Stay away from rocks and mud and rough ground..only ride in the dry and lavish loads of wax on the shiney bits and loads of polishing and fine adjusting to adjustable bits. Avoid running the engine at all costs as this may well show up faults that will mean you may need to take half the bike apart to get at one single adjuster screw to correct, that could mean scratched nuts?and bolts?and possibly a few panels marked to??. When you are not thinking about actually riding or even starting the bike use plenty of protective wrapping around....everything and turn up the thermostat on the heating to drive away any chance of moisture discolouring any untaxed parts. Use Ukenuba honey to keep the tyres and other rubber parts in tip top as new and unused condition. Whatever you do for goodness sake don’t put just plain petrol in the fuel tank as heaven knows-what that will do to all the tiny weeny holes the stuff is expected to flow through, they keep putting additives in to compensate for euro 98+ regs fig juice would have a better octane rating?. There I’ve said it...how to keep your bike looking nice!??
Yes, you may well be right. When the Cheetah (can’t remember the way it was spelt-your’s looks right) was announced in MCN around 1966/7ish it looked the business with a black tank and MP (Metal Profile) forks. John Lee (Higham Ferrers Northamptonshire) might be able to identify your bike, he’s a font of all knowledge and was involved in developing a few frame kit bikes of different make. The other route is to ask Old Bike Mart (Morton’s Archives) who may well have more info.?
Just stumbled on this post but here goes, Cheeter (?) or Cheeta frame (Mick Whitlock I think)unsure about tank seat unit. All Cheetas had Villiers engines and the frames were eithe chromed or nickel plated, they really looke the part and I’m sure that the swing arm was concentric adjustment. Or maybe you have a Scrambles/MX bike that’s been converted to trials hence the long ride seat and tank unit! Have you thought about tracking the Starmaker engine number, Villiers Services may be able to help here; these were I am sure intended for road racing and scrambling, don’t think they were very highly thought of for trials work, don’t quote me here! Let us know what you found out?
This may or not be helpful to you but I’m fairly sure that Honda changed the make of fork to Showa 1976 ish? But as stated previously slacken the top yoke pinch bolt, apply a little WD40 or similar product. Make sure the bikes weight is supported and the front wheel has a block or something under it. Now work the spring top hat (10mm headed) anti clockwise and then clockwise while pushing down, this may expose that circlip mentioned, although from your picture it looks a bit tight, I think you will just need to keep turning that cap a/c there is normally about 20-30mm of threaded area to release. Prepare for the top to ‘let go’ upwards! Hope you succeed, let us know?
What ever you buy, there’s a thing called the throttle?and having last ridden a CBR600 you’ll know all about how to use it! So a 290 obviously will have a bit more umph than a slightly smaller 200/250; but these can be just as daunting?in some scenarios. The bigger engine will to some extent be more forgiving and maybe lugg you through any sections that catch you out; and that could be just walking the section let alone ride it. There that’s my take, with a nice reliable ‘new toy’ between your legs you can get on with gaining experience and enjoying Trials??
I swapped from 4RT (after 11 years) to Vertigo last year. Very happy with my decision. I agree the current colour scheme is a bit LOUD . But when its covered in sheet it looks just fine. No need for parts yet but accessories arrived overnight. eFi will be standard on all trials bikes soon, its just better. Ring Nick at Vertigo and go to a test day they're always running them.
Think you’ll find that a carb allows for finer slow speed running, electronic fuel injection just makes emission test passing easier for the beaurocrats. EFI stops people mucking about with the system. So that’ll be a larger fuel injector, uprated fuel pressure regulator, remapped ecu, quick action throttle potentiometer, and no end of anodised coloured pipes and filter housings to play with?
You have ‘fouled plugs’ stating the obvious really, but once the plug has become contaminated it will need to be replaced. There will be people telling you to clean them, dip them in bacon fat and hold them up to the moon, but once coated in the dreaded by product of incorrect combustion there dead! You say the carb has been stripped, cleaned and set up, but has it been set correctly to the manufacturers spec. and is the plug grade correct. Are you sure that’s the correct fuel oil mix. To all intents and purposes the engine is running too rich, hence the fouled plugs. The carb float level may be set too high, the needle valve may be leaking allowing the carb to flood, the main jet may be the wrong size and the needle may be worn, again causing rich mixture. The fact that a cleaned up plug will spark faintly when earthed against the frame indicates that the centre electrode insulator is fouled. A new plug should produce a nice big fat blue spark, have you tried doing this?
I don't think four miles each way will do any harm, after all you're not trying to keep up with an SSDT time schedule. In fact it will do the bike good to get a bit of a clear out.
I rode my 325 Sherpa T from St.Neots in Cambridgeshire to Offley near Luton, Bedfordshire where I worked and then back. This involved the A1 and other main roads. It didn’t like going over 45mph the 250 is supposed to be a bit more speedy, but never had opportunity to find out. Without lights it was a daytime only ride. Bike never missed a beat and with Kit Campeone slimline tank I think it was quite good on fuel, considering. When you arrive home it’s best to make sure no iffy pond life has followed you??
Have you tried rocking the bike back and forth while pulling and pushing the gear lever? This sometimes works. Was there any issue with gear selection before this? Any unusual noises from the gearbox with engine running?
Mk1 and Mk2 AMAL concentric are notorious for wearing the slide needle and needle jet, causing the motor to run rich. The standard jetting works fine when nothing is worn. Yes there are lots of alternate carbies that will fit and work well and not suffer rapid wear. Keihin, Mikuni, Dellorto and OKO are all popular and are reliable and long-lasting. I don't want to recommend a particular brand, just that you should buy one that has been pre-jetted for your bike by someone who knows what they are doing.
You could try just replacing the needle and jet. This will cost less and may sort out the bike. If you want to keep the bike original, the Amal is still available as a complete carb jetted to your bike, google will show you where. Shame the Jap carbs are so good.
Your engine may be drawing air from the crankshaft bearing seals, this weakens the mixture and of course crankcase compression will be escaping to. Thicker base gasket will raise barrel a tad thus lowering compression a little and port timing will be altered very slightly. Playing about with the base gaskets will give you a softer or peppier engine. You may need to remove excess carbon from cylinder head, assuming it is pinking you are hearing and not something else. Pinking is another term used to describe detonation in the combustion process, an example would be the fuel and air mix being ignited but the remaining fuel and air explode creating extreme pressure on the top of the piston...obviously not good. Some tuners set an engine up so that it is just on the verge of ‘pinking’ and then adjust ignition accordingly.....this is sometimes when an engine might let go (bang) and it’s when the tuners sphincter muscles tense up? If you can, have a look at the crank seals, sometimes tell tale oil is visible indicating that they are worn. Hope you sort the issue ok? Bike looks to be well cared for?
And not foolproof. A pal runs a car workshop and, often enough, the software says to replace component X to cure a problem, but that does not work so then it's component Y. It ends up as a chase through various components before, possibly, resolving the issue.
Oh how so very true! You need an operator that has the experience and knows what each component is supposed to do. Diagnosing electronics for HV and car etc is not just about plugging into the OBD socket, although a helpful tool it’s not just looking at a readout or fault code. A doctor uses a stethoscope but it’s their knowledge and experience that decides the problem. ?????????
If you just want to have new spokes and nipples then it is relatively easy if you change one at a time. Ensure the rim is good to go before starting work and take a photo of the wheel installed to get an idea of any rim offset, measure this to. Give every spoke a quick rub with a wire brush on the nipple threads and then soak with penetrating fluid. ONLY remove one spoke at a time. Some spokes may be really awkward to remove or fit due to flange height etc. Try to remove at least a couple from each side complete so that you have true spoke dimensions for replacements and could be spares. The rest if really seized can be cut but only one at a time! Tune test each spoke when tightening to the same tension as the best of the old spokes by gently tapping the spoke on the centre, I’m assuming the wheel hasn’t collapsed or is badly damaged. After a while (and many cups of tea) you should have a half presentable wheel. Check that the offset is still the same refer to photo and measurement. Fit the wheel back into the frame and tighten the wheel spindle just above hand tight, spin the wheel, don’t bother with any brake parts at this stage. Eye ball the rim for ant buckling and check for concentricity. Now grind off any spoke thread protruding through the nipple, a Dremmel is ideal for this. I smear a little silicon sealant over the finished nipple to help stop water getting in. This is the hard bit, adjusting the spokes to eliminate buckling and the other thing which will need some sort of pointer/register to compare. The other hard part is whizzing down the road on your new spoked wheel!??? If anyone feels that I have left something out then please add. But you can’t beat a professional wheel builder for the best results.
Ask them to send some sales leaflets, brochures free. It’s only the profit that makes things you buy expensive! Some people/company’s do operate on slim margins (profits) but tread carefully. Pre- paid credit card is a very sensible method to check Stupidgreg.com ?
Just sold my brand new Sidis as I couldn't get my foot in them ! Bought the same size as my old Forma ones but they came up much smaller.
Yep had exactly the same problem with my Sidi road boots. Italians must have skinny and much slimmer feet, something to do with pasta socks maybe. Anyhow got the next size up (I’m a uk10) so now 11 and they were sooo comfy, but gave reassuring snug fit in the right places.?
Maybe when the foot rests with their aggressive teeth have reeked their vengance on your good repair how about this suggestion. Shave off the grips where the footrests dig in and make that area as smooth as allows. As you don’t need grip for walking where the footrest area is select a harder compound shoe repair sole and cut a similar sized piece and glue that in place. This should give the footrest teeth something to grip on, prevent the teeth from making it uncomfortable for your feet and possibly lasting longer. Alternatively industrial rubber alternatives etc could be used. A good shoe repairer might even be able to stitch and stick a hard wearing section in place.....bet it won’t be long before someone soon finds another use for Shoe Goo!?
I applaud Yamaha for entering the E Trials market. However, I think they may (and should) re-think the single speed tranny. It won't compete with the GG 6 speed tranny E Trials bike. GG is making a concerted effort to make an E Trials bike which is a closer experience to a combustion engine bike with a tranny. E Motion bikes will go by the wayside (IMO) if they don't get on the "tranny train".
We are all creatures of habit. Can't go too extreme before big change is accepted.
And a tranny totally makes sense in Trials. Again, IMO.
Electric motors develop their maximum torque or pulling power from 0 revs and from then on its go go all the way to the maximum designed rev limit. Yamaha have chosen to employ a mechanical style clutch to provide the rider with some feel. Agree a gearbox is an ideal if you want top speed, but at this stage of development (and electric motors are not new - even contact less and virtually moving parts free) when trials just need ummph from low down and whoosh for those impossible bits, a gearbox is a bit superfluous....electric motor wise! Highish gear for road work between sections useful. Gearbox just adds more weight. Give it time when everyone’s had a good go on a few different types of electric powered permutations and petrol power will most likely be consigned to the back burner. When you think what some riders can do with a lightweight petrol powered bike, the possiblities might be incredible.......Diesel anyone?
This guy has a shedload of videos about building and modifying old trials bikes, mainly British, but does some serious frame mods. Worth a watch
Ah I see you are located on the IOW. In May a group of us came over from Port Solent in a couple of Azimuts, ended up dancing on the tables at the Folly??, brilliant time but bit dodgy? using the river taxi at midnight to get back to our moorings.
WINNER!!!??? That’s brilliant I want one, no coolant issues, little by way of oil to use, no exhaust to keep changing for the next shiny offering must have item.....hundreds out of work as exhaust system consumption declines rapidly. Down side....no where to dry gloves or warm hands up. Small point...wonder how long a charge lasts for and if there will be charging generators at events placed strategically around any longish course. Still this is the way forward, those old four and two stroke bikes are going to go up even more now in the grand scheme of things. Hey with more leccy bikes about you could have a trial going on just a few doors down and not be aware....just need to work on the whining noise from the engine...not the rider worrying about running out of power.....Duracel oh Duracel. One of my relations works for Mugen Honda, specifically with the E bike and what’s now being developed by most manufacturers will compare with this current (sorry) offering from Yamaha. I’m biased and personally think the Yamaha is excellent!??
Electric bike, fit FS1E pedal set and drive adaption, no reg, no tax, just like a big elec bicycle as advertised. What news on Osset I thought they were the ones that would be more noticeably out there!?
Hi all recently aquired a 99 Beta Techno 250 (warning newby post), just getting all the info together on replacing fluids and the owners manual said 20w/30 in the gear box, Ive been told 75wt 500ml so cut to the chase what do I use, brands recommend weights etc, Im in Australia so it might be called something different here like Koala oil or snake lube but oils is oils. Any info would be great. Thanks JK.
I’m liking the crash ears-helmet?? Gearbox oil= 75wt and 450cc check level carefully and perhaps change the oil more frequently than suggested in the manual. As for make Wallangoola Nectar Lube...no seriously any good quality make, everyone has their favourite flavour. You may find some people will say use 500cc but that would be if the box was completely dry or after rebuild etc.?
This has been a great topic IMO,plan to drop my pegs down as I find with my long legs I feel I'am riding my bike like a jockey when sitting down ,honestly don't like the position on my Monty 349 for gearshift and brake....not sure about changing steering head angle as I don't know for sure it has been done already,lots of Bombay welding been done there not sure its a repair or a modification ,regardless of this I have cracks in that area that need attention.
Just out of interest is the angle changed fwd of rear ?,presume fwd...I don't know reason for asking.
tonyp the quote you received was really on the heavy side,as an engineer I don't see that kind of money involved,shop around perhaps.
Bombay welding??? The cracks appearing are possibly down to the bamboo welding sticks.
,honestly don't like the position on my Monty 349 for gearshift and brake....not sure about changing steering head angle as I don't know for sure it has been done already,lots of Bombay welding been done there not sure its a repair or a modification ,regardless of this I have cracks in that area that need attention.
keeping a bike looking nice
in General Trials Talk
Posted
Stay away from rocks and mud and rough ground..only ride in the dry and lavish loads of wax on the shiney bits and loads of polishing and fine adjusting to adjustable bits. Avoid running the engine at all costs as this may well show up faults that will mean you may need to take half the bike apart to get at one single adjuster screw to correct, that could mean scratched nuts?and bolts?and possibly a few panels marked to??. When you are not thinking about actually riding or even starting the bike use plenty of protective wrapping around....everything and turn up the thermostat on the heating to drive away any chance of moisture discolouring any untaxed parts. Use Ukenuba honey to keep the tyres and other rubber parts in tip top as new and unused condition. Whatever you do for goodness sake don’t put just plain petrol in the fuel tank as heaven knows-what that will do to all the tiny weeny holes the stuff is expected to flow through, they keep putting additives in to compensate for euro 98+ regs fig juice would have a better octane rating?. There I’ve said it...how to keep your bike looking nice!??