trapezeartist

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.

I think you have your answer, rick1962uk. ?

Seems like a good plan. But if you want to use the one you’ve bought, you’ll have to cut out and drill a bracket to attach it to, then carefully work out and mark the exact position where it needs to go, then get someone to weld it on. Then clean up and paint.

I have been wondering about using one of those 1 litre auxiliary fuel tanks as a drinks bottle.

That’s an interesting proposal. So you’re suggesting 1 mark for a feet-up stop, and 5 for a foot-down stop? It seems quite a good idea to me but you’re still left trying to differentiate marginal movement from a momentary stop.

I put in Nanotrans and it is much better. I’ve got it adjusted so that one-finger slipping is comfortable and not too big a stretch. My only remaining gripe is that gear changes still need a four finger pull back to the grip. Leaving fingers between the lever and grip gives some pretty ugly clunky gear changes.

Perhaps you didn’t have enough free play in the system. When I got my bike and rode it for the first time I made a complete t*t of myself by falling off in the car park in front of a crowd of people. Having come from cars and karts where I was obsessive about having a short travel and a rock-hard pedal, I over-adjusted it, and it “pumped up” and locked. The simple solution was to back off the lever adjustment a touch. Trials bike brakes are so powerful that they deliver a nice hard feel without too much fiddling.

A rigid enforcement of no-stop is just as subjective and difficult to judge as the present not-much-of-a-stop. At the Southern Experts a few months ago we were told to be very strict on no-stop. We dished out a lot of 5s. Some riders were most unhappy and I generally sympathised with them: it seemed unfair to apply the same penalty for a momentary feet-up hesitation as for a total failure. I’m not saying I know the solution; just that we haven’t found it yet.

I don’t know the standard TRS gearing but if you’re right you are geared down about 5%. It will be easier to get through the awkward bits without slipping the clutch but will run out of revs a bit sooner. I would be inclined to go back to standard. Chains don’t like going around small sprockets so a change from 9 teeth to 10 will significantly improve chain and sprocket life.

My daughter and I went through the McDonald's driveway window and I gave the cashier a £5 note. Our total was £4.25, so I also handed her 25p. She said, 'You gave me too much money.' I said, 'Yes I know, but this way you can just give me a pound coin back.' She sighed and went to get the manager who asked me to repeat my request. I did so, and he handed me back the 25p, and said 'We're sorry but we don’t do that kind of thing.' The cashier then proceeded to give me back 75p in change. Do not confuse the people at MacD's. We had to have the garage door repaired. The repairman told us that one of our problems was that we did not have a 'large' enough motor on the opener. I thought for a minute, and said that we had the largest one made at that time, a 1/2 horsepower. He shook his head and said, 'You need a 1/4 horsepower.' I responded that 1/2 was larger than 1/4 and he said, 'NOOO, it's not. Four is larger than two.' We haven't used that repairman since... I live in a semi rural area. We recently had a new neighbour call the local council office to request the removal of the DEER CROSSING sign on our road. The reason: 'Too many deers are being hit by cars out here! I don't think this is a good place for them to be crossing anymore.' My daughter went to a Mexican fast food and ordered a taco. She asked the person behind the counter for 'minimal lettuce.' He said he was sorry, but they only had iceberg lettuce. I was at the airport, checking in at the gate when an airport employee asked, 'Has anyone put anything in your baggage without your knowledge?' To which I replied, 'If it was without my knowledge, how would I know?' He smiled knowingly and nodded, 'That's why we ask.' The pedestrian light on the corner beeps when it's safe to cross the street. I was crossing with an 'intellectually challenged' colleague of mine. She asked if I knew what the beeper was for. I explained that it signals blind people when the light is red. Appalled, she responded, 'What on earth are blind people doing driving?!' And she is a government employee..... When my husband and I arrived at a car dealership to pick up our car after a service, we were told the keys had been locked in it. We went to the service department and found a mechanic working feverishly to unlock the driver’s side door. As I watched from the passenger side, I instinctively tried the door handle and discovered that it was unlocked. ‘Hey,' I announced to the technician, 'Its open!' His reply, 'I know. I already did that side.' STAY ALERT! They walk among us, they breed, and they vote…....

I’m torn between 1 and 5 on the first video. I’m not familiar with FIM marking guidelines (somewhat irrelevant in my world) so I would follow the observers briefing if it was my call. I can’t see how the second one can be anything but a 5.

One small note of caution. I have seen it said that modern tyres (Michelin/IRC/Dunlop) last about 150 miles on the road. That’s not far if you’re planning on pottering to work on you TLR200. Of course running higher pressures should improve life somewhat. Pirelli’s are supposed to be more durable but not competitive.