turbofurball

The age restriction is 16 if I remember correctly. At age 38, with 27 years of being on trail and road bikes, I started trials on a Gasgas TXTPro 125 and it was absolutely the right move for me - I learned quickly and didn't get into trouble with it, then sold it easily after a year or so. Then I got a couple of twinshocks (much harder to ride) and currently have a Sherco 250 ... next year I'll be selling the Sherco and one of the twinshocks, and just having my little TY175, which makes about the same power as the Gasgas 125 did (and was built to handle similar-ish to it, too). Some people go right to a 250, if I had I would have regretted it - it's your decision!

Yes, in the right hands a modern type 125 can do anything a 250 can do at clubman level, they just need to be worked harder. There's an age restriction on over-125s though, most people use 250s for most trials.

Unlikely given it's not a trials bike, nor a popular classic like the full size Impala. I'd suggest scouring Wallapop, maybe buy a whole bike for parts? There's often old 50cc bikes on there that someone dragged out of their Abuelo's garage!

Interesting, I'm only familiar with the old TXTPro I had, and they only had one kind of carb!

Yes, tank and the rear mudguard / airbox assembly needs to come off. If you have a trials bike it's a good idea to know how to strip the whole bike down and how to service a carb (not hard to learn with some patience and access to youtube). What are the differences between the carb you have and the one you want? Are they a different size, or is it just needle / jet change?

For competing at the cost of all else: Fantic 200/240 or a tricked out TY175. For "lovely interesting engineering and character": Bultaco, Ossa, SWM. (Bultacos are coolest) For people with OCD: A stock TY. For masochists: Montesa. For show-offs: TLR. For really hard core masochists: TL. For stamp collectors: Suzukis. In all cases, be prepared to express a wide range of emotions in the garage and wallet areas.

For trials in the rain I used to use an army surplus goretex top over a long sleeved t-shirt and it worked perfectly for keeping dry at a pleasant temperature. I still use the goretex top when I need to commute through thunder storms* and it's great for that, too! *the annual rainfall here is about the same as in the UK, it just tends to happen all at once

Are you thinking of the Sherco? Anywho, in other news if an iridium plug fixes it then it must have a weak spark, so that's at least easier to dig into for an answer. I'm guessing you already did sanity checks for old rags left in the airbox or intake? (I've done that before, lol)

Consider this an (expensive) lesson in buying *any* vehicle - don't touch it if it's not running or you can't properly try it out. Doesn't matter if it's a trials bike or a bus. The second lesson would be to know the fundamentals of how to maintain / repair anything you own so you don't get ripped off or mislead.

I would guess the slightly knobbled pattern of bicycle trials tyres would be optimum for indoor stuff

The old Hebos my other half has are a bit smaller than the indicated size ... she uses them without insoles and loves them, they seem pretty stiff. I went 1 size up with my Forma Boulders and they have a good amount of toe room. They have a good protection pad for the side of the ankle and have lasted me years of horrible abuse

Hello and welcome, Mortimer fun trials are just the best and one of the few things I miss about the UK ... there's a few local clubs, I used to just be a member of all of them (about 20 quid a year each 5 years back) and went to all the competitions I could - they're all beginner friendly, first time you might want to ask if anyone's willing to show you the ropes. At some competitions you can just pootle around and practice at your own pace away from the sections in use, ask the organizers about that. Check the ACU page for a list or just do a bit of googling for up-to-date info. Unfortunately Zona 1 has been paved over, that was about an hour from Newbury and used to be an excellent practice space.

One thing I forgot to mention, pit bike silencers can be taken apart and packed like a 2-stroke one (at least, the two I've had access to), they look just like the FMF one but cost about 20 euros, lol. For one I also added an extra baffle of smaller diameter to reduce noise though that only really made a difference at higher revs, near idle it was still noisy. Actually, looking at that FMF one has inspired me to try adding a second box to my TY to cut down on the noise too.

Good looking bikes! Looks like you have your work cut out for you with the TY

If it was me, I'd try and work with the original units; I'd cut the mounting tab off and use modern universal metal band mounts like you see on new pit bikes. When were the exhausts last repacked? Always best to check that as a first course of action, most people don't bother. If that didn't work then on a senior I'd try using a silencer from a 125 and use a silicone hose adapter at the join with the downtube. On a junior, maybe something like jerry-rigging two pitbike silencers in series or something, like they do on "tuning" exhausts for 50cc scooters, lol

After 30 odd years of trail riding and doing the occasional enduro (plus sport bikes etc) I started out with a 125 and that was right for me (80kg), I learned a LOT from having less power and my most loved bike (a TY175) makes about the same amount of power. I'm not aggressive rider though, I do trials to enjoy myself rather than being competitive.

There generally aren't separate clubs for classic stuff, just events. The best thing is to just phone / whatsapp your local club and ask them, the websites and facebook pages for the local twinshock events aren't maintained but they still happen!

I know you're joking,but when I got on my freshly bought "restored" TY175 and actually tried to ride it in a competition I hated the bike and felt like I couldn't ride properly. Getting good shocks (Rockshox) and the Magicals (with a bit of playing around with the oil in the forks) I did loads better and managed to do more stuff than I could on my TXTPro thanks to the engine being more in keeping with my riding style. So, you never know!

It does look more "period correct", but there's often quite a split on what people choose! I got my TY and my other half's Pampera frames powder coated simply because it was quick, but I like the painted from on my Cota (which has rubbed off in places, but it suits the bike since it's a survivor rather than restored)

Having the Magicals springs on my TY175 transformed the bike's handling, I can't recommend them highly enough!

Good stuff, looks like it'll end up looking great when you're finished! What made you go for paint on the frame over powder coating?

Thank you, I do love a good Bultaco - especially in a state of being resurrected!

Welcome to the forum, I hope you find useful info here! Do you have any photos of your Bultaco project?

I have a Sherco, with the 2.8L fuel tank it goes a long way, lol. For going longer I take a 1L PE plastic bottle in a backpack, the further I'm going the less trials-y riding I do though so at that point I usually just take a trail bike instead, lol When I get around to sorting out the TY175 I'm probably going to put the original tank & seat back on, that lasts for ages when trail riding. They're easy to swap with the skinny Majesty tank (4 bolts in total).

Someone's been waxing their chain! In other news, those decals look good, the only thing I found with the cheapy decals is they're not a s durable as the originals ... still, they do the job of taking the worst scratches and for the price are basically disposable