[Teaching My 13-Year-Old How To Ride Trials...]

Yup! I am days away from a dream trip with my son doing US Nationals for the first time!

Frace!

Too cool.

Son in a National!

I have to start grooming the 15-month-old soon!

He won't have as good a teacher as your boy, though.

Maybe he'll be a great rider in spite of me!!

[Sherco 2.9 2007 Noise Of Engine]

This exchange happened in my motorcycle shop...between my mechanic and a customer.

"I have this little noise...but it's really hard to hear."

"Well...come back when it's a big noise and it'll be easier!"

[Teaching My 13-Year-Old How To Ride Trials...]

...It just doesn't get any better.

He's totally hooked.

I'm a lucky guy.

[Ajp Front Brake]

The throttle can be oriented anywhere...360 deg.... even with the cover below the bars.

Those banjo bolts can be TIGHT.

Mine won't move.

But I have loosened them slightly and changed the angle of the hose without letting air in.

[Re-Bleeding Empty Calipers.]

Just load up the pedal with a strap and a weight hanging off it.

Leave overnight.

Tomorrow asif by magic, the system will be bled.

This often (but not always) works.

Allows the air bubbles to rise into the reservoir.

[Tyre Pump/inflator]

Bicycle guys use CO2 all the time.

Not sure how much you'd need for motorcycle tires.

[M5 Thread Stripped On Clutch Cover Sherco 290 2002]

Get some grease on that bolt so you can preserve your precious few remaining threads.

[Bigger Logs/drums - How?]

I'm always reminded of how much I suck at helping the rear wheel over when I attempt even a small (like 18") undercut obstacle...especially a sharply undercut rock.

I often practice hard on such a thing when I find one.

[M5 Thread Stripped On Clutch Cover Sherco 290 2002]

Helicoil requires drilling the hole quite large...there may not be enough material.

Loctite makes a thread repair that they claim is permanent.

I've used it and it works surprisingly well.

I wouldn't hesitate to try it on something like a clutch cover that doesn't carry any mechanical stress.

[Water In Barrel And Exhaust]

What kind of pin clips does it have?

If they are snap rings (with 2 small holes for a snap ring plier), they have a front and a back.

Put them in backward and they come out.

Especially if you put the openings at 3 or 9 o'clock.

You'll want to pay attention to this when you put it back together.

I've also seen clips that were not tempered properly and had no spring!

Now I give every one a little twist and see if it stays there.

[Need Mechanical Advice For 50Cc Bike]

I wondered what that start/run switch could possibly do!

Sending PM....

Thanks

[What's This Bike?]

I just got hit with a giant tuition hike for my college kid.

I'm looking for stuff I can flip at a profit.

[What's This Bike?]

It's described as an '86 TLR.

I never saw a Reflex in these colors.

It's available, so time may be critical.

Thanks.

[Bigger Logs/drums - How?]

I think it's much easier to divide the barrel in half with an imaginary horizontal line, then divide the top half with another line.

You might even consider wearing goggles and scribing a line across the lense that you could line up with the right spot on the obstacle.

Maybe tape a laser pointer to the side of your helmet.

It's really quite simple...

[Kicking Back When Starting]

Timing on these bikes is all about what's right for you.

Retarded timing brings easier starting and softer power...if that's your cuppa.

If you want big zing at high revs, you advance and deal with more difficult starting.

The factory setting isn't "right"...it's probably more like an average.

Glad you got it sorted.

[If It Ain't Broke....?]

Anyone else miss Lane and Ringo?

Sorry those guys left while I was away from the board.

I'll put my .000002 cents in.

Trials isn't an American sport.

NASCAR is.

So is 2 guys in a cage beating the snot out of each other.

Quads are very popular (no discussion of no-stop there!)

Off-road motorcycles?

Travis Pastrana!

There's no point in expressing my opinion about whether trials should move in the direction of the above, but as long as we value finesse over big crashes, Trials will own a very small slice of the motorcycle pie.

I guess there's value in trying to improve the size of the slice and spread the trials gospel...I sure do...I just converted an Enduro guy, but he can't find a bike within 50 miles!

I love trials so much, I start thinking it's like ice cream...if you've never had it, you're GUARANTEED to love it...how could you not?

Guess what...most people don't.

Where's the seat?

[Need Mechanical Advice For 50Cc Bike]

A neighbor asked me to fix his kid's Yamaha PW50.

It takes about a million kicks to start it...but then it seems to run OK.

I checked compression (after all of the the usual suspects), and it seems quite low at 60psi.

If this were a full-sized bike, I'd do the top end immediately, but I don't know if this an acceptable range for a 50.

Thanks.

[Bigger Logs/drums - How?]

For small-ish stuff like that, I like to raise the front wheel a bit higher and let it drop almost on top of the obstacle, this compresses both ends and the 2nd blip carries me over without hitting the plate (mostly...well...sometimes).

I have to be moving a bit slower than with the method of driving the wheel into the obstacle, but I find it smoother when I get it right.

I saw a vid of Ryan Young doing this...he was demonstrating a double-blip, but he didn't even mention the difference between what he was doing and driving the wheel into the obstacle.

He made it look so cool, I thought I'd try it

[What's Your Throttle Response Like?]

Also check your throttle tube.

Black is slow, white is fast.

Proper adjustment of the air screw (or fuel screw, whichever that bike has) is critical for good snap off idle/low rpm.

[Now This Is Wild.....]

I've drowned 2.

Never had to dive down to retrieve one, though!

Both times pretty far into the woods, both times took stuff apart and got it running.

[King Bernie Was Back In Town.]

Too cool!

My 13-year-old just got his first proper trials bike and, along with it, my well-worn copy of "The Bernie Book."

Most parents ask, "Did you do your homework?"

I ask, "Did you read your Bernie Book?"

[How Do You Change Front Brake Pads? Sherco]

Before you take the old pads out, stick a fat screwdriver between them and give it a twist to push the pistons apart to allow for the thicker new pads.

[Tank coating to protect against Ethanol damage]

My Sherco tank has now grown so much that the rear bolt slot no longer lines up with the speed nut.

[Kicking Back When Starting]

On the trials bikes I've seen (except for one "breathed-on" World Round bike) all of the range is useable.

But you could start with 3-4mm from stock.

If you have an impact gun, experimenting is quick and easy.

For beginner/Novice riders, and some other situations like folks who ride i very slippy/muddy conditions, I like to retard them all the way.

Advanced timing for advanced riders, retarded timing for...well....me.

Seriously, though...advanced timing is best for folks who commonly use the top of the RPM range.

[Spark Plug Cap Resistance]

All plug caps have resistors to minimize electrical interference

But it's not 500K is either 5k or 10K

500K would be a plug cap that is nearly an open circuit

Right!

Still getting used that newfangled digital meter!