totty79

Finally got back out on the bike yesterday, but after so long off it I took it easy. The change of foot position is going to take a bit of getting used to, the brake needs a service as well as it takes way too much force, the heating and soaking trick worked but not for long, time to order new pads.

The 250 has the lowest compression of the range at just 8.9:1, I wouldn't expect to be able to reduce this by enough to make a significant difference - although I've never tried. Not all evo's have the tophat clutch washers, I think it's only 300s, my 2012 250 does not have them. Swapping out the two thicker clutch plates did help smooth out clutch engagement on my 250, which does help make the bike feel less aggressive.

Fork springs, check for excessive static sag.

Custom made springs aren't very expensive, I've used springcoil.co.uk for fork springs but there are a few companies around so there may be one local to you. You may have to send them a standard spring as a sample.

The 250 has the lowest compression of the range at only 8.9:1, I wonder how low you can go. The 250 and 200 are the same stroke, maybe the top end can be swapped, although that won't be cheap.

The 250 evo isn't aggressive in the hill climb scenario you mentioned. The only times mine has caught me out is when I've had to be aggressive on the throttle, basically when riding above my ability. It's worth trying one of you haven't already. Hard to say if you should wait as I never found a 200 to try. The only trials bikes I've ridden are my old GG 321, a recent GG250 and 3x evo 250. The evo's being overall the least aggressive, 321 was very tame a gear or two higher riding on low down grunt, but the extra ccs were obvious if you opened it up.

Supply and demand. They're recommended all of the time as an ideal first bike, but I bet those that buy new mostly buy 250/300's. I looked for one but ended up with a 250.

The 99 is a fairly heavy bike, feels ok to ride but it soon wears you out when you've got to drag it. I had a 99 321 and switched to a Beta evo. I'd take my chances on the 02 or keep looking.

Surflex plates still have the glue between the friction material. The tabs on the ones I bought were better than stock so I just knocked off the odd high spot. I fitted new steels at the same time. Applying the fix to my stock clutch made little difference, there was probably something else wrong, after the surflex replacements the clutch works properly.

The karting part of Warden Law was really busy on Saturday but I was the only trials rider. Two people stopped to ask me about the trails, and as usual Junior Kickstart was mentioned. That program did a lot for the sport, me looping it in front of them probably did not.

For some reason my last reply isn't shown. I'll spend some time on foot position next time out. I may also try increasing damping. I've looked up the CLAKE pro, interesting product, I really like the idea but not the price, so I'll work on technique and keep it in mind.

Yes I'm having to move my foot forward to reach the brake. I tend to have the balls of my feet on the ends of the pegs for anything tricky, switching to my heels between sections to save my calves. I don't think I fully understand the problem so its hard to describe. I basically lose traction. I think that I don't absorb enough with my legs when covering the brake so the shock loads and rebounds making the wheel hop. I also tend to veer off to one side. I may need to react initially with the clutch as suggested, but I stopped covering it partly to stop me overusing it and partly because my control becomes poor at times due to tendon wrist and knuckle issues. I have the brake pedal level with the peg, which is far higher than I have them on my road bikes. For me this obstacle requires some form of saftey net, I've had a couple of offs on it.

I was working on this yesterday, but when doing a back to back comparison of covered vs ball of foot on the peg I looped it again (when not covered). I was riding a hill with rocks on it at Warden Law, they're spaced awkwardly so you have to keep the front up. I can't get past half way with the brake covered but I've twice made it to the top without covering. I've also previously bust my ribs on it. The problems when covering the brake seem to be absorbing the rear wheel impact and also keeping in a straight line. The problem when not covering the brake is easier to understand, when I get it wrong on the throttle I can't save it and it tends to hurt. Downhill rear brake usage is not causing me any problems. Does anyone have a pic of brake pedal height and foot position? Any other advice?

If there was one then I didn't see it, only Dabills and his minders.

Once a month and normally only for 3 hours.

New plates and steels with the fix applied sorted mine when the fix alone didn't help.

Cheers, I'll take another look over the weekend.

Does anyone have a picture of the engine number location that they can post? (It might be worth blanking out the actual number) I've only been able to look for it by torch light, but I can't find it.

I use jitsie dynamic knee guards, the protection seems pretty good from top of boot and over knee, they don't restrict movement but they aren't the most comfortable of things to wear.

My levers are still in fingertip reach with my weight low and back. On descents on loose ground I find that I still need to weight the front a bit anyway to help the front grip. I find that if I put the levers any higher throttle control suffers while covering the brake, and it limits body position. Give it a try and see how it feels. I started with mine level, someone moved them for me and it was an instant improvement, I then moved them further. The position on my road bikes now bugs me.

Have a look at the ONeal STV. Once warmed up the armour is very pliable and you don't really notice it.

This is the position of my bars, I'm 5'8".

If the information is accurate then they're getting a fair wrap. Crap quality from other manufacturers just means problems are widespread in the sector, it doesn't excuse Honda.

Legally I think it's if it's motorised that matters not the type of motor. I think it would generate a lot fewer complaints, in part due to low noise but also in part due the prejudice against motorbikes not being applied to it by the general public. If I could get one for the same money as my evo I'd have one.

"You will probably Injure yourself but the more you beat your self up the tougher your body becomes" You might change your mind when those injuries are 20+ year old. I speak from experience, but to be honest I'd do most of it again.