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turbofurball

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Everything posted by turbofurball
 
 
  1. Oh well, we'd better not bother doing anything then. In other news, I went to a trial that took place in a little wooded valley, a really good place for a trial since the logs were a bit slippery and ground squishy with dead wet leaves. It was tight enough that the exhaust smoke didn't dissipate; I decided to head out early after the first couple of bikes went through because I was getting a headache from the fumes ... haven't had that since I used to work in a HGV garage, back before there were emissions regulations. These days I live in a nature reserve and TBH I'm not really feeling like I want to contribute to the detriment of nature, I love bikes but I'm finding I have little will to ride my 2T bikes nowadays. Actually thinking about it, this is probably it for me regarding trials, since a switch to electric is never going to happen for twinshock events and that's where my interest is.
  2. A good deal if you know enough to be able to sort any problems out yourself! (as can be said for many cheap motorcycles, Chinese ones can be fine as long as you know how to fettle them yourself, and have the facilities to do so)
  3. The words trial and trail are very easy to mistake for one another, and yet completely different, lol It's possible to use a trials bike for trails with a bit of moxy, but not the other way around. The TRF are a generally nice bunch, and for an enduro bike the FE250 is nice though wouldn't be my tool of choice for TRF style trail riding for a first timer ... if it were me, I'd look at an old CRF250L or similar, which is heavier but rideable on the road (where the FE250 would be a PITA, literally) but importantly much quieter - the TRF needs to annoy the NIMBYs as little as possible if they want to retain access to trails. Also it only needs normal maintenance, having to service a bike after every 8 hours of riding becomes old fast if you're not doing competitions.
  4. No, what I was saying is that I did the second ever oil change when I bought the bike and the internals are still fine. I haven't bothered changing it for the last 3 years because I haven't used the bike more than once a year, lol
  5. As is the way with many established businesses ... just look at how oil companies haven't invested in renewables and are now loosing more and more business to them, even though it's been evident for a long time that that's where the wind is blowing (pun intended)
  6. My TY forks have probably had 6 oil changes in the last 43 years. Still in good nick. Changing after a year of solid use you're going to notice the difference, more frequently than that and I'm not sure it matters to 99.9% of riders. Pro and serious competition maintenance requires much more fastidious care than weekend wobblers like me, if I give my Sherco one good going-through a year and change the gearbox oil every 6 months or so it rides nice and tight feeling, to the point that the next year I'm not finding anything nasty hidden. And that's on a well-used 24 year old bike.
  7. Thinking about it, I wonder if thats why all the "old" manufacturers have dragged their heels on electric bikes, because then they'd have to do some serious development work
  8. Yeah, smoothrite is good for brushing on stuff, I've not had much success with it sprayed (though maybe I should have laid it on thicker and not worried about runs). I bit the bullet and had my TY frame powder coated since I wanted to Majesty-ise it anyway, but there's some people who don't like that because tiny cracks can't be spotted below the plastic ... I figure I'd not spot those anyway, plus the bike doesn't have a hard life with me, lol
  9. Though Honda owns Montesa, and Sherco owns Scorpa, so those are more a case of badge engineering, lol Historically some brands have used the engines of others (Scorpas with Yamaha engines for example), but the vast majority are in-house efforts because they're in competition with each other, and engine design is a major source of competitive advantage. Most parts outside of standard things like bearings are incompatible.
  10. Mick Andrews on the first TY used in competition, there's the whole thing on film on Youtoob somewhere ... I grew up wearing those helmets to ride horses in and they provided very little protection!
  11. Not in any FIM sanctioned events, you need an open face helmet at least for those. DOT approval is not a good guide to protection but if you're in the US check with the club running the event, because there's a chance you live in a state where you're free to have a traumatic brain injury and then go bankrupt. Personally, I ride where there's a lot of jagged rocks and so only ever use a full face enduro ECE approved helmet because I fall off a lot and I like my teeth.
  12. turbofurball

    Clutch ??

    Sticky clutches on trials bikes are a thing - I usually get the bike running, hold the clutch in, roll it forward and drop it into 1st and then keep running with the clutch in until it frees off (can take a minute for some bikes if they've been sat a while). As always, switching to Dexron 3 ATF gearbox oil either cures or eases the problem. As for the bike setting off, yes any modern 250 or up is going to do that - that's part of the reason people who are new to trials can learn easier and faster on a 125 or 200.
  13. Hello and welcome to the forums (and to the buying-the-biggest-trials-bike-available club, which always has a lot of people in it, lol)
  14. Unfortunately since Brexit importing anything from the UK is a massive headache, the last two things I tried to get just didn't turn up and I've given up on getting anything from Britain for the forseeable.
  15. Thanks to the EU the prices are the same regardless of where you live, the only difference is the cost of shipping. Ironically, some parts for Spanish bikes used to be a bit cheaper in the UK but now Brexit has broken that. I love your optimism! If you find any, please let us know
  16. I live in Catalunya, less than 2 hours from the factories of Gasgas, Sherco trials, Montesa, and the old Bultaco place. That being said, when I lived in the UK I ordered all my parts online cheaply and there weren't any motorbike shops that would sell off-road stuff nearby (because the whole of England has about 50 meters of green lane open for motorbikes) and the suppliers still didn't show up to any of the trials events I went to there, lol Anyway, getting back to the point, my experience is likely to be closer to what Dede80 has available because he's in Italy
  17. Why would anyone buy things at events when we can walk into any motorbike shop and get what we want? If I want to go to an off-road bike specialist for something really specific I have a choice of 3 within 30 minutes of my house, whereas if I want to go to a trials specialist it's a long drive (45 mins).
  18. Maybe because of the distances involved it makes more sense, or maybe Canadian trials events are all-day affairs whereas the Europeans compete and then go home?
  19. Regarding gearing, after playing with my front sprocket I only use 2nd and 3rd gear for trials on my TY175 (even geared up I still found 1st too short to be useful), so the DT gearing might be better! Good luck with your bike, it looks like a fun Heinz 57
  20. I don't think I've ever seen one with grey plastics before! It looks very cool, welcome to the small TY club (I have a TY175, which is my only never-sell motorbike)
  21. Yeah, I've never seen anything like that at an event either, lol
  22. Sorry, but the small motorcycle dealers here don't have online ordering, I just go to them and ask at the counter
  23. Sound advice about 3rd gear, though that's going to be very physically taxing in tight spaces, lol. As a fellow oldie I don't use the clutch or rev the hell out of my 175, it just chugs along in 2nd gear. I agree about entering competitions though (or at least joining a club), that's the best way to learn and get help to improve skills
  24. It's more that the larger bikes are more vicious, which holds back learning technique. I have a 175 (with a whopping 12hp), a modern 250, and an old 350 ... out of those the 175 is the best for actual competition because it's easier to "finesse" in a tight stop.
 
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