totty79

No I probably wouldn't swap, at least not like for like. If I decided to buy a newer bike I wouldn't rule out a GG or Sherco, but another Beta maybe a factory model is just as likely. I've had the same 250 2012 Beta for 5 or 6 years. I've ridden many other mostly newer bikes that I've liked and that I would be really happy with, but nothing that stood out as enough of an upgrade to make me want to buy one.

I've tried two of them and in my opinion a Gas Gas 300 with a low comp head has a really nice engine character. I ride a Beta 250 though and for ease of starting it takes some beating. With many other bikes there's a knack to it, but these don't seem to require any technique at all, any old kick will do it first or second time.

Just updating in case anyone later finds this on a search. Reducing the thickness of the last cm of the cut off mudguard by about half leaves the join still loose but it at least gives a fairly flat join when taped over. It would have been better if it slotted under the edge of the bosi part instead of sitting on a lip.

Does anyone know how to get a nice join between the cut off old mudguard and the bosi part? Or does everyone just duct tape over it as I've just done? I've got the cut aligning really well apart from a small missing piece from earlier damage, but the center point of the old part sticks up around 5 or 6 mm and the whole rear edge is lose and easily lifted should anything snag on it. It is nice and flexible though, it should cause less issues than a patched up mudguard, once damaged around the rear fixings every little knock seems to be a problem regardless of the technique used to patch them up.

Recent 300 betas are very tame, I don't know if the claims that all uk 300s are super soft spec are true but I know from trying a couple that they have a nice manageable power delivery. My own bike is a 2012 250 and switching between them is not a problem. A 300 gas gas once made a fool of me, but not all 300s will rip your arms out.

Check the front wheel bearings, fork brace and caliper mount bolts, it sounds like pad knock back.

You really feel the extra weight of an older bike when dragging it out of the places you've got stuck, less so while riding it.

Shims are added at 18 to adjust the clearance to between 0.2 and 0.8mm

See if you can find a spring maker in your area, I had a pair of fork springs made a few years back and it didn't cost much I think it was £35.

"Engine rebuild" doesn't tell you much, depends on exactly what was replaced, but £1700 sounds OK regardless. The fan is either working fine or the thermostat has been bypassed so it runs all of the time, not a big issue either way. Check wear items, chain, sprockets, linkage, wheel bearings, headstock, tyres, plastics etc. Costs can add up on these, price is OK if it doesn't need several of these.

Way too many variables as you said, but basically anything other than option 1. If it's a small obstacle, something that you could just ride over on the flat and is only an issue due to the steepness then you can aim to just skim it rather than slam into it and rebound, a subtle hop and blip to lighten the impact and absorb the reduced impact with the legs not the suspension to try to keep the rear in contact with the ground and driving you foreward.

One piston normally moves more than the other, find a way to hold it in place and you can use the peddle to force the other one out. Edge them out in turn until one pops out and you lose fluid and the other won't have far to go so won't be a hard to get out.

Not being able to select gears with the engine off does sound like a selector issue, but don't dive in too far you can check some of the selector mechanism after just removing side covers. It wouldn't cause clutch drag though so you've either got two problems or it's misdiagnosed, might be worth having someone take a look at it.

You should be able to change gear with the engine off regardless of anything that's going on with the clutch, but you will need to roll the bike back and forward a little to align the dogs, expect it be be clunky/fiddly. Try that first, I suspect it'll be fine but confirming this allows you to focus on the clutch. Hydraulics are likely to be ok if the fluid level isn't dropping and if you don't get bubbles when bleeding. Changing type of oil can swell plates, they can absorb components of the new oil before they have shed components of the old. Plates/steels can warp. Can you find plate and stack thickness specs and pressure plate travel for the bike? Everything can look fine but stop working when out of spec.

A hot stapler can be used to piece it back together or to strengthen a cracked one. In my limited experience from patching up Beta mudguards it'll cope with some flexing better than a plastic weld alone but a crash will just rip them out.

Beta 80 is heavier than it looks. Lighter to ride or lighter to pick up? As said above 125s feel much lighter to manoeuvre than a 250, but similar to pick up. Ease of starting also differs by brand, Beta trend to be really easy.

For parts availability reasons I'd look for a current generation bike that sold in large numbers like a beta evo or a gas gas txt pro.

Sounds like caddy life maxi or caddy kombi maxi would be an option for you. Either will seat 3 with two bikes, and while they're an old design with leaf springs the ride and build is still pretty good.

No direct experience but a similar question was asked on the VW Caddy forum recently, a wheelchair user pointed out that the quality of conversions differ significantly. Some have drafts, leaks and are noisy, others aren't any different to own than the original vehicle. You might need to test drive both standard and converted.

If the carb has any o-rings or other rubber seals they may swell, more often than not they'll be ok in situe but will expand when taken apart and wont be easy to refit. Ethanol has a corrosive effect on brass parts like jets but it's unclear how much of a practical problem that presents. Petcock could also have a shorter life depending on its construction. If you want to take precautions then drain the carb after each use. I've seen multiple plastic tanks distort and fiberglass tanks start to dissolve, and I've also had two liners fail, some of the materials used are hard to bond to as well as not being resistant to modern fuels. Current manufacturers really shouldn't be using materials that can't handle modern fuels, they simply aren't fit for purpose. I used to work for a company that made fiberglass underground storage tanks that petrol stations use, and many cars have plastic tanks so it can be done with the right materials.

Did you check the clearance was within spec after adding shims? (0.2 to 0.8mm) The pressure plate moving immediately sounds concerning. I tried mine at 0.1mm and had to push it back to the van.

I think the ss also had a low comp head, unfortunately I've never ridden one. Some modern 300s have a really nice power delivery, some are brutal so there's no easy answer. I had a go on two shercos that were very smooth and linear, and several gas gas that were a bit lively.

My guess would be a carb float issue as that looks to be an overflow. All it could leak is fuel, but when it evaporates it will leave oil behind so it could be mistaken for an oil leak. This would also cause over fueling which would cause smoke and foul the plug.

If you replace the master cylinder the 2017 onwards one is a direct swap and has a better outer seal. It sounds like it just needs bleeding though.

Strange system with part of the top nut passing through the yoke. What is the grove around it and the bolt marks on the old one all about? It looks like the yolk may be fixed to the top nut rather than clamped between the lock nut and the top nut as you'd normally expect. Alternatively a spacer to effectively increase the thickness of the yolk may be missing.