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trapezeartist

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Everything posted by trapezeartist
 
 
  1. Well. there you are Mr ahh_me2. I bet you never thought your first post on the forum would provoke a discussion on the physical properties and chemical composition of WD40.
  2. Satnav – A new poem by Pam Ayres. I have a little Satnav, it sits there in my car. A Satnav is a driver's friend it tells you where you are. I have a little Satnav, i've had it all my life. It's better than the normal ones, my Satnav is my wife. It gives me full instructions, especially how to drive "It's sixty miles an hour", it says, "You're doing sixty five”. It tells me when to stop and start, and when to use the brake And tells me that it's never ever, safe to overtake. It tells me when a light is red, and when it goes to green It seems to know instinctively, just when to intervene. It lists the vehicles just in front, and all those to the rear. And taking this into account, it specifies my gear. I'm sure no other driver, has so helpful a device. For when we leave and lock the car, it still gives its advice. It fills me up with counselling, each journey's pretty fraught. So why don't I exchange it, and get a quieter sort? Ah well, you see, it cleans the house, makes sure I'm properly fed. It washes all my shirts and things, and keeps me warm in bed! Despite all these advantages, and my tendency to scoff, I only wish that now and then, I could turn the bugger off.
  3. Yeah it would be a refreshing change from people running around, throwing things, or doing something with a ball.
  4. If you're referring to the no-stop rule, I have to reluctantly agree. I would love no-stop to work but there is too much of a grey area, so that's not practical. But neither is the current situation. Watching the video of the UK Trial GP, a couple of people were given 5s for very minor hesitations, while others got away with longer pauses. We can't just drop the rule because we'll then go back to the same situation that brought the rule in in the first place (well, second place, if you're old enough). Perhaps there is a middle ground: as soon as a bike has clearly stopped, the observer gives a countdown "Three, two, one, fail!".
  5. In the end it took about 1.2 - 1.3 litres.
  6. That's a difficult question, for which there are as many answers as there are trials forumites. There are a couple of other threads running at the moment that show the problems of advice and opinion. The £2k excludes the newer makes like Vertigo and TRS, so that leaves you with Beta, Gas Gas, Sherco and Scorpa (assuming you're not considering a twinshock). For sure there is nothing much wrong with a Beta. They've had a long slow evolution, they have a good and enthusiastic importer, and I believe parts are readily available.They are unusual in having the kickstart on the left, which seems to bother some people.
  7. That seems quite a lot, more than I originally thought. But I'm not really surprised because I just drained the oil and got far more out than I expected (and there's now oil all over the floor because I didn't use a big enough tray). Is there any merit in changing over to ATF?
  8. Sorry, this is a bit elementary. How much oil does the gearbox take on a 200 rear kick?
  9. My left spacer is 14.8mm and the right is 27.4mm. That leaves less than a millimetre clearance which is then taken up by flex in the swinging arm when everything is tightened up.
  10. I'm using 11/53, which is the standard gearing according to the user manual. Your gearing is 10% taller. Sometimes I think mine is too low geared, and other times it feels too high, so I reckon it's really about right.
  11. I'll try to remember to measure mine tomorrow morning.
  12. https://bvm-moto.co.uk/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=2193 I just bought an 11 tooth from BVM. Superfast delivery, and as I was a bit nervous about delivery in time for this weekend they phoned me up to confirm it was just despatched. Note that 11 tooth is standard. Going down to 10 tooth will make a 9% change in gear ratio unless to change the rear as well. The 10 tooth will also accelerate chain and sprocket wear.
  13. That might be a bit extreme, but I wouldn't pay $100 for it. I think that rust looks like it's coming through from the inside (there's probably water been lying in the bottom of the tank) so it will get worse and worse as you try to clean it up. Anything is repairable if you throw enough time and money at it, but ....
  14. Although I don't know the ins and outs of a Beta 2 stroke, I'd be confident there is nothing to be scared of in the clutch. You could drain the clutch and work upright or leave the oil and lay the bike over. It depends on your workshop and which is easier for you. I think you'll probably find an O ring under the cover rather than a paper gasket. Once you're in, it will be a simple task to undo all the clutch springs and then lift off the pressure plate and friction plates. When I had a Beta 4 stroke I had the clutch in bits three times trying to reduce the cold stick. The "clutch fix" did nothing for me, though my bike was newer so you might get more benefit. The only thing that helped a little bit was to rough up the steel plates with emery and to clean off the surfaces of the fibre plates with fine wet'n'dry. Overall it was several hours out of my life for little benefit. Consider whether you can just learn to live with cold stick. When it's liable to happen (first start after standing for a while), you just need to put the front wheel against something solid, pull in the clutch and engage second gear. That should clear it, even if you have to crack open the throttle slightly and bump your backside down on the seat. After clearing, it should remain good all day.
  15. Tyres are tyres, so the bike is irrelevant and your level of experience is almost irrelevant. I'll stick my neck out and say that the choice of Michelin/Dunlop/IRC doesn't matter at your level, but the Pirelli is definitely a step down (but cheaper). I would guess that a secondhand tyre will cost next-to-nothing (I have a Michelin X-Light rear in my garage that you can have for a tenner) but how it will compare with a new Pirelli is beyond my experience.
  16. Irrigation machine? That sounds more like an water-cooled bike with a bad water leak.
  17. Having gone back to the original post, it's very clear from photo 4 that the bakrak is not performing as it should. The flange should be vertical in side-view and it's not. The bakrak has rotated backwards on the ball, either because it hasn't been fitted right or because it is simply not capable of clamping tight enough to resist the moment of the bike rack. Whether the Dave Cooper bike rack is a suitable device is a separate issue. Personally, I think not, but it certainly is not deserving of the rant that has been directed at it.
  18. I can't see exactly what is going on inside that Bakrak thingie, but it just seems a triumph of optimism over reality to think that anything is going to attach to a ball and then provide a stable support of an offset load of 80 or 90kg. Is the Bakrak intended for pushbikes? Although the Dave Cooper rack is ingenious and a lot of people have covered a lot of miles with them, I still find it unduly flexible and decided against it for myself.
  19. Hands up anyone who hasn't made that mistake at some time.
  20. Welcome. Where are you riding?
  21. I don't expect anyone to do anything, but I think it would be helpful if the facility was there. I fully intend to talk to the clubs whose trials I ride in, and I'll give what help I can. Before doing that directly, I thought I'd post on here to get the opinions of others. With one exception, they seem to be favourable to the idea so I'll press ahead. It's also notable that the contributions from posters in other countries suggest that we are way behind on this topic in the UK.
  22. Why would someone take two days out of their life every three years to train, and then not assist someone who needed it?
 
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