dan williams

On mine the hole in the top triple clamp is slightly too big for the stem. Same on my '08. Lock the front brake and rock the bike forward and back and see if you can feel the stem moving independent from the top triple clamp by placing a finger on where the stem goes through the top clamp. If it does pull the top clamp off, wind some Teflon plumbers tape around the stem below the threads. Doesn't take much. Put it all back together and no more clunk. The other thing that happens with Betas is the head bearings initially don't seat properly but you've already tensioned the stem nut so you've pretty much eliminated that as the cause.

Mags you are already a champion in my eyes.

Talking to the new riders is something I do as much as possible. It's the best way to learn, for me. When the rules were changed here one of the points used to justify it was, "Adults don't want to ride with kids." I call bullocks! I've spent years talking to new riders young and old and the prevailing opinion was they loved it. The kids loved the encouragement and praise from the adults who were struggling with the same obstacles and they really loved it when they could beat the adults at their own game. The adults loved it because it's fun to watch the little guy improve and struggle and cry in frustration only to beam when they finally achieve. Lifelong friendships are made that way. I rode beginner class with Geoff Aaron. How cool is that. Later when Geoff or Ron Commo would take the beginners around I would often check in to see how things were going since I was a club officer. The look on the faces of the beginners both child and adult were priceless. Here's this guy they read about in magazines and see on TV holding their front wheel and teaching them how to balance and taking it every bit as seriously as the rider or cheering them on when they finally get around that tight corner. It was a magical time in New England. Greeni you started a good thread. For you new riders who are frustrated you have a voice. Get involved with the local club and push for the changes you need and if they don't happen then make your own club. Another of the things I pushed for when I was an officer of NETA was equality. From the top expert to the newest beginner you have a vote. It's your club. From that I believed in the wisdom of the membership. Several times there were proposed changes that marginalized new and young riders usually starting with something innocuous like only mailing a single copy of the newsletter to a family instead of one to each member. On the surface it again seems like a good way to save money but it starts the slippery slope of saying kids/wives/etc aren't members in full. If you are expected to pay membership dues and work and event for end of year credit you get all the benefits along with the responsibilities. Be wary of clubs that only listen to "wizened" old men. By all means learn from them and ask them why they do what they do. You may be surprised at the depth of their thought processes and how much they learned from those that went before them. But be wary of those who are not willing to accept the challenge of justifying their actions. If they blow you off with, "Because it's the best way" they are just afraid of change. One of the hallmarks of the NETA meetings was the give and take where you proposed a rule and really had to defend your reasons to show you had thought it out. Democracy in action, good stuff.

Oy my 300 the goy! Seriously, I've been privileged to ride factory Betas and they all ran very similar to my current 300. I love the grunt but the top end is savage. I'd rather tame it so I can at least use more of the engine without fear. I agree though I should probably have bought a 250 but old habits are hard to break. It is interesting to note the specified compression ratio on the 300 and 250 are vastly different and the factory bikes I did get to ride were Technos and Rev3s so their displacement was less of a factor in their power delivery than the tune of the engine. Of course as I get older and have less time and fewer places to practice I must admit to a harder time hanging on to a 300.

That's who I was thinking but wasn't sure.

Who was the guy that rode worldrounds in the 80's that was 6'6". Always looked like he was riding a mosquito.

Mokwepa, the carbon reeds (or thinner/smaller reeds) have less mass so they will respond to airflow faster than the stock fiberglass reeds. For a given airflow they will open a little quicker and close a little quicker keeping more charge in the crankcase and hence more tranferred to the top of the piston. This only happens at low RPM though. At the higher RPM the airflow is such that it stops acting like a bi-directional pulse and gradually becomes a constant flow. The beauty of reeds over piston port or disc or any other intake valve for that matter is reeds are self adjusting to the demands of the engine. So for the reeds themselves it's all about the low end. Now with most of the accessory reeds you also change the reed block and that is the difference at higher RPM. At higher engine speeds the reeds are essentially stuck open and the reed assembly becomes a blockage in the intake tract. How much of a blockage is only one factor determining the maximum air fuel mixture the engine can pull in but it can be a significant one. Not so much on a trials bike unless you're Fujigas and he's on a four stroke anyway.The VForce reed block has eight petals where the stock Beta has four that are larger. I'm not sure of the flow rate difference. One thing to watch is the VForce block is plastic and I did have one fail. Fortunately the plastic piece and one reed blew right through the engine without damaging the top end. Much better than the old steel reeds bikes used to have in the old days. So to the original question, the VForce make the bottom grunt better. I can pull a gear higher with the VForce than with the stock reeds and it is much more difficult to stall the engine. As for the top end it's more than I can use anyway but the VForce seems to rev a little higher. ...and as for the original point of the thread I also ordered an S3 low compression head. I'll probably try that first before the gasket trick. A fool and his money are soon parted. In my case it's amazing we got together in the first place.

Ooooh tell me about this notice from Beta. Does it have any effect on false neutrals? Popped another on this weekend and it put me on my ass in a rather deep yet refreshing mud puddle.

Hi Billy, Already geared down. The transfer function seems a little odd on this bike. There's definitely a point in the powerband where life gets real interesting real quick. I had the black tube on originally but didn't like the feel off the bottom. Hard to explain but I know you know what I'm talking about. I may try a little needle adjustment first. I might as well as I'll probably have to re-jet for a lower compression ratio anyway. Good think I like to tinker.

Yeah that was my plan but I'm the kind of guy that buys three of everything just in case. I made a spreadsheet that will calculate the new compression ratio by typing in the extra base gasket material starting with the compression ratio and displacement on the spec sheet. It's good to be an Excel wizard.

The Akropovic I had on my 08 was right up against the bolt. In fact you could see where the bolt was scratching it's way into the titanium. And yes it was brandy new. These hand built pipes are a little variable.

Ok I ordered a .30, .50, and 1.00mm from Haven. Once they're in I'll drop the motor and decide what to put in. I notice from the spec sheets vastly different compression ratios from the different models. If I can keep the 300 grunt with the top end of the 250 that will be lovely.

Anywhere between stalling in corners and tingling your gentleman bits is fine. I watch too much TopGear.

Beta used the same VM26-208 carb up to 2007 with a brief experiment in '95 using the DelOrto. Any dealer should be able to hook you up with a new one but they are not cheap. Stock jets on the later bikes were 30 pilot and I believe a 145 main. Your needle/jet slide may be different too if this was pulled off some other bike and "retuned" for the Beta.

You have no idea how much I'd love to change location. Massachusetts is.... It's late. I should go to bed before I get wound up about the peoples republic of Massachusetts where you are free to do anything as long as its approved by the grainola eating,Prius driving master class.

If you are not using a trials helmet the extra weight can put quite the strain on your neck. I remember the first time I got a carbon fiber helmet I was surprised how good my neck felt at the end of the day.

I've had bikes with and without the additional flywheel. I actually like the power delivery without but I have to admit the screaming top end of this motor is just too violent. This weekend left me hanging on by my fingertips a few too many times. I've also considered a smaller carb to tame the beast but I think a small drop in compression will work well even though it's a pain to do.

Back off the lever adjustment. You may have it in too far. If that doesn't get it then open the bleeder slightly and if that doesn't make it engage it's purely mechanical and not hydraulic.

Anybody know what the thickness of the stock 2013 300 EVO 2T is? I'm thinking of dropping some compression with a thicker gasket before this thing kills me.

My main reason for race gas is consistancy. I used to use Sunoco 93+ pump gas but it was variable. One batch would run flawless the next horrible. I know it wasn't Sunoco but the local stations cutting the gas with who knows what. After a particularly bad batch caused me to peel off a rock when the bike stalled planting some rather delicate bits on a tree stump I swore off pump gas forever. I don't burn enough gas in a season to save enough money to make it worth that again. So I pay the $15/gal and have a bike that runs the same day after day. No drama, no surprises and no bruised.... You're right though once the octane rating has been satisfied for a particular engine extra octane is just that. Extra.

Where are you?

That's funny because I've started ordering parts from Europe since there are things I can't get here in the states. Exception being the VForce reeds which are made about 25 miles north of here. They are the first thing I do to any new bike. The clutch fix being second. Hey Mokwepa, I was going to do your paint the tank guard white thing but I see you either have to cut the tank guard or take the clutch master hose off to free the beastie. What did you do?

Well yeah but it's a GasGas so it's made out of cardboard. :-)

Heh heh it IS religion.

I think you're confusing the lovely flame of a candle to the smoldering burn that flares up once the engine is off. Where my father grew up in Pennsylvania there is a mine fire smoldering. Been burning for years. Probably no open flame but just enough oxygen leaking in to sustain low level combustion. Why don't they open a hole to put it out? Because the introduction of a fresh oxygen supply will just accelerate the process. Two strokes are known for their passing of unburned fuel out of the exhaust. Even four strokes aren't 100% efficient which is why we have catalytic converters. It may be a catalytic process but it is still technically burning. It's certainly exothermic as anybody who's seen a catalytic converter glowing cherry red from a too rich mixture can tell you. Get anything hot enough and it will burn. even diamond. The point is nothing in the exhaust system should be combustible with normal exhaust gas temperatures until you coat it with oil at which point the rise in exhaust gas temperature of an engine under load passing a high volume of gas is sufficient to ignite the waste oil.