heffergm

I'm in the same boat (and on the same bike!). I've always had issues feeling comfortable using the rear brake on any bike. The major thing I've noticed with it on a trials bike is foot position. I'd say that most of the guys I watch (expert+) are always in a position on the pegs such that they can cover the rear brake (some exceptions obviously), whereas I find that I'm almost always on the balls of my feet and am unable to get the rear brake without shifting my foot position. So, I'm trying to train myself to change where I stand on the pegs, so that I can always cover the rear brake. I'm also practicing wheelies: bring the front up, then immediately bring it back down with the rear brake rather than just clutching. This is helping.

I haven't found that balancing on my KTM is any different than on my trials bike for the most part... I'm equally bad on both. If I have the front wheel anchored in a small hole or against a rock, etc. both are easy, but on pavement it's a lot harder (for me). But like I said, I can balance either for about the same amount of time in the same conditions.

Try here: www.jackscycles.com Very responsive and he'll ship you whatever you need if he can get it.

Would it make noise with brake not applied?

So the front end of my '13 evo started making an odd sound I really only noticed when rolling the bike around (engine off) and turning the bars from lock to lock. It's almost more a feeling than a sound, and my guess was that it was the headset being a bit loose, despite the fact that with the front end off the ground, I couldn't detect any free play when rocking it back and forth. So I pulled the headset apart, looked at the copious amounts of grease Beta kindly stuffed in there, and put it back together. I tightened it up until the steering started to drag, then backed it off a bit, bolted it all back together, and marveled at what I thought was the absence of the same noise/feeling. Went back to the bike later, after some failed attempts at hopping, and it seems to be doing the same thing again, albeit not as much. I may be having new bike anxiety, but given how many loose bolts I've found on this thing on the first checkup, I'm not so sure.

Did Smage ever compete in Worlds?

As mentioned, balancing. It's basically the same regardless of the bike, although the center of gravity is noticeably higher on an enduro bike. I'd say any training that makes you more proficient/controlled with clutch/brake/balance are all good. The hardest thing for me to get used to coming off enduro into trials is the slowing down part... sounds silly, but it's really tough to go slow, so practice that a lot.

So I'm fortunate enough to live right near a legal public riding area, but it's mainly a trail system. There are some fun sections (oddly enough, the parking lot being one of them), but I'd love to find someone to hook up with in the MA/RI area that has some riding space. I'm on a relatively quiet 300 2t. Cheers, -Grant

My clutch master cylinder is weeping ever so slightly from behind the boot where the plunger is that the clutch lever pushes against. Is there some sort of gasket in there that I can replace? It's not enough to even drip, but it's bugging me.

Here's my 2p from someone that only recently started riding trials (and hasn't even done his first event yet). I started riding dirt bikes at 12, spent a lot of time on street bikes, a short period road racing, then got back into dirt bikes at 36 or so (I'm 38... good grief, when did that happen). I started racing hare scrambles and enduros: I was in no way prepared for the beating I was about to take. Over the last 2 years or so I worked incredibly hard on conditioning and riding skills to be able to deal with 3 hours of hell in the New England woods. Had I been less of a masochist, there's no way in hell I ever would have continued racing, it's that brutal. And the fact that there's no 'easy' course for real beginners puts a serious dent in what I think could be much larger attendance numbers (although despite this, NETRA is probably the biggest sanctioning body in my area). Unless you grow up doing this sort of thing, the chances of you getting involved later in life are near zero unless you're really looking for a challenge. When my local trials club offered a 'cross-training' event, I figured I'd check it out. They were providing bikes, and no one should ever pass up a ride on someone else's bike, especially if you have no ties to them and can't possibly be held responsible for any resulting damage! After riding the morning trials clinic then working the event, I'm totally hooked. I went and bought a bike the next week or two, and I've been practicing in the woods ever since. The enduro bike is gathering dust. Here's my takeaway from this experience: a little outreach goes a long way. The other guys (mostly enduro-focused) that were at the clinic all had a blast. One of them I know also went and bought a bike and rode his first event recently. Everyone we met was smiling and helpful. I'm looking forward to my first event in a few weeks. I think if NETA (the org in my region) keeps up with this sort of thing, new ridership should increase. They're also offering a 'ride but don't compete' entry where you ride the loop but don't worry about getting scored. I'll be competing, but I think it's great that they offer it. So in exchange for one hour of 'community outreach' cross-training, they got 5 guys to work the event, and for sure two new riders. After a lot of practice on the trials bike, I can say it's just as brutal as enduro. If clubs aren't offering some seriously easy sections for beginners, you're just asking for people to quit. I'm looking forward to the punishment... when I'm not awful I'll just move up a class, but if the beginners loop isn't dead easy, you can't move down, and that's a bummer if you find it hard.

There isn't a deal within 100 miles of me that stock a wide selection of trials anything. So I mail order from a place with no cost returns.

I'm getting frustrated with boots... I've been riding in my motocross boots (Gaerne SG10's) which are great boots, and they don't really bother me much to ride trials in, but obviously walking around they aren't fantastic, as they weight about 5000 pounds each. So I ordered a pair of Sidi Trial Zero boots. They ended up being big, so I sent them back, and as I'd had better luck with Alpinestars in the past, I ordered some No Stops. They're the right size as far as length goes, but they're awfully tight on the top of the foot and the ankle... they remind me of the ice skates I hated to wear as a kid. How much are these going to loosen up? Because for the money, I really need them to be perfect, and these aren't. I was also more impressed with the Sidi look, buckles and sole, so I may have to send these back as well and try a smaller size in the Sidi and cross my fingers. Or there's always the Gaerne Oiled I guess...

Not knowing the guy, I'm curious where he made all his money...

Oddly enough, beta specs a piston replacement every 80 hours. Given that I ride most days for 6 months every year, I expect I'll put 100 hours on it this season. We'll she how she fares...

Sounds reasonable... Jeremy sure does use 'gentlemen bits' a lot lately Still the best show. Ever.

Anyone know what tickover RPM on a '13 300 EVO 2T should be? I put an hour meter on mine, and since it reads RPM, I figured it couldn't hurt to get it in the right neighborhood.

Anyone else slightly paranoid about the screw in drain plug in the airbox? Mine doesn't even really seat properly (it just keeps spinning once it's in all the way).

Some fun this morning. Excuse the overly dramatic music, I'm too lazy/busy to not use gopro templates.

I'm still lost as to where you guys are coming up with these recommended mixture values. My manual says 1.5% on full synth, 4% on mineral. That translates to 66:1 and 25:1 respectively. I'll be running 66:1 from now on.

FWIW, I'm an enduro rider switching to do some trials. I'll suddenly look like a bit of a clod, but aside from some Sidi trials boots for better feel, all my gear is basically staying the same: full face helmet, Fox integrated body armor, Klim armored spandex under my normal Klim pants. Like I said, I look a bit of a clod, but I've never had issues seeing with a full face and I like a Snell certified lid on my mellon. I've had enough nasty crashes to appreciate a good helmet. Same with the armor. It gives me incentive to stay in good shape.

So I've never ridden a trials bike with bark busters on it, but FWIW, every enduro rider (me included) in New England runs bark busters in the woods. I have yet to hear of any injury that wouldn't still have happened wether they were there or not. And if you're riding in tight woods at a pace, you're definitely better off with them.

I'd love to see a KTM trials bike... would mean I'd have a great dealer right down the road. But my guess is they're just promoting the brand in general, rather than pseudo teasing a trials bike offering.

Well then... something to look forward to in my retirement I guess.

I'm curious how many hours people are going on pistons in general (specifically, I'm on a 300 2t). I come from the enduro world, and two strokes typically go 60-80 hours on a piston. I'm assuming, and have been told, that trials bikes will go quite a bit longer (obviously we're generally not tearing around while on the pipe 80% of the time), but I'm not sure what 'quite a lot' amounts to. Just curious...

From what I can tell based on the 5 adjustment ranges in the manual, just flipping the tophats around (small end towards the motor) without changing anything else is kind of like a setting 2.5. The clutch engagement does feel noticeably softer to me, which I'm not sure I like, but on the flip (haha) side, the lever effort is less, which helps with my achy hands, so I think I'll leave well enough alone.