collyolly

No, you are going to end up chasing an impossible dream, these old bikes need to be ridden and enjoyed, don't worry about minor items like a small oil leak or a slightly iffy clutch (have you said what you feel is wrong with it ?) I suggest you get out to a trial or local practise day and seek an experianced riders opinion as to how to improve if necessary your bike.

I would agree re the use of castor based oil is for highly stressed race engines but I checked out the info on the net and it seems the manufacturer implies it is good for all engines. Why take the risk ? Their philosophy is more towards being green and environmentally sound but have they checked out the trials bike application of slow running low stress engines as opposed to chainsaw , Karts and motocross ?

I imagine with a bit of work any modification like that is possible it's just a question of is it worth it. Smaller wheels will only lower the seat height by an inch so perhaps the smaller bike has different forks and rear shock ? Also how much is a set of special wheels and tires going to cost, how about just lowering the standard bike after all I assume the smaller class don't go over large logs or steps so perhaps the ground clearance could be given up to get the lower seat , just a thought. After all this must have been looked into before.

Where-abouts are you ? Why not go to an experiance day and have a go first. Any modern 250 will do just fine, I would not spend more than £2K on a first bike, that way after a year of giving it a go if you move up or move out you won't lose a fortune. Modern bikes are so easy to learn on, I started on a 1969 Monteas Cota 247 as a 12/13 year old and it started me on a lifetime of fantastic memories. Good luck

Alberto is referring to the ' engine type' plate shown in your photo, it clearly says FM403 that identifies it as a 250 size engine, I think you will find the 212cc size is an FM450. Talk to a fantic spares specialist for more info, as I would not know if the clutch cover could be interchangeable therefore changing the engines identity !

What difference to the training are you expecting ? They are still motorbikes with standard controls in fact some are better set up and easier to ride than 80's / 90's bikes.

Take some advice on using heat, too much and you may just end up with a load of soft bent alloy, I would keep the heat to an absolute minimum unless you know all of the pitfalls.

Big engine, probably grunty, so it will be trying to pull your arms off towards the end of a ride.

I have never understood these early releases, as said above it devalues that years bike and must make it difficult for the dealers moving current stock if the newer version is so close. I think the old TY mono went a couple of seasons without any changes, if it works don't fix it !

Any ideas on the make ?

You are going to have to learn how to ride the clutch and brakes to slow it all down. You may also need to mod the clutch as the early 4RT I had had a very snappy action.

That fantic looks a peach, whether it rides well is another matter but as you say if it's for show/ casual use then looks matter most. The mono class has yet to suffer the rocketing prices of the twin shocks so that bike could be a good choice for you.

Yes it is true I got the e-mail from the ACU yesterday.

If you want to shock yourself try the same formula on U.K. house prices, you may find we get away with a bargain by comparison !

Go to the ACU website and on the front page in the middle you will get access to all of the ACU clubs in the U.K. Make contact with a couple of clubs near you and find out what they and your centre in general offers as far as organised trials / practice events. Not sure how much goes on in your part of the country but down here in the south east you could join 2 or 3 clubs and very easily be riding most weekends within an hours drive.

That's why I said cleverly modified to give in line spindle position ! I have never seen a set of MZ forks but those yolks look Montesa as does the spindle.

Could they be Montesa ? 70's / 80's ,look like Montesa slab yokes and bottoms could be cleverly modified to give in line spindle position. Brake anchor lug looks familiar and of course it dosn't take much to remove the logo. Very nice job.

Send your old worn shoes to Villiers services together with an accurate measurement of your brake hub internal diameter and they will fit a thicker lining to accomodate, I think they will in fact do the job for you and they have a choice of friction material. Best to contact them and discuss

I mount my shoes on the backing plate with a thin spacer each side of the cam as suggested above, clamp up in the chuck using the wheel spindle and nut (spindle clamped in the chuck and then the nut is used to simply clamp the back plate to the front of the chuck) I machine very slow and take small cuts, thats a lot of mess to be made if something digs in, in fact I have put the gearbox in neutral and turned the chuck by hand but that is hard work ! Very effective result though so worth the effort

I am sorry to be a bit of a downer on all of this but it sounds like the twin shock class is going the same way as the pre 65's if your not careful the bikes will end up as mere caricatures of the memories. I started out on a 70's Montesa in the 70's as a schoolboy and if you get a chance to read Sammy Millers bible of trials 'Clean to the finish' you will find we were encouraged to ride without the clutch just using throttle control to find grip. The sections and riding techniques have changed so much that the bikes need to be modified to get round, if you layout an easy trial to encourage the standard bikes you get moaned at by the trick riders, lastly if BSA made bantams like they do today Bultaco would never have come over here ! Have you ridden a standard 4 speed Sherpa ? My last in period twin shock was a series 1 Beamish Suzuki (Silver Tank) a beautiful piece of kit, anyone know of a sensibly priced one up for grabs ? £3K on fleabay is a bit steep for me and yes I would keep it original.

One cable for £42 is pretty similar to 2 and a half for £116 is it not ? (Tricky said one cable consisted of 2 parts to accommodate a device)

Perhaps the guy selling it knows about how to get it going, if it's not run for a couple of years I would not expect too much, it may need the carb cleaning and a general check over, don't try to start it unless you are sure the carb slide is fully returning.

If it runs and doesn't make any horrible noises I would bite his arm off at £500, this bike will get you started on the basics and in a years time you can move it on. Too many people spend too much to start in this sport and then get despondent when they can't replicate what Raga and Bou can do.

Put the bike up on a box/bike stand so the rear wheel is off the ground, take out the spark plug, now you should be able to turn the engine over by rotating the rear wheel. Doing this you will also be able to select through the gears to prove the box works. Once happy that side of it works check over your clutch actuation, ie does the clutch arm move when the clutch lever is pulled in and does it feel like the clutch is being operated. Then as said above get her started up in a safe area ie a field, get the bike started moving with a push and then put it into gear and ride around with the clutch pulled in and with a bit of engine heat and application of the brakes the clutch should break free. (It's worth a try as tens minutes of riding around beats a clutch strip every time) I had an old Gasgas 125 that my son used occasionally and every time it came out of the shed I had to break out the clutch as above.

I ride a 2014 Gasgas, I have had 5 Gasgas bikes over the years and I do not understand this fixation with build quality. I can honestly say I have never had an incident that I can blame on 'build quality', I could point the finger at other makes but would rather point out that they just had 5 bikes out of the top 10 in the Scottish. I did recently test ride the TRS in both 300 and 250 capacity and I would say it rides just like my bike, I felt instantly at home on it and if I were to get a new bike it would be either the TRS or another Gasser. If you can test ride before you buy that has got to be the best option