mr neutron

Yeah, i agree with you 100%, Glenn. I'm no "Exhaust specialist', nor am I an engineer of any sort. But everything I've ever read about 2-stroke exhaust theory dictates the need for the "expansion chamber" portion for scavenging, as well as keeping the incoming charge of fresh fuel from flowing out of the exhaust port. There's probably other key points as well...... Sigh. I guess I needed to hear someone tell me this is a stupid idea. I know that the the stock exhaust would be much better than anything I can possibly engineer. I've been told by a dealer here in Oregon that the cost of a new midbox/silencer portion of this Gas Gas model is very pricey. The airbox is around $480, the fender is $168, and there's still some miscellaneous items like a throttle housing (how in world do you break a throttle housing??? I've been racing since 1970, have broken throttle TUBES, but can't recall ever breakng a housing.....). This dealer told me that I would have almost 1/5th the cost of a new bike into these few parts...... Basically, repairing this crash means I'll be off the bike for several months. Worse things could happen to a person, in the Grand Scheme of Things. Right now, I simply cannot afford to just go out & plop down the necessary coin to fix the bike. I was just being hopeful (and stupid) that I could possibly cheapen the cost, in order to get back to riding. I do have a line on a used airbox with a crack already in it, which will possibly help keep my costs down a bit, if it can be repaired. Maybe I can then afford the new exhaust after all..... Does anyone possibly know of any aftermarket exhausts for these bikes, like, say, from Jitsie, S3, or whomever? Jimmie

Hey, All!!! Have a weird question here. Let me preface it with this: My 2010 Gas Gas 280 Pro was being ridden by a newbie a few afternoons ago (not me; a true "Trials Bike Newbie), and got crashed. It was a loopout from doing a wheelie that went terribly bad. Fortunately, the rider wasn't hurt in the least. He has a strong "self preservation gene" , and just basically threw the bike away.Myself, I'd have sacrificed my body somewhat to minimize damage to the bike, but that's probably because I have dominant stupidity gene...... Anyway, my bike's airbox, rear fender, and silencer/midbox portion of the exhaust are all trashed. This is turning out to be an expensive crash to repair. In an effort to possibly save a little bit of money on the exhaust, I've been wondering..... How badly, or possibly how well, would a trials motorcycle run without the midbox? In other words, if a person simply ran some tubing from the header pipe to a universal type silencer/spark arrestor, does anyone know first hand what it does to performance? How about noise? If it is noticeable performance wise, would that be a terrible thing for someone riding at the Novice level? Thanks, Jimmie

I'm impressed with how well you're doing this, KozzR!!! Nicely done!!! I don't think you're doing badly at all. Keep it up!! You're almost there, Buddy!! So how is this done, in a nutshell? I'm 57 years old, and just took up trials last year. I still need to work more on the basics than anything else, but wheel hopping, & what you're doing here are on my "Bucket List"...... I'm also kind of impressed with how much your sky looks like ours here in western Oregon (grey & cloudy, most of the time here..... ). I live only 3 miles away from a town called Boring, Oregon. I guess we're a "sister city" to Dull, Scotland. There's an organized group tour from Boring to Dull that I wish I could go on.... Always have wanted to see Scotland, Ireland, & England..... My family's heritage is there.... Jimmie

Well, Congrats on the good finish there, Mokwepa!! If I recall correctly, I finished dead last at my first Trial, and thngs haven't gotten much better in the year since that first one, hee hee..... But it's fun, ain't it?? Did you learn much? Now you know the types of things you need to practice on for the next one....... Jimmie

Man, is that ever a subject for debate...... Zippy, maybe you could wear those "Depends" undergarments for people with no bowel control, and get "filtered air" that way..... I personally have a used, open-faced Airoh (aren't they all open faced?), and really like it a lot. Like the snap deal for fastening & unfastening. And I definitely get more air/ventialtion/the goofy thing just feels cooler & much lighter than my mx helmet. But I do like the full face protection I get from my mx helmet. I'm curious if anyone has tried mountain bike helmets? Some of them are full face, and I'd assume that they are lightweight with some ventilation...... Jimmie

Very Cool, Mokwepa!!! Very Cool!!!! Jimmie

Getting through a tight turn on slick terrain is tough, Mokewepa! Whether it's snotty type of mud, or loose marble sized clods of dry dirt/rocks/gravel, it's not easy. Try to lean the bike as as much to the inside of the turn as you can, while you keep your (your body's) weight as a counterbalance to the outside. You'll have to bend at the knees a good bit, and sorta squat down to do this. The inside knee will be bent quite a bit to allow the bike to lean. At first it feels funny, but eventually, you figure out it works pretty darn good. As Zippy said, modulate (slip) your clutch, to help things roll/flow smoothly as you turn, along with your rear brake. Keeping a little "tension", or pressure, on that rear brake helps a bunch. I generally try not to even breathe on my front brake. It seems like even the lightest pull on the lever sends the front end diving while I'm leaned over for a turn, and will make me dab. When this is done right (you won't see any videos of ME for that example ), your motions on the bike just sorta "flow" smoothly, and you "ride away like a champ". It looks really sweet, and works for getting around stuff even better. As I've been learning, I've kinda adopted the attitude that if I can learn to turn tighter, it allows me just a little more space to set up for whatever obstacle is next. So I spend much time learning to turn. The weird thing is, I didn't like practicing turns at first. Then, after getting quite a few dabs while turning in the competitions, and kinda liking a challenge, I've began actually liking to practice turns. I had to be creative to make it fun. I've set some deals up that I can't clean (yet), but they did help in my last Trial last weekend. Now, this doesn't mean don't practice the logs, tires, rocks or whatever. Learning the timing, technique, & unweighting & such are invaluable, and lots of fun. It looks cool, too! But if you compete at the typical beginning level, cleaning the turns in sections seems to really help your scores...... Oh, did you get that OSET for your son? That looked like a good one! Man.I wish it were within my means to come see what you get to see over there. My wife would like that too. She just got a Canon 7D camera, and likes wildlife photography. Here, she mostly gets pics of deer, and occasionally, elk. Nothing that wants to eat us, but are themselves great to eat....... Ooooh, that reminds me. my elk season just began. Man, so many distractions...... Jimmie

I like the idea of a turn in the rocks, Mokwepa!!! Make that turn as tight as you can, or if it's the right size, try practicing tight circle turns in the rock section. And try to make yourself get used to working in a "compressed area". In other words, don't allow yourself very much room for an approach to an obstacle, and try to have a good tight turn just prior to your obstacle (left and right handers). Maybe even set something up where you have to do a floater over it. Much of my practice area on my property is basically "natural stuff". I have a stump, a log I cut and decided not to use for firewood, and a small mound of dirt about 3/4 of a meter high, and 3 meters long. I can't really control where the stump was put, nor the log, and neither the dirt mound. so I have other junk in between them, like wood that I try to ride as a balance beam, construction safety cones to make tight turns around, and a couple of homemade wooden deals to hop over. Since I ride a trials comp. about once a month, I try to make my practice similar to what I know the organizers will throw at us Novice level riders. We get a few small logs to go over, typically, lots of rocks, quite few creek beds to snake through, and lots of tight turns. In some respects, at some of our trials, the Intermediate guys above us Novices have easier lines. Bigger obstacles, but fewer tight turns. However, they don't get much room for the approaches for these obstacles. I guess what I'm saying in my "trying to help" kinda way, is if you plan on competing some day, try to make your practice close to what the organizers are gonna throw at ya. I do definitely envy your practice area. You've got some neat stuff there. and at least the stuff you've put in there doesn't work very hard at trying to eat you! How many guys did it take to move that tire? I'm not certain I have that many friends with healthey enough backs & such to move something like that. My friends & I are an aging lot...... Jimmie

Thanks for that, John!!! It's much appreciated. It also kinda confirms that I pretty much did everything the correct way when I put the new kickstarter idler gear (and other related parts) a few months ago when I had to remove the clutch. Except I left out the special, hollow screw and the special washer...... (No ill effects from that, btw. The clutch slave cylinder & taper on the mainshaft do a nice job of holding the clutch on...). By any chance, would anyone happen to know the thread pitch on that tool used to remove the clutch? I could make one on the lathe at work.... Jimmie

There's all kinds of ways, I'd imagine, but that's how I've seen it done/ridden on. The tire I've ridden on used plywood cut about an inch or two bigger in diameter than the inside of the tire. He then just used sheetrock or deck screws to go through the wood, and right into the tire...... You're gonna have fun with that one, Mokwepa!!! How high is it? I'd imagine those are fairly heavy,huh? Jimmie

Good Work, Mokwepa!!! Your postition on the bike looks great; the knees are bent, back straight, weight where it should be & stuff like that..... Have you found any one else you can ride with? Sometimes there's a "competitive" aspect of riding with a buddy that helps each of you to learn & improve. Or maybe you can get lucky, as I have, and found a buddy that rides at a really advanced level, but is great at explaning & showing what he's doing, and how he's doing it. This can really help a lot! Keep it up, Buddy! But I think I have to agree with 0007 on them Yoga Pants! (Actually, I'm jealous. Wish I was skinny enough to rock a pair of those. Right now, it'd be really ugly if I tried to..... I've never been more thankful for the "Baggy Look" style than I could be right now, even if I look like a large tent riding a trials bike..... ) Jimmie

Cool!!! I own one like yours, and really like it a lot!!! I'm not certain that owning a 3 year newer bike would make me a better rider..... Jimmie

Maybe like this??? Jimmie

Hi, Mokwepa!! Riding at what's called the "Novice" (Beginner?) level here, if I've learned anything, it's "Turns, turns, turns!". Practice the turns on hills, going up & downhills, right before a rock/log/obstacle, and immediately following one. They will never give you any room to set up for an obstacle like we do when we're learning how to Zap, Double Blip, Foater Turn, or whatever. You will likely lose most of your points in turns on your first Trial competition..... But remember to have fun, and learn, above all else! Jimmie

PM I'm certain I've read, somewhere, that the adjustment screw on those Sachs rear shocks controls both the compression & rebound, like what Laser said. Scew it in farther, get more compression & rebound damping. Screwing it out should decrease both. That said, and since I couldn't recall where I'd read it, I checked my 2010 owners manual, even though the OP has a 2008 model. Sitll, it was kinda funny what it had to say. Under Rear suspension, page 31, there is a photo with a view from underneath the bike. Shows the lower shock mount, bell crank, links, and the other linkage parts. Has capital letter D" with a line pointing from the letter to the adjustment screw on the shock. Quote "The Hidraulic brake compression can be adjusted by turning the screw (D) located in the lowest area of the shock absorber it should be at the midpoint of his career." Something definitely got lost in the translation, I'd say. But it sounds like that adjustment screw does only control compression???? So the "midpoint of our career" is determined by an adjustment screw? Geez, i was hoping to retire in a couple of years. It'll take me that much time to find the little screw, probably........ Jimmie

Pythagoras would be proud, Mr. Zippy!!! Jimmie

Perhaps he's trying to say his Beta motor isn't running right at idle? Is it possibly doing what we call "four-stroking"? If so, you probably need to adjust your fuel screw and may need to change your pilot jet to a leaner (smaller number) jet. I'm really just guessin' here....... That truly is a tough post to understand..... At any rate, you will likely get more help in the Beta Forum than this one. Jimmie

I guess you should probably shoot your footpegs before every ride, just to show them who the boss is, maybe?? Actually, b40rt does have a good point about pegs bitin' ya; I've got a couple of scars on my shins to prove that.... Yet I still rock the ugly shorts fairly often, and feature even uglier legs. Go figure..... Have you gotten to look at the Ryan Young dvds yet, Mokwepa? If I recall correctly, there is a "lesson" on one of those DVDs, where Ryan rides back & forth over a log that is on a slight hill, and the log is approximately half a meter in dameter. I believe the lesson is on Zaps, but can't recall; need to go watch the dvd again. At any rate, when he goes over that log, the rear wheel pretty much comes up to the top of the log without actually having to climb up. It gets there with help from rebound, and from Ryan's legs. It's almost like his "Bunny Hop" technique. Added in EDIT: The video I have is Ryan Young's "Trials Training Techniques and Cross Training Tools". The part of the video I'm referring to is under "Advanced Techniques", and is called the "Jap Zap". He gets enough lift from his suspension & technique to pretty much either set the wheel on top of the log, or has enough momentum for it to roll smoothly up & over, or clears it completely..... I know that painted drums can be slick, even when it's dry out. The dust on your tires alone can make it really tough to find traction. Here where I live, we get a good bit of rain. This makes our logs & boulders really slick. Those logs are pretty easy to get over with poor technique (I speak from experience here... ) when they are dry. There's not much room for error when they're wet, however. You really need the technique Ryan uses to get over them when they're slick like that, along with the minimum amount of throttle. Finding out what that "minimum amount of throttle" becomes an experience thing, however. Just gotta practice the right technique. Sorry, it's a hard thing to give you a verbal on. Actually seeing it done would help more than my text can.... JImmie Here's a good video where the guy gets some really great lift from his Zap, and has s ome good slow motion & text explaining what's going on as he does it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTSd4MbzoGc&list=FLM7a7xBGdVDokQi9gf_OQfA After looking at what you're wanting to do Mokwepa, I'm not sure if a regular old "Double Blip" is more what's needed, or the Zap. Done correctly, either one can get you the lift you need for your rear wheel to get up on top of the obstacle, and then to roll over smoothly. You don't want the rear wheeel "slamming" the obstacle. you lose forward momentum then..... Hope this helps! Jimmie

It sounds like you & I should be two of the smartest riders around, huh Mokwepa? At least we learn what not to do, I guess...... For getting more lift, it's pretty much a function of rebound after compression of the suspension (both ends), and spring from the legs. You can influence how much compression (and then rebound) of the suspension you get by your wheel placement on the obstacle. Too high of the front wheel on the obstacle, and the tire either skips over it, or doesn't make enough suspension squish to do much for you, as far as "lift" is concerned. Just don't do like I occasionally do. Sometimes I'll accidentally pull the clutch in when I want to do the first blip/lift the front wheel, or I'll simply have my timing WAAAAAY off, and wont get any front wheel lift. The bike then runs into the log, and I get "Yard Darted" over the bike and log. A good reason to keep speeds down while learning, i say.... For getting the timing down, it really helped me to break down each aspect of a double blip or zap, and go through the technique very slowly. Focus on obstacles about the size of your front wheel or smaller, and just practice them slowly. You'll find that you don't need a lot of speed at all to accomplish this, also. I probably should've been going a bit slower in my video I linked to..... Hope this helps! Jimmie

Here's a link to that other video I mentioned. A guy who posts mostly on www.thumpertalk.com with the username of "2PLY" made this video. It helped me a lot, and I kinda like his choice of music in the thing.... If you go to the hosting site ( www.vimeo.com ) & type in "double blip", a search will bring this video up, and more trials "How-To" vids he has done. Just about all of his vids have been really helpful to me. The Ryan Youg vids will help you out too, mokwepa! Hope this helps! Jimmie

Of course!!! (wink wink, hee hee....) Here's a video of mine I made when I was learning to do this. I want to stress that it is NOT "textbook technique", but it got the job done back then. I could only do this about once in about every 14 attempts in the beginning. I'm not sure that I've gotten much better since..... Again, I'll try to post the "Good How-To Vid" later...... Wink Wink again.... Jimmie Added in EDIT: If you look quickly, you can see the forks & shock compress at the same time. Probably not as much as they should, & I don't seem to ever put enough knee/leg into it as I should. But the basic gist of it is "sorta" there..... In an ideal world, I guess the rear wheel would've hopped up higher onto the log.......

I do believe you're on your way to getting this down, Mokwepa!!! Good Job! Yeah, if the front wheel is placed correctly, in conjunction with all the other "factors" involved, you will compress both the forks & the rear shock when you bring the front wheel into the obstacle. And from what I can see, it really doesn't hurt if you drop the front wheel down onto the obstacle a bit as you roll forward; just so you get that compression that you need for this technique. At most trial events, you have a very limited amount of room to work in, and I guess the majority of the time you'll have to bring the front wheel up & into the obstacle as you're rolling forward.. Whatever. You need that loading of the fork & shock to help bring the front end up to: 1) allow the skid plate to clear, and 2) to help "spring" (along with your legs here....) the rear wheel up & onto the obstacle. There are some really good videos from a log crossing thread at Thumpertalk, in the Observed Trials forum. And there are some really good videos a vimeo.com from a member named "2PLY" about this subject. One of them has some really good slow motion & explanations of getting over a decent sized log. I'll try to link you to them later, after I'm home & at my home computer (at work now....) Jimmie

Hey, Mokwepa!!! Mokwepa, try to heed these guys' advice about "riding loose", and keeping your knees bent slightly more than they are in the photo. Keeping my legs too straight./knees not bent is a problem I continually fight myself. It makes a huge difference in your riding....... Sometimes, on obstacles like you have in the picture, if I have enough room, I approach them with my knees flexed pretty good. I'll pick the front end up several feet before I get to the obstacle, and drop it downwards on the upper 1/3 or 3/4 (You pick your own fraction!) of the obstacle. As the front end rebounds from this, blip the throttle a small bit, and jump up as hard as you can; you have to put some effort into it. The unloading of the rear suspension as you blip your throttle/straighten your knees/jump up will usually pick the back end up high enough to help roll over the obstacle. Timing is pretty much everything in this "Zap" type of obstacle clearing, but even old Dorks like myself can manage to learn this. Sometimes...... Zippy, I try not to think when I ride, or most any other time in life, hee hee. It's worked for 57 years..... Jimmie

You;'ll need to carry a calculator & a tape measure when you ride now, Zippy....... Personally, I prefer the Texas Instruments Scientific series with the trig functions..... Jimmie

I've wondered if the move to Non-Stop wasn't simply a "Somebody do something, even if it's wrong!" type of deal by the FIM when it came out. Hard to see how it helps the sport. Most of us that like the sport of Trials (and have the time, money, & etc.....) will attend the WTC events, & still ride our local events regardless of the rules, won't we??? Jimmie