2stroke4stroke

You might be surprised to find how easy it can be to fit a trials bike inside a car.

It could well just have been running too rich for some time resulting in a build up of oil. Take it for a much longer road run to get the silencer decently hot to allow the excess to burn off. I have known bikes that normally just puttered about to smoke for some while when switched off after a good thrash.

I'd pay twice that for one that had grease nipples fitted. My Pinky linkage, so equipped, was still perfect when it was about ten years old. Does anyone have experience of the H&D Racing linkage that comes with sealed bearings?

I just fitted 2RS bearings and reused the old seals (probably pointlessly). Modern bikes don't have the seals and provide what most seem to regard as adequate bearing life. You'll be taking the wheels out after every trial anyway to allow the brakes to dry (if you want to preserve such braking power as there is) so the bearings will get a chance to shed water too.

Yes, the hunting tooth. But trials chains don't run in an oilbath so any effect would be unmeasurable.

I see it is used (with the choke function) to increase revs and thus make starting easier. Given how important the correct tickover is to good starting on the 4RT I can't see that raising tickover beyond a correctly set level would improve starting. However, the ability to adjust tickover by using the wheel would be useful, as I find it increases over a period, but not £80 quid useful. But I would be interested to hear from someone who has used the device.

I can't recall if I ever had a problem with those rings when I repacked the silencer, I certainly did not buy fancy ones if I did. I probably used silicon too. I used to use ordinary diy silicon to seal the exhaust port on my IT 250 and it had enough temperature resistance for that so a tailpipe should be ok.

Can you give us a link to the relevant DVLA page? I can't imagine there would be an official way of running without insurance on the public highway. I know they brought in a way of registering a vehicle that was not going to be used on the public highway, in order to combat theft.

Beyond possibly finding signs of water ingress at the flywheel you'll be ok.

There is no official definition of a Clubman. The only defined categories (according to their latest standing regs) the SACU places riders in are novice, nonexpert and expert. I have not seen any event give an award for best novice or best nonexpert, as they traditionally did, for many years. However, the SACU seems to run national championships for Sportsman, Sportsman Over 40 and Clubman classes. It must be left to the conscience of the individual, a bit like the self-observing. Though that seems to give rise to some "interesting" interpretations of the rules.

I seem to recall the start point is three and a half turns out from full in.

You could easily double it (at about 20bhp) and still be within the limit for the test but it is not of large enough capacity. If you have the A2 then you're okay I am not sure how formally the power output has to be recorded but suspect there will be a certification requirement, possibly dependent on date of registration.

It's a tubeless tyre on a tubeless rim - the air doesn't know it's in a tube so exerts the same pressure in the same places as it would otherwise so no great problem. I'm told, though have not experienced it, that a standard tubeless set up can creep slightly so at worst you'll be no worse off than with a standard tubed set up, being able to see the valve move if it does. I used a tube as you intend to and had no problems on a Rev3. No doubt long term tube users will be on soon.

Let us know the outcome.

Notchiness would not be a symptom of spring fatigue. Do the forks move smoothly if you remove the wheel and springs then move the sliders by hand? Are the yokes out of alignment?

Not the lightest? A lot lighter than the Sherpa you enjoyed. I have a 2009 250 and have test ridden both standard and Repsol 260s when they first came out, then a brief shot on the "silver" 260. Motorwise you might be able to convince yourself you could notice a subtle difference between years if you jumped from one to another but you won't be doing anything where the excellent standard suspension can't cope with ease (I couldn't tell any difference on the test ride terrain). I don't really notice the engine braking after over forty years on two strokes with the odd Enfield ride thrown in over the years. You'd have to pay me to take the dreadful Repsol colour scheme. Take it from a not so fat even older guy that you are as well getting the standard but, as always, you can only buy what is for sale so just buy what seems the best value for condition of what you see.

I'd fettle it by returning it to the supplier if it was me.

Having ridden a couple of bikes that used modified Crusader frames I think you're pretty much stuck with what you've got in order to avoid the rear units being canted too far inward, causing possible issues with the presumably longer tavel units you'll be using. A much narrower swingarm would help there of course.

Don't worry, people were bouncing two strokes about in the days when they weighed more than a 4RT.

Five hours seems far too soon for normal use. I change oil every six trials (but sometimes stretch that depending on the events) per the manual but feel that could be extended as the oil seems fairly fresh. I wonder how many people change the oil during the SSDT? I do the filter every second change and it tends to come out fairly clean. The filter has a lot of life in it in terms of volume of oil it can cope with over time as the same item is used in various machines including the Polaris Ace where the change interval is 100 hours or 1000 miles. It's worth bearing in mind that you are only draining 75% of the engine oil (450 of the 600cc capacity) which leaves quite a high proportion of "dirty" oil in the motor.

VIN numbers, as we now know them, did not come in until 1981. Yours would have been registered on the frame number, but I don't think the computerised records go back to 1976.

It's a Cub - you'll soon know all about the inner workings?

You can use it on the road without lights, even if only meantime.

A speedo that actually works is not period correct for a Bultaco?