trapezeartist

It may be all down to the controller. There's a lot of very clever electronics going on inside them. For sure I've never been short of power on my EM.

Was he on a 5.7 or an ePure? If it wasn't an up-to-date ePure Race then it's not a proper comparison. How much practice did he have on the EM? They need a different riding technique so just jumping on is unlikely to bring a good result. I ride at a novice level and the bike is brilliant for me. Look at trialtube on youtube to see what an expert rider thinks of an EM.

Richard Allen perhaps? http://www.allensusedtrialsspares.co.uk/

I wouldn't have thought so as the speediseal is a press fit. I didn't have any water leakage with mine.

I don't think the temperature range in the UK is enough to make the sort of difference that isn't swamped by other factors. The last trial I did was in a temperature just above freezing, and that gave me the 70% level. The practice day I mentioned in the original post was a few degrees above that.

I've used a Speediseal in the water pump of a marine engine. It had run up more hours than the original shaft without wear when I sold the boat. So I would count that as a success.

Every EM owner will know that the commonest question is "How long does the battery last?" My answer is always the same, based on my personal experience: I usually finish a trial with the meter showing about 70% left. Now 70% at the end of a trial had me a bit perplexed. That is far better than the manufacturer's claimed battery life, and when did you ever find a manufacturer who understates anything?! So yesterday I tried an experiment. I didn't charge the battery before going out for a practice, so I started on 70%. After nearly 3 hours (so slightly less than a normal trial) the battery was down to 15%. I have no complaint because two days riding on a battery seems pretty good to me. However I'm now aware that the battery reading is a bit non-linear and 70% on the battery meter really means about 45% of riding time remaining. PS. I was watching the battery meter more closely than usual yesterday and could see the reading going up and down depending on the load I was putting on it. So at the end of the day with 15% left in, the meter dropped to 4% when gunning it up the hill back to the car park. It then dramatically lost power (but still enough to comfortably get up the hill) which seems to be a limp mode that kicks in at 5%.

Para 1: Totally disagree. Para 2: Maybe. As a direct replacement for my petrol bike, the EM is a step forwards. It goes everywhere the Beta 250 went, and a few places it didn't. On the other hand, the riding technique is different, so I wouldn't be sure about having both petrol and electric. I have adapted to the electric, and I love it. I wouldn't go back. After 6 months, the only problem I have had was the battery meter stopped working and was replaced under warranty. From other forums, it seems that might be a common problem but it doesn't stop the bike so it's pretty trivial compared with the teething troubles that some petrol bikes have had. Again from forum information, there seem to have been a few other isolated issues but (at least in the UK) the dealer support has been good for solving them.

I'll second those sentiments. Happy Christmas to all forumites, and enjoy the Christmas/New Year trials.

I have an EM ePure Race, and I love it. Definitely better than a petrol bike. For you especially, without any preconceptions of how to ride a trials bike, it would work well. You mentioned "cheap". The ePure only came out in 2020 so you won't find one that fits my definition of cheap. I don't know much about the earlier bikes but I did have a short ride on one back in the summer. It had a lot less power than mine, but I don't think that is necessarily a bad thing. Handling seemed much the same. Like any secondhand bike, you need to check condition carefully. No 1 will be battery charging and range. But on the other hand you don't need to worry about carburation, ignition, cooling system, gearbox or exhaust.

In the UK, electric trials bikes are treated like any other trials bike. My EM is road registered though I don't use it on the road so don't have a number plate, speedo or insurance. Electric bicycles have some power and speed limitations in order to be considered a bicycle. Electric scooters are outlawed totally, although I don't understand why. Nor do I understand why they can then be provided by the council in Bristol for public (paid) use, but they are and they're extremely popular. I think they are probably going to be a permanent feature in cities quite soon.

No. On that side of the pond they call a torch a flashlight. (None of my torches flash unless I turn them onto flashing mode.) 🙂 I don't think the frame cracking issue is your problem. That occurred on the early hydroform frames which were (I think) 2013. Definitely add an inline fuel filter. They're always a good idea but now that you have partly cleaned off the crud there a high likelihood that some bits have dropped into the bottom of the tank.

Another vote for Putoline Nanotrans. About the only oil I didn't try when I had the Beta was ATF.

Essentially your problem is one of two things: the bike or you. At your next trial, ask someone (ideally someone who rides a Beta 250 2T on the easy route) to try your bike for a moment. They will soon be able to tell you if there's a clutch issue or the engine is unreasonably firey, or indeed if you have a quick throttle on (which makes quite a big difference). If the bike passes the test, don't give up. Practice, practice, practice. Lots of clutch slip and delicacy with the throttle will get you there. Enjoy!

Not true. I have owned two water-cooled trials bikes and the cooling system gave me no bother at all. I bet many others can say the same too.

You answered that question yourself. Maybe go for a Beta 200, or even a 125 from any of the manufacturers.

Are you saying a thumb throttle would be more of a problem on an electric bike than on a petrol? Why would that be?

If No 3 is true, that really saddens me.☹️

What she 👆 said!

I find it hard to believe it will be a good result, but happy (and interested) to be proved wrong. Full marks for trying something different.

This is a trials forum, so I am commenting about electric trials bikes. The ISDE is a totally different type of event, though if you can afford to do it you can probably afford a couple of spare batteries. Electric Motion claim 3-4 hours for the ePure. I think that's conservative. I did a club trial at the weekend with four fairly long laps. It took me a total of 3 hours 40 minutes so that might be 3 hours of riding. I finished with the battery still on 62%. Each to their own, but the electric trials bike is ideal for me.

Yes, you're definitely old-fashioned. Try the latest generation (2020 onwards) Electric Motion. For my purposes, the EM is most definitely better than a petrol bike. Having said that, I do think Oset are getting left behind. They've really missed a trick when you consider that they were the market leaders in electric bikes. But they grew out of providing back-garden toys for kids and they haven't quite cottoned on to the adult market. Sur-Ron are getting rave reviews from people who have ridden them, so I think they might well gat the jump on Oset when they get into the UK market.

Personally, I don't carry anything apart from my car key (in the one and only pocket of my trials trousers). I don't fancy falling on my phone or tools, and I wouldn't use them during a trial anyway. Water is about the only thing I feel a need to carry. So far I've relied on stopping off at the car between laps, but I might get a camelbak for next summer.

Look at AMCA too. They don't sanction as many events as the ACU but their events tend to be more laid-back. If there are AMCA events in your area, they might suit you too.

I agree with Carl, it's unlikely you've done any damage. By their nature, crank seals have to be made of a material unaffected by fuel and oil. You should make a serious effort to remove surplus fuel. Assuming you don't want to remove the engine, turn the bike upside down with the spark plug out and turn the engine over slowly a couple of times. My main concern would be that you have washed the mains, big-end and bore clean of oil. If I were you I would make up a small quantity of fuel with a stupidly rich oil mix in it (10:1 maybe). Fill the float bowl with that and try to start the engine. If it starts, let the engine run slowly until the float bowl runs dry (or you choke on the fumes!). If it won't start and oils the plug, repeat with a less oily mixture. I don't know if that is necessary or how well it would work, but it's what I would do as a precaution.