feetupsbetter

I stand corrected, had a trawl just on TC & found this :-

I would concur that it’s a 97 JTX. I had the 250 (there was also a 270) and it looks the same except for the silencer which I believe was bigger on the 320. Other than that I can see the frames been painted, it would have been chrome, but generally looks very original & tidy. As for the vin number, if remember correctly, it goes V (vin) TR (trials) GG (gas gas) 32 (320cc) 97 (1997 model year) then the rest is manufacture date & number which would make sense that 11/96 was a manufacture date for a 97 model bike. No doubt someone will be along soon to confirm or contradict. Good luck with it. I believe some parts are quite hard to get hold of now, (I struggled to get plastics 10 years ago !) but there’s lots of breakers out there.

I think probably yes, no doubt someone on here will be along to confirm, but I remember a guy years ago using a Honda acty to ferry his ty mono around. I think the Suzuki carry is the modern equivalent ? Always looked a bit of a faff though as it had to fit diagonally & not much room to get around the bike to manoeuvre & secure it etc. I had the same situation & went for the old type Peugeot expert/Citroen dispatch/fiat scudo, which is bit bigger but only same size as a car. I find it great as it’s just long enough to fit the bike straight, and they all come with twin side doors which means wherever you park in the field there’s always a door facing away from the wind & rain for you to get changed or eat lunch etc ! There’s still plenty of them around cheap, mines the bog standard 1.9 diesel which is slow but bullet proof, 2.0 hdi available if you want a bit more poke. I have a curtain instead of a bulkhead & leave it open when there’s nothing inside so would be thieves can see it’s not worth messing with, but close it when the bikes in so it’s not on display & they’d be taking more of a chance if had a go at it. A final point, having a van of any sort at your disposal is such a useful tool for every other fetch & carry job you can think of, without having to mess up your car !

It might well take a few weeks, but they are out there. Another good place to look is directly with local clubs, many have a ‘for sale’ section on their websites or FB pages, you could also put a wanted call out in the same. To clarify about best condition, I don’t mean newest stickers & grips ! Check the usual - chain & sprockets for wear, bearings for play (wheel/headstock/swingarm/linkage), tyres should have fairly sharp edges on the tread blocks, air filter should be clean (and the air box it sits in) and oiled. These are all replaceable/serviceable items but have a cost once you’ve bought a bike. It should start easily & go through all gears, brakes should lock both wheels, but not bind, and on water cooled bikes check the fan comes on & off as temperature rises & falls. Riders who look after their bike will keep it properly cleaned & lubricated with all the above in good order with some evidence to demonstrate such, and the honest sellers will point out if any need attention. A few scratches/dents/marks shouldn’t put you off if the bikes clean & serviced. Beware of broken (beyond repair) plastics, as they can be expensive. Mechanical noises are hard to diagnose, some are clues to wear & could be expensive, some are less significant. (I had a gas gas that ‘whined’ when driving when I bought it, but new clutch & bearings and even a replacement gear cluster didn’t change it over the course of 4 years !) Take an expert or someone with experience to look if you’re unsure. So, while you’re getting a feel for what bikes are out there, also look at price & availability of parts across the range of bikes available. Good luck & enjoy your return to a great sport.

Just to add my two pen’ uth. You say there aren’t many, remember you only want two, many bikes offered for sale at that price will be rubbish so don’t even warrant a look. I’ve just had a quick look across eBay and there’s a decent looking rev 3 200cc, a 250 gas gas, a 250 scorpa and an older, but highly regarded Montesa, to point out just 4. All are around the 2k mark give or take a couple of hundred but bear in mind that they’re all classified ads so are only asking prices. Why not make enquiries and make an offer if they sound right ? Also, be patient, there’s always more coming up every week on every platform. Have to agree with previous posts though, I’d look for Beta first, (125/200 for son, 250 for you) either the Rev 3 or Evo if you can find one ( they do turn up !) because spares are readily available, but condition is primary consideration not age. Good luck with it & enjoy.

If you’re a bit of a showman and likes to tell/show people how good you are (are like to think you are ! ) then 300 by all means. However, in the real world a modern 250 (even 10 year old! ) has plenty of power for most people. Maybe if you were riding previously at a high level then a 300 may suit. It’s only really needed if doing splats at 6 ft rock steps ! Remember, going back to basics, most of this game is about technique, not how big your engine is or how new your bike is or what gear you have ?. There is a well known phrase ‘all the gear, no idea’, in trials I often see good examples ?.

Mines an old 09 model, don’t know if newer models are any different, but it seems to just have 4 small locating clip tabs. Twice mine have disappeared during a trial because the spring tabs don’t have enough ‘hold’ to keep it place. I now have small zip ties round the frame, it’s not pretty, but saves buying new every few weeks !

I had similar on a gasser some years ago. Dropped it in a rocky stream section, picked it up & restarted but no clutch. On closer inspection there was a small impact mark on the casing just where the boss is tapped for the banjo bolt. Turns out it must have fallen on a rock just at that point, and it cracked the casing but on the inside of the tapping ( maybe the impact was on the banjo itself ). Nothing much to see on the outside unless you pumped the lever half a dozen times in quick succession and then you’d see a slight leakage. Obviously mine needed a new case, hope yours is just the washer !

Oh and that headlight is definitely from a much later bike,

Going on the forks/clamps & radiator side plastics I’d say it’s an early one, so likely 2001/2002. I had an 02 just like that, then funnily enough an 05 with that tank sticker. I also think the early pro’s had a painted steel mid silencer which yours looks like, whereas later ones, certainly my 05, were aluminium.

That looks like the one I had, not sure what the setting should be though, maybe in motion can advise or someone else on here ?

Good luck, let us know how it goes. Do you have the tdc timing tool ? If I remember it was like a pencil type gauge which screwed into the plug hole with a plunger with mm scale on it. Manual specked the distance before tdc.

Have you had the flywheel off & checked the woodruff key ? I had one of those years ago & the key sheared progressively, initially just altering the timing a little before shearing fully & then killing it completely. A quick removal of flywheel revealed the culprit, a few pence worth of key ! Only happened once, always ran fine before & after. I think I remember setting timing with a tool in the plug hole to measure a number of millimetres before TDC. Hope that helps.

Hi and welcome to the wonderful world of trials. I Agree with all of the above. At that budget you’re looking at at least a ten year old bike so could have had some considerable use. However, the main thing is that it’s been looked after, so try to find one that the current owner has maintained well with oil changes, filters, chain & sprockets, grips & levers etc all in good order & don’t be fooled by a new set of stickers ! It’s going to have some signs of scratches & scrapes but you can usually tell how hard a bikes been ridden & if damage has been put right. I think beta (late Rev 3, might even find an early evo) or gas gas pro (So post 2002) would be your best bet as they are still a relatively modern bike to get started on, and parts are readily available on the whole. Read around this site for info on the potential problems of the different makes, Rev 3’s have problems with coolant corroding cases, gas gas have a reputation for gearbox & clutch problems, but as said, if they’ve been looked after during their life those problems will have been dealt with. Honest sellers will tell you what’s what. I’m just a plodding club rider & had both and can’t say that any of those problems have been an issue, accept they’re not perfect, one has one problem, one has another. As pointed out before trials & green laning really are two different things & need two different machines, but a road legal trials bike is good if you have a riding ground not too far away. In an ideal world you’d be able to go to a trial & talk to people about their bikes, maybe even get a test ride & possibly find one for sale, but sadly any trials running at the moment don’t allow spectators so good luck with your search. One last thing, however much you think you can ride & have experience, don’t be tempted to go bigger than 250, you really won’t need it. Good luck & enjoy.

Yes it looks like my old 97 jtx 250.

I’d say go 250 every time. There’s a temptation to ‘go large’ for many riders who already have experience of riding other disciplines, but really, as others have also said, unless you’re going straight out to ride huge steps etc then a 250 is plenty powerful enough to learn or re-learn, the technicalities. I had twenty years off and coming back to the sport the bikes are so much different (and some rules !) that’s it’s a totally different game. Also, if you find the 250 too soft after a while it’ll probably easier to trade up (in terms of losing value) than if you go the other way round. incidentally, I see you’re in Norfolk but did you grow up in South Yorkshire ? Name & rough age age match the brother of an old mate.

I Agree with second vehicle option every time if you can afford it. A cheap van can be left round the corner or In a friendly pub car park maybe ? If it looks rubbish & obviously has nothing in it then generally nobody will bother with it. I used a Renault espace for years, perfect size, dark windows & tarpaulin on bike if needed, then for various reasons went to a car & trailer and low and behold my garage was broken into and bike stolen even though I was quite careful & never left it on display if I could help it. You make yourself & your bike an easy target, they can follow you home or see you unloading etc, & come back in darkness. Toe rags. A few hundred quid for the cheapest van or Berlingo type thing with an mot is also cheap to tax & insure and it gives you some peace of mind that that you’re bikes not on display to the thieves. Does mean you might turn up at trials looking like the cheapskate though. ?. But it’s also great, as previous poster mentioned, for carrying your kit, tools etc & getting out of crap weather while changing, eating etc. Side doors are a great bonus for this too. Now use a Peugeot expert (all have twin side doors, always one not facing the wind & rain) with a curtain not a bulkhead, so curtain closed when bike on board, open otherwise so it’s clear there’s nothin inside to nick !

From reading some earlier posts, for Boris to be strict enough, he would have to send out crack squads of bike hunters to confiscate bikes from some who just don’t understand simple instructions.

Would it be clearer if instead of ‘don’t leave the house unless absolutely necessary’ Boris said ‘ don’t go out on your trials bike in a car park’. This behaviour doesn’t do trials (or motorcycling in general for the uninitiated) any favours.

It’ll also be hard justifying figure of eights & drop offs in a public car park to your local constabulary as essential travel. I agree with casperrasper, you need to look further forward - like two months ?? PLEASE STAY OFF YOUR BIKE especially in public places.

Try Bradford ignitions over in Cornwall (google them). Pop the stator in the post and it comes back rewound & sorted. Did my evo stator a while ago & perfect job (can’t remember cost though but cheaper than a new replacement).

Ha ha that’s a funny observation but it’s always been so. There has, and always will be, ‘tarts’ in all walks (rides ?) of life, that need to buy into the latest fashion accessories and they will pay through the nose for it to make themselves feel good. I just take quiet comfort from the fact that as a very (below) average plodder, with a bike & kit that together’s worth half a three year old machine, I still sometimes beat the tart on his 7k bike plus fancy gear and a 30k day van to transport it in ! Oh the delight of that results email ! Just let em do it & smile to yourself on the way home.

Hello verntowers, welcome to the friendly world of trials. I’ve been on & off at this game for over forty years, sometimes think I’m getting over it then it pulls me back in, it’s just a great sport. I’m in Rotherham, never seem to have time to go practice, I just ride a trial as and when I can. I’m sure there’ll be someone along soon for you to tag along with. If not, get out to a trial, hillsborough club run lots out round the bradfield area which is close to you, and Huddersfield falcons run plenty mainly around the holmfirth area. Check dates for Christmas trials and get yourself along, make yourself known as a beginner and there’ll be plenty of offers of help, advice, and general friendship in the trials world. Why not enter on the white route, it’s fairly easy/safe and if you do find it too hard you can retire and use it as practice in the company of other riders. Above all have fun with it, we can’t all be champs, so just enjoy !

Welcome back Tom, nice bike, you’ll have the same fun as before, I did the same 15 years ago after about 15 years off. Don’t get to ride as much as I’d like, as other things get in the way, but it’s great when you get out there. Just a quick slightly depressing cautionary point though, it’s good to see you have a large chain on the garage floor, make sure you use it. I had a bike stolen a few years ago by busting the garage door lock & walking off with it as it wasn’t locked at the time (unusually). I had been using a trailer to carry the bike & I’m convinced the thieves saw me loading/unloading on the drive. I bought another bike & now have a cheap van to hide it in and would recommend you do the same if possible & dont ‘advertise’ your ownership anywhere, including washing it on the drive, stickers on the van etc. Unfortunately some people don’t know the difference between what’s yours & whats theirs . Luckily I got mine back a year later as some dope put it on eBay, but police never pursued anything so culprit never got his just dessert. Thats enough negative, get out there & enjoy !

Barnsley run under amca so not required anyway. Huddersfield is acu but i’m sure you can enter on the day & get a one day licence or apply there and then so that you’re covered, not sure exactly how it works. Contact mike Washington or Howard marsden to check, their details are on the falcon MCC website. Not sure who’s the trial is at eadonsfield, maybe sheffield & hallamshire, Barnsley, or others as I know the venue is used by several clubs.