in slowly drains back out. In other words; save your time, effort, oil and mess, and just fill it until the oil comes out of the hole in the first place. You will need around 400ml to do this.

I wonder if she knew the picture was going onto ebay, or if the picture was taken for some other reason?

Hughsey, that is one nice looking TY. I'd be proud to ride that in club trials. Talking of 25 years old, what year did mono TY250's come out '83/'84? If that's the case, it won't be long now.

Sorry to confuse things even more but I've been thinking about this over-night (yes, sad I know) If the seal has gone, it would loose brake pressure almost straight away. Certainly before you had chance to do a couple of trials. I wonder if the problem is that the brake lever is adjusted too high and it is not letting the piston move far enough within the bore to allow new fluid in? Then as the pads wear, you loose brake pressure because no new fluid is getting in to replace the travel left by the pad wear. You could try slackening off the pedal adjuster to give more free play and see if this helps. (As with the post above, IF this is the problem, fitting new seals wouldn't help because the problem is adjustment.) Following this train of thought, it could also just be a case of a sticking piston which might simply need freeing off.

Air cooled Monos in general seem to be gaining in value just lately. I was thinking of a Gas Gas I noticed for sale just before Christmas for

If you are not loosing any fluid, then there is obviously no leak. However you are still loosing pressure, this means the fluid must be passing from the pressurised part of the master cylinder back into the reservoir. The solution if this is the case, is to fit a new seal kit to the master cylinder. But before ordering one, first check for availability and cost. Then strip out the old seals and check the bore for serious corrosion. If it is pitted, a new seal kit will probably not cure the fault as the fluid will still bypass the new seal. I assume the repair kit will be available for the rear, I've only ever changed front ones myself. I hope this helps.

The first Scorpa SY250 at the dirt bike show in 2000 is still the trials bike that sticks out most in my memory. Next would be the first TXT with the alloy tank introduced in 1998. Third is the Beamish Suzuki with the chrome frame. Fourth place goes to GOV132. But I make no appologies, as it's not a trials bike, for mentioning the best looking bike ever... the Honda RC30.

It sounds like it was tough to do that much damage.

You didn't say if the fluid level is going down? I assume that this is the case, so the above idea will help you locate the leak.

Jack, how did you break the rear master cylinder? It must have been a big 'off' to damage it from behind the frame. What happened?

Look out for Stourbridge club trials, usually in the Kidderminster area. They are excellent for riders wishing to have a less testing ride.

The Dudley club held the second round of the Midland Centre Group trials championshp at Kinlet Mine today. Pete Cartwright and his small (two) team of helpers had obviously worked very hard to put on a superb event with twentysections all with two routes. Many thanks to the Dudley club for staging such a good event, I thourougly enjoyed the day.