That was my first thought even if it is not such a good idea. Securing or spring loading something to a brake line is just asking for trouble.
I agree that to me it is counter intuitive to attach anything to a brake line. Even if it seems unlikely to cause an issue I have to worry about what if.
I loved learning on a 125 at first, however I figured out very quick that I had to start with a lot more throttle and really learn the clutch before going up to a 250. With the fact that your having to rev it a lot that is exactly what I had to do. If you are feeling like more low end power would help and your trying to learn in part by doing what your buddies are doing then I would say it might be worth going up to a 250 however only you can really make that call.
Something that might be worth consideration would be on a smaller hill, log, rock, or other technical bit maybe one of your riding buddies would be willing to let you have a go on there 250 and you can see if it makes it easier for you. If it helps a lot then maybe that would help you know if its worth changing bike size?
Considering it was hot enough to toast a tire and fender, I would check for melted wires shorting on the frame or other chassis component first thing if you don't see spark. Possible it could have caused an issue by melting something inside the ECU on the throttle body as well, however wire harness issues would be my first check.
When I did the one on our Gas Gas I just did what Lineway is saying, tied a string to one side of my current hose before pulling it and then used that to pull things back after the fact. If you already have the old hose pulled out then you could use something like a wire cloths hanger to fish a string through it?
I like the NILS oils and would consider the clutch trials oil myself if you have a good place to get it.
I have used Maxima 75w gear oil in our Gas Gas 125 in the past and it worked well but I did like thinner better myself, however the clutch action is a little faster that way and the 75w slowed the engagement a bit and my daughter liked that a bit better when she was younger and learning.
I would say based on my past experience that a single tooth in front is usually close to the same as ~3 teeth on the rear. So I would guess that would be around the same as going down to a 38 in the rear from the 41 you have now.
You might be able to get a good idea of the total change by using the gearing commander site/tool... https://www.gearingcommander.com/
Considering there isn't a lot of changes between them I would guess that you would be able to use something newer for most if not all of the standard repairs most people would do outside of a few small changes. I have a 2007 4RT and 2017 300 RR and I could use my 2017 book to work on my 07 for 95% or more (maybe all?) of what I have done with them.
Also, Honda shops if they know how to do it can look up the PDF's from what I understand however haven't ever had to ask or figure that out so might be mistaken.
Good luck finding a 2012 or making a call on what to do.
Side note:
Can't seem to find a 2012 but I can find 2005, one for 2016, and a site that has 2017-2023
Not saying that it will not work as I suspect it really would, however not knowing what kind of additives are in excavator hydraulic oil in comparison to official motorcycle transmission oil I admit I wouldn't go there first myself. But I admit I am wondering how the viscosity values are in comparison to the ELF, NILS, and GRO.
Even then I admit if the numbers are close it would be an interesting experiment and wouldn't be against giving it a go in my 07 4RT if I didn't have a lot of ELF left. Will be a bit before I would even need to consider going there however.
I like the NILS Clutch Trial and ELF so maybe you can find some NILS? Also Maxima also makes a light gear oil "Maxima 75w-90" that works well for some in their Montesa's so if you can't find GRO or NILS that might be an option as well. good luck.
For me the big helper is hydration at least a day before I use a couple of Liquid I.V.'s in a 30 oz. bottle of water and drink that with extra water trying to total at least 100 oz in that pre-ride day and then do a min of 100 oz per day of the event with the same 30 oz. of water to the Liquid I.V.'s each ride day or more if its hot and I am really working hard.
As for food I just try to keep the food healthy with a mix of good carbs to fats for the first couple days before and lean a bit more on the carbs side for the day of the event and a mixed dinner each night during the event. Seems to work well enough for me.
Why would they cause issues, I have them on my bikes with no dramas
I have had both a number of friends as well as seen several others online have issues with them. It seems to be inconsistencies in the tip shape and/or thread cut that can cause it. Most of the ones I have seen issues with have loose threads and air can get by them, but the tip shape can make it hard to get the adjustment spot on as well.
Not all of them have issues but its been often enough for my buddies and I that a quick trouble shooting check is to go back to stock and see if it sorts out the issues. If it doesn't fix the issue I usually work on jetting first then go back to the aftermarket adjusters after I get the bike running well and make sure the bike still runs good.
In the end it isn't to hard to swap them in and out so its one of the easier checks and has had a high enough positive result set when I have done it that I find it worth the suggestion.
PS. come to think of it a touch of some thread tape might work to seal up threads... not sure on that but maybe worth consideration at any rate.
I've used diesel on my road bike chains, but they are covered in all manner of horrible gunk. For trials or MTB, if I was stripping it right back, I'd use something like MucOff. it's way harsher than many people realise and really does take everything with it as it drips off. Easier to deal with than diesel on disposal.
I've got a 3 sided brush from Halfords for the trials bike which seemed to do a half decent job, but it didn't come out as clean as my MTB chains do with the plastic Park Tool enclosure (pic below - too small for motorbikes). I used a ton of rags on the trials bike in comparison to when I do the MTB. Then again, it's a bigger chain isn't it.
Lube is my biggest issue always, because it goes everywhere and rarely in the places you want it to and unless the chain is off, access is difficult. Ideally I'd want to bathe my chains in lube rather than spray it on. Anyone know any products like that, where you can shallow bath a chain, like I guess the OEM's do?
The above is for MTB and just an example.
Just found this, seems like a good video on chain lube.
I have found that on O-Ring chains I can get away with just some WD40 to clean the chain works great and to keep it simple a very light spray with some lube to keep the rings from drying out works great for basic maintenance but will put it in some gear oil to sit over night if I pull it off for a full clean job.
Standard non-O-Ring chains I will do the same if I feel like it needs a bit extra in the middle if an event, in-between events I clean and drop the chain in a bucket of gear oil to make sure it gets something a bit heavier into the rollers between events.
Seems to work well for me for chain life. I am sure there is a lot of other ways to do it that work as well or even better.
If its a few drips in transit or when the bike is off and your hopping I would say it isn't a big deal. If you really want it to stop my best guess would be that the float adjustment is right on the edge of high.
If I still had our Gas Gas and it was doing this I would just turn off the fuel and run it a bit before putting it away it if I was planning to transport it soon or do any engine off balance practice just to lower the fuel level myself.
Just checking but have you already double checked the front brake lever adjustment? If somehow you have little to no play in the adjustment screw between the lever the master cylinder piston it can cause what your talking about as well. Just worth backing that out a touch and double checking everything if you haven't already.
Most modern trials bikes don't have frame support under the engine so I wouldn't think they would work well for them.
However a lot of classic trials bikes do and I could see that working for them, however as I ride modern bikes I wouldn't know if anyone makes them for classic bikes.
Best thing I ever did for my wife was get her a 125 to start on. I also agree the Montesa if its in good shape would be a great option considering you have been on bigger bikes like a KTM 300. If you can't find a good 125 for a nice price a Beta 80 with the larger 21" 18" wheels is a good option as well.
I used to run 80:1 for both our 08 Gas Gas 125 and our 06 Beta 80 without any issues ever. I am not going to say you should follow my lead on this one but at least you can use it as a data point for your considerations.
Tire Studs
in General Trials Talk
Posted · Edited by jonnyc21
Not sure how well they would work but there is self tapping carbide tire studs? Example: https://www.aerostich.com/self-tapping-carbide-tire-studs.html
Just not sure what level of retention they would have in trials tires as I suspect they are designed more for street tires.