thats_a_five

Others have given you good info already. The Raga edition of those bike also had some special parts: magnesium swingarm, footpegs, and engine cases I believe. Beautiful bikes. The balls on the lever ends are safety items, by law. Without then, the lever essentially becomes a spear that can do much more damage to body parts than the round ball. It looks like the previous owner has added a trail tech computer above the headlight.

Any good aluminum welder should be able to fix that quite easily. Either cut and weld small pieces of material, or simply puddle in some filler material. Then assemble, drill matching holes through the mating part and pop rivet it on.

I store my bikes on a stand because this takes the pressure off everything, tires, springs, fork and shock seals. Plus it takes less space in the garage (allowing more bikes and parts). If you have the stands, why not use them?

That's great to hear that you found some other, more typical trials riders. I think many people miss the point on the TLR Reflex. I bought mine simply because it can be legally registered, ridden on public roads to get to the trails, and still have trials capability. Of course, compromises had to be made to be street legal and stable at 60 mph.

Yes, 12-14 volts DC

That's awesome! Good for you getting them on the bike and great for them having that success riding. Starting them on the TTR is a good way to go. Build their hand control skills and feel for riding without also having to worry so much about balance and standing at first. I suggest having them try standing while riding in the 3rd or 4th outing. Let them build some confidence first while sitting then add standing before the habit of sitting all the time gets too established. And thanks for making sure they learn to always wear their helmets and safety gear. Keep it up! What a great Dad.

One of my riding buddies has a '12 Sherco for about a year. He rides virtually every weekend and sometimes a couple evenings during the week. So far, he has not reported any problems.

In theory, putting the choke on should slow the engine. On carbs with a real choke it should work reasonably well. Many carbs are not real chokes that restrict the air flow, but rather just add more fuel so those would not be as likely to slow the over-revving engine. On many trials bikes, getting to the choke lever is a challenge in itself. Doing that with a run-away engine could be really difficult but if that is the only choice, give it a try.

One of my riding buddies has beautiful TY175 with a WES exhaust. It works and sounds great. He did find he needed to build a sheet metal heat shield to keep it from melting his pants to his leg. Something more for you to think about. . .

I would reword this. I think you have determined what the fault it. You know the crank seal if not 100%. There are more than one way to "solve" that problem. The best way to fix the problem is to replace the seal. An alternative is to find a different oil that will still provide a decent seal with the existing seal. Who knows, it might last for years, it might not. Meanwhile, you can ride. And we know that is never a bad thing.

Oops, I forgot that the airbox and fuel tank in opposite locations to most bikes. Boot may not be any problem but I would check to see that both ends are still properly connected and clamped. A disturbed carb boot is not so likely to cause the running problems, although remember intake, exhaust and engine are a "system." I was thinking more of the possibility of the boot being off, allowing dirt to get into the engine. On 2 stokes, spark plugs should be considered as disposable items. Sure, if everything is jetted and adjusted perfectly plugs should last a very long time. When my 2 strokes don't run right, the first thing I do is change the plug. Three bucks and 5 minutes often solves the problem.

That is disappointing to hear about the Meriden club. Hopefully, someone from the club will read this and contact you. I understand completely about not being a "joiner." I am happy to report that trials riders general are a pretty helpful lot. Not only have I developed some strong friendships, I have benefitted from them helping me learn and improve my riding. I also strongly recommend having a riding buddy for safety reasons. Other riders already have areas where they ride and sometimes they will share. If you have good riding property others will help you build trails and sections if you let them ride with you there. Don;t get me started on "public" land that we can't access. In Washington we have several national forests that are each larger than the whole state of CT. Most of it off limits. Grrrrrr.

Agree with the comments above. Other ideas: Clutch springs getting weak. Master cylinder piston not returning fully. Remove lever, remove rubber boot, look into master cylinder. Rust and dirt can get between the piston and the circlip, preventing it from retracting fully. If it is bad, you should clean it out completely and make sure it travels freely all the way out to the circlip. If it is bad, you might want to rebuild the master cylinder because the dirt and corrosion could damage the o-ring.

You already know the fan runs with DC applied to the fan. If you can use a volt meter, test for voltage at the fan using AC (alternating current) and DC (direct current) scales. It should be DC. Of course, the bike should be at temp so the thermo switch is on. If you are not familiar with a volt meter, you could also simply connect a 12 volt light bulb in place of the fan. If it lights, you have power. The bulb will light with either AC or DC. If DC, the fan should work. If AC, the fan will not work. The rectifier is what converts AC to DC power. So, if you find AC power, replace the rectifier and you should be back riding.

If the fan feels like it is trembling when the bike is hot, it is getting AC voltage. I think zeorrev3rev4 has the right answer.

The original design looks flawed. The top is very strong with that 45 degree welded gusset. The bottom is also very strong with the pivot bracket welded on. As a result, all the bending moment must occur at the bottom bend, right at the heat affected zone by the pivot bracket. Adding the extra material with the 90 degree bend as you did, more than doubled the strength of the weakest part of the bracket. Well done!

When we don't get enough observers we either drop some sections or do ":Group Check." Ride in groups or 2 to 4 and observe each other. Normally considered to be bad form to punch your own card.

Should be standard 1/8" diameter, medium or short length.

I wear hard knee and shin protection as well as elbow and wrist protection. Based on their condition, it is a good thing that I do! I can't imagine how many times they have saved my body from painful impacts. And of course a real helmet, not a bicycle helmet.

Yeah, don't let other people's lack of trials knowledge get to you. You would be surprised at how often, when I have my modern bike on the trailer, that people ask me is that a flat track bike? Sometimes I will explain it is a trials bike, sometimes I just say yes and get on my way. FYI, I grew up in CT. Wallingford actually. I was doing enduro type riding in those days with some trials stuff just for playing. Did a lot of riding from Waterbury to the state lines west and north. I used to find trails using topographic maps. Lots of old trails in CT. I have always kept my bikes pretty quiet so I can ride stealth mode. The TLR is so whisper quiet, I have ridden up on people, deer, and dogs who didn't hear me until I was within about 30 feet. I have seen some mention of a trials area in Meriden. Don't know any details - been away for over 30 years. Get to some events and meet people. That is how I found the guys I ride with now. Have fun!

Don't worry, you will have chances soon enough. I just tell my riding buddies I am doing a soil inspection - searching for grip.

Keep it simple. Dab=1 up to 5 (1,2,3,4,5) Drag foot=3 Bars hit the ground=5 Both feet on the ground at same time=5 Break the tape or damage marker=5 Outside the tape=5 Outside help (physical help or minder inside section while riding)=5 Time in section more than 1.5 minutes=5 As long as you get done in less than 1.5 minutes and stay inside the tape, it almost doesn't matter what happens within the section as long as you are on the pegs - stop, hop, back up, eat a sandwich, I don't care. Just don't take more than 1.5 minutes).

Check the thread above under "Stolen Bikes" Lots of good input there on securing your bike.

Both the wheelie drop and front tire drop are good techniques to learn. I think I prefer the wheelie drop on bigger drops because I feel it leaves me more of a safety margin. Too slow on front tire drop, or anything that could stop the front tire (soft sand, root, rock, etc) and the chances of going over the bars is greater. Also, if the obstacle is not level left to right, touching the skid plate can throw you off to the side very abruptly. If you have the skill to do a "stoppie" (Not in my skill bag yet) a front wheel drop makes it easier to pivot the rear of the bike to the side for super tight turns. Note: I have never gone over the bars with a rear wheel drop but have found many ways to go over them with a front wheel drop.

What would be the goal of laying the shocks down? Didn't the majesty also lengthen the swing arm and move the bottom shock mounts back a little?