bikerpet

I'm looking at a used 2021 RR 300 and just wondering if there are any serial issues with this model? I see that there were a few changes to the 2022 model: New steering angle New sump guard rubber Improved airbox New regulator connector New exhaust support New shock ball joint Updated crankcases Revised flywheel And again for the 2023 model: New swingarm New sump guard Improved airbox (again) Improved chain tensioner New CDI mapping I don't know if any of these are particularly significant, but the crankcase sounds like it could be, it seems like the cast crankcase was new for '21 and a revision in '22 sounds like there might have been problems. Thanks

I've been riding Beta for a few years now, 2017 300 for 3-400 hours and now a 2020 for another 360 hours. Prior to that I had a 2015 (I think it was) Sherco 290 (disliked that one) and before that a 2007 GasGas 250 (which I still have but haven't ridden for ages). I'm thinking about stepping onto a TRS RR 300 but it would be a step into the unknown as I have never ridden one and don't know anyone within 300km with one I could borrow. I'm OK with that - there's no "bad" bikes out there these days so I'm comfortable buying one un-ridden - it'll be trials bike, all good. What I'd like to hear is some comments about how the two bikes, Beta 300 (not factory) and TRRS RR 300 feel compared to each other. The subjective "feels like it holds turns better", "feels easier to hop", "more aggressive throttle", etc. Background Rider - I ride Trial 3 in Australia (Trial 1 being the expert/pro class), not particularly well. I'm 60 & still improving my riding slowly, but recognise my improvement on harder obstacles is going to get capped by advancing age in the not too far distant future. I'd like a bike that will help take me as far as I can go. I'll never ride above T3. I don't need a 300, but I like their tractorability down low and don't have any issue with the power of the 300 Beta. I compete for fun, and challenge - I really don't care where my results are as long as I've had a good challenging but enjoyable ride and learnt something new. And haven't hurt myself! Beta - I'm pretty happy with it - it just goes without any drama. Starts easily every time, things don't break on them and because they've been around in pretty much the same form for years they are pretty well sorted. The clutch might not be the best in the pack, but I haven't had a problem with either of mine. I quite like the slightly more rearward peg position of the Beta, but no big deal. I've upgraded the rear shock to a TRP which I'm very happy with. TRRS - is a more recent design, a better clutch, better suspension. They seem to be pretty reliable and well built, which is important to me - I put around 300 hours a year on my bike & I don't want to be constantly adjusting and fixing things. I hear the engines are pretty snappy - I'm OK with that, but do wonder if it's going to be a hindrance. I also hear the suspension works very well, which is perhaps the weakest point of the Beta. Thanks

I don't think power is so much the problem for "average riders" on a 300. The problem is: 1. that near vertical torque curve off the bottom 2. the 6 or 8 kg of flywheel that just tractors on. People get into grief when the bike accelerates away and then even if they cut the throttle it just keeps going on the flywheel - whiskey throttle but compounded by the fact that even if you chop the throttle the power on the tyre remains. The only way to cut the power is with the clutch. The problem is really inadequate clutch control combined with the absolute tractor power of the 300's with their big flywheels. It's interesting that one of the typical "solutions" for people wanting to tame a 300 is to put on flywheel weights. I guess that slows down the acceleration so the bike feels "tamer", but the downside must be that if it gets away without pulling clutch then it's going to be like a bulldozer - nothing's going to stop it! If you compare a trials bike revving up to an enduro bike it's chalk and cheese - the trials bike takes several seconds to wind up and down (winding down from high revs takes ages - you usually drag clutch against brake to decelerate it quicker) because of the flywheel, while the enduros are way more on - off. That on-off characteristic means you can achieve much more effective control with throttle, that's just not an option on a 300 trials bike. I don't think most people coming into trials really recognise just how big a factor the heavy flywheel on a trials bike is. So many moves are made with no throttle at all, just flywheel inertia, therefore HP is often almost completely irrelevant in those moves, it just means it takes a little longer to spin the flywheel up to speed. Of course there are also times you need sustained engine power, no doubt. Look at the really good 125cc riders, it's incredible what they can send those things up with a fraction of the power of a 300, they just store power in the flywheel for when they need it. Flywheel energy goes up by the square of RPM, so a relatively light 125 flywheel can still store a heap of energy as they tend to rev a bit faster. My 2c

If you want to really build skills you really need to spend some time on focused practice - that goes for anything you want to learn, not just trials. Figure 8's are a key to developing good slow speed balance and control. Arms pretty much straight, bike tipped into the turn against your inside leg, outside knee out wide and weight well back and to the outside. Hours of fun getting that dialled! Another one is just dropping rocks, cones, whatever randomly on the ground and ride turning through them without running them over. All the fancy techniques rely on good basic balance and accuracy positioning the bike, so you can never go wrong working on the basics of turning and balancing. I am a huge fan of Neil Price's online coaching (neilprice.com). It's not free, but a year's subscription is probably just a few hours of face-to-face coaching. He will guide you through the basics, answer questions, give super accurate feedback on what you're doing (you post videos and he posts reply videos). You can also do internet calls with him and discuss what you're doing. You also get to discuss stuff with others in the coaching group, if nothing else that can help your motivation when things aren't progressing as well as you'd like. It's absolute gold for anyone trying to build skills without a handy local club nearby. Yes, I'm a fan. And no I've got no commercial affiliation, just a super impressed user of his platform.

Awesome looking riding area! I wish I had something like that available. I'd possibly suggest altering your goal a little. Forget the stop and go technique for a bit and just learn to ride that terrain accurately and continuously. Stopping and balancing is useful, but not as useful as actually making progress through the section. If you ever get the chance to watch some of the older ex-guns ride you'll see how they make it look OH-so-easy just rolling along, while the youngsters with the hop-and-pop do no better but look to be working far harder. Of course when it gets up into the higher grades it's pretty much impossible to get through without all the hop-and-pop, but that's a very long way from your first days, weeks, months or even years! One of the big keys to riding stuff like that is being able to put your wheels exactly where you want them, stopping and balancing makes that harder unless you're well advanced. Putting your wheels where you want includes lifting the front and popping it down precisely on the rock you're aiming for.

I've now edited the original post to reflect my understanding that it was my own incorrect installation tooling and technique that is the root cause of this failure. I hang my head in shame. I wont say that this in any way reflects on the underlying quality of the kit - it may be perfect or it may be rubbish. All I know is that my installation damaged the bearing shells, which caused the failure of the rollers.

I posted this in the General Forum, but thought I might link it in here as it is also specific to Beta. I had a complete failure of a recently installed All-Balls linkage kit in my Evo. Originally I thought it was due to poor quality bearings however I'm now left wondering if installation tools and technique wasn't at least partly to blame.

I have now joined the common population. It surprises me that otherwise reputable stores would sell such rubbish.

Updated and Edited. I've left in but struck out comments that I believe are unfair. Final conclusion - installer error. 50 hours ago (actually more like 40) I replaced my 350 hour old OEM Beta Evo linkage bearings with an All Balls kit. Suffice to say that you get what you pay for, or less. Today I pulled the linkage apart for a 50 hour service and found every roller in every bearing has lost an end guide tit. The resulting mess of debris and ground up metallic paste seized some bearings and badly wore others. What absolute rubbish! A total waste of time, effort and money. BUYER BEWARE! These things are totally unfit for purpose. Below is a photo of a typical roller and the mess of broken steel and steel-paste I recovered with a magnet out of the solvent. EDIT: I did some research looking for alternative bearings available locally and came across a Timken document (same image also in the Koyo document) which shows the design of a press tool for this type of bearing. Note the bevel on the pressing flange. This would ensure the face of the bearing is not deflected down onto the roller ends. On a caged bearing such as the OEM ones this probably isn't too important as the rollers don't extend into that part of the housing, but on a full complement bearing like the All-Balls this could be a problem. My press tool has a flat face beyond the pilot spigot. The Timken PDF also stated, "The bearing should be installed with the stamped end (the end with the identification markings) against the angled shoulder of the pressing tool.". I'm guessing this to be because the stamped end has not been thinned during the shell drawing process, so is sturdier. I didn't pay attention to which end of the bearing I was pressing against. I recovered the bearing shells from the bin and looked at them with a magnifying glass. Every bearing had signs of deformation on one end or the other, some on both (presumably from install/dismantle). It is very obvious when you look for it why you should only ever press the flat, stamped end! So I now put this failure down to my own mistakes and ignorance. Needless to say, I'll be modifying my press tool and paying attention to the stamped bearing end in future! In defence of All-Balls I'd say that I really like that they supply full-complement roller bearings, I think this is probably a better style of bearing for the high load/low rotation application in the linkage than the commonly available & OEM caged style. The bearing they use appears to be a clone of the Koyo 15BM2112 full complement drawn cup needle roller bearing. So in summary, beware that these bearings might need very particular care when installing, might be poor quality or perhaps both.

I've never used it personally, but quite a few Australian clubs use the system from https://trialsport.com.au/ From an output perspective it works well: Typically Australian events use rider-carried cards for each lap. Carry your own card, observer punches each section (often orienteering style punches with a different hole shape for each section), card is handed in at the end of each lap and next lap card is given to rider. Sometimes the score is just blacked out with a marker pen - most commonly when rider-observation is used (ie another rider observes and scores and you reciprocate). I think that is different to many places where the observer keeps a sheet for all riders for their section? I spent a bit of time looking into using an OMR (Optical Mark Recognition) to scan lap cards. There were 1 or 2 systems that could possibly do it but most are structured for marking exams, which is somewhat different to just pulling in data. The biggest stumbling block was going to be dealing with cards with dirt & mud splattered over them - relatively easy for a human, but far harder for software! Where I am we punch out the numbers, so potentially using a backlit scanner could overcome that issue but then there's the case when the punch hasn't taken out the entire hole and so closes back over when scanned. In the end I decided it was looking all too flaky. The transponder type systems would be terrific when there's mobile signal, but certainly for us there are many events in locations with limited or no coverage. I think waiting until the end of the event for any results to come in would not be well received. I did wonder about a hybrid system where Observers use an app and transponders (Generic NFC cards are cheap as chips) to score and an official, or even riders, travel around the loop with a reader app. The reader polls all the observer devices for their data and collects it, then it's all periodically updated in the central scoring system for semi-live progress results. No need for mobile signal, just use bluetooth between the two devices as they come in range.

But then here in Australia our local police have told kids who were going round and round their garden and p****** off the neighbours to just "disappear out into the bush where you're not annoying anyone". Illegal on multiple counts, but sensible given the alternatives. All comes down to the copper doing the catching in the end.

I'm not sure if the OP got what they wanted from this thread? I'm not sure I see very clear answers to the original question. My general guide is this: Top of the reservoir cap pretty close to horizontal, maybe just very slightly sloping down. Generally I have the lever set in as far as it goes toward the handlebar bend. The pros have it much further out so the action is fast, but for mortals like me subtle control is far more useful than speed. Also the pros ride A LOT so their clutch fingers are probably much stronger. There's a little bit of a trade-off when you come to fine adjust the reach and bite point; sometimes right in toward the bend results in the reach too far out or the bite too far in. Compromise as best you can. Lever stop so the lever sits comfortably in the last joint of whichever finger you prefer. Further out will fatigue you or encourage you to take your finger off. Further in uses up precious travel. Right around the bite point I try to have the middle section of my finger roughly perpendicular to the first section (first being closest to my wrist). The rationale is that this is around where you get the best strength/control balance. Usually the clutch only just comes completely free (ie I can roll the bike backwards while balanced on the pegs) when I've got the lever hard on my closed knuckles. A tiny weeny bit of drag when I'm not hard on the knuckles doesn't bother me at all. I don't like silicone lever grippers on gloves because that part of the finger has to slide smoothly over the lever as it moves in & out. Some aren't so grippy as to be a problem, some I just peel off. As for which finger - no opinion. I use the index. Can't imagine trying to change to the middle. But either obviously work for different people. I'd always default to suggesting the index, but if it feels weird then by all means change.

As Lineaway also said, the roll-up in it's various forms covers 90%+ of what most people ride. Certainly this is what Neil reinforces in the online coaching. There's a recent short Pat Smage video, "Just Hit it With the Front Wheel, It'll Go" - if that's somewhere close to the limits of the zap then I can't see myself ever being limited! That's a bigger obstacle than I'm likely to tackle any time soon. I've seen what I think you're referring to as Ryan's "bucking bronco" technique. I'd have to say it seems a bit left field to me, I don't see too many people actually using it at any level of competition. I've assumed it was a bit of an exercise to develop some skill or other rather than a technique to be honed and used - apparently not.

I don't quite follow that. If the roll-up covers 90%, and the RSG roll-up covers 98% of obstacles, why would you learn a double blip as the basic move to get over something? Why not just learn roll-ups and then get good at them? A roll-up also includes touching the front wheel on the way up or clearing the front wheel, so you can always start to learn wheel placement accuracy and timing via the roll-up, preferably with RSG so the lift is done with clutch more than throttle. Personally my experience is that my zaps improved out of sight once I got the double blip out of the picture and concentrated on getting RSG throttle/clutch/timing sorted out better. I think dbl blip actually confused the issue by encouraging the front wheel to land too high for a good zap and relying too much on throttle, not developing clutch/throttle timing enough.

Yes, I tend to agree a little about the weekly videos, a fair bit of friendly conversation in there. I think (guessing) they are primarily aimed at people who use Neil's face-to-face or online coaching, certainly they come across best when you've watched a series of them and you start to see the common threads. RSG is just a gem I reckon - it's amazing how hard it is to be absolutely accurate with it, but as it gets better so much else comes along with it. As you say, filming yourself and editing it down for delivery is of itself really valuable I've found. Sometimes I end up not even posting it for Neil to comment on because by the time I've watched it a few times and scrolled back and forth I can see what I need to do anyway! But when I do post something then inevitably the response is clear, simple and usually comes back to building basic skills. The other big advantage of the online thing you've also alluded to - it's delivered consistently over an extended time, and you can always go back and look at previous comments and guidance. Being able to do that helps avoid the issue of latching onto just one thing and forgetting the rest.

I don't think you've really seen his coaching if you say he skips a lot of the finer parts. I don't have much experience with face-to-face coaching because there just isn't any available anywhere near me, but comparing to the little I have had and the many hours of online stuff I've looked at he goes into far more detail without adding unnecessary clutter. The idea of "going into a higher gear and attacking hard and true" is absolutely the opposite of what Neil tries to develop. Yes, sometimes you need some speed and power, no question, but it's always better to use the minimum that gets the job done effectively. Why do you say skipping the double blip is bad? A reasonably modern bike can just ride (by driving the back wheel into it, with good technique) over anything you'd use a double blip over, with less complication and probably carrying less speed if you've already learned how to use a few revs and the clutch. Effectively a double blip in the end is just driving the rear wheel into the obstacle, there's no real lift generated. So why add in the first blip? Of course some of this comes back to that old nut, the definition of a double blip - does it use the clutch or not, or doesn't it matter? I seem to recall you saying something along the lines of the double blip being a hold over from the days of twinshocks and with no need on modern bikes? As for learning to hop before learning to turn, Neil certainly shares your view. But I'm still trying to learn to hop, probably to his frustration :-). Not because I think I need it, but purely because it seems a fun thing to be able to do - I ride for fun and get to an occasional event along the way.

Just sharing something that has helped me incredibly much over roughly the past year. I'm just a happy user. Neil Price is an Australian Expert level rider, 18 times West Aust. champion, 2x Aust Champ, has competed in Europe and World rounds and all round nice fella. He has been coaching trials for decades and is a real thinker - always considering the detail that makes things work. A year or so ago Neil started a Facebook online coaching group which proved the concept had wings. Six months ago (+/-) he launched a dedicated online platform - quite similar to most social media platforms - Feed, Chat, Likes, Comments, Notifications, Hashtags etc. but also "groups" & sections for various "libraries" of information. This is a paid subscription service. Within the platform Neil posts all sorts of info - demo videos, monthly challenges, training plans etc. Members can also post video and ask for feedback and pointers, which Neil responds to individually. All in all a pretty good platform. Neil has a somewhat different take on how to build and use techniques than anyone else I've seen online - it's so refreshing! Simple, easy to understand and builds really solid foundations for every type of manoeuvre. Some of the building blocks he uses are: Static balance figure 8's building turning skills, clutch & throttle RSG - this is such a good tool. Rev, Squat, Go. He uses this from very early on to build fundamental throttle, clutch and timing, and builds on it as rider skill increases. It is the basic building block for the next 3. Ride technique - literally riding the back wheel up an obstacle. Doesn't matter if the front wheel hits, touches or clears the obstacle, if the back wheel drives up the face it's "Ride". Punch - pretty much what commonly gets called Zap or Jap Zap Splat - probably needs no explanation here. That's it, simple. Notable is the absence of double blip. For a whole bunch of reasons he just doesn't teach it or talk about it. I can't say enough good things about Neil's coaching! As someone turning 60 this year, and who really only started riding dirt bikes a few years ago (I rode a bit 45 years ago, but then a looong break) I am staggered how far my riding has come in the past year with Neil. Progress that unquestionably would have been impossible without consistent professional coaching. Where I live that just isn't going to happen if it's not online! If you want to see Neil in (coaching) action go to YouTube Trials and Enduro Skills where Neil does a weekly live show. https://www.neilprice.com/signup/xqistX

I've got a 2020 EVO 300 with about 200 hours on it, always had an inline fuel filter and air filter cleaned and oiled frequently. Recently I started having an issue with it getting an erratic idle. It seemed like the idle would rise after a long hard climb (say 500m to 1km). It would also rise on long descents. Performance otherwise was just fine, nice crisp response over the whole throttle/rev range. I removed the carb and thoroughly cleaned (including removing the jet tower) and blew out all orifices, checked vents, checked float height and needle sealing. Also checked that fuel is not overflowing when the front is raised (lifted wheel ever higher until it overflowed). Problem remained pretty much the same. Finally I realised that the rise in idle on descent particularly was due to running out of fuel in the tank. I tend to climb ever higher as I ride, then return back down at the end of the ride. Possibly my rides were getting a little longer, and also as my riding improves I'm using more power/revving harder and spending more time with the front in the air. This would somewhat explain the increase in fuel usage, but it doesn't feel like it fully explains it. In the past I've monitored fuel usage over a number of tanks and it averaged a bit over 1.1L per hour. Yesterday I started to monitor current use and it came in around 1.8L/hour. This seems a fairly big jump (60%), but I've no idea if it's in the range that is "normal". Certainly it's getting annoying having to cut my rides short so I can get back home again - yesterday I ran out on main, switched to reserve and headed home - ran out as I pulled into the shed. I was only about 2km or so from home when I went to reserve. Does anyone else have any figures for their EVO 300 fuel consumption?

You probably weighed around 5 times what your bike weighed and the pedal was much closer to the ground than a trials bike foot peg, so there is an immense difference in the magnitude and location of the forces involved. I'd need to weigh around 350kg to get a similar mass relationship to my bike, and drop the foot pegs to within a few inches of the ground to have a similar mechanical relationship. I dare say it might be possible to pick up a trials bike from the ground like that, but I imagine you'd be standing on the spokes or tyre and be heaving both hands on the upper handlebar grip to do it! There's probably a video of someone doing it on YouTube if you looked hard enough!

My 2020 has the brake pivot setup as shown. The lever is right up against the frame. Works fine. My 2017 was the same from memory.

Agree it's most likely HDPE, which can be fairly easily heat welded. A hot air gun is best, but you want a very small jet which most household guns can't provide without overheating. If looks aren't a serious consideration an old soldering iron will do the job (after plastic welding the tip will be nigh on useless for soldering). If you take your time you can usually get a moderately good finish - a little bit of judicious sanding can clean it up further, although it's not going to look "factory". Just gradually work some plastic in from the surrounding area until the hole closes. If you can trim a bit of excess plastic from elsewhere on the box it can be used as a bit of filler. Can help to have something as a backing while welding.

Have you thought about taking up basket weaving? :-)

Here's my 2c worth. As previously mentioned, start with a brick or something for the front edge of the front wheel to nudge onto, or a wall if you're really having trouble - it'll save so much on-off-on-off and you'll progress faster. Put a crate or something next to the bike so you don't have to step down to the ground - you'll not get so worn out doing step training, so can practice longer. As you've picked up, knees out, elbows out, shoulders more or less parallel to the bars. I'd also suggest keep your head up, but some people find it easier looking down, some forward. If you can balance with your head somewhat erect you'll probably find it easier to learn to hop later. Both brakes locked. You can play with brakes off once you've got some decent basic skills. Front wheel not quite to full lock - you want a bit of steering movement. This isn't what most people say, but spend time with it before discounting it. Use small turns of the bars to correct - this is important and often seems to be neglected when people talk about balancing. With front brake locked you can also tilt the bike L & R which will roll the front wheel under the bike, moving the base you are balancing on. Both turning the bars and tipping the bike are ways to move the base - like balancing an umbrella standing on your hand. This is what you really balance with most of the time - as you said, Newton gets a solid say in what happens if you try to move your body one way or other. If your weight is more forward you'll get more response from your corrections, if you are more rear you'll be more stable but harder to correct imbalance. Practice both. Most people spend too much time forward biased. Practice turning from one lock to the other and staying balanced. There's no point standing balanced on full lock if you can't straighten up and make the bike go where you need to go next! The leg-out move is a bit of a mixed bag. It can really help and is definitely useful - especially if you can't afford to turn the bars much (riding along a skinny log perhaps). Waving your leg in the air is moving a whole lot of weight around which is itself going to make balancing harder. For what it's worth, the leg goes out as a counterbalance, to the side you are falling away from, but good luck doing it consciously at first! It'll sneak up on you For those coming from bicycle track stands, the big difference is that you're not going to move a 70kg moto around like your 9kg pushy! On a pushy we often balance with tiny little rolls back and forth. You also only need tiny little movements to move the bike quite a lot. On a moto you need bigger movements to get the bike to move, and you're not going to be rolling it on it's wheels. The bigger movements and slower reactions make it hard to transfer bicycle trackstand to the moto - it's a matter of timing. Once you "get it" then your trackstand skills suddenly start to payoff. Hope that helps in some way.

I'd suggest looking at some of the MTB vests. I've been using a Troy Lee Designs 7850HW short sleeve protector for several years. It's light, flexible, covers the shoulders and not too warm being designed for people who pedal at least some of the time. The 7855 has long sleeve protection if you want. They aren't the cheapest bit of foam you'll find, but they do seem to work well. I've had numerous "offs" that would have resulted in significant pain and bruising without this and got away pretty much unscathed. I've also had a couple of falls onto objects that have managed to get between the pads and hurt, but it's all a compromise. I've also been using Dainese MTB knee pads for years - they stay put, give good protection and have lasted pretty well. I'll probably replace the elastic and the behind-the-knee mesh soon, but the pads themselves are going strong.

It would be interesting to know how much difference your fins make. Most thermal conductivity stuff I've read makes a pretty big deal about getting really good contact between the surfaces - clean metal to metal, dead flat surfaces, conductive pastes where there is any chance of air gaps .... Obviously something has to do more than nothing but I'm not sure those fins would achieve a great deal. Do you have any before and after figures for the sort of temps you get? I'm not sure that the e-clutch will make any difference to the throttle lag on your MTB. It's just a second throttle, nothing more or less. The only difference is that the main throttle is 'normally open' while the "clutch" is 'normally closed'. Unless the lag is your ability to twist the throttle fast enough, which I very much doubt, then it's inherent in the controller. You could put an instantaneous switch as the throttle and it would make no difference to the delay. If you are trying to achieve a power chop rather than a power hit, maybe it might work. Or you might be able to hook onto the brake cutoff signal wire if it has one? Or some people have resorted to just chopping the main power with a contactor, although some controllers might not like that much. That is very likely exactly why Oset has gone with a brushed motor - they can get instant response without spending a lot of money on a fast brushless controller. If you want instant response on your MTB you probably need to get a new controller. If you haven't seen it, https://endless-sphere.com/ is well worth spending some time on (you might need a lot of time, there is so much info in there).