silverwood

So a rather rusty but very cheap CG miraculously appeared in my garage. I'd had one as my first road bike when I was seventeen and went everywhere on it. But I was a bit unsure of what to do with this one. It was too rusty and worn to keep as it was so it needed sorting out. A couple of mates have RTXs which they are putting on the road and that was when the penny dropped. The CG needed to become the trials CG! Or rather trials-ish CG. I've a '03 Sherco for the proper stuff but I've always wanted a bike on the road that had decent trials ability. So I started to strip the CG and compile a list... and that's about as far as I've got ? So I think I need a 21" wheel, a high level exhaust, a sump guard, longer shocks, a seat and some mudguards. There are a few possibles too like relocating and changing the pegs, changing the rear rim and moving the stands etc. I've seen a few CG builds online but can't find much information which is where the knowledge of this place will hopefully come in! Can I run a TL 125 exhaust? Such as the Sammy Miller one? Are there any well known front wheel swaps or is it a lace in a new rim job? If so what size of rim and from where? As you can see I've got the idea but not much else ? Thoughts so far?

cheers for the heads up.

Also, I asked before but think it was missed with all the other issues but, is the Beta mod worth doing to the Sherco? Could the issues I'm having with the clutch be down to the plates being minging and the oil sticking to them?

Cheers for the thoughts Cope. I'm not sure when the picture was taken but that was either before or after I took a look at the fuel filter located under the fuel banjo. I've set it up, by luck I imagine, in the way you've described above. I've had the bike running however! I have stripped it again though as it's not quite right and I was worried if there was a lack of fuel then there would be a lack of lubrication. Scary thought. I'll go through the carb again and reclean it. I'll also have a look at the idle/fuel air screw to see where that is set. I haven't touched this in the past. Am I right in thinking that between 2 and a half turns and three is what you are looking for as an ideal base to then adjust from? As in the bike should fuel and idle well at about that and then on the day you can fiddle slightly. I looked at the Sherco USA page and noticed the advice on the fuel tap. It has only been running on reserve so I took the chance to take the fuel tap apart. It is now clean and the straw has been trimmed. I did wonder if it was flowing fuel fast enough but when I tested it it did seem fine. Will test it again now that it has been cleaned and reassembled. Cope the drain hoses on the carb have been trimmed after your advice previously and are about 5cm long if that! Thanks for the info on the routing of the crank case breather and the fuel line. My fuel line is long as I've added in a fuel filter and a quick release coupler over the last while. It does seem to follow the correct route though and can be trimmed down for a tidier fit when I've got the bike set up and running nicely. The crank breather however just went straight to the back of the guard. Order will be restored there!

Cheers for the replies guys. It makes sense what you are saying, as I was pouring my tea this morning I did start thinking if the bike was getting any fuel as the plugs just didn't add up. It feels like I am making silly mistake after silly mistake at the moment. The pictures really highlight the gunge on the outside of the carb. Macro takes no prisoners I suppose. I'll rip it all off and try again!

Well I was correct on the stupidity side of things.... The new mud deflector has made getting the carb and airbox on much more difficult. I guess in the struggle the fuel line was trapped and torn without me noticing. Cue half a tank of fuel seeping out over the floor in a steady, unnoticed drip. It went back together, however stupid isn't joined by simple. At first it wouldn't start. I pulled the plug and checked the spark it was producing. I compared it to a fresh one and they were similar; producing a nice big spark with a good full kick but nothing with a weedy kick. Bike back together and she started up. Success! er.... no. Warming her up she started to bog, eventually dying. I changed the plug over for a new one. Again she started but then after a minute or so began to die. I left the bike and came back after ten minutes. She would fire on the choke but would soon die just as before. The only thing I can liken it to is on a mx bike when the plug fouls and the bike won't rev cleanly and dies. Whether this is the case or not I'm not sure. At a 36 have I gone too high on the pilot jet? Is this fouling the plug a bit like on an mx bike? The plugs don't look like a fouled mx plug however. The old plug was a nice light brown colour and quite dry. I haven't pulled the new plug out yet to see how that looks but it seems to quick for the plug to go off in this way? Equally why would the bike start on the choke and run, even for a few seconds if the plug was fouled? I am confused and sad

You seem to be having the same issues I had a few months ago when I got my '03! My tank leaked at the tap also. I bought a replacement fuel tank gasket and fitted that. My tank had moved about over time however and even with the new gasket it still leaked. The part where the tap went through the tank had pulled up and so sat further in (so out of line) than the holes for the bolts. I managed to reuse the old gasket by chopping off the bolt holes and using it as a spacer to fill in the gap. I'm not sure if that made any sense or is any help! The guys on here seem very knowledgeable and haven't shouted at me for my silly questions yet either! On the tank growing and shrinking, after the rinse I left mine out for about a week in an airing cupboard. Gave it a rinse and left it for a few hours today and it was still in its fat state. They must take a bit of time to shrink back down.

I think I read it on here in a previous post that if you drain the tank, give it a good rinse and then let it dry out properly that it will shrink back to its original shape. Have done it in the past and it did sit much more comfortably when I refitted it. Need to do it again as my tank is definitely expanding again though.

Probably very true but it's just the continual cycle of repairs at the moment that's dragging me down. That added to the rubbish rides are making it hard! Was low for an hour or two after last night but I'm back and upbeat now and ready to get it sorted! It is a very pretty bike but it does push me to nasty thoughts at times. I should however be blaming former owners rather than the bike I suppose. I think it is probably something dumb like that. The bike did proceed to dump its half tank of fuel over the garage floor last night which further points to a bout of ineptitude. I was very keen to get it together and get out for a ride yesterday so I've probably missed something simple in my haste. I can but learn... Will have a shot with the cap off the clutch reservoir. Had a read up on the Beta fix. Is it a worthwhile procedure for the Sherco?

Thanks again for the replies and advice so far guys. Have had an incredibly frustrating day. Ordered a 36 pilot jet and mud deflector from Splatshop through the week. Fitted them both today and popped it all back together. I checked and my main jet seems to be roughly in line with what others are running. Can't remember the number now and I didn't write it down. I was all ready to try it out but it simply wouldn't start. Will pull it apart tomorrow and try again as I may have missed something simple. The spark was good with a strong kick and the plug was reasonably wet but I'll start again to make sure of no stupid slips. Getting quite frustrated with the bike. I love the spannering side of things but I equally love riding and so far I've done far more of the former! The full title for my bike is The Recalcitrant Sherco. I hope it redeems itself and I guess (hope) most of the issues I'm facing are due to previous owners but it is making me think longingly of a solid, dependable 4rt.... Feel free to sing the Shedco's Sherco's praise in order to change my view! On another point, is the bleed nipple on the clutch slave cylinder meant to be a 7mm fitting? I have never seen a 7mm nut and don't have a spanner in that size. Will have to order one for the toolbox and the fluid change will have to wait for that

Evening ladies and gentlemen. Managed to get the carb off today for a look. The screen filter is there which is good. It was quite dirty but seemingly doing its job. On the pilot jet front the one in the bike is a 33. Would it still be advisable to go up to a 36 or so? The carb wasn't particularly dirty this time on strip down with no visible water or dirt in the float bowl. The pilot jet did look a touch restricted but the hole is so small it's hard to tell accurately. On the airfilter front I'm quite good on making sure they're cleaned, changed and oiled regularly so there shouldn't been an issue there (famous last words...). Crankshaft seals seem to be popping up in every thread on here! Are they really that common a failure? The issue I'm having does seem to go away after a carb clean and only come back after a while. It's not something that is always present but something that develops. I'm hoping that this means it's not something as serious as the seals going!

It feels like there's air in the system although whether that is the case remains to be seen. The plates have been sticking as I think the bike had been standing for quite a while before I bought it. After a warm up and some revs it frees up. However to get the clutch to engage often takes a couple of pulls at the lever rather than being there as soon as you need it. Any other suggestions then? The oil when I changed it was silver, which I've read about on here before, but looked mental! On the wee black splash guard I'm missing one of those! I am running an inline fuel filter and have cleaned out the tank which has helped. I am removing the carb and airbox as two separate pieces with the airbox as one and the carb with the rubber connector as the other. They don't seem to want to come out as one which I think I had read on here was the optimum way of going about things. The carb is the dellorto but I haven't seen a screen mesh and have had to change the fuel line which had gone brittle and horrible. Will have a look again and check the pilot jet for which size it is. Seems like there'll be another order going in to Splatshop again! Thanks for the help so far guys, really useful stuff

Hi guys, I have a rather unkempt '03 2.5. I bought it recently for a good price and have slowly been sorting things out as I go along. This is my first trials bike, mx before, so there's a lot of learning on both the spannering and riding sides! I've been having issues with the bike's running. After a carb strip and clean the bike is back to being crisp but after a ride is back to being fluffy and wooly off the bottom end. It normally clears once revs are up but as I'm trying to learn the low speed balance stuff it's not very handy... I've been putting this down to a partially blocked pilot jet which fits with what I see when I strip it down. However it seems to be a recurring issue. I've read that the airbox and silencer design is poor and can let water and muck into the airbox. Is it so bad that it could be affecting almost every ride? Conditions are very wet at the moment so there is more muck being thrown by the rear wheel which may tie in. Has anyone else had a similar issue? Are my thoughts in the right direction? A second wee issue is the clutch which is a bit temperamental. I've been ignoring this so far as it's a problem I've been able to ride around as I was getting used to the bike but now I need the clutch more often. Can you bleed the clutch in the same way as you would bleed the brake? It feels as if there's air in the system which needs a couple of pulls of the lever to clear. Again any thoughts or suggestions would be great! cheers, ferg

That's exactly why I want one! My uncle Robbie used to say "what's for you won't go by you". It doesn't quite feel like that at the moment but I'm trying to believe in it! What's everyone's opinions on the pre Showa equipped bikes? Is it worth me sticking to trying to find a good '01-'04 or should I be equally open to a well looked after '99 etc?

Merry Christmas everyone. I've been a bit quiet on this as the someone skipped the queue on the bike and bought it before me. Rather gutting as the seller had put off my viewing until the weekend but ended up accommodating another guy who couldn't wait. I've been looking around at everything else on offer and nothing seems to make sense as much as the Montesa, so I'm still on the look out for one. If anyone can steer me in the right direction please do so. I'm hoping to spend no more than

The bike has also had new front brake pads and rear wheel bearings!

That's interesting. The design of that inboard caliper is stunning. Such a tidy design.

Hello everyone. I'm looking at buying a 315 and there is one for sale up north. It's an 01 model using the information in this thread but the owner thinks it is an 03. It is up for