dan williams

Yes this week. Tried propane torch on cylinder with no luck. Waited until it was near 50F out and it kicked right over. Opened ignition side cover and drained the water out. All good.

Can you be more specific? Are they grabby when you use them in a section or are they grabbing just by themselves? I don't know your level of experiance or ability so please excuse me if this comes off as me being a jerk. The top guys actually like their brakes to be really strong so there may not actually be a problem with your brakes they may be quite good. I've found some top expert bikes to be unridable for me as every control is light switch fast. Likely issues that can affect the brakes is if the bike has sat for a long time with the pads in contact with the rotor the surface of the rotor can be uneven and the braking will seem grabby because the area where the pads were will work better then the rest of the rotor. The same happens if the rotor is contaminated with oil or brake fluid. micro-fractures in the metal will retain a small amount of oil causing the rotor to not provide the proper friction. There are some contaminants that can cause a rotor to be stickier. Again if this occurs in an uneven pattern across the rotor the result can seem like intermittently grabbing brakes. The other possibility is the pads being contaminated but that usually results in brakes that are weak. One of the common "cures" for contaminated brakes, other then changing them out, is to do some high speed runs dragging the brakes to heat up the rotor and pads and then when they are nice and hot throw cold water on them. I know it sounds ridiculous but it actually works. The other is brake cleaner which can work or it can just spread a contaminant. In theory brakes are very simple mechanisms so usually there's a simple fix for just about any problem. It's just figuring out the problem that's a pain. One thing to make sure you don't do is the rookie mistake of fixing the rotor in place. Trials bikes use "floating" rotors so there is play in the rotor mounting to allow it to self center on the pads. If you torque down the rotor bolts and don't break the hub (a common result) then all bets are off. Grab the rotor and make sure it has some play in it. Please lt us know what you find.

As usual Billy I agree with you. I also hate the MTV style of quick edit and I hate the "focus on the rear wheel" just as the rider is doing something type of shooting. It's a tire, it's almost flat I get it. How about showing me what's going on on a bit more of a macro level.

I run VP C-12 so I also have no issues but I have also run CAM2 (Sunoco 110) race gas and noticed waxy residue on cold fuel bottles that doesn't occur with the C-12. Interesting note from the VP website FAQ: What type of 2-stroke oil should be used in C-12? C-12, C-14, and VP Red work very well with synthetic or petroleum based oils. However, bean oils will tend to separate below 35 degrees F. in fuels with a specific gravity of less than .730.

Like these Runners

Ah, pardon the colonial. As in cake frosting. I get it now. We may be in agreement again. Separation of low volatility hydrocarbons from the fuel mixture. I thought people were actually talking about water ice. My apologies.

For the Betas I've worked on the 2 1/2 plastic PVC pipe cut to about 24" worked perfectly and cost only a few dollars. I also have 8' of extra to make seal drivers for my friends, or one for each fork leg of two bikes, or a didgeridoo.

Accepted but what's being described sounds like a fuel volatility issue. "Carb icing" is something that doesn't affect starting until after the engine has been run a while and will kill the engine while running. Which is why it's so feared in aircraft and why airplane carbs have heaters built into them. Also bike carbs are behind and in close proximity to the cylinder (except the Ossa) so they have a tendancy to be self heating to some extent after the engine has run for a bit. I never had this issue with my old Bultaco which on hot days could boil the fuel in the tank. The Beta tank, being a big heatsink, has no problem. I've often wondered why they didn't go the extra mile and use the frame for cooling to save weight. Couple of thin copper tubes down the frame rails wouldn't have heated the frame too much but spread the heat out requiring a much smaller radiator.

I've been beating that drum for 20 years. In New England we actually made a major effort several years ago to cater to the lower riders so they would have fun and bring their friends into the sport but we've slipped away from it again and membership is falling dramatically as older riders leave the sport and newer ones get beat up in the lower classes and quit.

Not sure I would call it "carb icing". That term is commonly used in aircraft and is actually a problem on warm humid days when the air at altitude passing through the venturi and then expanding drops the temperature of the incoming air to the point where moisture precipitates out into the carb throat and freezes. It doesn't happen in cold dry air. I think what might be more likely is the temperature of the fuel is so low that it isn't vaporizing properly. Jetting it richer helps some as would adding something to the fuel that increases it's volatility. In the U.S. fuel mixtures are changed for summer and winter and if you are using a summer fuel in the winter the vapor pressure might be too low to ever work properly even if you re-jet. http://www.kellyracingfuels.com/rvp.html

I have fat bars on my '08 Rev3 but I don't let the hooks sit on the bars anymore since I noticed wear on the bars from them moving during transport. Kinda freaked me out knowing how little it takes for a stressed piece of metal like the bars to snap once they get a knick in them. I use runners (strap loops) that climbers use to carry stuff. Just loop them around the bars and attach the tiedowns to them instead of the bars.

You can't go wrong with the Renthals.

Yeah there's nothing like heading out into the woods with a snow shovel to clear some sections. It's quite surprising what you can get up when you can't rely on power and traction and have to use all weight/unweight and momentum. Dress like you would for skiing, in layers. The things that will get really cold are your feet and hands. I find when it's really cold warming the cylinder with a propane torch for a few seconds gets it started much easier.

Not sure about the seat but on a lot of bikes after the retaining bolts are removed the seat slides back out of a tab/loop type deal so try sliding it backwards. It might also be the seat and fender come off as a unit. The filler is the aluminum bolt with the hex hole in the top. I think the other bolt is the spring/plunger that indexes the shifter cam. Where in NH are you?

Actually it's "Watch out where the Huskys go and don't you eat that yellow snow" ... and right about that time people, a fur trapper, who was strictly from commercial, started into whipping on my favorite baby seal...

Well there is no "real" answer other than personal preference but if you're new then you don't know what your personal preference is. So a few basic guidelines could be said. The bars set perpendicular to the ground is the usual starting point. On old bikes and I mean 70s, 80's you could get away with the bars back as far as lined up with the forks but it wasn't a great position. Modern bikes with the stop and go techniques and the emphasis on being "centered" work much better with the bars slightly forward of perpendicular to the ground. A common misconception is that the bars back further will help move your weight back on climbs. What actually happens is as your arms are positioned back you stand up straighter causing your butt to move up so you don't gain any net rearward weight bias but you do cramp the ability to move on the bike and fatigue your arms faster. Likewise too far forward stretches your arms out dropping your torso and causing your butt to stick out rearward. Neither position helps with the fundamental prinicipal of staying centered and being able to move on the bike to compensate for the terrain. The fundamental difference in handling that bar position affects is the "speed" of the steering. Bars forward makes the steering more sensitive to input and putting the bars far forward of the vertical can make the bike's handling quite twitchy especially on the loop. Moving the bars back will slow the steering down and if too far back make the bike seem like it doesn't want to turn without great effort. Bars forward helps with drop-offs. I know that sounds counter intuitive but it really does. As a newby my suggestion is to start with the bars vertical and ride for a while incrementally inching them forward every few rides until the handling seems a bit on the twitchy side. That's probably the best place for you as you will get used to the handling after a while and after 6 months won't be able to ride with the bars back anymore. In any case you'll have found the narrow adjustment range that suits you. Another note while we're on controls is the lever position. Enduro and MX guys will often set their levers pointing down like they do on their non-trials bikes. On a trials bike the levers are usually set to near parallel the ground. Yes it will be uncomfortable to start but in a month you won't even notice. You will notice you can get to the clutch and front brake on downhills much easier without the danger of rolling your wrists over the bars. You can adjust to almost any bar/lever position in time but some are better then others and you'll be amazed how small a change can be felt on a trials bike so make small changes while looking for your best setup. Check out what the other local riders do if you can remembering the experts will usually have the most aggressive setups and the senior guys will have the most "comfortable". If you really can't get the bars to a good place for you there are other bends but it can be expensive swapping bars to fine tune. One other consideration, think of the whole bike as a steering system. Too much preload in the front suspension relative to the rear will tend to push the front end out increasing the rake and slowing down the steering. The opposite is true as too much preload on the rear will decrease rake and speed up the steering. Optimum is to have both suspensions working in unison. A good test is to bounce on the pegs and watch the suspension to make sure both have approximately the same compression (spring rate & preload) and they react at the same time (damping). This is very important to the handling of the bike as a mismatched suspension will not only bounce you around but will dynamically be changing the steering of the bike as you roll over obstacles especially for a novice. Now having obsessed over this stuff for many years I'm a better mechanic than rider. Don't make the same mistake. Turn a few wrenches then go ride. Time on the bike will overcome almost any adjustment.

Several issues, if the cops stopped them for an offense then the penalty should stick. Since they apparently weren't cited and the cops came to hassle the event organizers it would appear somebody was just putting the screws to the event and I'd have to waive the time penalty for those riders. It's a tricky situation as the cops may have stopped them for being faster on the road as top riders tend to be or just the first three that that came to where the cops were. In either case if they were not breaking the law then it was a situation out of the rider's control (and up to the club to have cleared up with the local police before the event to be blunt) and the penalty should be waived similar to a reride. It sounds like it occurred at the end of the day nullifying the argument that the riders should have finished because all the others did. Smart riders will take the extra time and will usually finish close to the end time as a strategy. In that case the argument is moot.

Congratulations on recovering the trophy. It's not much of a cup though is it?

"One of the other threads covers "necessary" clutch mods" One of the hopes in doing the clutch mod description was that Beta says "Aha!" and gets on the plate manufacturer to clean up their act. Maybe it finally happened. I find it just as tedious and annoying to do the mod as everyone else. Can't talk you into opening your clutch cover to confirm it's fixed though I guess Congrats on the new machine.

"Guys...I'm not going to do stupid s**t and spend a bunch of money" Oh yeah you are. Something I heartily endorse. Especially if you've got a bunch of Ti goodies lying around. Sorry to seem a cumudgeon but when it's unknown whether you're an experianced guy or some young'un planning on spending his tuition money "making a factory bike" I react on the side of caution. By all means have at it but do post the results.

I agree check your clutch pull against other Betas to make sure nothing is wrong. See my clutch post pinned at the top of the forum. It explains much about why Beta used heavier clutch springs then necessary for a properly operating clutch. I have done the plate dressing discussed in the article for '09 and '10 Evos for the top rider in New England. He likes the smoother clutch engagement but is running all six springs. Make sure your clutch perch (sp?) is far into the bar. Hmmm bad explaination. Experianced riders position the perch as far in on the bar as it will go. That increases the leverage of your finger. If the perch is sitting next to the grip it's out too far. It depends on what level you ride. For an expert who needs the clutch to grab hard and fast it's best to leave all six springs in. I find it rare that an expert has an issue with a heavy clutch as they practice often enough to have a "kung fu" grip and don't even notice. For the rest of us mostly senior riders with day jobs dropping a couple of springs or using 6 lighter springs makes the day much more enjoyable. Well actually the end of the day when we can still pull the clutch in. I've been running 4 springs on my '05 and '08 Betas for several years and only have started to get a slight slip in 6th at full throttle on the loop. I'm also no lightweight being now down to 205 lbs. Since I'm at full throttle so rarely it really isn't an issue compared to the forearm fatigue I used to get at the end of the day. With the clutch plates dressed the gear oil has a much greater effect on the clutch. But to get back to your original question, didn't think I'd answer it did you? When I remove the springs I take the associated hardware out. There's no point in leaving in something that can get loose and damage the internals if it; 1. no longer serves a purpose 2. isn't held in place by spring pressure. I remove springs opposite each other. Optimum would be to use six lighter springs though. (edit) Duh I see you already looked at the pinned subject. My apologies for not paying attention.

The popcorn idea won't work. All that happens is there is moisture inside the kernal that expands the corn when it is suddenly released as steam when the kernal is heated. The actual pressure against the tank would only be as much as you could get pushing a popped kernal against the tank. Might as well try to bend it out with styrofoam peanuts. You would create some tiny amount of air pressure from the steam expansion but not much. If you had a form of the outside of the tank and could seal it then suction form the outside with positive pressure on the inside would work best. Of course if the dent is just cosmetic and doesn't significantly affect safety or fuel capacity just ride it. You're only going to dent it again anyway.

Heh heh "no advertising". I'm sure you're all going to run out now and sign up for an NETA membership.

Reminds me of an article in, I think it was Dirt Rider, years ago where the author was going over a list of all the mods he made to his bike to lighten it. At the end of the list he stated that at the end of all this work he was surprised to find he had invented the DNF. The most important "factory" component on one of Dougie's or any world rider's bikes is the spare parts on the minder's bike. Might just be cheaper to spring for a newer bike.

As someone who runs a website I understand the frustration on both sides but.... I once tried to pass my site on to someone else and found it plastered with I hate AOL graphics and wonderful features such as "My collection of hats". Apparently he only owned two hats and he even spelled one of them wrong. Needless to say I regained control of the site ASAP. When your site is representing an organization it's important to, at least try, to appear as professional as possible. http://www.newenglandtrials.org/