trapezeartist

There may be a bit of a terminology issue over "two tone". Two tone as in "nee-nah" is definitely illegal except on emergency vehicles, as is any multi-tone that plays La Cucaracha or whatever (remember them?). Two horns of different tone sounding together is legal, but not mandatory.

I tried that yesterday and it didn't seem to do much. Maybe I didn't get it hot enough.

Mechanic sorted the bleeding for a tenner. After all the hours I had put in!? The travel was still a bit long and once I started riding the brake was horribly noisy and ineffective. Riding about dragging the brake for a while solved the noise and lack of friction. By the end of the day the travel has shortened slightly so it now seems all good. I’ll show the pads and disc some brake cleaner and emery this week, just to make sure.

Welcome to the world of Beta. Clutches have given me plenty of aggro on my two Betas, but everything else has its issues too. My 250 Evo had a bit of cold stick when I got it and also was difficult to get a good adjustment of the bit point. I did the “clutch fix”, which achieved nothing. I bled the hydraulics but I don’t think there was any air in it anyway. I was also keen to lighten the action slightly so I put a washer on each clutch bolt. One washer was as much as I thought would be safe without risking touching the cover but it wasn’t enough. I’ve now removed two springs altogether and like it that way. I also tried 3 or 4 different oils and only Putoline Nanotrans made any difference. That was the best mod I did. Until this week I was using Nanotrans with whatever residual oil wouldn’t drain out. I’ve just done another oil change so should be 99% Nanotrans now. I’m hoping it might be even better.

I haven't!? I did get the pistons to push out properly in the end but I'm still stuck with the long travel and spongey feel. I tried reverse bleeding. I tried taking the whole assembly off so that I could have a nice smooth uphill run for the air to find it's way to the bleed nipple. I used a T-bar to push the m/c piston to make sure I was using the full stroke. Having reached the point where I was just about feeling something at the end of the pedal travel and I had done numerous pumps with no air coming out, I decided the air must be caught in the banjo on the master cylinder. So I cracked off the banjo bolt and gave the pedal a squeeze. Fluid came out without any sign of bubbles (it's hard to be sure) and then I completely lost the pedal again. More conventional bleeding and I got back to the spongey long-travel brake, but no further. I've now given up and I'm taking it to a motorcycle mechanic tomorrow. It seems to me the integral reservoir in the master cylinder is the problem. You only get three pumps before you have to stop and top-up. If there was a remote reservoir it would be possible to disconnect it, put a big syringe on instead and push through a whole system-full of fluid in one smooth action. I thought about getting another m/c top and aralditing in a piece of metal tube that I could then put a syringe on, but it's easier to just take the bike to someone else to do (I wish I'd done that from the start).

Possibly. I was just going on the seal kit, which came in a Braktec bag.

braktec, I think. Oh yes. The grooves were pretty crappy and took a lot of picking at with a metal scribe. Your second comment is encouraging. Depending on how it turns out, I may go to a practice ground next weekend instead of doing a trial. That way I can do the things I need to do to encourage the brake to behave rather than having to follow the route. And I can stop whenever I like to adjust the pedal and top-up the fluid.

This one just runs and runs. I got the new seals in, then had a nightmare to get it bled. Finally I think I have all the air out of it. Next problem is the massive amount of travel before the brake comes on. The bike is still on the stand with numerous bits still to be refitted so I haven't ridden it yet, but it looks as though there is too much roll back on the seals. I'm just hoping I'm wrong once I get to riding it, or maybe riding for a bit will persuade the pistons to move out a bit closer to the disc.

Sorry I can’t help, but just wondered how you like the helmet. I was tempted, but opted for a conventional Airoh in the end. The Zone 5 is about 30% heavier than the Airoh, and lots of people seemed to think that was important. I was sceptical, but decided to play safe and go with lightweight.

Americans have their fanny in a very odd place. Apparently men have one too. And you thought all the ladyboys were in Thailand! ?

Carrying a few pounds of lard might eliminate a 125 from the shopping list but I don’t think it changes the 250 v 300 debate. A 250 will be a lot more capable than you are and is never going to run out of puff. A 300 might take you to places you don’t want to go. (It’s not just a matter of 50cc. It’s the way they are tuned.)

Measuring the main dimensions is one thing. Getting the exact right profile and the right material is another. I bit the bullet and bought another kit (and some red rubber grease!).

I have just renewed the pistons and seals in the rear calliper of my Evo 250. Unfortunately I damaged one of the seals as I was putting it together. Is there a source for seals only as it seems a shame to spend another 30 odd quid when all I need is one seal?

As none of the bikes on your shortlist are 4T you’ve swerved one of the biggest sources of debate/disagreement. The other one is capacity. I would say definitely 250, unless you can find a good Beta 200. 125s are meant for youth riders and seem to be very buzzy (I confess I haven’t ridden one). Conversely 280/290/300 are intended for experts and tuned accordingly. There ability to throw you at bits of scenery goes far beyond the extra few cc. Make really doesn’t matter, except that a good local dealer for one make might swing you that way. Just buy something that is in good condition and well maintained.

The AMCA option is a bit less bureaucratic. Join an AMCA club and that's it. Around your way you've got Golden Valley and Cheltenham Hawks. (Although Golden Valley is a classic club they accept modern bikes ridden by riders over 50.) For maximum choice, I'm a member of an ACU club and an AMCA club and I have an ACU registration (they don't call it a licence).

Hi Nige I should never have sold that bike.? I thought about doing it your way but didn’t have an assistant to provide the extra hands. Also tilting the master cylinder would make it awkward to maintain the fluid level without another assistant squinting in fluid from a syringe. Do you put the cap back on when doing it? I thought about getting another cap, drilling it and putting in a fill tube with araldite. Then pressure filling it like that.

Yes to those, and that’s how I finally got to where I am now. The bike is back together and the brake feels just about OK. A trial in the next few days will confirm or not. But what a crazy idea to just loosen a banjo bolt instead of having a proper bleed nipple. All it would require from Beta would be a small mod to the air box and the use of a banjo bolt with nipple.

No wonder the job is termed “bleeding” because it must be cause of more expletives relating to blood than any other. I knew it was going to be difficult because I’d already read all the other posts here. I really tried to avoid breaking into the hydraulics but in the end I had to remove and split the calliper to solve the sticking pistons. I tried reverse bleeding: no result. I tried pumping like you would with a car: no result. I went back to reverse bleeding, did lots of tapping on the calliper to dislodge any bubbles, and got the brake nice and low so any bubbles should rise easily. Finally I tried cracking open the banjo on the master cylinder while giving it a pump, and after a couple of goes I’ve got a pedal of sorts. I haven’t yet reassembled it to running order but I think I’ll have an operational brake, but with a lot of travel. Not ideal. What sort of engineer designed such a crap system? The banjo is such an obvious air trap yet it has no proper means of bleeding. Does anyone know if there is a bleedable banjo bolt available that is low-profile enough to clear the air Box? (The bike’s a 2014 Evo 2T, btw.) Rant over. I shall now go back to the Christmas sherry and nuts.

Riding will enhance your fitness, so it’s a self-curing problem. And as you get better you’ll find that staying on the pegs is a lot less effort than falling off, lifting and pushing.

I’ve never seen a horse with footpegs. Pregnant or otherwise. What does a pregnant horse feel like?

50 years! I thought I might have a record at 47 (and 44 years not throwing my leg over a bike of any sort). If you’re passably fit, the old bones will have no probs at all. And your wallet should barely notice: £1000-3000 for your bike. £15 entry fees. 5 litres of fuel lasts 3 or 4 trials. For sure, try before you buy, but if you decide not to go ahead after your taster session, I will have serious doubts over your sanity?. Trials is not just the most fun you can have with your trousers on, it’s also the most cost-effective.

That rather answers your original question then.

Bienvenidos casolagas. Moto bonita .?

I agree with you almost entirely. My only disagreement is with the word “only”. Sailing is much the same. I’ve chatted with world champions in the bar after a race, and picked their brains on technique and boat set up. They couldn’t have been more genuine, friendly and helpful. (They wouldn’t have felt any more threatened than Toni Bou would feel about me now.?)

I take the point about modulating a foot brake. What with a stiff boot and a stiff sole, it’s hard to know if you’re on the pedal, let alone how hard you’re pushing it. I’ve thought about the problem a lot and finally concluded the solution is to grow an extra hand. Unfortunately there is one flaw.