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Bill, I sent Amy a list of Trials club websites for Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri so you might make a club Trial if you are in the area. You are going to love Ryan's school. Jon

I havent had to replace one yet, but the usual proceedure on this type of mechanism is to use a ziptye to secure the spring down, install the unit and cut the ziptye. Jon

Might not be Copey, all the Santas dress like that in Texas. Jon

Curt Comer Jr., from Pennsylvania as I remember. A fastastic all-around rider. Jon

And if you're riding with Keenan and he says "Follow me!", DON'T DO IT! Just kidding, but I do speak from personal experience.... Jon

I'm not aware of any steel rear sprockets available, but there are narrow X-ring chains available at bike shops that will fit Trials bikes. They are relatively expensive. I'm thinking of trying one on my Pro, but even with my "racer's discount", they are about $100 USD. Jon

Not sure if your 250R takes the same as my 350N, but those spec.'s are 99mm or 3.9" oil level of 10 wt. fork oil. Jon

Sacramento PITS is the Trials club in your area. They have PITStop onilne and the want ads are at: http://www.sactopits.org/pitstop/index.htm . They have some bikes and dealers who carry used bikes on the PITS website. Jon

Pete, Like they say, check the Woodruff key first. If the engine was under load when it ran out of fuel it experiences a quick over-lean condition, the combustion chamber temp spikes quickly and it may have pre-ignited or even detonated, which can loosen the hub/crank connection and cut the key. Any of us that have roadraced two-strokes that ran into fuel delivery problems are familiar with that big surge of power just before the engine sticks. I'd check and clean all electrical connections, especially grounds as a marginal electrical system can produce a spark with the plug out but the spark will fail under compression pressure. The plug cap is often overlooked and often a problem in a bike this age. Kill switches are another item to look at. I doubt that worn/frayed reeds would cause hard starting but should be checked anyway. They mainly affect low-speed performance issues. I run NGK BPR6EIX plugs in my TY350s with good results. Jon

Where in Nevada? Jon

My guess is that's normal due to the hot oil having less viscosity and therefore less drag, which results in a shorter engagement range. Jon

That's a good, solid bike to learn on. I run 6 psi front and 4 psi rear as a general rule. 650-700 cc's of Dexron ATF is good in your bike. Be sure to use a new Allen wrench on the drain plug (or cut off 5mm from the tip of an old one) as stripping the aluminum plugs is common for new bike owners. To answer your next unposted question, there are a couple of ways to get tranny oil back in the bike. One is to lay the bike on it's side, take off the clutch cover and pour the oil slowly on the clutch. The other is to make a funnel/hose arrangement that will fit in the small plug towards the top of the sidecase. Jon

Ishy, I saw the same thing happen in a club I used to belong to. My experience was that the "movers" in the club authority (which consisted, incidently, of upper class riders who rode National events) felt that the whole Trial event should be tougher in order to nurture top class riders. As a consequence, the difficulty level was shifted upward for all riders, which, of course, took the fun out of the the event for lower class riders, who eventually dropped out. I'm guessing this has happened in more than one club. Jon

Nick, What year/model TXT do you have? Do you have the older type engine or the newer Pro type engine? Probably the minimum rear type pressure would be in the 3-4 PSI range. I run 4 rear and 6 front for most conditions. Jon

The newer clutches have two equal thickness steel plates, two fiber plates of the same size and a thicker fiber plate that is always to go in first. You may also have been on drugs at the time, but your advice was excellent, as any experienced GasGas tech will tell you..... Jon

Sometimes it's necessary to remove the gear sets and re-install them. If you havent taken the gear sets apart it should go back with little problem. I usually install the gears with the case straight up and not down flat (different from the video). After you have the gears in and everything in neutral, the teeth should line up straight across, shaft to shaft. If one side is higher than the other, that's probably the shaft with the problem. Jon

Look closely at the back of the cases and you'll see the kickstart return spring tip sticking down. That end needs to go in the machined hole in the lower back part of the case made just for it. See if that fixes the problem. Jon

"The clutch on my 2002 250Pro drags mauch more when cold than warm, and also the engagement point moves further from the bars as the oil warms up" The "cold drag" is relatively normal but the changing engagement point is not (if it's a big change) and could indicate a problem with the master cylinder seal (the 9.5 M/C bore is standard on the 02'). The hydraulic clutch is self-adjusting and the engagement point should be a relative constant. It could be that the "range" of adjustment will change as the clutch pack absorbs heat. If you adjust the idle speed (warm engine) with the bike in gear and the lever pulled back normally (usually one finger to the knuckles) you should not have any stalling problems. Jon

Ah, Central Valley area. Areas to ride are still not too bad there, unlike the metropolitan populations. Stoneyford is good too, I did some tech support for some Enduro teams that ran there. As to your question about how popular is Trials on the other side of the pond? For example, the Scottish Six-Day Trial will celebrate it's 100th year in 2011. You'll like this forum, lots of experienced smart people here that are willing to share with newcomers. Jon

I'm still trying to fathom how a simple name change is going to attract new riders. Trials is a participant sport and most often does not attract money from spectators or promotion from aftermarket companies. What other motorsport allows a rider/driver to buy a new machine, put fuel in it, check the tires and enter a National event with a reasonable hope of winning one's class. The low cost of riding Trials can be a two-edged sword in that it must rely on promotion within the ranks, rather than outside organizations that are profit driven. Any student of business management will tell you that word-of-mouth advertizing is the most efficient, cost-effective way to promote sales. Provide a new rider with a fun experience and he/she will tell friends. I think each club needs to take the time to actually talk to new riders and get an idea of their experience starting out. What, if anything, needs to be changed to make them want to come back? If we are more concerned about how we can join the new riders rather than how they can join us, we have a better chance of seeing them again. Do we need to back off the difficulty of some of the sections or loop? Do we want to provide a half-hour rules/riding workshop for beginning riders before the event to help them get started on the right track? Do we want to have an advanced rider take them out as a group to show them the ropes? Do we want to conduct an "exit interview" of a rider who dropped out of the sport? Lots of possibilities. MotoTrials, Trials, Observed Trials. I think that what we call it is not nearly as important as how we do it. Jon

Having been born and raised in the area (and started riding Trials there in 71'), I can attest that there is a good chance that (1) the sun is shining,(2) it is warm (compared to the rest of the States) and (3)that there is no chance in Hades that there are no real restrictions of the riding areas. Welcome to the Forum, Redcota. What area do you live in? Jon

Hi Lane! Hey, you and Len should get together and do an update. Is Len still kicking around? Jon

Usually #116-118 works well. A lot depends on ambient weather/altitude conditions. Jon

Not sure if this will help any (02' Pro 280). Jon