oldjohnno

I have a spare tube type rim I can use, a better long-term solution for sure.

Sounds like it would do the trick, I'll give it a try - thank you!

Interesting, thank you. So it's possible to grind the beads to a different shape? I assume that means flattening its inside diameter?

I have a recurring issue with the rear (tubed) tyre becoming partially unseated. There's no problem with getting it to seat initially - a bit of lube, inflate it to 60 or 70 psi and it pops on nicely, all the way around. The problem occurs after I deflate it to my normal pressure (4 psi) and ride it. A section of the bead slips off its seat, about 250mm in length. I can reseat it easily but when I deflate it back to riding pressure and ride the bike it happens again. The rim looks fine, as does the tyre itself - both are fairly new. Suggestions? Superglue and self-tapping screws?

I enjoyed that very much, thank you!

I don't really have a favorite engine and I don't think engine performance in the conventional sense is all that important in the overall scheme of things. To me a bikes ability to turn and the performance of its suspension and brakes is much more important. As far as engine performance goes what is critical I think is its ability to hook up. A low rpm torque response that is too sharp is probably worse than one that is a little soft in that it can badly affect traction and make riding difficult and tiring in the really tight and loose sections. I think almost any engine could be made to work very well with careful tuning and flywheel weighting, so it probably comes down to weight, gear ratios, clutch feel and so on.

The plates you need were used on lots of different Japanese bikes eg. 98 - 01 KX80, Honda VF500C and VF500F, 86 - 94 CBR250RR, CRF150, XL200, 81 - 82 CR125, CB125, 01 - 15 KX85 and many others. You just need to file the lugs a little narrower. I like the CBR250R version best as it has a bigger ID and a narrower contact ring - less drag, more grip with the same or less spring pressure. There's a commonly held belief that Type F ATF is the best oil to use in a Bul clutch. My testing showed it was no better than any other ATF, and all of the ATFs gave less holding capacity than a non-friction-modified engine oil. The best I tested was Castrol Power 1 4T 5w-40.

Oh I've ridden one - my 199 has a hiboy frame and I like it very much. Which made Nigel's comments all the more surprising. It's an ex state championship winner so must have been considered viable at the time by someone. One thing I have noticed though - and I guess this is due to the lack of tubes under the engine - is that you really have to check the bolts in the engine mounts and skid plate regularly and keep them tight. Which makes sense seeing as they are tying everything together. The other thing I noticed was that the engine vibration is more noticeable if the head steady is loose/cracked/missing. I like your additional front steady - anything that helps tie this area together has to be a good thing - and will try one myself.

Is the turnbuckle part of a front head steady?

How do the Miller hiboy frames compare strength-wise to the factory frames?

If you do a web search you'll find lots of people saying things like "I put a set of Boyesens on my bike and now it's so much crisper and sharper!" The trouble is that in most cases the Boyesens were used to replace old battered reeds that no longer worked as well as they once did. To really test them properly you'd need to make back to back runs with new factory reeds. I don't have any TY specific experience but I've tried them on other bikes and prefer to use fresh OEM parts.

You mean the German Iwis chain? I use that as primary chain in my Metralla, very high quality. I'll look into it, thanks.

Thanks for the suggestions, it sounds like I just need to spend a little more money on a heavier chain than the standard DID MX chain I'm using now. I ride a lot, and always in very steep country so all things considered the chain and sprocket life probably isn't too bad. I'll try one of the better quality chains suggested.

What's a good chain for my M199 that I won't have to adjust constantly? I ride pretty regularly, every weekend if I can and find that I'm always having to adjust the chain. Any particular brand and model stand out from the rest? The DID I'm using at the moment is reasonable but I'm still having to nip it up frequently. And yes, I do keep it clean and lubed...

It's big enough, but only if used with the small KTM 9.5mm master cylinder. And of course anything you can do to reduce the amount of spring pressure required - eg. better plates and clutch fluid - will also help.