trapezeartist

At the risk of being shot down in flames (or at least, sparks), what is the real-life worth of a spark arrestor? As I understand it, it's a metal gauze that could work like a fire-guard on an open fire. But in all my life, I can't recall seeing sparks coming out of the exhaust of any infernal combustion engine. They seem to manage without them in Spain and that can be absolutely tinder-dry in summer as my village (when I lived there) knows only too well. Do these things have any real value? Or are they just the whim of a government bureaucrat somewhere?

Agreed, removing just the left seat would be a possibility, but I don't need the rear seats so they've both gone. And my roof lining can't get any worse now, though your suggestion would be handy for someone starting with a nice clean car. Though keeping the inside clean when you load a dirty bike in it is somewhat challenging. I could try shovelling all the mud out, but a quick spray of weedkiller seems easier .

There are two nipple positions on the throttle quadrant on the carb. The Amal goes on the "other" one (ie not the same as standard).

I carry my bike in a Berlingo car. I found I had to remove the back seats completely. Then the front wheel goes into the front left corner and I have to bounce the rear wheel slightly to the right. I use two rachet straps attached to the frame just below the seat. One goes to the back left anchor point and one goes to the front right. Done that way the bike is prone to roll to and fro slightly so I have a third strap from the handlebar down to the front left anchor. If you're hiring, I'm guessing it may be a van which obviously means you don't have to worry about rear seats. You probably won't have a roof lining either which will make things easier (my roof lining has been assaulted a few times by the handlebars). Finally, the front wheel drops into the rear footwell on a car, but the floor extends further forward on a van so that will make life easier too. I made a small infill to bring the floor up to the main platform height. I've carried a Beta Evo and a Fantic this way. You may have to adjust the strap positions slightly to suit the Sherco frame.

You'll love it. Best fun you can have with your clothes on.

Buy a new bike at a new price. Ride it. you now have a secondhand bike at a new price. But I'm glad lots of people want to buy new. How else would I get all my secondhand bargains? New bikes and virgins are both over-rated, in my humble opinion.

The Hebo Zone 5 is a lot heavier than other trials helmets (1200g against 900g for an Airoh) but you have to keep it in perspective. My old full-face that I used for karting weighed 1700g and karting generates a lot more lateral neck load. Although I use an Airoh and no goggles, I'm very aware that an overhanging branch or something flicked up by a bike in front could give an eye injury, even on a pocket-handkerchief course.

As a returner with a somewhat longer absence, I've only a few months experience to go on (and a lot of reading on this forum). I really don't think there is any definitive answer to which bike is lower maintenance. Buy the cleanest, tidiest bike within your budget; not the newest or the blingiest. Accept that routine maintenance will include a certain amount of strip-down to clean the bike thoroughly, lots of chain cleaning and lubing, frequent air filter cleaning and oiling, and fairly frequent oil changing. Other than that, wheel bearings, suspension bushes and one or two other things will require occasional attention. None of this is beyond the capability of the average home mechanic. Clothing is a very personal thing. Look in the "Trials Gear" sub-forum for quite a lot of guidance. Trousers need to allow free movement but not be too flappy. Proper trials trousers are the thing to have, unless you're really desperate not to be labelled a "mamil". What you wear on the top half is really completely open. Trials helmets are light, well-ventilated and don't restrict hearing too much, and prices start from about £50. Gloves are not essential but personally I always wear a pair of lightweight mechanix gloves so I don't skin my palms when I pause to closely inspect the ground. Everyone has their own favourite brand of boots. Forma Boulder are the cheapest; well, least expensive. Gaerne are the only ones that claim to be waterproof, which seems to me to be a pretty essential part of the spec. Therefore I bought Gaerne, and I'm happy with them.

I've used oxalic acid on white fibreglass and also teak very successfully. I tried to de-rust some manky old tools and found that they were left with a yellowy-green film that wasn't a lot prettier than the previous rust.

Perhaps nothing. On my Fantic 200 I flit between one-finger and two-fingers. I don't think there's any significant difference. But then, that's just me, and my riding is hardly a recommendation to anyone.

I'm a pretty raw beginner so I think I know where you're coming from. Of course you'll make a fool of yourself (if you think of it that way) but no-one's going to look down on you for it. It's just a part of the learning experience, and you'll find everyone is friendly and willing to offer advice. What do you need to practice? Basic skills; and all you need for that is a bit of field or a gravel car park. Go super-slow, full lock turns, figures-of-8. Get a feel for moving your weight around and understanding what that does. Put down a small log and practice going over it and then immediately turning sharp left or right. Keep practising until all the basic stuff is second nature and requires no thought (I'm trying but not there yet by quite a long way). Perhaps the only basic skill that needs a proper practice area is going up and down banks, understanding how much throttle you need on the way up and how much braking on the way down. Don't wait too long before you go and enter an event. It's a different world from practising, but remember if you come up against something you don't like, you can just ask for a 5 and move on to the next section. Go for it! It's the most fun you can have with your trousers on.

Maybe I didn't express myself well enough. I didn't mean to suggest that beginners buy an over-250 as an exercise in willy-waving. On the contrary, they probably are just grabbing what is available and maybe think an extra 30/40/50cc won't make any difference. It's the new-bike buyers who seem to feel a compulsion to buy the big-engined bikes even though they are optimised for the likes of Bou and Raga, and most buyers are nothing like Bou and Raga.

If you only intend to use the bike on the road for getting to practice areas, you could put on a totally legal to-the-letter number plate and attach the bracket with a butterfly nut. Then just take it off while you're practising, just to make sure it doesn't castrate you if things get a bit out of hand.

I bought a Beta 300 4 stroke (which is allegedly a much more gentle power delivery than 2 strokes of similar capacity) and I found it a handful. I very quickly switched to a Fantic 200, only partly due to the friendlier power-unit but mostly because I realised I wanted a twinshock rather than a modern. Based on my vast six months of experience () I would say that anything over 250 is just willy-waving unless you are an expert. Some people think a 125 is too peaky and others think it is fine. Everyone in the know seems to agree that a 200 is ideal for a novice. If I was in your position I would go for a 250 but hope that a 200 might come along while I was looking.

A trials experience day is a great idea to test the water.

I was chatting with someone at the weekend who has an EM. Two criticisms appeared. 1. Lack of a gearbox. Running at "high" speed takes a lot of battery power. He thought a second higher gear for link sections would improve battery life. 2. Lack of torque control. The throttle on a petrol bike controls torque. The "throttle" on an e-bike controls speed. So if you ask for more speed than you currently have (via the twistgrip) the motor will provide full torque in order to get up to that speed. Obviously that's not what may be required of a trials bike.

Interesting. A couple of points spring to mind: 1. Why have a rule controlling engine position (presumably to indirectly control F/R weight distribution) and then allow what looks like a humungous lump of ballast in the spare wheel (pic 3)? 2. Why is there a conventional mid-mounted gearbox (pic 4) if the car has a transaxle?

I think the manual says to leave the throttle closed for starting in all conditions. I found quarter to half throttle was much better.

I had a similar experience on a trial somewhere on the edge of Dartmoor about 1970. The organisers had put down a strip of grit on the ice, but obviously had run out part way down. This was just about on the steepest bit so I did the inevitable and fell off. Couldn't stand up, never mind lift the bike, so had to shuffle self and bike across to the hedge while kneeling/lying in the road.

Very smart. And aluminium mudguards too! My only gripe would be that it looks a little over-polished. And of course to be really authentic there should be some big wrinkles in the rear mudguard just behind the frame loop, but after a few practice days you should be able to add that feature .

Isn't it ironic for a sport that is based on overcoming difficult obstacles and conditions, that as soon as it snows all events are cancelled. (Yes, I do know the reasons why, but I can't help the feeling that it wouldn't have happened in the "good old days" when most of us would have got there somehow, despite the lack of traction control, ABS and hour-by-hour weather forecasts.)

As far as I know, Gaernes are the only boots that claim to be waterproof. Which seems to be a pretty important factor given that we go paddling around in streams. I bought Gaernes as my first pair of trials boots on that basis. I have nothing to compare with, but I'm pretty happy with them, and my toes have stayed dry so far.

Remember that little saying: "If it looks too good to be true, ............"

Blimey! That beats my 47 years between trials.