trapezeartist

Not the greatest photos. Sorry.

My 50% optimism was about right. It about 50% worked. The top surface of the plastic thingie was very wet and a bit muddy, so it had stopped all that going into the air filter. On the other hand there was plenty of dirt in the filter and a little bit of wetness at the bottom point. I don’t expect it to live more than half a dozen trials, and I certainly won’t be paying another £12.99 for a piddly bit of plastic. I’ll hunt around for something of the right thickness and stiffness and make my own.

I think I remember it. We had lunch in a local bar there once on the way to Granada. Funny place (if I’ve got the right village); one of those where you check to see how many fingers the locals have on each hand?.

Almeria is a big place. Whereabouts?

It might be a week or so before I have it in pieces again to take a photo. And I got no info at all from the supplier. The piece of plastic has three holes that roughly correspond to the rear airbox mounting screws and the airbox cover screw. After a bit of gentle filing, I got it attached on the two main screws. When I put the seat on, the plastic poked out the sides, so I marked it, took it all apart and trimmed off the surplus. On reassembly the plastic sheet rests on the four knobs on the airbox. The sheet is flat whereas the seat is curved so the seat has to be pushed down pretty hard to get the screws in. It went eventually though and then I had to put on the airbox cover which was also a bit of a fiddle. I'm not sure if I'll be riding this weekend. If I do, I'll report back next week. If not, the answers will come a week later. I'm about 50% optimistic that it will be successful, and fitting and removal should be easier in the future once the plastic has relaxed into place. But it would all be unnecessary if Beta made a better airbox in the first place.

The clear plastic cover arrived. The most expensive bit of plastic I've ever bought! There was no guidance on how to fit it but I worked it out. The fixing holes needed adjusting and there was quite a lot of material to be trimmed off the sides. Even then it was awkward to fit, but it's on now and awaiting the opportunity to test it.

Looking is quick and easy. Removing, washing, drying, oiling and refitting is messy and more time-consuming. I’ve just decided to put my money where my mouth is, so I’ve ordered a clear plastic cover. I’ll report back in a week or two.

I just tried it, and I see what you mean. Definitely a setup error by someone. I’d never noticed it before because I’ve always found the search function on forums (including this one) to be hopelessly hit-and-miss. Instead I use Google and prefix my search term with “trials central”.

I misunderstood you. I didn’t realise you only wanted something for washing. I really don’t think washing is the issue though. It’s riding. My 40yo Fantic would go at least six trials between filter cleans. Yet a modern Beta sucks in mud, water and small twigs as soon as you ride it through a muddy puddle! I’ve just cleaned out my air filter after just a couple of hours riding (admittedly in wet and muddy conditions) and it was filthy. I had taped over the grilles in the seat for washing. I think I’m going to have to take a punt on the clear cover.

Something like this https://www.ewbay.co.uk/itm/DAB-PRODUCTS-BETA-EVO-AIR-FILTER-COVER-CLEAR-2009-2019-MODELS/233052620375?hash=item364304c657:g:JpIAAOSwSK1bF9Ku ? I haven’t bought one yet because I can’t work out from the photo how it will work. And it seems a bit pricey for a flat piece of plastic. There’s also this, which seems a bit implausible as a means of keeping water out but is a nice little bit of bling if your existing screw looks like the one in the photo (as mine does!). https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BETA-EVO-AIR-FILTER-BOX-PLUG-SCREW-SEAT-BOLT-AIRBOX-COVER/292925442760?hash=item4433b78ac8:g:-d4AAOSwwARat9Tf

Ignoring guesswork, does anyone know why? The ACU seems to be deliberately vague.

About £10 a litre?

I agree absolutely, OTF. The good riders have improved far more than the bikes in the past 40/50 years. So the distance between expert and novice has grown ever wider. Just look at the experts on a pre-65 bike, beating the wobblers on modern bikes hands down.

That’s what everyone tells me, but if I was going to remove switch I wanted to have the warm feeling that I was leaving it in what I would call the soft setting.

I had a problem too with not being able to get an answer.

The threads on here about mapping switches show a lot of confusion and contradictory information. Hardly surprising because it looks like the writer of the handbook had had a little too much Lambrusco the day he did the electrical section. Items 5 and 6 (mapping and light switches) are labelled the wrong way round on the wiring diagram. According to the manual (2014, English) the H hard setting is to give a gentler response and S soft is for a more aggressive response! At first I thought it might be a mis-translation so I checked the Italian version and that was the same. Then I wondered if H and S were supposed to mean something else. H for humedo (wet) and S for seco (dry) perhaps? No, I think he was just pist. After pondering on the handbooks, reading all the TC threads and talking to Lampkins, I have concluded semi-definitively that switch closed is the true soft setting. So l’ve dumped the switch (which was not working properly anyway), removed most of the wiring and left short tails on the main connector block which I have permanently twisted together. So now hopefully I have a permanent soft setting and I’ve got rid of a bit of unnecessary gubbins.

I use a Berlingo too. I’ve removed both rear seats but there’s no hassle with removing bike wheels or rolling back the handlebars. The Honda Element must be mighty small if you have to do those things. One thing to bear in mind with putting a trials bike in a car is that it soon gets very dirty. My Berlingo is just for the bike and a few other purposes but I wouldn’t treat my only or main car like that.

I’ve not really noticed (I wear an Airoh) but perhaps it’s because in certain sections you will need to roll your eyes up so you don’t want to be looking at the edge of your helmet.

And our elders laughed at our flares in the 70s!

A trials bike doesn't have to be beautiful: it just has to perform. Mind you, the previous owner of my new acquisition spent a few bob on pretty bits for it, so my wife has christened it the "Bling Thing".

Do you think he's wearing that suit for a bet? And what's the thing sticking out of the side of the engine?

Cue.

Yes. Works really well in schools and colleges!

The filter is now dry, but looking pretty ratty so needs replacing. Anyway the bike is now in so many pieces that riding this weekend is not an option. I’ll take a more careful look at the splines on the output shaft this evening, hoping to find them all good. Then I’ll continue going through checking and cleaning everything, and hoping no other nasties crawl out of the woodwork. The dealer I bought it from is being good, so I’m confident he’ll provide a new air filter and sprocket. I just have to hope a sprocket change solves the problem.

I picked my new-to-me Evo 250 yesterday and just spent a couple of hours in the garage with it. Unfortunately I won’t get out to play tomorrow as planned because the air filter was filthy and has to be washed and re-oiled. Then while continuing the general check over, I found the gearbox sprocket was sloppy on the splines. Is that to be expected?