uhoh7

The base gasket makes a real difference---I replaced mine and only had a much thicker one on hand-- it changes more than compression--quite a taming--but I want th old one back next time, hehe since I live at 6k

funny thread god what a link.....it's just the same as when I first traveled in Guatemala in 1981. The country is spectacular, sizable populations of purebred mayans surviving i don't know how. It should be the Nepal of central america, but instead it's just a source of slave labor for the US. I say great, go there, but shouldn't there be at least one North American Venue?

I was also shocked to see no US venue. Did TTC not want to do another? Guatemala is one of the great tragic stories of the 20th century. Without the United Fruit Company and some typically stupid foriengn policy, it would be one of the great tourist destinations in the world today. Instead it lumbers along with masses of disposesed indigneous, rampant kidnappings, corruption etc. Antigua, however, is safer than most US cities and always full of travellers and spanish language students. Back in my traveling days I spent quite a bit of time there. It is great to see an event at Antigua, and I would not want it removed to do another US--rather a US event might be added.... But I am really curious as to who came up with the central american venue and who will be doing the ground logistics.

damn funny.....I'm a smoker too--- and though a yank, I caught the meaning. This little ditty needs a home in a tome of trials poetry,

Clutch action seems improved, but I am not a trials quality judge. Have not noticed variation, but I will pay more attention

Guess I should update on this. I checked with my inside source, who guessed right away the same as you guys about the bolt. His instructions: remove the bolt and the washer and LEAVE THEM OUT! I nearly dropped the phone. Oh yeah, he said, the clutch ain't going anywhere, and the bolt will loosen again. Done it to many bikes without a problem he reported. So I did. (the bolt had totally unscrewed itself). Clutch seems smoother and the rattle is quieter. knock on wood

TY for the replies. Yes I have water in the box, 5 hrs riding will add 1/4 window of fluid and turn the oil lighter. I will replace water pump and see what happens. I am jetted leaner on the main and richer on the pilot than stock, but can't remember the exact jets. interesting Buckholz--- TY for your input. I may have two seperate issues, yours and a water pump seal. The bike has never been hot enougth to peel the paint, so I am hoping the head surface is OK. I will report back.

I begining to wonder if I've warped my head or cylinder. Symptoms: In most situations the bike runs cool. The fan works fine. But in a long steady climb the motor reaches a point and then spits copious amounts of fluid out. After a bit the fluid turns to steam which increases with throttle. In addition the GM auto trak gains a lighter shade of blue after a long ride. For example, today this happened several times on larger climbs (about 1000-1500 vertical feet). I am in the habit of refilling the radiator when this occurs. It took 6 oz to top it off. I was told that this could be the inner o-ring on the head, but I have replaced both and symptoms seem the same. The engine runs fine through all this. thoughts? ty sirs

Ahhhh I love this place!!!!! Sounds good: I should just pull the clutch cover off and I will see this screw? Forgive my ignorance---I did manage to replace the base gasket and it still runs, hehe. Thanks so much bigwig

Was out deep in the backcounrty this afternoon and suddenly my clutch lever travel developed a "stop". At first this was intermitent and the clutch would pull in as normal. But I was sentenced to navigating a rocky nettle filled granite defile without a clutch, hehe. I'm staring at the plunger which the lever drepresses. It comes out to the stop, but seems to only depress halfway then stop. I have about half to 3/4 clutch. My mineral oil level seems ok. Air bubble? Mechanical issue in clutch? No unusal noises. Problem with the plunger or piston? ty sirs

hehe I did end up reusing the clamps. Dale Malasek gave me the tip to remove them with the pliers diagonal. Thanks for all the info guys, The bike is alot of fun out here for sure.

OK all

not so easy on the 06, since the thermo now seems embedded in the upper front of the rad, but I should be able to get 12v to the fan: is a car battery OK?

Hi guys Just replaced the base gasket on my 06 300 pro. All seemed well in testing: fan came on as usual. Today big ride in the mountains. Fan stops working. I just filled it over and over and came home fine. BUt now I have to see why the fan won't come on. I may have damaged something in the fan assembly or the wiring when i removed the rad: is that a tight one or what? I was carefull but there was some contact frame to rad when I reinstalled it. I still have OEM lights on the bike, so all the wiring too as you can kinda see here, mid ride. This was the hill it stopped working on, my buddy rides up on his yzf250 So am wondering how to proceed with checking the fan. Tried searching, so any advice or links much appreciated

thanks for all the help guys. I think I'll get a backup set of hose clamps to minimise down time, and then see how easy the pinch type are for me to deal with, all the best, uhoh7

forgive once again my ignorance. getting ready to replace base gasket and need to detach radiator hose from cylinder. They are using some strange hose clamps. How do I loosen them, and can they be reused?

and the pin comes right out? no pounding? that would be easier for sure. more good advice= looks like i do have to pull off tha rad so I should remember the water, hehe TY mucho!!

Thank you for the tips, especially the sealant. On the video the gasket appears dry and I was wondering about this. What is the easiest way to get the cylinder back over the piston and ring? Can you just hold the ring closed with your fingers, or do you need a ring compressor or something?

Great advice....gonna check first---that would be sweet!!!!!

Thanks thats what i needed to know,

hehe, what did I do to you? Just a simple question.

This is after about 3 hrs riding in dusty conditions forgive my ignorance: the source is very small, and appears to be a gasket at the cylinder base. Should I just ignore it, or prepare to go after the gasket? The bike runs fine. TY sirs

I'm stock at 11/42 but do wonder how other options perform when you have more trails to ride. On single track the 4th to 5th jump can be a pisser in some situations, hehe thanks guys

it does have 6 of course but the weakness for this application is the jump 4th-5th.

Here's my sxf in the wild The comparison is pretty shocking---and I have alot of hours in the BC on 250fs. Even though I'm standing 99% of the ride, I am far less worked on the GG. On normal mountain single track a 250F will get away if the rider goes hard. But once he settles down you can keep up easy. On rocky single track the GG is faster, even with it's achilles heel: the masive jump and clunk to 5th. I'm using stock gearing and cannot decide if I should go up to try and bring the lower gears in play, or down to get into 5th a bit sooner. The sxf feels like a real hog after the gg. In comparison it is really top heavy, so balancing movements require more strength. Then there is the motor. The GG is so smooth and has power at the lowest rpm, so it is very predictable. Obviously there is always a lower gear for the nastiest bits. The sxf does not like super low rpm, mine surges a bit but I'm working on it. AT first the GG suspension scared me at speed and in the whoops. But if you absorb with it you can really fly. Overall handling: the GG steers extremely precise, so if you are paying attention you can miss almost any surprise that shows up in your path. It's rebound cornering in s turns is remarkable. I thought it would be scary--but I have no problem taking a hand off for my camelback nipple. Deflection and traction: also no comparison. The right-side up marzochi is very stable in loose rocks or when hitting a lone rock on the trail. Traction compared to the sxf is laughable. Motocross tires are very stupid in this kind of riding--and that's all I've used till now. Over and above all this is the impact comparison. You can hear the sxf a long way out, and you can see where it goes. The GG is very quiet and leaves no mark. If you notice the snowbank above: I climbed just to the left of it but you cant tell. The GG is close to a true wilderness motorcycle. With some altered gear sets and a light rear subframe to support gear, a small low seat, and towing (just in case), it would be near perfect.