bikespace

KTM 400 - 42hp Wouldn't fancy riding a KTM in a trial either

Windlestone, I'm sure I've got a 2002 GasGas manual I got with my bike. New and in the bag if I can find it. Waste for it never to see any use. If you would like it send me a PM with an address to send it to.

Mine's a cheapo, so I don't mind shoving it in the sink full of soapy water while I'm washing the bike, then blast it out with the power washer. No idea what damage I'm doing to it, but it doesn't stink, and I can sweat with the best of 'em - usually with eau de curry from the previous night At around

I struggle to find a winner between the Gasser and the Sherco. I do think on general looks the Sherco has it at the moment, but this really is only cosmetics. If there is one thing that I would like to have on the Gasser, from the Sherco, it's the much neater silencer. The dent on the inside of the Gasser to stop it rubbing wasn't my idea of perfection. Make the silencer neater and there'll be very little beteen them. One thing that won't concern you if you have a new bike every year, but my perception is the Sherco's are easier to keep tidier for longer, and the engines/clutch don't seem to suffer quite so much from general use. Bit of a sweeping statement maybe, but just my perception - if I had to buy a 2/3 year old one I'd go for Sherco generally.

You sure you haven't outdone Dabster by 2 years and got a 2001 with 2004 plastics

Fix a puncture with a dog turd - about 5 minutes. New clutch/front brake lever - about 5-7 minutes including adjustment Rear brake 5-10 minutes Gear lever 5-10 minutes Front tube - about 10 minutes. If things get a bit sticky: Seat off, tank off, air-box off, carb off, cleaned out, back together 15-20 minutes. If you get a spurt on you could have a right bad day and still finish If you know you've got everything you need, ang get to it as soon as it happens you should be fine. Most of it is confidence. The more maintenance you do on your bike the more confident you'll be when something goes wrong (as well as the other obvious advantages).

My old man's words still reverberate around my head when I'm riding and it's 25 years since he bawled them out at me: "Keep hold of the bugger!!!" "Get under it!!!" Kept things cheap, and these days with half my arms and legs heavily reinforced with steel (well titanium probably) they don't break half as easily. Everyone's 'appy

Always nice if you get round to affording a gear lever and rear brake lever as well, but I know they're not cheap. I usually end up with a straightened out old one as a spare. If you're running tubeless tyre on the rear get a repair kit (dog turds) and probably worth having a front tube considering how cheap they are. One thing I've noticed on a couple of Beta's - I don't know if it's a common thing, but I've seen two of them do it, but possibly because the rear spindle wasn't tightened enough: The lug that holds the chain adjusters in place (little bolt or summat sticking out of the rear swinging arm that the chain adjusters push up against) snapped off, so if this is a common thing may be worth having a bolt the right size to shove through. At least if you've thought about it you know it will never happen

They should write an app for a laptop. I thought web-enabled fridges were a waste of time but a web-enabled trials bike is a whole new ball game! Wireless connection so your minder can control it? Then I'll be able to blame it on my bike being hacked in to, or a virus intrusion, or just blame the minder - more options for excuses. Good stuff!

You might have to put in a 30 second delay, just to filter out Perce and Kinell's language, and translate for HL, Bigfoot, Boofont, Wonderboy, Big John, etc. Unless you limit them to Gary Mac only. That's not racism towards Jock's, I think plenty of other people are strange too! Good idea though....you'd probably have to do it just before midnight, that seems to be when it fills up. After the pub....just a coincidence?

Ross Danby is in there too! Hot on their heels and sometimes ahead.

Pinky - embarrassed - you Philestine! That bike (or its immediate predecessor) revolutionised trials. I didn't have one but I was beaten by plenty of people that did This was third in my list of revolutionary trials bikes: 3rd Yamaha TY250 Mono 2nd The Montesa/Bultaco British bashing revolution (An era not just one bike) 1st The TY80

Dabill was the one ride on my section at Hawkstone that I just thought - Wow! No big revs, no messing about, smooth as velvet, piece of **** Don't think Sagar will be on a Beta next year. I think things are beginning to happen, spurred on by the Enduro thing funnily enough, but looking good for the trials front also. I know some people had a go at him last year for diversifying in to enduro, but there was method in the madness, and it was only a couple of weeks after the criticism that he had a 2 page spread in TMX. Sometimes takes a kick for people to sit up and take notice I think.

One thing I noticed last week was someone had a pair that came right up to the top of his boots, and as I squelched around in my normal length sealskins I thought - I should have bought some of those. They're only waterproof until you go over the top of them funnily enough, so I'd go for the longest you can get.

Is he gonna find it though???

Eh up Cubby - We're waiting with baited (probably garlic) breath.

Thought the course was spot on. I was a little apprehensive before getting there that it may have been too much, but nothing dangerous and to be honest couldn't have been better. My problem was all of our riders being nearly 20 years younger and trying to keep up with them on the moors - I'll probably recover by Thursday or Friday The Saturday sections on the beach at Scarlett had me absolutely knackered- good though. A lot of hopping about and I think they were about the 7 hour point so I needed more pies by that stage . Sunday seemed to be just one quality section after another, so I probably can't even pick out favourites. Don't think I had enough to drink on the Friday - After a few pints on the Saturday I was much fitter on the Sunday

Ah, we've probably met. I was in IOM with Pete and the Richards' this weekend. Right off to fettle me bike.

Dabster - It's the standard pilot if thats a 33. I'll have a play - thanks. Munch - do I know you then?? Let me know who you are.....Thanks as well.

I did actually notice it was smoking for much longer than usual (about 5 minutes). That could have been it.

Sorry missed your charity trial this weekend Bill- done the last two years, and loved it, excellent event. Away in IOM this weekend, hope it went well.

Just for a split second on Sunday with back ache across the moors I thought one of those high seat things would be handy, but then I realised I'd gone over the bars and had a knock on the head. I'm OK now

I had a minor problem over the weekend at the Manx 2 day and wondering if it's a regular thing, or if someone else has seen it happen. At least one other rider this weekend mentioned he had problems similar (his on a Gasser). When the bike got very hot (we dropped off a hill missing a right turn and did 3 or 4 steep miles just to blast right back up) all of a sudden it started dying. Horrible thought that it was nipping up, but it wasn't it just seemed to be fuel starvation. This wasn't full throttle stuff. I turned it over in gear and felt very free. I've already shortened the fuel standpipe and I also tried it on reserve but no difference. Rad is full and fan working properly but this does seem like genuinely getting a bit too hot through no fault of its own (I blame the load) I thought maybe a bit of muck had got sucked through so I stripped the carb but everything was clean as a whistle - except the fuel inlet filter which had a little bit of a creamy substance in it (I suspected maybe slowing fuel flow) Cleaned it out and no problems for a while, but got hot again at one point and did the same again. Just in case the fuel was dodgy I emptied the tank and changed cans, but I don't think the bike ever got that hot on Sunday. My thoughts at the time were: 1. Dodgy fuel 2. Some sort of reaction because the fuel pipe runs so close to silencer, maybe the creamy substance is being formed somehow 3. The creamy substance was a red herring (not literally Kinell before you start - I never took it that deep ) and its just the heat of the engine increasing fuel consumption to past what the carb can pump through. This isn't a major problem when you've got time to let it cool, but I wouldn't like to do the Scott where I'd be tempted to push on at the bikes peril (although my shouting wallet would probably win through and I'd plod round to finish some time after last orders) Any thoughts anyone?

That looks like him. OK - He looks a little less like Murray Walker than I remember but the description worked Well done to the Bradford team - hard to topple the locals. I was taking tips (visual) from Phil Disney for most of the two days, then on most occasions failing to reproduce them. I reckon Phil had a harder time going off early on the Saturday - loads of shale and slippery rocks in the quarries (but I may be biassed as we were first round on the National route most of the day ). Didn't seem to be too much on Sunday that would have got easier (not that I didn't 5 anyway ) He may have been better off if he got a number with the rest of the Bradford team? Brilliant trial anyway - back for it next year definitely.

Who was the Grey haired balding Yorkshireman in a TrialsCentral shirt? (In fact he looked a little bit like Murray Walker ) I did speak to him briefly but he said he got the shirt for free for doing a job. Was the only TC shirt I saw all weekend. I tried to wait for him to nod off on the ferry and nick it off his back, but he must have been on pro-plus or summat.