dan williams

It'll cost ya! Here's an obscure reference. Let's see if anybody gets it.

Talked to Stewie at Jacks. Real close to pulling the trigger on one.

Hi Steve, I tried to message you several time but it says you cannot receive messages. I know my box was full and wouldn't allow me to send or receive after the site upgrade so your inbox may have suffered the same fate. But we still love you Andy. Really!

Placebo theory confirmed

Is it possible to charge an EM off an inverter from a car? Anyone know specification of the charger? Is there an optional charger that might be plugged into a running vehicle?

I think the older bikes ran the lights off the rectifier and the '08 ran the lights directly off the ac output of the lighting coils and only used the rectifier/regulator for the fan motor if I remember mine correctly. The also provided ground for the lighting circuits through a lug on the top triple clamp which is a huge mistake.

I noticed they are no longer mentioned on Ryan Young's page and I thought he was the US importer. The EM link on Lewisports page is throwing a 404 error. The dealer listing on the Electric Motion page doesn't list Ryan as a dealer. In fact it shows no US importer at the moment. What'd I miss?

Time to pay for those two warm days in February.

What about Fudd's first law of opposition, If you push something hard enough it will probably fall over. And Teslicle's deviant to Fudd's law, It goes in, it must come out.

I have the stronger fork and shock spring from Saunders on my 2013. helps tremendously as you can back off the preload and the suspension is much more compliant on the small stuff. Preload on a spring really screws up how the suspension responds.

Well yeah compared to my Maico but my friends had 307 Fantics and that was easily the match for any hydraulic clutch I've ever used. Hey Chris, nice to see you back. I was getting worried when I didn't see you post for a while. I hate to say it but after years of use and many compliments on the pegs you sent me I mashed one. Felt horrible about that. One thing I was considering working on was a magnetic clutch assist. With springs their simplicity is their problem. No matter what you do to make the pull easier pull is still a linear function. Magnets are exponential (I think, I suck at math). The pull exerted is inverse the square of the distance or something like that. If you overlay the transfer function of a spring and a magnet it becomes obvious that if done correctly the force applied by the spring with the clutch in will be relatively unaffected by the magnet but when pulled in the magnet will assist the action of the lever reducing the effort needed to hold in the lever. I also considered replacing the springs with magnets in various configurations. Of course life intruded before I got far into that development but it might be fun to revisit.

Not a lot of technical myths. A lot of ignorance of how things work but usually from people who are just new enough to not understand yet ( though I have my moments too ). Lot's of riding technique myths.

Removing springs will make the pull and static holding lighter but also can cause slippage. The other option is the Beta spacers on the later bikes can be flipped to lower the preload on the springs. Just pulling springs without doing the full fix is a bad idea as you may not get proper clutch engagement due to binding of the plates.

The 200 is a lovely little bike. It'll do all you ask of it without tiring you out. It'll keep its resale value due to the rarity and high demand. I have a 300 and even detuned it can be a handful. Its main advantage is the ability to chug its way up steep inclines at low RPM. For 99% of the stuff I ride though the 200 would work just as well. If you buy the 200 you will have so much fun.

Understood. I think you just put people on the defensive with the initial header. Any pics to share of the goo?

Sounds more like somebody at Keihin had a great new idea. I'm pretty sure Beta doesn't crack open the carbs on every bike. If it was a white waxy build up that can come from ethanol. I find I have to disassmble and clean my Keihin twice a year anyway so you might as well get used to it.

My '08 was a great bike from new once the clutch was sorted. Have since moved on to EVO which is better. That bike looks like it hasn't been abused and the fact that the cases were swapped out rather than bodged with JB Weld for the corrosion says a lot about previous owner. Probably a Senior rider. Always the best used bikes to get. If the forks look good and it runs proper probably worth the money.

Spoken like a true engineer. ?

Well at 6'2" he may just qualify as really tall. Taller bars might help but my main point is the OP is probably sore because it's a relatively new activity and it isn't at all uncommon for trials riders who are new or coming back from time off the bike to just want to lay down on some nice hard rock for a few minutes during the event to stretch the spine. I also want to make sure his bars are in the correct position before I recommend a change that can't be properly evaluated without making sure the basics have been covered first. If you want to see a real tall rider look up world round pics of Bernard Cordonnier. At 6'6" he always looked like he was riding a mosquito. Ah Bernard, Martin, Diego. Now I've made myself sad.

Two rules changes we're trying to get out to all in New England just so there are no nasty surprises when you show up. Tether type motor killing devices are now mandatory and yes you have to wear them. Yes vintage guys too. To encourage early sign up the full year membership price goes up after April 15th from $30 to $50. All details are on the web page www.newenglandtrials.com Membership forms are on-line and you can even pay on-line.

Yup perfectly normal. Beginning of season after winter layoff kills me even with going to the gym. You have to get used to a whole new riding position and as a newby you are probably much tighter in the core trying to hold the bike going where you want it to go. After a while you'll get used to the position and learn to relax and let your legs do the work of steering the bike. Unless you are really tall riser bars will just mess with your riding position and get you into bad habits. Make sure your bars are forward enough. A lot of guys start out with their bars too far back. This takes away a lot of the normal leverage you gain from opening up the rider space. The bars should be perpendicular to the ground or slightly forward. Remember to keep your knees bent and out from the bike and steer with pressure from your legs. When your back hurts take a break. Your body is telling you it's under stress and trying to do anything while a muscle is in spasm increases the risk of injury and will get you into bad habits that will pop out at the most inopportune time. Don't worry, you'll get used to it. After a while you'll get back on a "normal" bike and wonder how anybody can ride the things.

I have one on my 300 Beta and it helps. Low RPM power is still all you could ask for and the hit on top is still plenty. Only odd thing is wide open top of the rev range it starts misfiring. Not sure why but it might be the lower compression head is slowing the flame front so not fully burning the mixture. Haven't really figured it out yet and since it's only an issue chasing fast friends down fire roads it isn't a bother. I do recommend the VForce carbon reeds. I know the same cage fits the Sherco and Beta. It smooths out the power and lets the bike pull a gear higher. Makes it almost impossible to stall.

Very funny Billy.

Just need to get in shape. Round is a shape! I'm in the same area as heffergm and I could ride for another 30 years and never get out of the novice line.

Same here. Slippery from the frozen ground but enough bare ground to ride. Last few days with a couple of good snows and it'll be several weeks now before I can get into the woods. C'est La Vie.