portman

Excellent performance by Dibs. He really looks as if he has the right mental approach as well as the natural ability. Keep it up lad, especially for the outdoor series. Of course Bou is in a class of his own - his ride on the black skips was masterful!

According to http://tv.eurosport.co.uk/, it's on British Eurosport 2, next Friday (29th) at 23:15. Can't see it listed as being covered live or any earlier for that matter. The web site doesn't give any details about which round it is, but I guess it's Marseille.

I say give the revised (ie Marseille) rules a chance. As has been mentioned the indoor series is trying to attract new (and maintain existing) TV viewers plus the paying public at the door and as such it must keep up the vibrancy and the excitement. In my opinion nothing is worse than having to watch someone who, with every respect, has little chance in getting a reasonable result but there they are shuffling the bike, insteps on the footrest but toes helping them inch forward/sideways, only for a fail just a short distance on in the section because the climb, jump or what is beyond their ability. I know they have to learn somewhere, etc, etc, but having 8 or 10 riders of all abilities doing each section both ways round will not be dynamic enough to increase TV viewers or attendance. The uninitiated are told that feet down means loss of marks, so why allow riders to consciously use their feet to porogress, without loss of marks. To keep the excitement going they should introduce no stop...........! Anyway, back to the theme of the thread! I think the revised rules may work. As has been mentioned it allows a greater number of riders to have an initial go, then successively creams off the more successful riders so, in theory, only the best will be in the final. That's Toni and some others by the way. Full marks to Andy's pdf version of the new rules, and I hold Toni Bou in even higher esteem if he can work out that formula in his head whilst riding at the same time! That's where I went wrong when I used to ride - badly!

Just to reinforce what trialsnutterman has said, and being pedantic, these machines do NOT have a thermostat (stat) as one might commonly encounter on a car or on typical road bikes. They only have a thermoswitch, as Copemech has said. The thermoswitch controls whether the fan works or not, as you have correctly identified. The thermoswitch does not interrupt the coolant flow, so a faulty one will only affect whether the fan works or not (and hence whether the coolant gets too hot, or not hot enough if the fan is on continually). Can't add anything to what has previously been suggested as the cause of the problem, but I would start as Cope has suggested.

So no report of an appearance at the TdN. Presumably it was a no-show? Any further details on an updated release date?

Hi Neo These fit around the crank pin (ie the big end), and are fitted to, and between, the inner edges of the crank webs in order to fill the void and thereby icrease the compressio ratio within the crankcase, leading to even more compression within the cylinder and hence more power! Although they may not be shown on earlier parts manuals they are certainly fitted to my 2005 290, but I don't think they were readily removable (ie they are "permanently" fitted to the crank webs. I believe that years ago when tuning Villiers and similar two stroke motors, they used to use similar techniques for stuffing the crankcase void areas. Portman

Details of a new 125 Academy on www.shercousa.com and also of Academy Racing on www.malcolmrathmellsport.com. Not sure about the new colours though! No information of the Sherco.com web site

If I remember correctly these are bronze bushes rather than needle rollers. If they are, then try putting some grease or thick oil into the hole/bearing (into which the shaft fits). Support the other side of the case in the area of the bush then fit the shaft and hit the other end with a soft but heavy mallet. By hydraulic effect you should find the bush is driven out, but be careful of oil/grease being squirted out into your face. Be careful you keep enough grease/oil in the bush so that the shoulder of the shaft does not contact the shoulder of the bush you're trying to remove.

Is the SSDT part of this year's World rounds then?

It

Many thanks for your time folks and keep those suggestions coming please guys. Baldilocks - I cannot understand about the bike coming with sealed main bearings. There are main bearing seals outboard of the bearings, as separate parts in order to keep the crakcase charge where it should be, but if the bearings are sealed with either metal or rubber seals, how can the oil from the premix ever reach the balls? I am sure the grease packed within a sealed bearing wouldn't adequately lubricate the bearing over time at engine speeds and heat. The Sherco parts lists only indicate a "normal" (see later) bearing, so I'd be interested if anyone else has come across sealed ones before. JMcK - as a matter of interest did you have to replace them due to wear or rust? You say that running with the "choke" on before shutting off will lead to more problems. I realise this could lead to plug fouling, but did you have anything else in mind? You also mention that it's necessary to make sure the bike is fully up to temperature before shutting off or condensation may form. This may be the clue. I sometime run it until it's warm, but not always so hot that, say, the fun cuts in. Wayne - The first set of bearings I obtained from a well established Sherco dealer and parts supplier (I won't name names) who supplied a reputable make of bearing - nothing cheap and nasty. The second set I obtained from a reputable bearing supplier - this time I specified SKF type, C3 clearance. The original ones which came out of the bike were SKF and had a TN9 suffix. Looking on the SKF web site this means an injection moulded cage of glass fibre reinforced polyamide. Most bearings have a metal bearing cage, and both replacement sets I fitted had metal cages. Clearly replacing with the TN9 type will be as per manufacturers spec, but I cannot see why the cage material should make any difference to rust resistance, and after all the original TN9 type were rusty when they came out. I wonder if Sherco specify the plastic cage as I expect this will cause less damage to the motor should it break up. Incidentally I think the C3C3 is an English typo (see the French and Spanish descriptions in the parts books) and should be just a single C3 (the internal clearance in the bearing). Portman

Thanks for the information so far guys, and just some comments. I've checked and there's no loss of coolant. (PeterB - on the Sherco the mains are lubricated by the petroil and on the clutch side are isolated from the clutch/primary drive/gearbox oil). I'm satisfied that the problem is not washing or other water getting in. I rarely wash the bike as I generally do not ride in muddy/dirty/wet conditions. Also I have frequently detected the "rusty bearing noise" when the bike has not been cleaned since last use. As I mentioned in my original post I have been starting the bike about every two weeks with the idea of keeping fresh oil going through the motor. Obviously I do not wash it under such circumstances and yet I still get the "rusty bearing noise". Feetupfun -you may have identified one way to help, namely to run the bike with the "choke" on for a while before stopping the motor. You also mention running on a mineral oil premix before storage. Are you aware whether mineral oils are better than semi-synthetic at preventing corrosion? I did wonder about fitting stainless mains next time around but (i) I cannot source them in C3 clearance and (ii) I believe stainless bearings' load ratings are less than chrome steel.

Has anyone got any experience on how to prevent main bearings going rusty? I purchased a used Sherco 290 (2005 model) a while ago and I recognised from the piston slap that it needed a new piston and relined barrel. When I stripped the bike I saw that the main bearings were very rusty, but thought nothing of it as I did not know how well the previous owner had looked after the bike. I fitted all the necessary new parts, including good quality mains and once the bike was back together I started the engine about every fortnight to ensure fresh oil was taken into the motor. After 3 or 4 months I detected the mains were rumbling, getting progressively worse. In fact on some occasions before starting the bike it was obvious from the noise coming from it as it turned over that the mains were once again a couple of rusty ball bearings. Once more I stripped and replaced the mains, using top quality SKF parts and this time I ran it on freshly bought premix oil of a different make, again starting it about once a fortnight. Now, again after a few months the mains are emitting the tell tale noise of rusty ball bearings! It is not losing coolant and I do not believe water is getting in from washing as it doesn

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder - but I think they look N E A T. But then I never have been a fan of black frames.

Have a search on the Sherco forum for "2003 290 Swinging Arm Removal" from Aug last year (sorry, not sure how to post a link). Someone with similar problem to yours - and how it was solved. Portman

Hava a look at http://www.shercousa.com/pdfs/sherco_setup...ation_guide.pdf which gives some info on wheel truing.

So give us the lowdown - how did you do it?? Stuck spindle illustrates the importance of greasing everything, especiallly when the bike is new (and still free)!

I see from their web site (www.paioli.com) that Paioli took over Ceriani in 1997 after the latter had gone bankrupt in 1980! I guess this is an opportunity for them to re-introduce the name. They seem to have either plastic covers or a black coating/paint on the sliders.

I haven't used them myself, but you could try http://www.uk-motoplat.com/home.html. I believe it is run by an Ex-pat Brit in Spain.

I have always had good service from BVM for all my parts. Knowledgeable, helpful and friendly staff and their postal service is invariably very speedy. And I don't have any links with them! BVM Moto

I don't think the Sherco parts manuals and parts numbers are foolproof. They list the same number (M245) for early and recent 290 pistons, but I understand the '06 and '07 models do not have a cut out in inlet the skirt, whereas the earlier ones do. Now the fitting of a later piston in an earlier engine may well result in interesting porting (and lack of power) changes!

What Sikaflex product do you use guys? I've just done a quick seach on the internet and they seem to produce several different sealants, with different identification numbers.

Rathmells and Ryan Young both recommend what Sherco themselves recommend - straight 75W gear oil. I have noticed that several oil companies make 75W/90 oil, but I have no experience whether a multigrade like this would be a problem or not.

Whatever piston you obtain, check that the skirt is the same as your old piston and has a cutaway on the inlet side. I understand the 2006 motors do not have such a cutaway, but the Sherco part number is the same as the earlier piston(doh!). I had recently obtained an A piston, but luckily I noticed the lack of cutaway before fitting. It might be worth requesting the dealer check before despatch.

For a 2005, 290 Rathmells recommend a 126 main and a 32 pilot. Also a D36 needle with the clip 3rd groove from the top. The slide should be a no 60. Should it make any difference that's running on a 60:1 ratio which they also recommended