totty79

I wear one of these http://www.oneal.eu/en/products/mountainbike/protection/0280-002_stv-protector-shirt/ A few other makes do a similar product, generally aimed at mountain biking. They are far less restrictive than the hard armor on a mesh vest type.

Sounds like dielectric grease, it has a high resistance to reduce the likelihood of shorting or sparking as well as being a lubricant and anti corrosive.

Difficult to offer advice on this without a picture.

I'm not sure I follow your last post. If you run a tube at 4psi without a rim lock on pretty much any tyre or rim make I would expect the valve to be torn off the tube. I can't guarantee this will always happen but I've experienced it and I've spoken to others with the same experience.

The mixed experience with tubes is due to rim locks and pressures. Low pressure without a rim lock is highly likely to result in the valve stem being torn of and a flat.

I know someone that tore the valve of a tube in 15 min, me. It's why rims meant for tubes have rim locks. A tube is definitely not the way to go.

No the 250 doesn't have them. I'd like to try a set but haven't found them listed for sale anywhere.

I've never ridden on a tyre that good. Pick a hill that you can ride 8 or 9 times out of 10 and try the following.... Squat into the bike leaving just a couple of inches clearance, a*** around the shock area a little further back than your feet. Accelerate as much as possible in a short distance before the hill. Let your legs take up some of the movement so the suspension doesn't have to do all of the work. Try to maintain just enough momentum to get to the top by gently rolling off. Then try it repeatedly with different fixed body positions, then try moving your body mid hill, then try shorter run ups which will necessitate more work with the throttle, then try a different hill, you'll end up with a feel for it.

Strengthen doors and chain bikes to something to slow them down. Alarms to make a noise to stop them taking their time. Camera to have a slim chance of IDing them. Tracker to have a shot at finding the bike if they manage to take it.

I tried 3 or 4 and settled on Motul 300v. Less drag and smoother release. Although fitting a sureflex clutch pack made a bigger difference than; changing the oil brand, swapping out the thicker plates, or doing the clutch fix.

Starting with heat on yours before snapping and drilling probably would have saved it. You could use the same method to split it then fit new seals and a banjo bolt bleed nipple, even if it's just for a spare as someone will be glad of it when new parts will run out. I have a front one from a 99 txt that looks the same. It needs work and I no longer have the bike but I'm still reluctant to throw it out. It's available for a few quid to cover postage if it's of use to you or anyone else.

There are a lot of threads on this and everyone has an opinion. You wont go far wrong in that age/price range if you just buy based on mechanical condition.

And look at how many TVRs got written off! Most cars with masses of power have traction control. When something goes wrong more power is not normally a good thing. Otherwise I agree, when in control the engine size shouldn't matter.

Check you're applying the choke, the lever has some resistance and goes near vertical when on, the easy movement is just taking up the slack ..........done that myself. Otherwise I'd replace that O-ring before looking at any of the other things that can cause poor starting.

On top of all the usual trials stuff like worn linkages and signs of poor servicing or abuse check the clutch doesn't stick, check threads into the frame aren't striped and that there's no water in the oil. Most issues are easily fixed if the price is right, but parts aren't cheap. Also is it a 2010 model or a 2009 model sold in 2010? I can't recall the details but I've read about issues with 2009 bikes.

Personally I don't think it makes much difference while you're in control, but when you screw up that extra throttle response really doesn't help. I recently spent 3 hours on a 125 and for what I can ride it was easily good enough.

There are several techniques for different sizes and types of obstacles. It might be best to lookup some videos of techniques, if you search for 'trials double blip' that will show you one technique and links to others. Alternatively post a picture of an obstacle and see what technique people recommend.

Or crawl out from underneath one that's landed on you and count the number of ribs broken :-)

I've never had this issue with my 2012 250, my old gg321 did it once.

Betas do have a distinctive engine noise with a whine from the clutch as an earlier poster mentioned. It's distinctive enough that you can tell that it's a Beta from some distance. It's a bit like the cam gear whine on a VFR. If you haven't hared other Betas then it's worth trying to hear one before pulling yours apart.

Any size of bike will do the job from 125 to 300, but when it goes wrong it'll go wrong in a bigger way on the bigger bikes.

I've only tried 4 oils in it, motul 300v gave the best clutch action, it's expensive but at least it doesn't take much. I polished the tabs, removed the glue between the friction material, swapped out the two thicker plates, messed with lever adjustment to get maximum travel, tried atf and two putoline oils, measured travel and thickness, tried with two springs removed, did assorted pre start rituals to prevent sticking, tried to source factory spring washers and failed. None of it was worth the hassle compared to just fitting a new set of plates, although I did remove the glue before fitting them and filed high spots of the tabs but did not polish them.

The shim won't make a difference hydraulics are self adjusting. Have you changed the oil, it'll drag on old oil and they also seem fussy on oil brand. I tried several fixes on my 2012 before just replacing the pack (friction and steel) and it's been fine since.

With all of the advice given out historically on the forum about avoiding first year of production gg pro and beta evo, then all of the well documented ossa issues, it's surprising to see so many people recommending a vertigo. I'd only go for one if I had a second trials bike and was comfortable potentially throwing away most of the investment. It's a beta after 2009 for me and although I ride a 250 I'd consider a 125 or 200, even though the 250 is fairly tame power is a hindrance not a help at my level.

Yer, that makes sense. It's the run on that I liked when I first tried it, I felt the instant off of the GG required better timing, I may now try without the weight. I've ridden a 2015 Beta 125 and quite liked it, but I also miss the torque of my old GG321. The only times when I've felt a bike needed to be tamed were after I'd already started to lose control, although the mid range of the 250 did feel a bit strong until I readjusted after a few hours on a 125.