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trial bike

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  1. You can feel gyroscopic forces at work quite easily and demonstrated quite well with a large bicycle wheel. For anyone that is interested or not done it before ( probably as a kiddie taking his/her bike apart?). Hold the ends of the wheel spindle in each hand and roll the wheel along the ground ( or ask someone else to spin it for you) as fast as possible. Then try turning it left and right or tipping to the left or right. You will feel gyroscopic forces. This happens to any spinning thing, crankshaft, camshaft, flywheel, front wheel etc. It is why counter steering works to good effect on a road bike at speed and is one reason a two stroke feels more nimble than a four stroke, lighter and fewer spinning parts.
  2. In the UK, any road helmet must be built to British Standard BS6658:1985 and carry a BSI Kitemark. They can be upto equivalent EU standards offering the same protection levels as BS6658 and should carry the equivalent mark. I don't think many trials helmets are road legal. They tend to be designed to be light, flow lots of air and to protect against low speed impacts. Having said that, I don't know how the SSDT guys get on?
  3. Someone has just commented that they see people with too much air pressure in their tyres. Is it possible to have too little pressure? I worry about damaged rims if I run too low. I weigh nearer to 70kg than 80kg, ride a 4RT and run about 4psi on the rear. Sometimes I struggle with grip and think I should try lower pressure. But then I run onto rocks and think that would be a bad idea. What is your opinion?
  4. Interesting point about the stiffness with age, I hadn't considered that. (Except in my knees)
  5. Hi folks, I know this is an extremely debatable subject. (Do you ride mud, rocks, for pleasure or to win, etc) I'm just trying to get a feel for how long people keep a tyre going and whether sharp edges are the be all and end all. I have a rear on a 4RT with about 40 to 50 hours of grass slopes and rock sections, practising front wheel lifts and upto 2 foot steps, mainly. The front edges are quite well rounded now. But I still find grip doing tight turns on steep wet grass. I struggle finding grip in mud, but that is probably lack of practise and technique. How often do you change your rears? Do you ever "turn them round" to use the rear edges of the blocks?
  6. You don't need to ratchet the forks fully compressed, which could put the seals under prolonged pressure that they are not designed to take. Just compress them enough to stop your straps rattling loose when the van/bike bounce around over bumps. It doesn't need a lot.
  7. Hi, Some good advice here. My Mont has so much grunt and instant take off I don't think I have ever used full throttle on the stuff I ride, barely even half throttle. It'll climb just about any hill I have the guts for without having to rev much at all. It also takes off for logs and steps without too much of a handful. So it always amazes me when I see/hear guys reving the nuts off. (Maybe that's the difference between 2T and 4T) My take on your throttle control issue could be that you are struggling with the enduro to trials scenario. I guess maybe you use the throttle kinda on or off? Try covering the front brake lever with one finger. If I don't rest a finger on the brake lever, I find, especially when concentrating on new moves, that it is hard to meter in the throttle gently, and therefore it is easy to give it a gob full when you don't intend to. Keeping a finger on the front brake gives me a reference point and it becomes very easy to make tiny adjustments or suddenly wake it up a bit without over doing it. Works for me.
  8. Hi, I will try and upload some pics when I next undress her for a service. Give me a little while… It started when I removed the Bank Angle sensor, an unnecessary item if a magnetic kill switch is used. I wanted to remove the metal bracket and unused connector so started to unwrap the loom. Someone suggested moving the fan relay up to the headstock at the same time, because that is where its wires originate. (They don’t.) I was aware of a few unwanted connectors around the headstock, so I thought "Why don't I just go for it". The first thing I noticed is just how complicated Montesa made the loom. There are wires running in one direction just to turn round and run the other way again. I think there were about 8 earth wires up at the headstock, connected with a large plastic block, with no apparent reason for being there. Instead of separate earth wires from each requirement all being joined at the headstock. I now have one earth wire with a tee taken off near each requirement. (I noticed in the wiring diagram in the owner’s manual that one of the earth wires from the frame travels directly to the ECU. I guess the ECU needs a “clean” earth for reference, so have left that wire unmodified.) Getting rid of the excess connectors at the headstock leaves room for the fan relay, which would eliminate the extra cable sheath that runs parallel to the main loom under the tank. But...nearing completion...I wondered why I was adding the weight of the relay to the very top and very front of the frame, when its wires originate from behind the engine, (lower and more central). Removing the fan relay mounting tang and Bank Angle sensor and mount leaves a lot more room for the main wiring connectors behind the cylinder. They tuck in much better under the throttle body in the large plastic sock. This leaves plenty of room for the fan relay to be sited between the main connector sock and the capacitor. Thus the relay moves inboard with much shorter wires. (There were two separate power wires running through the loom to the headstock and then back in the separate sleeve to the relay, but on unwrapping the loom the two wires were tee’d together nearer to the supply point.) I now have one much shorter wire running direct to the relay and tee’d just before the relay. The blue/black also now runs direct to the relay instead of up and back. As standard, the fan motor wires and sheath run down to the coil, just to turn round and run up to the headstock, which gives a separately wrapped cable nestling between the vent pipes, HT lead and loom alongside the radiator. It is now history. I have routed it straight up from the motor, strapped to the engine vent pipe, and shortened it. The connector sits by the vent pipe canister. The fuel pump connector is the only other one under the tank now. (You may want to leave the Mapping Switch connector there. It is not applicable to my bike. I have left a tail of it at the ECU for future use if need be). With a few other bits shortened or removed, I have left over on the floor… 4 wire connector blocks and approx 110g of wire etc. consisting of approx… 1.95metres of red power supply. 2.45m of green earth. 0.7m of yellow/green 0.5m white/green 0.65 of blue/black plus approx 0.45m of the plastic sheath. Removing the support tangs for the BA sensor and fan relay etc, shaves approx 80g off the standard rectifier bracket. Plus, of course, the instigator of the whole project the BA sensor at about 110g. Add in the shortening of the fuel vent tube whilst redirecting it to the headstock (as per old days) and removing the steering lock, you get the 350g weight reduction. And, yes. It runs perfectly. It’s a bit long winded, but you did ask!
  9. JohnnyC, Reading your post again after having done the Duggan suggestion, I think that is exactly what you meant, eh? I can't believe the difference it makes. Its given me much more confidence that the brake is going to be there when I need it. I don't have to keep looking down anymore to see if it is with in reach, and I don't have to keep shifting my foot forward. Like they say, the simple fixes are often the best.
  10. Duggan. Spot on. I have just tried that myself. I didn't strap it all the way back, because it looked a little tucked in. I strapped it about 1/3 to 1/2 way back. It is nigh on perfect. A brilliant idea, should have thought of it myself. My foot is now a little further back on the peg, how I like it, and the pedal is right under the front of my boot. Simple and free! Thanks chap.
  11. Hi 2s4s, I'm a little like you, I ride on my instep but nearer the front of it than the middle, I do roll back onto the rear of the footpeg to weight it. But my boot does not reach the lever. I understand we all lift the foot, gear etc, but gear changes are not usually at crucial moments like using the rear brake when weighting the rear end. I nearly endo'd yesterday because my boot missed the lever by a few millimetres. I know a bike will never be perfect, but my pedal could be lot better than it is. As for the dual control thingy...www.clake.com.au/ Thanks for the ideas.
  12. johnnyc... Sorry pal, I can't picture what you mean. any chance of a picture? I have thought about cutting the lever shorter and having the end welded back on. Good idea or not?
  13. That Clake setup is very interesting, relating to the MTB, rear brake lever on the handlebar has much more delicate control. I do like the sound of a finger operated rear brake. But... What about the balance of clutch and brake? I can understand it working nicely to stop endos, but what about control in...for example...slow full lock turns up and down a steep camber. It is also very pricey!
  14. I bought a pair of wulfsport boots because they were relatively cheap, in the dealers where I bought my bike and fitted comfortably. They were very stiff when new but broke in quite quickly. I have had them over a year now and they are great. They have one or two scars in leather so have protected my feet ok They have become much more flexible than when new and are really comfortable. The sole is almost as good as new. It is a great value boot.
  15. Great reply Oni. Amusing but made me wince. Yikes! Hade a mate once that received a boot in the wrong place on the rugby pitch. One of them swelled up like large lemon. Never lost it though.
  16. Sorry to bring this subject up again, but... I have relatively small feet for a bloke, just size 8 boots. I like to stand on the rear of the pegs. (to weight the back of the bike for more grip and to lighten the front of what is supposedly a front heavy bike). If I do, I can't reach the brake pedal, which means I have to have my feet further forward than I like, to use the rear brake. I know there are shorter alloy brake pedals available (expensive ones at that), but I have read that they are tucked in. I would hate to purchase one only to find that I then have to hug the frame with my boot to operate the pedal. I like to stand towards the outside of the pegs for better manoeuvrability. I have read that the Sherco pedal fits well and works better. Is it shorter than standard but not tucked in like the alloy jobs? What year / model Sherco one fits the 2015 4RT? Any tips?
  17. Interesting question, waiting for replies... I thought about it too. I decided to rewire my bike myself. I dislike all the unused connectors and two or three separate runs of cables in the same direction etc. I'm really pleased with the end result. It's neater, lighter and has less unwanted stuff hanging about. Makes me feel happier. Silly, I know, but I'm a tinkerer. I know the weight loss is marginal enough to make no difference... But the bulk of the loom is now lower and more centralised. (All be it slightly) I now have less congestion around the radiator and headstock with only two small connectors under the tank. (makes fitting the tank easier) (better heat dissipation? More airspace, see) (lighter front end on my "front heavy" 4RT.) (I know, I'm kidding myself...but its true.) Fewer unused connectors laying about. Have eliminated the Bank Angle sensor and its metal mounting tang, relocated the cooling fan relay and removed its metal mounting tang. All of which has left me with a good few metres of wire less, more airspace and over 350 grams lighter. The loom is smaller, thinner, neater and looks made for my bike instead of a one size fits all. And now when I hose my bike down, I'm not thinking about all the visible excess.
  18. Evening all. I didn't know whether to post this in the general chat or the Trials Gear room. Figured it wasn't really trials gear after all. Do you any of you geezers ride with a box to protect the crown jewels? I've never thought about it before tonight. Think about it. Knees apart, 70kg mallet between the legs. I'm still lousy when it comes to lifting the rear wheel, thought I'd try practising bunny hops tonight, see if it helped or not. I don't really know what happened or where I went wrong, but... I used a little knee bend & throttle to pop the front up and leapt up, pushing forward to push the front down hoping the back would lift and.... WALLOP. I don't think I have ever been hit so square on and hard in that zone before. Let go of the bike and lay on the floor for a few minutes before feeling if they were still round. Still painful now, an hour later. I hope it was a one off, freak accident. No idea if I hit the tank, airbox or mudguard. Stopped me riding though...reactions to anything are far too slow now.
  19. Ummm, Excuse me if I have misunderstood... But if this problem is happening with brand new kit... Are you sure you are taking the slack out of the throttle cable correctly?
  20. My opinion... Look at the what pro's do on any of those bikes...then ask yourself if you have the ability to beat them? If so, your decision of bike needs to be thorough. If not, the bike is better than you, buy the bike you like and then learn to make it do what the pro does!
  21. Thank you. Have you had problems with the small capacitors, are they reliable? I wonder why Honda fit a large, heavy job when a small lighter one is possible?
  22. Hi, I have tried to p.m. JJ65 but his mail box is not accepting messages. Are the alloy plates that he refers too under the "removing the bank angle sensor" topic available anywhere? I would like to know where from and how much, could be interested.
  23. I am wondering about this alloy plate too. Are they still available? If so, where, please. Do they support the capacitor? Or would I need the smaller one from H&D. Are the smaller capacitors reliable? Regards, Dave.
  24. I've been using a drift and hammer to adjust my rear spring, because the adjustable C spanner I have is too small for the job. But I would really like to use the proper tool. Thinking maybe 50 to 75mm adjustable C spanner. Firstly, what size is the nut on the 2015 standard 4RT? Secondly, do you guys and gals use a C spanner? It seems pretty short on space in the area, and I'm wondering whether there is actually room for the C spanner without removing bits.
 
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