mr neutron

Blackdog, it was nice to have gotten to meet you today, even if it was only briefly. We needed to sorta hurry along, and on our last loop, some of the course cleaners had already taken down some ribbons and markers before we finnished. I hope you liked what you saw today enough to bring the Beta a long next time! Next time will be at Washougal, on 3/9, I believe..... We've had two trials there already this year, Bill! And (emphatically) Yes! It was dry, the wind held off today, and was actually sorta warm (after a couple of sections ) in the afternoon. I love being able to drive an hour & a half, and hit that dry type of climate & terrain. But it sure lets me know how badly I need to practice on rocks..... Jimmie

Aren't you gonna ride the trial???? This will be a good one for starting out, provided the cows haven't eaten the course markers, ha ha....... Even then, the sections will get "re-marked" if that happens..... Jimmie

I can be a great example of "What Not To Do" on Sunday at Dallesport, Blackdog! Just watch me, & do the opposite, hee hee! About the only advice I can give you right now is to strive for "riding time", or "peg time", hee hee. Not "seat time"; I get a bit of "seat time" sometimes in sections, and my scores reflect that..... Seriously, get all the riding in that you can, but even without it, you'll have fun. Hopefully, we can bump into each other at the trial. My bike has a white number plate on it with a "swirling atom" sticker on it like my avatar by my name. My bike is unfortunately beat up looking, and it's a 2010 Gas Gas 280, red & black in color. Truck is an older Powerstroke diesel crew cab long bed, with a weird metallic tan/pink color. Fortunately, I'm very secure in my manhood..... I bought my bike from a very good Expert rider that lives in Zillah. I really like that part of the hemisphere..... Jimmie Bill, you and/or Barry gonna be there?

Other than not getting to see the rider do a backflip off of his balanced bike, I thought it was Great, Sherconoob!!! I thought it was really good. I don't have time right now to "subscribe"; are there more of these? I liked the "ride along the log" deal; it gave me an idea for a practice deal here on my property. I've always got trees, or parts of them, falling down everytime we get some wind. Some of these might get called into duty as trials practice obstacles, instead of the usual firewood........ Jimmie Added in EDIT: I was gluing the mud flap to back of my new Gas Gas air box tonight, so had to "bag out" quickly while ago, before the glue totally set up. Later, I did watch the other, nicely done vid on turns (more like that needs to be emphasized at the Novice & Intermediate levels), and subscribed. As somewhat of a bonus for us folks watching, it appears you guys have fun when you ride together! Very Cool! Thanks!

It looked like a "Splatter" to me, Dyllan! And you're doing it without a kicker, which is harder to to do. Your front wheel didn't hit the tire. You essentially wheelie while jumping the bike up from the ground. As soon as the rear wheel hits the obstacle, the front end comes down. The rear wheel normally hits the very top portion of the vertical part of the object, which like I said, brings the front end down, and keeps you from coming over backwards. This is somewhat of a more advanced technique, and is what's used (normally with a kicker) to get up even higher obstacles. Hey, Rock the shorts & no shirts look! You can work on your tan while you practice, and be the envy of Zippys everywhere! Jimmie

Hmmm. Maybe I can drag my Pom Poms & cheer outfit utta retirement..... Do you folks in Flint require shaven legs? Actually, I envy y'all for havin' a nice setup like that. I too was outside in our paltry 4"-6" of snow we got last week. Actually used the bike to chase a cow down that had "escaped" from it's pasture, and gotten into my neighbor's property across the road. Fun trying to keep traction & momentum while cutting a scared/surly cow in the direction you'd like her to go..... Any practice is better than none, tho, huh? Jimmie

Hmmm. Well, I'm defintely no "expert film critic", ain't good at editing, am rather ugly & stupid, and crash my bike a lot. So my opinion on editing is pretty much worthless....... But here's my take on it anyway: I liked the "angles" you used to film it. I don't understand exactly what you mean by "flying", but look above here. I already stated I was stupid. Anyway, I normally notice things with vids that I don't like, and there really wasn't anything in yours that I didn't like. So, for what this is worth, I felt you did a good job, Tom. Way better than I personally could. Heck, I'm certain there are plants in gardens that could edit better than I..... Jimmie

I too thought you did a great job picking & editing the music! And you did a great job of not having it too loud. I personally like to hear what the bike is doing, and like to hear the engine. The music (my opinion here......) should just be "background" sounds..... Good job editing the deal too, Terrarapta! Ben, you're ridin' was good! It looked like tough riding in the muck; you're doing just fine, Young Man! Jimmie

I love it, Andrew!!! If I had a TY, I'd want it to be one that I knew was solid mechanically, and then I'd ride the wheels off of it........ Not too concerned about "cosmetics"..... Jimmie

Where'd you ride a Trial at, Bill?? On topic, I was shown a drill to do at a Trials School once. All it takes is a "C" shaped ribbon laid out on some dirt. The ribbon is laid out in about a 11' diameter circle, or something that approximates about two wheelbase lengths for the diameter. If your bike has a wheelbase of, say, 1.5 meters, then lay the ribbon out 3 or so meters in diameter. You enter into the circle as wide as you can, and ride around the inside of the circle 3 times in one direction (without dabbing), and then ride out. Then, enter it again, and ride around the inside of your ribbon 3 times to the other direction. I really like this drill. It sorta helps me get used to the mental aspect of dealing with ribbon. Tightening it up definitely forces you to use correct technique. You can easily make this circle smaller, to be more challenging, and I can guarantee you that lightly dragging the rear brake will make it easier to do. It is possible to work the rear brake while turning both directions, but I agree it's not easy..... Maybe I'm too ham-fisted with my right index finger, but everytime I try to lightly use the front brake, the bike dives on me, and usually causes a dab. I like the idea of stiffer springs for my fok, like suggested by 0007, but more because I seriously outweigh my poor bike than to use the front brake in corners, hee hee..... If I recall correctly, Bernie Schrieber recommended staying off the front brake for turns in his book...... Jimmie

Possibly the bike that one happens to be riding at the moment??? Jimmie

I used to use an old Mikuni main jet for my ignition cover vents. Drill the correct size hole, tap the metric threads, put a dab of sealer in in the threads part of the hole, screw in the main jet, and slide a hose over it. I also used to drill a small hole for water to drain out, as well, somewhere on what appeared to be the very bottom of the cover, I figured if water could get in, I'd give it a way out........ There's defintely simpler/cheaper fixes out there. Jon, what do you use for that fitting? Is it something with a hose barb on it? Back on topic, is it possible at all that the oil he's seeing could be chain oil that got flung up in there somehow? As in maybe there's not a good seal between the cover & the case? Jimmie

Rode my Gas Gas today for a few hours. Made me realize how badly out of shape I am, and how badly this sinus thing/cold/flu/cough has kicked my butt. I was sucking wind like a, uh, like a, well like something that sucks a lot of wind..... Like a bucket of parasites? Like vacuum? I dunno...... I just know I had fun, didn't have to pick my bike up as often as last weekend, and cleaned some stuff that gave me probs other times I've been to this area...... I like my bike...... Jimmie

Be nice to see the TY when it's all done, Andrew! Hope your Trial gets to happen, TLTEL, and hope your bike holds it's vital fluids! Jimmie

Shyted, Thank You, Sir! That was a great, encouraging, positive post, and it's much appreciated! I'm certain I finished last out of a dozen or so riders (results haven't been posted yet....), but that's alright. I'm in this for the opportunity to learn & improve, and stubborn enough to stick it out. But mostly just for fun.... I learned about quite a few areas I'm lacking in skill at riding. Wish I had the chance to ride in rocks more; the only times I get to ride those are normally during a competition. I tried to do a "bunny hop/unload" type of move over a square edged rock about 12" high, coming out of a corner. Got the front over the rock, and was unloading to get the rear wheel over. Got the front wheel stuck on a smaller rock, bike stopped, and I "yard darted" myself over the bars. Kinda augered head first over the bars and into the dirt. Luckily, I fell nicely enough to not really get hurt! So I guess if I learned anything, the ability to fall w/o killing myself has come in handy, hee hee. I'm impressed with how tough these bikes are sometimes...... On topic, the bike has a new shift lever, and some cheap fork guards from the article on page 52 of this month's Trial & Enduro News. Here's a link..... http://www.joomag.com/magazine/trials-enduro-news-february-2014/0557025001390413892 Jimmie

Dadof2, I hope this is taken as respectfully disagreeing. In my view, having ridden trials bikes a little in the 70s (not for very long, and not in competitions), I feel modern bikes are MUCH more reliable than the old bikes. This has been my experience at both mx & off road riding, and no disrespect is intended here to twin shock riders, vintage riders, or any other group of older bike riders. Most of them would tear me a new bung hole in a competiton, being much better riders than I am. But myself, and the majority of folks I ride with with, have no desire to go back to the older, heavier bikes. the liqid cooled top ends, chains, ignitions, carburetors, transmission, tires, clutches are all much better than what most of the older bikes had, and with no weight penalty. Just because you add weight to a bike, it doesn't magically become more reliable. Besides, as often as i crash, I need a light bike to pick up, hee hee,,,,,,, And the next statement may be one that most will find they don't like, but I've never been one to shy a way from confrontation....... I personally don't see that lighter bikes or non-stop trials will save the sport. I feel that in comparison to most any other motorcycle sports, Trials is pretty boring to the non enthusiast, or to new riders, It just flat does not have the draw & "action" that motocross, enduro, road racing, or other disciplines of motorcycle racing have, and maybe never will. I see it as primarily a facet of motorcycling for riders with a certain type of personality. I'm not good a verbalizing exactly what that type of personality is. In my trade I work in, as a machinist, it's necessary to develop a very detail oriented type of mentality to do well at the craft. So it is with Trials, I feel. It has an appeal to riders who appreciate the "finesse" aspect of the sport. Contrast that with the jumping, berm-busting, and airtime of mx, and it's pretty easy to see why young & new riders (and spectators) are drawn to motocross, rather than trials, at least here in the States..... Now, to me, Trials is anything but boring. I realize what a challenge it is, and how hard it is to master. I love those aspects of this riding style. But to most folks out there, if you suggest "Let's go watch an Observed Trials tomorrow", or say "Let's go watch a Supercross tomorrow", which do you think most folks would do? My wife & I met at a motocross track. She is a photography freak, and used to like going to my mx races & practices (to photograph the fast guys, not me....). But getting her to come to Trials is hard. she just feels it's not as exciting to watch as mx, and would rather trail ride than attempt Trials.Trials has to compete with these other types of motorcycle riding, mountain bike riding, other recreational past times, as well as suffer through miserable global economic downturns, lack of riding areas, and things like that..... I don't think weight restrictions will do it. Not convinced non-stop will help much, either. Less expensive bikes, maybe. That would possibly draw folks into Trials if it were cheaper to do than mx, enduro, or whatever else Trials has to compete with these for rider dollars. At my club, it seems like we're having some slow growth, and a bit of that seems to be from offroad/enduro guys that want to use trials as a way to build or improve their offroad skills. I rode with one such guy at our club's event this past weekend. But it seemed as if we had more riders this weekend than we normally do..... Now, these are opinions on my part. I don't mind being proven wrong, and even more so it it drives out a solution that does help increase ridership & sales. Those are the signs of a healthy past time, and we can all agree, we'd like to keep riding. Jimmie

I rode a dry, good traction trial last Sunday (the 26th of Jan.). I "moved myself up" to the Intermediate class from the novice class, in what I'd hoped would force me to improve my riding skill. I think I spent more time picking myself & the bike up during this last event than I ever have....... I may have been a little too hasty to go up to the next higher class. But I did learn (several) things I need to practice...... I broke a shift lever when I started the third loop, and rode the whole thing in 1st gear. Got the new shift lever(s) (ordered a spare lever) tonight when I got home from work, plus a new airbox! My original airbox got broke, & then fixed similar to how totty79 described his fender got repaired. My fender will still be the plastic welded one, with a new one sitting as a spare. Other than that, it's been engine-off balance practice and clutch squeezes...... Jimmie

I'm confused & wondering who some of you folks ride with..... I cannot recall anyone, ever, come riding up to myself or anyone else, and saying "Gee.... I wish I had a heavier bike!" Nor can I recall anyone else using their light bike as an excuse for five-ing a section, or for dropping a position at an event.... I ride at a very low skill level, but can't see how a heavier bike would make that any better, for myself, or those competing at much higher levels. If this isn't an attempt to allow Honda/Montesa what they feel is a more "level playing field", I'd be surprised. If it's an attempt by the FIM to help, or somehow "revive the sport", I seriously doubt that it will work. Meddling by the FIM to save the sport, or even the idea that manufacturers want the FIM to help increase sales, cracks me up. It seems somewhat akin to Chevy & Ford asking NASCAR to help slumping new car sales....... The manufacturers, driven by the buyers & riders (the market), need to be able to do their own marketing. Not the FIM. As Laser1 stated above: "The market decided long ago" that it wanted lighter bikes.... Jimmie

Nice Ride, Shyted!!! Very Nice! Is it a 2014 Racing? You've gotta be over the moon about that bike, Man! Congratulations!!! That kinda trumps what the rest of us have done to our Gassers, hee hee! Jimmie

Man, that's some serious cold goin' on there....... When you need to be dressed like you're ready to rescue Ice Breaker ships in Antarctica, and you have an "inside job", it's pretty cold, I'm thinkin'....... Wow. I have absolutely NO reason to whine...... From where I sit, it's raining, and 35-40 deg (farenheit) outside. I'll make a fire a few hours before we turn in. And then I think I'll pray a prayer of "Thanks!" that we're havin' it pretty good here...... And that was a serious stump/obstacle! Very nice! That was a huge tree! I'm fairly certain I don't have the skill to do that one, but also probably don't have the brains to not try....... All this trials talk kinda makes me wanna go squeeze mah ole clutch lever a few times...... Jimmie

Are you guys getting dumped on with the white stuff, Zippy?It's really cold, from what I understand........ Hope that ends soon..... It's pretty much the majority of the television news I hear...... I rode our Boxing Day Trial (actually held on the 29th of December), and that's the last time my bike got ridden. I've cleaned the air filter, and the bike now awaits a tranny oil change. But kinda like Zippy, Shyted, & others, life has been having to come first. I'm getting a "jump" on next year's firewood, and dumped a 50+ foot tall maple. It's almost all split & stacked...... Next tree I fall will have at least some of it as a trials obstacle. "All firewood & no Trials Obstacles makes Jimmie a dull boy", I believe the old saying goes....... Jimmie

Happy New Year to You, Shyted, and Everybody here! May our Gas Gases give us all many good rides this year! (or at least as good as we're able to give......). Jimmie

Cool! How'd you do, Andrew? I would imagiine there were no problems with mud stopping the front wheel now? Good idea on that, btw. Jimmie

First of all, I apologize to Harveyb & everyone else for going off topic here, sorta...... Lineaway & Axulsuv, do you folks know of anyone here in the States that sells a spare magnet for the Leonelli switches? I can already forsee the day when I forget or lose the one I got with my kill switch, and it'd be nice to have an extra or tow laying around in the tool box...... This is an interesting topic, and kinda brings back memories. My first motorcycle I bought in 1969 (I was13 yrs. old at the time) was a Honda 90, set up for the local Hillclimb competitions there in Oklahoma. It was mandatory back then for all the bikes to have one of these, & I can think of no better reason to have them than hillclimbing crashes. Bike & rider almost never end up in the same place when things go bad in that discipline of motorcycle competitions. Anyway, nobody really made these switches back in 1969, so some "engineering" was required back then. My bike came with a wire from the ignition up the handlebars, and to a set of ignition points (anyone else remember those?) clamped to the bars. There was a short piece of flat plastic, a mm or two thick, between the points contact surfaces. This plastic had a string tether that was tied to the rider's wrist. When the rider's hand/wrist/arm pulled the string, the plastic came out from between the points, the points made contact & completed a circuit, thus grounding the ignition there on the handlebars. It worked well..... I knew if I stayed with this sport long enough, I'd see stuff come back around full circle...... Maybe I should look for a set of points rather than a Leonelli magnet; I dunno which would be easier to find..... Jimmie

Thanks, Richt!!! It's funny ..... No matter what unit of measure I use, I'm stil about 2-3 stones/50+ lbs./22 kilos overweight..... I probably should've asked Santa for a Treadmill, hee hee..... Gary, I forgot to mention above that a fellow in our club is in his early 70s, has had heart surgery of some type, and is still riding events at the Intermediate level (and does very good at them, also.... ). Go for it, my friend! Jimmie