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The most common problem with clutch bleeding for new riders (used to cable clutch systems) is to have the adjustment screw on the clutch lever in too far. Check that the screw tip on the lever just barely touches the plunger rod that goes through the rubber boot on the master cylinder. Jon

Great talking with you and Mike today and thanks for attending the NATC meeting in Dallas for us. You did a good job of staying awake at the Trial in spite of getting very little sleep this weekend. The weather was wonderful today, perfect for riding Trials. Probably the coolest ride I saw all weekend was when Scott Carpenter (Master class rider from the MATT club in Missouri) lost a footpeg just before entering our section at Shack Falls and rode with one peg in a section that was tough with two good pegs and cleaned it. I was impressed! Get some rest, Ron. Jon

O.k., o.k., I was wrong about the "light" rain gear and it should have been monsoon wear. We had a real downpour for a short time and light rain on and off most of the afternoon for the Advanced riders. The sections held up nicely (it actually developed them into "proper English sections") but part of the loop to sections 5 and 6 was rough so we'll modify the loop for tomorrow and maybe make a couple of new sections if necessary. Since we've been using the park for a couple of years now, we've set up a lot of sections that are easy to set up and are well proven. A good turnout of riders from the Central Regional Trials Series states (Missouri, Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas) and other states too.We expect a little rain tomorrow but if at all, it should be light so it should be perfect Trials weather. Scipio off-road motorcycle park is over 1700 acres and has lots of creeks, logs, rocks, sandy slopes and the whole park has connecting trails used for Enduro and Cross Country races to make all the good Trials areas easy to get to. Well, off to get a couple of hours sleep and then back into the fun again! Jon

70 or 80:1 of a full-synthetic premix oil (not a "synthetic-blend") is generally what most riders use with good results. Jon

The "Edition" type engine is the earlier model, not the Pro. 7.5 is the "relative" viscosity (SAE) of oils and used as a rough comparison of an oil's "thickness". The SAE rating is measured in cSt or "centi-stokes" at 100 degrees C. There are other technical measurements like "VI" or Viscosity Index and SUS or Saybolt Universal Seconds blah, blah, blah, but the SAE rating of oil allows you to know that a 5-weight oil is lighter (less viscosity) than a 15-weight oil. Jon

It's only temporary, but I hate rattles and squeels on my bikes, they really distract me from finding a soft place to fall down..... Jon

I'm pretty sure the 96' uses a floater. As I remember, my 96' JTR came new from the factory with a few dabs of clear Silicone at the disk/hub/washer junctions to dampen the rattle so if it bothers you, that might be a fix (at least for a while). Jon

Generally, a lighter oil works better in the Trials engines as it helps with flow through the clutch pack and decreases "drag". A lot of riders use Dexron ATF in the Edition-type engine and it's about 7.5 weight. Jon

Kurt, It's not really an "upgrade" but the flywheel kit allows a rider to customize the power delivery of his engine to suit his/her riding style and type of terrain encountered. Other than fitting a spacer to the sidecover and sometimes having to modify the shift lever somewhat, I can't think of any other negatives. Jon

O.k., Just got back from Scipio and rode the loops. Just fill up each loop (the loop runs right by the pits) and you shouldn't have any problems. Bring light rain gear as there is a chance of showers now and then but this should keep the dust down and make the creek sections fun. The weather was perfect today and should be nice, cool in the mornings and warm in the afternoon. I personally dusted off each and every rock in the creek sections just for you..... Jon

Agree. The "choke" circuit only really works when the throttle is closed. I doubt that changing the float level will have any affect on starting (choke on) as the choke circuit draws from the very bottom of the floatbowl (which would be unaffected by float level and would work with maybe only a teaspoon of fuel in the bowl). A few thoughts on starting before I run out the door this morning and head for the Trials grounds to help set up for this weekends big Octobertest Trial (we expect a fair amount of rain-whoopee!): NGK BPR5EIX set to .6mm (.024") is the best plug I've ever found for the GG and I've tested about ten+ different ones. Starting technique is important and you may want to look at Jim Snell's video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdM4qkAqywk . It is common to jab the boot at the kickstart, which not only shocks the poop out of the kickstart mechanism (and can break the idler gear)but transmits a huge shock to the knee and those of us with previous knee injuries (I knocked right kneecap completely off twice-Intercollegiate Judo, not motorcycle racing, which was relatively "safe" for me) will eventually experience problems. Think about your old Physics class, Trials bikes use massive flywheels that resist moving from rest (unlike KTM 200 Enduro engines) so instead of slamming the components together (that flywheel mass WILL resist moving) you want to have the kickstart rachet engaged at the top of the kickstart swing arc and then use body weight to get it spinning. The #70 starter jet is o.k. (some earlier models came with #60 starter jets) I use a #80 (.031" drill) as I find it helps. The #33 pilot in your bike seems a little lean and maybe you might try a #36 or even a #38 pilot (I run a #38 in my Pro along with a #116 main but my engine has some unusual modifications). If my bike does not start first or second kick from a short rest, I use the choke and it will fire easily. For some reason I can't explain scientifically, the GG's seem to be "cold-blooded" in my experience, and may need the choke after a short cool-off. Cheers and hope this helps a bit. Jon

Doug, That is the damping adjustment, turn clockwise to increase damping and counterclockwise to decrease. You may want to decrease rear race sag to about 2.5" rather than the 4" setting. Mainly affects rebound but proportionally affects compression. The best way to set damping is to start with both extremes (full in-ride section/full out-ride section) and see what they feel like. That will give you an idea of where you want to start and then make final adjustments to suit your riding style/terrain. Jon

Doug, That is the damping adjustment, turn clockwise to increase damping and counterclockwise to decrease. You may want to decrease rear race sag to about 2.5" rather than the 4" setting. The best way to set damping is to start with both extremes (full in-ride section/full out-ride section) and see what they feel like. That will give you an idea of where you want to start and then make final adjustments to suit your riding style/terrain. Jon

That's the same as I've run in my 02' Pro since new with no problems. Jon

650cc's seems to work best in the "Edition" engines. Jon

The Marzocchi forks do not lend themselves to volume measurement due to the oil circulation in the cartridges (they do not fully drain and the residual oil left in the cartridge will be an unknown quantity). Bear in mind that the steel tube Zoke's and the aluminum tube type take a different oil level measurement. Just pretend you are a racing suspension expert when you set oil level and you, of course, would NEVER use volume as a standard as level is way more accurate..... Jon

Generally the frothing will be only related to the W/P seal failure. The base gasket on the cylinder does not have a water passage (only in an old 90's JT 250 model that had a water jacket in the cases). A cylinder head inner o-ring failure will allow exhaust gases into the coolant system and result in coolant loss out the radiator cap, mimicing overheating but can happen when the coolant is not at boiling temperature. An outer o-ring failure head will allow seepage at the head/cylinder junction. Jon

Ahhhhh. I was trying to figure out where on a GasGas Trials model he found these.... Looks like they are suspension tuning inserts to change the ride height and/or the shock angle on rear suspension. On a Trials bike it would be similiar to substituting longer/shorter "dogbones" in the rear suspension linkage. Jon

Can you tell us exactly where you got them? Jon

Ha! All you advanced riders whined about the 7 mile loop that was mostly dirt road last year so we're gonna run you through the Enchanted Forest this year...... We're checking the loop mileage so you may not have to carry extra fuel but maybe just fill up each loop. The morning riders will have a short loop like we run for our club Trials. Check the Octobertest.com website for updates. See you guys next weekend. Jon ps. Our roads were designed by Trials riding Engineers and you should consider them good pre-event practice for the uphill rocky creekbeds we have at Scipio.........

This is from TrialsPartsUSA website, where you'll find a lot of other good information there, including a parts manual for your bike. Jon TRIAL MODEL CHASSIS NUMBERS 1993~2003 Example: VTRGG 2800 0200 9955 VTR = International manufacturers code. VTR = GasGas GG = Trial model (Company code to identify model EC = Enduro & MX, FS = Four Stroke, WD = Quads) 2800 = 280 model, year 2000 0200: 02 = Manufacture month. (2ND month) February. 00 = Year of manufacture 2000. 9955 = sequential chassis number (9,955th built in this year.) 2004~2007 Example: VTRGG 3002 E054 9955 VTR = International manufacturers code. VTR = GasGas GG = Trial model (Company code to identify model EC = Enduro & MX, FS = Four Stroke, WD = Quads) 3002: 30 = 300 model. 02 = (02 = year of Europe homogulation N/A USA) E054: E = 2004 ALPHA CODE FOR MODEL YEAR. 05 = Manufacture month (5TH month) May. 4 = Year of manufacture 2004. 9955 = sequential chassis number. (9,955th built in this year.)

Great! Let us know how you get along. Trials suspension settings are fairly unique to this sport and will depend a lot of the type of sections you encounter in the area where you ride and also your riding style, so expect to spend a little time sorting out things but it will be worth it. Cheers. Jon

Welcome to the fray! Trials is an unusual sport as you can make it as "exciting" as you want (or can stand). Great bunch of people on the Forum from all over the World. Jon

Since your 97' has a few miles on it, start with servicing the forks and rear linkage (including the Heim joints on the shock) so you get a proper performance baseline to start with. Any tuning will be worthless unless the suspension components are in good shape, properly lubed and aligned. Your forks take 300 cc's of 5-weight fork oil and at 180 lbs, you may want to add about 8-10mm's to the fork preload spacer (make new ones out of schedule-40 PVC pipe). The compression/rebound adjustors at the top of the forks, on your model, seem to work well with the compression knob (black-left) all the way out and the rebound (red-right) all the way in. Since the cartridges are different side-to-side (compression on left, rebound on right), you can change viscosity of the fork oil in each fork to affect the different damping responses. If you have a problem with the forks bottoming out, add about 30cc's to each fork to raise the oil level (fork oil level affects the last third of fork travel). A baseline for rear race sag is about 1.5-2" to start, similiar to MX setting of 100mm+- race sag, which will set the shock at the first third of travel. You will probably re-set the sag after you ride the bike a little, but this will give you a starting point. Jon