thats_a_five

Very clever way to get the nut and flywheel off. Awesome that you found the problem and the bike is running well again. It sounds like you had a bad gasket or seal of the housing on that side. Make sure to seal it up to prevent water, dirt etc. from getting in there and fouling things up again.

Terarapta and Ben, the video looked good. Gotta love riding in the mud. My video experience is pure amateur and my editing skills are nonexistent. I have learned some things from years of still cam shooting and some recent playing around with GoPro and similar cams. I assume the "flying" you are talking about is the movement of the camera to follow the rider. I liked that. Nice smooth movement. Looking up and down hills always makes them look flat. If you can avoid aiming the cam up or down you will get a much better showing of the steepness. Sometimes, just hold the cam still and let the rider come up into the frame and move up and out the top gives some vertical perspective. Try getting part way up the hill and shoot across the hill. You can even "cheat" a little by tilting the cam to the side, making the hill look even steeper. Getting back from the track and using telephoto can give you a longer view of the uphill from the side. Recently, I shot some video holding the camera close to the ground and having the bike almost ride over it. Hold the cam still and let the rider pass. For example, when Ben was riding over the logs, you put the cam down on the logs and let him ride over it. Those can be cool clips to edit into some of the longer pieces. We also did some videos where the camera watched a rider go through a section, then use a helmet or chest mount to ride the same section. Editing those one after another tells a story of the same section from both the observer and rider perspective. I must admit, I am not a big fan of music added to the vids. I prefer to hear the bike. Whenever I hear heavy metal added to a video, I usually mute the speaker. I know, I am an old fuddy duddy. Keep trying new things. You are doing a good job already. Add some different angles and techniques and your vids will be world class. Great job!

At 6' 4" bar risers would definitely be a good thing for you. I believe that Sherco uses angled bar clamps. Regular risers will raise the bars but also move them closer to your body. There is another style that uses your existing clamps but allow you to rotate the risers forward to regain the lost space between the bars and your body. Check out this link. http://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/search?term=BAR+RISERS After being off a bike for almost 30 years, when I started riding again I thought I could just jump on and ride. Very quickly my bike reminded me that even though the brain remembered how to ride, the body was out of riding shape and didn't have the muscle memory to ride well at all. Think "OMG a toothpick in my way - crash!" My advise, take your time. You didn't learn how to motocross on your first ride. Trials looks easy but so does golf. There is no substitute for peg time. Help from better riders will show you the techniques and help you see the little things you are doing wrong that you may not notice. Check your throttle tube. Domino has 2 choices, fast and slow turn. Black might be better while learning. Black tube is slow, white is fast. You can always switch later if you learn you want faster throttle. Unlike enduro and mx, not all problems can be solved with more throttle, and don't try to clamp the bike with your knees. The bike wants to be able to move around. Let the bike do the hard stuff. Stay loose and let it work. And most important. Have fun!

Great to hear that you found the problem. Yes, coils do fail but not often on motorcycles. Coils are exactly that: coils of wire around a core. I find it ironic that we jump to the conclusion that a stator (a coil of wire around a core) has failed, yet don't think about an ignition coil failing. Get out on that bike and do a wheelie for us all in celebration!

Sometimes woodruff keys can shear or deform and the fault may not be easily visible. Its a cheap part to replace if you are unsure. If its hard to find one, I have made homemade ones out of a metal washer or even a coin. I doubt it is a fuel problem. It really sounds like a spark timing issue. Remember, there is no mechanical advance mechanism, the advance is done by the black box. I suspect the box has failed and gone to maximum advance. I have seen offset woodruff keys that would have the effect of retarding the spark. It might be smart to get one and try it.

To get that nut off you either need to hold the flywheel from turning with a tool or you need to use an air gun (I think called a wind gun in UK). Even after getting the nut off, you will need a puller to get the flywheel off. Not a regular gear puller, but one made to screw into the flywheel center. It might be advisable to take the bike to a shop.

Did you get it fixed?

Did you check to see if the kill switch had shorted to ground or was stuck in the "kill" position? That will make for no spark. It is possible to get the flywheel off but you need a special puller. Almost impossible to remove without this special puller. There are no points on the electronic ignition so the small "beep" meter may not be adequate to check for pulse. Electronic ignitions generally use a hall effect sensor to trigger the spark. They are usually mounted on the stator. Stators are essentially a wire wound around a metal core. The windings rarely fail. When they do they usually look cooked. Stators are easy to replace once you get the flywheel off. If you take the flywheel off be careful to not lose the little thumbnail shaped "woodruff key." That is needed to get the flywheel properly timed to the crankshaft. As Jonboy said above, it could be a wire that has worn through its insulation and grounding (earthing) the wire or wearing through the wire. This can be seen with close inspection after removing the flywheel. Hall effect sensors do fail but give no visual cue. They are comparatively cheap compared with having the stator rewound or replaced. Many times people replace the whole stator ($150 - $200 ) when just the sensor ($5 - $15) has failed because of not knowing how to properly test each part. The challenge is getting a part number of the sensor and finding a source. Then it would need to be soldered into place.

Running backwards as you describe is 99% sure to be because of timing too far advanced. The timing is done with a dial indicator screwed into the spark plug hole and measuring its travel as you rotate from Top Dead Center. A screwdriver is not accurate enough to set the timing accurately but could get you close. Here is some info about the GG ignitions. I did not record the source but I think it is reliable. *** THE TIMING OF THE ENGINE IS AS FOLLOWS:1991/93 GT25 2.3mm BDTC 1991/93 GT32 2.0mm BDTC 1993/2001 GT16 0.7mm BDTC 1991 AIRE 250 2.7mm TO 3.0mm 1991 AIRE 327 2.4mm BDTC 1994/2001 (ALL) 2.7mm BDTC ALTERNATIVE FOR SMOOTHNESS 1995/2001 338cc,327cc 2.4mm BDTC ON BIKES MADE BEFORE APRIL 1994, (MOTOPLAT SYSTEM) SOME OF THE ENGINE ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY POOR CONNECTIONS AND CRIMPING OF CONNECTORS. THE GROUND IS VERY IMPORTANT! THE MOTOPLAT IS A "NO CIRCUIT GROUND SYSTEM". THERE MUST BE A GOOD GROUND PATH BETWEEN THESE PARTS.(THE COIL AND STATOR GROUND BY THEIR MOUNT. THE BLACK BOX HAS A GROUND WIRE).THE BLACK BOX SHOULD BE GROUNDED DIRECTLY TO THE FRAME. THE MOUNTBOLT FOR THE SILVER VOLTAGE REGULATOR IS A GOOD GROUND PATH. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT! SOME BIKES HAD THE BLACK BOX GROUNDED TO THE WATER OVERFLOW BOTTLE (1992/1993 MODELS). THIS CAUSED A PREMATURE FAILURE OF THE BLACK BOX. THE CHROME FRAME IS A GOOD GROUND BUT NOTE THAT THE ENGINE MOUNTAREAS MUST BE CLEAN UNPAINTED FOR THE STATOR GROUND TO PASS TO THE FRAME. SPARK PLUG CAPS THAT DO NOT FIT PROPERLY,OR ARE IMPROPERLY INSTALLED TO THE COIL WIRE. WATER IN THE IGNITION FROM IMPROPER SEALING OF THE MAG COVER. DEFECTIVE KILL BUTTON OR KILL BUTTON WIRE IS TOUCHING GROUND. (MANY TIMES THE KILL BUTTON IS THE CULPRIT! ALWAYS DISCONNECT THE KILL BUTTON AND TAPE OFF THE WIRE. TEST THE MOTORCYCLE FOR PROPER OPERATION BEFORE ADVANCING TO FURTHER ELECTRICAL DIAGNOSIS.) TO TEST THE IGNITION STATOR OR IGNITION COIL WITH AN OHM METER (MOTOPLAT): NIPPON DENSO COIL: THE RED LEAD INSERTED IN THE SPARKPLUG CAP AND THE BLACK PROBE TOUCHING THE BODY OF THE COIL.RESULT:18K OHMS THE RED LEAD TOUCHING THE MALE WIRE PLUG ON BODY OF COIL,THE BLACK WIRE TO GROUND ON THE BODY. RESULT:1.5 OHMS MOTOPLAT STATOR: UNPLUG THE BLACKBOX MODULE IN FRONT OF RADIATOR OVERFLOW BOTTLE. GROUND THE BLACK PROBE ON YOUR OHMMETER.(CHROME FRAME IS GOOD GROUND) HOLDING THE HARNESS PLUGIN FOR THE BLACKBOX: INSERT THE RED PROBE INTO TERMINAL FOR THE BLACK WIRE.RESULT:35 OHMS INSERT THE RED PROBE INTO TERMINAL WITH BLUE WIRE.RESULT:45 OHMS INSERT THE RED PROBE INTO TERMINAL WITH YELLOW WIRE.RESULT:1 OHM FOR DUCATI AND KOKUSAN SPECIFICATIONS, SEE THE OHM READINGS INCLUDED WITH THE WIRING DIAGRAMS AT: http://www.gasgas.com SPARK KNOCK: THIS CAN RESULT FROM A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT CAUSES. LOW WATER LEVEL IN THE COOLING SYSTEM WILL CAUSE THE ENGINE TO RUN HOT AND DETONATION (SPARK KNOCK) WILL RESULT. THE COOLING FAN NOT OPERATING. FAILURE OF THE WATERPUMP. THE QUALITY AND AGE OF THE FUEL (MOST COMMON REASON). CARBON BUILD UP ON THE PISTON. CARBURETOR JETTING. DEBRIS BLOCKING THE FUEL JETS IN THE CARB. USING HIGHER GEARS AT LOW RPM. THE IGNITION TIMING OF THE STATOR. WORN PISTON PIN OR CONNECTING ROD BEARING HAS A SIMILAR SOUND. TIMING NOTE: NO ONE HAS FOUND THEIR ORIGINAL FACTORY STATOR TIMING TO BE INCORRECT AS IT IS SET IN AN ALIGNMENT JIG DURING ENGINE ASSEMBLY.

Good to hear. Have fun

Those small holes should not penetrate through. They are used during manufacture of the part. The fuel enters through the small pipes with the brass screen (filters).

I believe that the two nipples coming from the carb are vents. By connecting them together with a hose, you are closing the vents. This can cause a rich condition. Some people use separate hoses, some use a loop as shown but then there must be a hole somewhere in the hose to allow the vents to work. Usually the hole should point down to avoid dirt and splashed water from entering the hole in the hose and then traveling into the carb.

When you say the "clutch pump cover" are you referring to the cover on the master cylinder on the bars or the clutch cover on the side of the engine?

That sucks that your bike got stolen. After reading some of the other stories, I think the Police have it right. These guys are pros and it is very difficult to beat them at their game. That does not mean we shouldn't try. Taking many of the steps listed by people in the thread at the top, may sometimes thwart the thieves or it might slow them down enough that they get caught. You are doing the right thing now by getting the word out so there is a better chance of someone realizing the bike they are looking at might be stolen and to check it out before buying it. I hope the Police or your friends find it for you.

I think we are all joking because we have all been in that situation ourselves. I also think you have learned some things in the ten minutes of frustration. If nothing else, you had a chance to try different techniques to try to find some traction. That is always good. There are things that I say are simply unrideable. Or better said, "simply unrideable, by me, at this time." No shame in that. When that happens we still learn. If you are riding with others who are having better success, watch what they do, ask them how they are doing it. Trials riders are a unique blend of being competitive but always trying to help our competitors. Or you can take another look to see if there is a different line you could try that you normally would avoid. In one of Ryan Young's videos he says "Make the easy stuff hard to make the hard stuff easy." That is always in my mind when I am walking a section. Sometimes just being able to recognize that one area or line has slightly better traction than another can help you avoid the really ugly stuff. Lastly, sometimes it is better to simply say I know I can't clean that today and simply punch through with a five, saving your energy and avoiding injury, allowing you to do better on the other sections. In an event earlier this year we had sections that were completely frozen. Heck, I fell down just walking one of them. I just kept telling myself "we all have to ride in the same conditions." There was one section that I had to say "this section is simply unrideable, by me, at this time." I went back about 3 hours later after the event was over and the ground had warmed up and I cleaned it. Keep you head and feet up!

Great that you found the problem. The ball is a simple metal ball bearing. Measure the ID of the hole the pushrod fits in and find a ball slightly smaller and it will be fine. Your local hardware store or bicycle shop will have them for mere pennies. Oh, and you are not a fool. Those little balls will wait until you turn your back before they roll slowly out and drop into the drain oil without a sound. Sound like the voice of experience? Yup, and I bet Lineaway learned it the same way. Cheers all!

I know there were changes to the FI between my '05 and your '08. And I think that once the engine is partially warm I could probably blip the throttle with no bad effects but I don't know if that means I should wait 5 seconds, 10 seconds, one minute, etc. So I simply follow what worked for other people and let it warm up on idle while I get my boots and protective gear on, check the tire pressures and such, and it runs perfectly. I have not ever checked the fuel filters. I have no problems with fuel flow at full throttle but I take your advice and will check and clean or replace the fuel filters when I am back on the same side of the world as my bike. Currently on travel for work.

I like your rag method and definitely use a torque wrench. I never use Loctite on a those nuts. I have never had one come loose without plenty of "encouragement" applied to the socket.

Normally I would say to look at what you just did to see if there is something binding or not assembled correctly. And I think that is still good advice when something that did work before you "fixed" something suddenly does not work after. As Lineaway points out, the little ball bearing between the pushrod and the top hat sometimes disappear without you realizing it. They don't really disappear, they sometimes roll out and you find them at the bottom of your oil drain pan and wonder where it came from and if it is important. And yes, it is important. The missing ball would explain no movement at the clutch and possibly allowing the push rod to jamb. The symptoms you describe sound like the master cylinder is not releasing completely. It could be just coincidental timing with your water pump work. The master cylinder has a small internal hole to allow the brake fluid to flow back from the line into the reservoir when you release the clutch. That hole is covered when you pull the clutch in and uncovered when you release the lever. More specifically, when the piston returns to the fully retracted position. That piston is held in by an internal ring that is inside the rubber boot on the master cylinder plunger. Dirt or corrosion can get between the clip and the piston, preventing it from fully retracting. Then the relief hole stays covered and the oil cannot bleed back to the reservoir, making it a one way pump, resulting in a hard lever and no clutch action. This is a much easier thing to check but you probably will want to check the ball bearing as well. Let us know what you find.

Dang, I just typed up a detailed reply, clicked “Post” and it disappeared! I guess that’s a 5! Can I get a re-ride? LOL Let me give you a little more background. I bought my 2005 4RT last year. After riding many bikes, cars, trucks and tractors for decades, I am accustomed to giving the throttle a little blip once the engine fires. A few extra RPM’s seem to help the engine wake up. So, that is what I did with the 4RT. Mind you not massive throttle just a little blip. After some outings, the bike was getting harder to start and was running poorly. I changed the plug, gas and cleaned the air filter with no improvement. It got to the point of being almost unrideable for trials. So, I read back on this forum about starting problems and found others recommending the “Don’t touch the throttle” technique. I started using that and the bike responded well and now runs perfectly. No changes to anything except my starting technique. I do not fully understand why this works, I just know it does. Sort of like I know that if I lean my head inside on a turn I will dab. If I keep my head out, I will not. I suspect the running has to do with calibration of the fuel injection (FI). Remember the 4RT has no battery to help the FI remember any calibration. The ’05 does not have a mappable throttle body so I think it calibrates at start up and holds that setting. What I suspect is, the FI must have a basic setting that will start the bike. Then it must check for rich / lean operation and adjust its own calibration. If the throttle is open at all, it creates a super lean condition that the FI then adjusts for. Then, once the engine warms up, it runs super rich. So now, I simply unload the bike, fire it up and let it idle while I put my gear on. Then I shut it off, fill the fuel, restart and have a great day of falling down! LOL. I use this “no throttle” technique whether the engine is hot or cold. In fact. to help me break that old habit of cracking the throttle, I do not even hold the right side grip when I kick it over. I happen to use bark busters (I don’t mean to start that debate here) and now simply put my right hand on the bark buster to avoid any temptation to give her a blip. Once the engine is warm for the day, I do not need to wait before riding off. She runs perfect all day. I know it is a different engine but I recently bought a new 4 stroke string trimmer. The instructions also say “Do not touch the throttle when starting” “Allow the engine to warm up at idle for 1 to 2 minutes before accelerating.” When I follow this, it runs perfectly. When I try to rush the warm up, it runs poorly, popping and skipping and not speeding up cleanly. I think this is probably the result of requiring super lean running to meet emission control laws. FYI I ride between 300 and 3000 feet (about 100 to 1000 meters) elevation: Temps from below freezing to 90 degrees F (about 30 degrees C, I think). I love my 4RT. 2 kicks and she is idling. Meanwhile other riders are fiddling with chokes, hot starts and using up their energy kicking and kicking. Cheers all!

As far as I am concerned, ethanol is just evil. It causes rubber and plastic parts to swell and harden. I would expect you to have problems much sooner in the carb than in the main seals. The mains do not sit in fuel as do many carburetor and fuel systems parts. In the USA, most of the fuel stations sell petrol with 10% ethanol. Some as high as 15%. I now buy only ethanol-free fuel for all my bikes and yard equipment. It is more expensive but I have not had to rebuild a carburetor in my lawn tractors, string trimmers, chain saws, scooters or motorcycles since making this change.

4RT's are designed to start with no throttle. This is because of the way the fuel injection works. The first kick is used to energize the system, then usually they start on the second kick. Check that the throttle cable is not pulled out at all. I had a problem once when my throttle cable had been pulled out from the twist throttle and the bike simply would not start. It was only out about 56 mm and looked fine until I popped the cap off the Domino throttle and could see that the cable was not fully seated. There is a reset procedure for the injection. If my memory is correct: hold the throttle wide open. kick the starter through 2 times. Close the throttle and kick to start. When it does start, DO NOT TOUCH the throttle until the radiator fan to turns on.

You are welcome. Ride on! PS, you might want to edit your profile so we have an idea what part of the world you are in. It can help in giving you leads to where to find things.

Jetting is very important to the running of the bike. When you changed the slide the 2 most likely things that would cause the symptoms you describe are: 1) the needle is set too high (clip too low on needle) 2) wrong slide. Whenever you have a symptom starts right after you change some part, the best place to start looking is at that new part. check: Is it the correct part? Is it installed the same as the old part? Is it adjusted correctly? Is the new part damaged or different from the old part? How did you determine that the slide was badly worn? Where did you get the new slide? Is the new slide EXACTLY like the old one except for the wear? If the slide is badly worn, then the carburetor bore is also likely to be worn. Most carbs are alloy and slide are steel. More likely the alloy will wear before the steel.

Is this the part? http://www.outletgasgas.com/en/electric-parts/244-quad-left-upper-wishbone.html