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That gearbox sprocket is worn out and needs replacing, that probably means the chain is knackered (technical term that) as well. I’m wondering what the rear sprocket teeth are like too!

Malcolm Rathmell Spares, Dirtbike Express plus many other suppliers are out there to help you. You might find that the non standard drain bolt is actually better than the original, with the correct sealing washer it should perform ok. Before anyone berates me, I haven’t seen the offending non standard bolt but I have a good crystal ball.???‍♂️??

Anyone try Frank Thomas boots? ....thought not. I spent a while using Hein Gericke Enduro boots, these were CE certified nice and supportive if you couldn’t be a***d to stand up yourself. Trouble is a comfy boot that actually allows you to walk normally tends not to be that good at other things like absorbing ruddy great blows from passing rocks. Strange how most riders ignore protecting that part of the leg just above the boot top and up to the knee, that bit to me is just as important. Looking at the latest crop of sections I expect the next item of safety gear will be a lightweight parachute to be deployed when jumping off an errant bike that’s decided it’s not a mountain goat on a suicide mission!

No probs??

Cheers for that?, not sure if the oil company would be too happy about a ‘broken’ engine displaying their name?That guy in the video he’s damned quick with the hammer.

Going off topic was meant to be aimed at myself, not at your good self or anyone else...sorry if you eluded to that thought! Gaernes lost a lot of potential customers in the past, not because their boots were unknown but because people...I mean my customers... couldn’t pronounce the blooming name, some were quite educated too!

I did when they first came over to England, that’s why I wore then Alpine Stars they were much better.

Too much oil reduces the octane rating of the petrol, whereas running on a tiny amount of oil is not necessarily a bad thing as the octane rating of the petrol has only been reduced by a very small margin. This allows the engine to run more cleanly and also reduces oiling up inside the exhaust system. So a reduction in octane rating reduces engine power output right across the rev range. That’s what I think and know from experience. Even a four stroke with knackered valve stem oil seals will allow oil to be drawn into the combustion process, reducing octane rating in the petrol and potentially causing detonation (‘pinking’ to the layman) which is detrimental if allowed to go unchecked eg holed piston.

Ah you must mean the ‘modernisters’. Dictionary meaning, those that bounce about...a lot!

That would stop the engine. For the engine to run with the HT lead pulled off the plug and the throttle closed the engine would not be able to run. No spark and idle fuel only. With the timing key sheared the ignition pick up might get wiped out but without the flywheel rotating there would be no spark. To let the engine runaway there would need to be an internal component glowing to ignite any fuel and a massive air leak between the carb and inlet port. If there was sufficient fuel in the crankcase then the engine would have consumed this very quickly and died. Endoscope through the plug hole to inspect cylinder bore, potentially check compression thumb over hole or with a gauge. Kill switch needs to be investigated. Excess carbon build up could provide glowing particles to act as ignition source. New bike not yet fully run in (bedded in) could be anything.

You’ve just obtained the bike, get to know it first before you start changing things. If it has not been messed about with by the previous owners and it runs cleanly without hesitation or stuttering then the jettings going to be ok. Ensure the air filter is clean etc and all oils are good and at correct levels, chain and sprockets are serviceable and suspensions all ok, head bearings not sloppy and brakes work....then ride and get used to your new to you bike?

More photos please looks like a very nice Fanny ‘B’. Is that a Parkinson barrel? I used to own a Francis Barnett Trials iron many years ago, sorry can’t help with ACT and what it stands for. Google Old Bike Mart and have a look for the FB owners club, if I can find it I’ll let you know.

I suspect ‘skull duggery’ ...by the way he was a damned good rider...until he had the op and became ?‍♀️...Take note that the quickest way to ensure your works bikes and riders are on top is to provide duff info to anyone who’ll take notice. If thai-ty is reading this I am about to use a paragraph. Mineral oil will readily wash out of bearings and as you have already weakened the oil by dilution with petrol and other must have ingredients the boundary lubrication is marginal hence two strokes tend to wear more the harder you work them so to speak...stand by for deluge of counter claims... Fully and Semi-synthetic oils are more clinging and less likely to be washed out of the main bearings. Unfortunately these synthetic oils do not take kindly to being burned and give off nasty chemical fumes that can have equally nasty side affects on us humans who breathe in the stuff. Air passengers have been poisoned by synthetic oil escaping from a damaged seal in the jet engine and somehow these fumes get into he cabin area and people develop flu like symptoms, sore throats etc. I had the dubious honour of working on some viscous couplings used in four wheel drive systems, the synthetic lubricant could only be fully washed off the plates and out of the housings by using thinners, get the synthetic oil on your hands and it was there for hours or days in one techs experience of the stuff. If you want to use mineral oil but modern two stroke manufacturing processes and materials allow the engines to run on marginal piston ring lubrication and it is this area that is the important one, the big end and little end along with the main bearings will happily run with next to nothing for a short time with no harm. Where as the harsh life the rings go through without the option of rotating around the piston ring land like in a four stroke, wear is and seizure can be a problem. I suspect that if the engine is going to be stripped down partially or fully after each works ride then the ‘factory’ are going to be fully prepared to slip in new components each time. When I was racing cars, I know it’s off topic but it is relevant, you would use your own oil of choice. Even when you see sponsored riders, drivers extolling the benefits in using the latest range of S*@& oils it’s more than likely some poor sod has the job of emptying out oil from the sonsors bottles, drums etc and refilling with what the team want to use. Motul have worked hard to produce their product range as have many oil companies, most now are comparable to each other. Given the choice I would opt for fully synthetic every time. Remembering that older Villiers etc style engines ran at much ‘overall’ lower engine speeds and mineral oil would have been adequate.

You’re a real trend setter oni nou????‍♂️?‍?, you know I contacted Trinny and Susanne the style icons (shame one of them can’t dance to the judges high standards) Anyway I digress, Trinny suggested that gold diamanté strapped sandals offer just a smidge more dazzle especially if worn with football socks and bright yellow supportive garters. Susanne said that two pairs of socks would double the protection around the calf...dunno where she was coming from as I hadn’t said anything about animals being involved...just typical for someone to go off topic eh!

I tend to keep to keep my compressed air in a compressor?. Seriously though a can of compressed air is an ideal way to dry out water from the electrics, shift excess dust from an air filter or blow away crap from a joint area before removal and clear a tyre valve of grit etc before adjusting pressures. Good suggestion goudrons ??

What size of engine does a Paragraph have?? Sorry about not including paragraphs in my very long post thai-ty. Just thought that I’d try the modern approach to communication??‍♂️ as in texting???‍♂️??‍♂️. However; when I tried to not use punctuation as you discovered, it does hurt your eyes ??and that’s followed by a banging headache?. I suppose my post was a bit like a modern trial, very few gaps interspersed with very long sections and not many stops. Thanks for taking the time to read my long post ??

Villiers clutches all tended to suffer from the clutch basket fingers becoming ridged, a simple matter of cleaning off with a file....except that increased slightly the amount of movement from clutch plate tang to contacting the basket finger so the wear came back after time. Before you go spending money on a clutch from another machine manufacturer have a closer look at the Villiers clutch. Either clean all the working surfaces of wear and witness marks, do a back to back clutch spring test ( two springs in a vice with a large washer between the two, wind in the vice so that both springs are compressed by approx half and measure each, the spring that is compressed the most is weak, do this for all the springs and decide if you want to invest a few pounds in new items. The clutch forks should be nice and healthy protruding evenly either side of holder plate, if not the clutch will be harder than normal in action. Check all flat surfaces for distortion and ensure the clutch cable is relatively friction free and running a not too torturous route from bar lever to operating lever at the transmission. Experiment with bar lever position for both your hands reach and feel when stood up on the pegs and when seated, a compromise setting may have to be arrived at. Consider potentially longer or lengthening the clutch lever(s). Just by fitting a different clutch will not necessarily overcome your physical weakness in a particular area, in fact it might make matters worse. Would you be allowed to run with a Japanese clutch? Have you looked at the clutch lightener that goes between the cable and clutch lever, offered by some specialists. Maybe telephone Villiers Services for a more direct answer or solution??

They never troubled Dave Bickers or Brian Stonebridge and umpteen thousand other users including Don Smith.

Sounds like a plan?

Wind in the rebound damping adjuster carefully, don’t wind it in too hard you may damage the seat. Bounce the rear and check if you still hear clonking or no rebound, if there is a rebound damping effect wind out until you just get clonkin. The previous owner might not have had any idea about set up....on the other hand they may have had a regime of backing everything off after easy trial. It’s probably as oni nou suggests that the hydraulic damping fluid has lost volume through leakage...evidenced by oil misting around the damper body. At 2014 the rear shock could probably do with either a rebuild or replacing for a newer type?

Academic really, whatever the new model has there will always be a preferred choice from the individual. As you imply your terrain is different to someone else’s. But then if you travel to compete I’d be taking some alternative ratio sprockets etc just to be sure. ?

Good informative video, it’s all there to be absorbed??‍♂️??

If it’s better in first than it is in second it could be the rear wheel sprocket needs to be bigger or maybe a tooth off the gearbox sprocket might help. Get the carburation set up to eliminate any rough running, small engines...it’s only a 200 so shouldn’t have much effect upon slow riding!

B’dang..ding, ding, ding...B’dang..ding, ding, ding...well that sounds ok I’ll leave it until it goes pop!!! 2013 unknown hours of operation on a two stroke plus the additional 400 hours added by the current owner...that would be a good time to lift the barrel and have a look see what wear is taking place. It’s better than internet crystal ball gazing??At least you would finally know what the actual mechanical condition wear wise of the top end is in. If you equate hours to miles at say (for a Trials bike) using your known 400 hours multiplied by a nominal 15 miles per hour you arrive at 6,000 miles. So if the previous owner warmed the engine up before use and did all the planned maintenance when needed let’s guesstimate at least the same amount of time/hours so that’s another 6,000 miles totalling 12,000 miles. Yes I know that the bike did not cover 15 miles constantly, this would have been stop, start running interspersed with high revs and medium revs to very low revs running, but you need a reference data point. As it’s a 2013 model it’s at least 5 years old and if I owned said bike it would be having new crankshaft oil seals, and dependant upon what was found wear wise at least new rings. The barrel would be decoked together with the exhaust system. Due to the vagueness of actual hours of engine usage, remember my data reference has no idling and blipping the throttle time added, to an extent I too am crystal ball guessing so nothing is an exact science here, but I would be planning to strip the top end??

It never hurts to strip an engine down to its component parts and thoroughly inspect everything, especially an older machine. The crankshaft big-end and connecting rod could be scrutinised for signs of wear, or other damage. The crankshaft main bearings and seals for what they cost would be my first items for replacement. All of the gaskets are available from good suppliers, as are quite a few component parts. I’d do a search on wearing items and try to pin down any known weaknesses so that these can be dealt with effectively. Even though with crankcase well oiled it is not really going to tell you if the seals have gone hard or perished etc. which would give rise to engine running issues. A Clymer or Haynes manual would certainly be a help. Take photographs as you take the engine apart, if you choose this route, it will be good for reassembly and also for any future buyer. You never know you might even find that elusive? roller bearing!??