motomax

Thanks for the info. Every bit helps. I hope I did not damage the engine by running 450cc of oil. The manual is worthless and even misleading, Gas Gas should do better. I'll try the clutch plate conversion and see if this helps. I would still prefer a fully functional clutch, he uses one already on his KX65 for harescrambles. Hopefully someone will post some info on how to facilitate this.

Does anyone have any experience with the auto clutch on the Boy 50? I just purchased a new one and it has an auto clutch with a manual hydraulic override. Not sure how the override works. It does not seem to disengage when the clutch is locked up and the bike is moving. I would prefer to convert it to a full manual clutch if possible and eliminate the auto clutch feature. Anyone know if this can be done and whats involved? I have converted the gearing to a 60T rear sprocket and sorted the jetting but the auto clutch makes for a slow response which is compensated by cranking the throttle and launching the bike. Its much better than the Beta 50 he had before the Gasser but a manual clutch would be the hot setup with this bike. My son already knows how to use a clutch and he even comments on preferring faster throttle response. Another question is gear oil capacity, the manual says 450cc but it puked out quite a bit when I put in that amount! My 250 Pro doesn't even use 450cc! Its a great little bike but I'm having trouble finding anyone who knows anything about these bikes, any help would be appreciated. If you know of a dealer who has experience with these, a name and number would be a great help as well.

Spray WD40 on your spokes after every ride and you will not have a problem any more. I am on my 3rd Gasser and using WD40 on the nipples has prevented rust from setting in. I use it on my chain after a wash too to chase h2o out.

We stayed close to home and did a NETRA Pee Wee Scramble on Sat. Max loves the format, 1+ hr of continuous racing thru the woods on his little KTM. I wish I could have made it but i was travelling all week and wanted to be home with my family for the holiday. Jack has been a great with the youth program, we owe it all to him for getting it started. Since new, The Oset has run 1 to 1.5 hrs depending on how much hill climbing you do. Constantly run it up steep hills and it dies even faster. We have a Beta 50 now so Max spends time on both bikes. The Beta is more for going out in the woods to practice the Oset is for the backyard. Glad to see your boy is enjoying the bike, what a great way to start a riding career. I'll be at Exeter in a couple of weeks, hope to see you then.

My boy Max has been riding his 16" Oset since March. He is 7 yrs old and weighs 50lbs with gear. Running the potentiometer wide open only delivers roughly 1.5 hrs ride time. We bought a spare battery from Ian and his support has been top notch. What are others finding for battery life? My boy loves the bike and rides it all the time.

Went from a 04 280 to a 05 300 to a 06 250. The 250 is much easier to control in wet conditions. I use a slow throttle and 10-43 gearing with excellent results. The 300 was too much to control for any less than expert level in the wet. I ran a head gasket in my 300 which helped but it was still a beast. Get a 250, it's got plenty of snap for hits but does not require precise throttle control like a 280/300. It's just plain easier to ride at a high level.

I predict that Lane's forum will have some of the highest traffic in all of TC's forum's! It's like the train wreck that you can't turnaway from.

While at the world round in TN, USA, I had the great fortune to check out the factory Gassers up close and personal. Both Raga and Farjardo had heavier flywheels fitted to their bikes as evidenced by the spacer placed under the flywheel cover. Over the past 3 yrs, I have owned a 280 Pro, a 300 Pro and now a 250 Pro. I have been searching for the perfect balance of smooth low end power that builds rev's evenly but finishes with a strong, quick burst at top. My 250 is the closest I have found. I run 10/43 gearing, a keihin carb and a slow throttle, everything else is stock motor wise. I am intrigued with the heavier flywheel. Does anyone have any experience using a heavier flywheel on a Pro? I am most interested in it's application for 250 or 280. I would also welcome anyone's comments on the subject of heavier flywheel for trials applications also.

I have owned an 04 280 Pro, an 04 1/2 300 Raga and now an 06 250 pro. The 300 was a much tougher bike to start UNLESS you developed a "harley kick" approach to starting it. I installed a head spacer and it helped significantly but the correct techinque will do he trick every time. The Ryan Young training video does demonstrate the proper technique, if you really get the motor spinning it will fire in 1-2 kicks every time. Take some time to learn the proper technique and life will be good with your 300. All my buddies would struggle to start it because they would kick it like a girl. BTW, the 250 starts like a dream, BIG difference over the 300. It's easier to ride too!

NETA has used this format for their events for many years. 1. Expert 2. Advanced 3. Intermediate 4. Novice 5. Beginner We had a champ line when we had some riders for it but we dropped it a couple of years ago after our last champ guy left. We also have several youth/pee wee lines but that is a separate program. Our Sr classes include Sr B (nov), Sr A (int) and Sr Advanced. Vintage/Women rides novice line. Our trialsmasters set up the events this way, 2 sets of 8 sections. The first set of 8 are novice with splits for intermediate (increased difficulty). The 2nd set are Expert with splits for advanced (decreased diffculty). Advanced level is equal to Sportsman line at a National. I would advocate the following: 1. Expert 2. Advanced 3. Intermediate 4. Sportsman 5. Novice

We have a strong contigency from New England coming down to ride and check. I'm entered for the National and will check one of the 2 days for the World Riders. Look for the MVTR and NETA banner's and say hello. Can't wait! Who cares about the weather. The mind blowing action will make it worth it no matter what mother nature throws at us.

In 04 I rode a 280 Pro. In 05 I rode a 300 Raga and in 06 I now ride a 250 Pro. I ride advanced in New England and the 250 is the easiest of the 3 to ride in any condition, IMHO. Those who go for the bigger bikes are only hurting themsleves unless they ride at a very high level. If you go with a 300, use a slow throttle and put a head spacer in, it helps a lot but a beast is still a beast. The 300 would tire me out much faster than my 250. I'm a 250 lover now. Much better throttle control with the 250, and by the way, it is still a very powerful bike so you will not have any trouble pulling hills. Can the 300 and get a 250, you'll be glad you did when you see how much better you can ride. If you go for a 300, start going to the gym.

I run a 45 on a 250 Gasser and it's perfect. Are you sure that a 42 is too rich, for a 290 it should be waaaay too lean. I used a 50 on my 300 Pro last year. I ride between 500 - 1500 ft above sea level. You may have something else going on that makes it feel too rich.

Owned a 02 Beta 250, 04 Gas Gas 280, 04 Raga 300 and now an 06 250 Pro. All three Gassers have been very reliable, you just need to stay on top of them mechanically. I have a simple routine of cleaning, inspecting and servicing my bikes every week during our riding season. I have never had a mechanical prevent me from completing an event. Quality wise, they are not quite as good as a Montesa or Beta but they ride so well that a little more maintenance is well worth it in my opinion.

Raga, his form is tops right now Lampkin, he has the 4 stroke figured out for the outdoors Fuji, he will win a couple Bou, he make win a round Caby, he is past his prime Frexia, Scorpa will treat him good Farjardo, he is better indoors but he may have a podium or two

After reading this thread, I believe I have now found the secret to trials success.... With all the comedians waisting their talent on this forum, maybe they should focus all their resources into the comedy circuit, hit it big and get rich. Then they hire a european team to come over and train/mentor them and all their trials buddies. Then we go join the WTC and kick everybodies arses! If the comedy circuit flops, try the circus. We may not have a lot of trials talent but we never have been short on ingenuity.

So many choices? I have a new 250 Pro and plan on using Klotz Super Techniplate w/20% castor. Used this last year in my 300 Pro with good luck. The motor was stripped at the end of the season and I could wipe the deposits off the piston and head. Everyone has their favorite, I would like to know why and what have you found when using them? I have used Torco, Motul, Ipone, Spectro and Maxima, None gave me trouble but I like the smell of the Klotz best. The extra cushion the castor provides is attractive to me.

Spot on Joe, The 300 is fine for dry riding, in fact, it's a blast! It's the wet that I am looking for improvement in. Here in New England, we tend to have a fair amount of wet conditions. I love my 300 and hate to let it go, let's just say that this is an expirement to see if the 250 better suits my style. Another thing, the 300 tends to work you over more in tight, technical stuff, draining your energy a bit quicker. Our advanced level sections place a lot of emphasis on technical skill, just the type of stuff to tire you out quickly. I'm picking it up today, too bad we have 3" of snow on the ground and the temp is 20F. Guess I'll have to put it in my office to drool over until the warmer weather comes.

Hey Joe, thanks for your input. I agree that the 300 is more fun to play on. Especially hills, the thing climbs anything when traction is good. My throttle control needs improvement. I break traction too easily with the 300. I run a slow throttle and a head spacer and the thing still rips! Bruce LeRiche rode my bike this past weekend and even he said the thing was a handful. I just ordered a 250, looking forward to giving it a go. Hope to see you at some NETA events next year. Bring your friend with you also. He's a terrific rider.

I hear that 90% of all UK riders prefer the 250 Pro over the 280 or 300. I am an advanced level rider, having owned both an 04 280 and an 04 300 Raga. For 06, I have decided to go with a 250. I like the idea of a smaller piston (less surge) and would like some input on how well the 250 works in low traction conditions. New England events are often very wet and my 300 was a handful at times. I welcome your input. BTW, anyone looking for a pristine 300 RAGA?

The closest dealer is in Freemont, NH (approx 40 miles). Jack Heminway runs Jacks Cycles and he is the 2nd largest Gas Gas trials dealer in the country for the past two years. You can reach jack at 603-895-3785 or check him out on the web at jackscycle.com.

I have a Raga 300 and the power is perfect for club level riders if you use a slow throttle and install a head spacer to reduce compression. Very smooth, broad power with lots of grunt! The spacer makes it much easier to start and as an added bonus, you don't have to run race fuel any longer. They should come this way from the factory.

I have had both a 280 Pro with a Sachs and a 300 Pro Raga with an Ohlins shock. The Ohlins is clearly better when set up properly. The Ohlins has high and low speed damping as compared to the sachs which only has single speed damping. It really shines when doing big splatters, jumps etc.... The Sachs is still a very good shock. I would save my money for some other trick bits unless your Sachs takes a crap. It's a good deal if you buy a Raga bike but otherwise, its probably a waste of money unless your looking to give your bike max coolness factor. BTW, I'm selling my 280. I usually don't have two bikes but the Raga bike was too good a deal to pass up.

I have a 04 280 Pro and an 04 300 Raga. The 300 is smoother than the 280 when set up properly. They both are terrific bikes but the 300 has an edge on hills and slippery conditions when ridden properly. I have never tried a 250 Pro but my 250 Beta was a real easy bike to ride. I would go for the 300, spend some time jetting it properly and run a stock 04 ignition curve. Very smooth, controllable power that says BOLD all the way to the finish gate!

I replaced my 04 Raga thermostat the other day. It was straight forward. Uses a little circlip to hold it in. The biggest problem is getting the radiator out and in, its a tight fit! I tried fitting an 04 Std Pro thermostat in line but it did not work! Not sure why? It works in my 04 Pro but not my Raga bike? Figure that? I like the switch idea, I think I will do the same. The symtoms were overheating with coolant running out of the overflow, no fan. I tested the fan, rectifier and both were ok. Replaced thermostat and problem solved.