elliotsdaddy

Ooooo wheelie tuition...thanks for that. Yeah I was having a go at the figure of 8's. Found it quite challenging on the flat so I think uneven terrain is a little while off yet. I have made a rookie mistake though.....I don't yet have any filter oil to apply to the air filter once it's been washed, so no more riding untill I get some. Lesson learned.

Thanks for that chaps. Very much appreciated.

Morning peeps, Just a quickie......oooo errrrr!.......when kicking my bike, 2007 290, the kickstart doesnt spring back up to where it sits, so I've always got to return it with my boot. Get's kind of tiresome. I haven't had chance to have a look at it yet and seeing as I'm at work I'd thought I'd ask the question. Is there an external spring somewhere that just might need replacing, or is there a mechanism that just needs a bit of lubrication? Ta very much, Chris.

Yeah kind of makes sense I suppose. One thing is for sure though, I have an increased in respect for trial riders. I have always been impressed with the skill that's required to make a trial bike look like it's floating through a section. It's not until you actually get on one that it becomes apparent just how much work there is to do. While I was riding I could hear little youtube video clips in my head about weight distribution, power delivery and so on.....so not all TV is bad. I'd really love to try and make progress with wheelies next time out. I'm pretty sure I got the front wheel up yesterday while riding over a branch, hahaha.

Hello all. Well I popped out for the very first potter in the woods on my new toy this afternoon......fair play it's harder than it looks. I was only out for an hour and I was knackered when I got back. Arm pump hello, do come in. I really enjoyed it. It was great to be out in the woods having fun on the Sherco. One thing though, how are those open face helmets so popular? I had a Thor full face lid with goggles and I got hit in the face by some rather large branches on more than one occassion. I suppose the idea is to miss them, I'll try harder next time. Can't wait for the next ride.

Cheers chaps. I'll definitely block the intake before washing and I'm gonna go for 80:1 I think. If the rain holds off tomorrow I'm gonna go for my first potter around the woods for an hour and see how many times I can fall off.

Well there is a lot of great advice there so far chaps so thanks. I've got a fair bit more of an idea than I had.

Thanks for the replies chaps. I will endevour to post some pictures at some point. Flipping heck Carl, that's a fair old journey. Where did you have to go to get that little beauty? Chris.

Hello fellow owners. I have recently become the proud owner of a 2007 Sherco (obviously) 290. Now, I have never owned a trial bike before and I am unsure as to the essentials that need to be carried out with regards maintenance etc. I'm after advice really on things like...how often to change the air filter? what fuel-oil ratio to use? What pre/post ride checks/maintenance need to be done? tyre pressures, stuff like that. I'd like to know all the things that an experienced rider would do without really thinking about it. Any advice, tips or recommendations are welcome. Thanks, Chris.

Morning all. As some of you may or may not know, I have been looking for a bike for a little while now. I am happy to inform that my quest for a trial bike is now at an end. I have been searching everywhere for something that tickles my fancy. You know what it's like, looking at the same pictures of the same bikes on the same websites a couple of times a day just in case 'the one' pops up. I was starting to think that I would have to drive to the other side of the country to get one as a lot of the adverts seemed to be about 3hrs North from me. I viewed a few bikes, which included a knackerd 2005 TXT Pro Gas Gas 250 from a deler and a 2004 Sherco 290 that was about 20 miles from me. Nice and local. I was keen to make a purchase of the Sherco but the owner sold it before I could get back to him. At the time I was really gutted. It was a great bike for what he was asking for it. In hindsight though, I'm really glad I didn't get that one. At the begining of last week I clocked a 2007 Sherco 290 on eBay that was less than 5 miles from me. It was on a 7 day listing so I watched it with intent hoping that nobody would bid on it. The advert was short on info and the pictures were taken at dusk so it was hard to get an idea of what it was like. I popped down to see it on Saturday, about 24hrs before the end of the auction. It started first kick and I was sold on it. It has the usual battle scars of a trial bike, obviously, but it's pretty tidy. Its been treated to some fat bars with risers, boysen (not too sure on the spelling) reeds, uprated rear shock, uprated carb, fork rebuild etc. The only thing I wanted was for it to be road registered, but there was no mention of that, which was a shame. That would've made it the perfect bike for me. I wanted to do a deal there and then but I was going to go in below the starting bid. It was worth that all day long, and the owner knew it, but you can always come up when doing a deal. It's cheeky but you've got to give it a go. After a bit of a good old haggle and banter I got the bike for exactly what I wanted to pay, I was well chuffed and beaming. I was given a few bits and bobs, old carb, spare front brake caliper etc, and amongst the paperwork was the present V5....woo hoo! How sweet is that? A 2007 road registered Sherco 290 that was on my doorstep.....result. The chap even dropped it off for me, thanks very much. I can't tell you how happy I am. What a great day Saturday turned out to be.

Welcome. The trial bug seems to bite hard. A lot of people seem to return after a break away.....which is good. How does the new bike compare to the bikes used first time around? Chris.

Yeah bit of a shame really, nevermind. These bikes tend to be few and far between down here which makes it hard to walk away. I have seen loads for sale but not really keen on the trek to go and view, but as time ticks by I am slowly coming to terms with the fact that it's probably something I'm going to have to do. Lets have a little browse of eBay shall we......

Well that wasn't a very successful trip...... Overal condition of the bike was ok, nice straight frame etc, but it does look like the poor thing has been neglected during it's time with the previous owner. The chain was bone dry, the top end was very rattley....not just a little bit but oh my god thats a racket, there was a nice steady leak from the fuel tap where the previous owner tried to fix a leak with a bolt and silicone sealer! Part of the air filter housing was cracked, which wasn't that big of a deal, but the other side had broke off at some point and was stuck on with what looked like glue from a glue gun. So all in all a bit of a mess. Certainly not worth anywhere near the £999 asking price....£500 max I would say. The chap at the dealer, who was very helpful, said that it would be a risk buying the bike. If there are that many things obviously wrong there was no way of telling what horrors could be lurking underneath, so needless to say I walked away......so the hunt continues.

Plenty to think about there chaps so thanks very much. The proof is in the pudding.....apparently, so better go and see it. You know I have to ask don't you?

Good advice there fella thanks. To be honest, if I go and have a look I doubt I will even be able to tell that anything is wrong with it. I know being a dealer they will have an 'ear' for picking these things out, but if it were a private listing I really don't think I would notice. Perhaps for what I want to use it for it's not going to be a big deal......we shall see. Overal though I guess that this model is a pretty decent bike?

Thanks TLTEL. It looks like a pretty decent bike visually, and the owner did p/x it against a newer bike so I think it's safe to say it was enthusiast owned. I need to see it in the flesh really and go from there.....as regards rebuilding it, if it does need doing, I'm not scared to get my hands dirty. If I could get it for nearer the £900 mark I think it'll be a lot of bike for the money.

Evening all, I have the opportunity to purchase a GasGas TXT Pro 250 (2005) and I am in need of a little advice. This will be my first trial bike so I am trying not to get too carried away with it all, but there has been other interest from another potential customer, so if I want it then I have to move quick. It's in good condition for an 8 year old bike, from what I can tell from the pictures anyway. It's being sold by a reputable local trials dealer near to me for £999......but, and it's a big round J-Lo size 'butt'......it's had a rebuild but the previous owner for reasons unknown, didn't change the piston, he just did the rings! So needless to say it could do with a new piston. I have no idea how tricky that is to do, or how much it will cost, but what I'm asking is basically, is a 2005 TXT Pro 250 worth considering at that price with the likelyhood that it needs a little work? Apparently the previous owner said it has been the way it is for 12mths, so the dealer is confident it's not going to go pop....the piston "just sounds a little bit loose". Any advice is welcome. Many thanks, Chris.

Well Sunday was the very first time I witnessed a trial. Courtesy of 'sammyj' I popped along to an event that was being held just ouside of Monmouth. I took my 5 year old son along and he loved it also...though I think he enjoyed 'shooting' the bikes with his StormTrooper gun that he took with him more than anything. Although he did say that he wanted one of each colour of bike...needless to say, he's going to be dissapointed. This was the first trial I've seen and I was very impressed with the atmosphere. Lots of riders falling off and having a good laugh about it made for a very relaxing enjoyable visit. I'm glad I took tea though 'cause it was a bit chilly shaded from the sun. I did take some biscuits too but somehow I was relieved of those by my little boy......I'll get my own back. I'm really getting to like this rather large trial community. It's a bit on the addictive side though. I keep looking on various sites at the same bikes day in and day out just incase something within budget pops up. I was just about to purchase a 2004 Sherco 290 on Saturday that I viewed on Friday afternoon but the chap sold it a few hours beore I could get there.....gutted.....back to square one I suppose. So thanks Trials Central for introducing me in to a world that will no doubt bring a lot of fun my way and hopefully meet some more like minded people. Oh and just in case a particular rider is on here....thanks for helping me and my boy down that muddy slope that was the entrance to Section 3....and I'm sorry for nearly shoving you into the brambles. Chris.

Oooo yes I forgot to check that, thanks for the reminder. It does seem well looked after, temptation...... I was hoping someone would say that, haha. Yeah I have been thinking the same...it's nice to know I'm not too far off the mark with this whole buying malarky. You know with all this egging on it's gonna be difficult to do anything other than making a cheeky little purchase.

Hello all. I have been itching to get a bike for a while now and I had a look at a 2004 Sherco 290 today. Its up for £995. I had a really good chat to the owner, who gave me lots of great advice on what to look for in a bike and lots to think about with regards getting used to doing trials. He said Steve Saunders does a trial day in Gloucestershire which was the best £65 he ever spent. His lad is into his riding too so he seems like a genuine enthusiast which eases the nerves slightly. He has got a '09 Beta at the moment, and the only reason for sale is that he tends to buy newer bikes and not really sell the old ones....he has a 1998 GasGas for sale as well! Now I don't really know too much about what to look for but the obvious stuff seems in order.....forks dry after compression, no damage to the fork tubes. Brake pads in good order. Front and rear sprocket teeth are nice and straight. Everything that requires grease seems well lubed up. Clutch bite point was nice and progressive, not at all 'on' or 'off'. There was no smoke on start up. It's been stood for a fair few weeks so I wasn't expecting it to start on the button, but after 5 or 6 kicks she fired up. Both tyres are like brand new, and there is the added bonus of the engine being rebuilt 3hrs ago with new front and rear wheel bearings also. Obviously the cosmetics are a little tired as to be expected with a 10 year old trial bike, but the frame is straight. I had a little potter around the limited space available and it rides smooth....took a little while to adjust to standing up mind you, but i'm sure that will ease over time. I said I needed to have a think and i asked about money....the lowest he will go is £900, but I did get out of him that he would consider an offer. Can I have your thoughts please? At £900 it seems like a great buy.

Well I had a look at the old Sherco today. I had a really good chat to the owner, who as it happened was there as I pulled up, luckily. He gave me lots of great advice on what to look for in a bike and lots to think about with regards getting used to doing trials. He said Steve Saunders does a trial day near here which was the best £65 he ever spent. His lad is into his riding too so he seems like a genuine enthusiast which eases the nerves slightly. Now I don't really know too much about what to look for but the obvious stuff seems in order.....forks dry after compression, no damage to the fork tubes. Brake pads in good order. Front and rear sprocket teeth are nice and straight. Everything that requires grease seems well lubed up. Clutch bite point was nice and progressive, not at all 'on' or 'off'. There was no smoke on start up. It's been stood for a fair few weeks so I wasn't expecting it to start on the button, but after 5 or 6 kicks she fired up. Both tyres are like brand new, and of course there is the added bonus of it being rebuilt with new front and rear wheel bearings. I had a little potter around the limited space available and it rides smooth....took a little while to adjust to standing up mind you, but i'm sure that will ease over time. I said I needed to have a think and i asked about money....the lowest he will go is £900, but I did get out of him that he would consider an offer. Can I have your thoughts please? At £900 it seems like a great buy.

Ta.

Thanks for the info...is that on saturday or sunday?

Where abouts is the trial being held fella? Not too far from me so would like to pop along if the weather is ok.

Thanks for that mate. I didn't have chance to see it today, partly due to time but mostly due to the horrid weather. I know how much of a 'no no' it is viewing a car in the rain and although that's not too big of a deal when looking at a bike, I still would prefer to have a good 40min or so with it in the dry. Have a potter and get it warm yadah yadah yadah...... Lets hope tomorrow is a bit more successful.