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One of my favorites. I can't get it here in the Midwest, but used it when I lived on the West Coast in Northern California. I ran it in the Pro's MX/Supercross bikes and quads and in my personal Trials bikes. I also never had a lubrication related problem even under the severe use in the Pro engines. Jon

Steve, Your friend may be confusing rumor with reality. Generally between 70-80/1 seems to work well for most conditions. Use a "full-synthetic" premix oil: 70/1- 71.5 cc's per 5 Litres (1.43% mix) 80/1- 62.5cc's per 5 Litres (1.25% mix) Jon

Here's a photo of the cast one-piece manifold/reedcage off the bike:

Hi Robert, glad to see you've joined the forum. I told Fred that Trials was addictive, but noooooooo, he didn't listen to me..... Jon

Sometimes, swelling of the o-rings in the servo cylinder may cause the heavy clutch pull. You might want to consider replacing them and checking the clutch finger measurement as a clutch pack that is too thin will also cause these symptoms. Jon

Well, dang. It's still on my bucket list! In the meantime, I'll console myself with a nice single-malt......... Jon

Terry, you have a "321", the larger displacements had the "37" designation on the VIN. I have a 99' 321 in the shop with the "VTRGG3799....." as the VIN. Jon

I understand it's safe until one eats it....... Jon

While on the way to a Trial event Sunday, I was delighted to hear on public radio that the 1989 U.S. ban has been, or will be, lifted in the import of haggis. Not sure it was in time for for yesterday's Burn's Night, but I'm sure that I and 6 million other residents here of Scottish decent will sleep a little sounder..... I stopped by the local Walmart here in Oklahoma to see if it was in stock, but all I got were funny looks.......... Jon

As I remember, the factory spec. is .7 mm. My Pro is probably set closer to MIKEE's gap and runs fine, so I'm guessing if you are in the 1 mm (.039") range you are in the ballpark. Jon

You looked pretty happy in my section, Fred, and I had a difficult Novice line for you to follow. Glad you had a good time, trust me, it gets easier the next time! We'll have to go riding together sometime, I know ALL the best places to fall down...... Congratulations! Jon

Hi Terry. The "370" was the 1996 model (actually a 338cc engine) but the same basic engine as the 1999 models, so you would use about 650cc's of Dexron ATF. The 09' engine is the "Pro" and a different engine design than the 99'. The reason we recommend the Type-F ATF, over the Dexron ATF, for the 06' up is that the 06' on up uses a thinner Belville spring in the clutch and is slightly more prone to slippage and the Type-F is a little more temperature tolerant. Jon

Very nice update for the site! It's in my favorites list and I look forward to it's expansion. Someday I hope to see the SSDT in person. I happen to have a little shop time to watch the last three SSDT's on the video. Great riding, but one area that I must mention is the observers. What a stalwart bunch of volunteers they are! I get the impression from the videos they are well appreciated, as they should be. Jon

Hylomar: I'm fitting a head spacer and need to coat the spacer with 'a thin and even' coat of Hylomar. Problem is I can't coat the whole area before the stuff dries as it goes off so quickly. I'm ending up with a lumpy, uneven coverage. >>Sometimes a thin piece of flexible plastic, like a credit card, can be used to spread it evenly and quickly. Coolant Drain Plug: Usual problem I guess: the plug has tightened up over time and the Allen key hole has rounded off. I've tried cutting a slot in it, to use a flat bladed screwdriver, but this hasn't worked. Any idea how to get it out so I can fit a new one? >>Use a Torx bit that is just slightly over the size of the hole (maybe a T-20? a T-15 works for a 3mm Allen hole and I think the plug is a 4mm), tap it lightly in and use a socket wrench to back it out. The new and updated plugs (they are also the end bushing for the impellor shaft) have a Torx bit hole. Exhaust Middle Box. Despite repacking the final silencer my bike is more noisy than most Pro's. The middle box is clogged with the usual black gunge, which could explain it. Any suggestions as to how to clear it? Can't say I fancy using heat, so would caustic soda do it? I think this box is steel so the caustic soda/alloy issue doesn't apply. >>A solvent tank is probably the safe way to clean the gunge out. If you can get a wire bottle brush, that will clean out the carbon from the perforated tube after the solvent has dried. Jon

A few questions: what is your current jetting in the VHST? (I'm assuming it's a VHST26BS, not a 28) does the fan run immediately at start-up? Is the pilot jet actually getting clogged or just acting like it does? does the engine lose coolant at any time? other than the fan running, what other symptoms does the engine exhibit of running hot? Jon

We've generally found that the Type-F ATF works well in the 06' on up, with the thinner Belville springs. It's inexpensive so you can change it often without burning the bank account. 10W-30 will also work, but I've found that the ATF is a little better suited for Trials transmissions and wet clutches (light weight, about 7.5, with anti-foaming and shear additives). Jon

Nice work! Jon

I've been looking at the photos on the Web and Ryan's video tour of the new bike. Very impressive, the engineers have made some nice changes and are not afraid to try new things. Some grousing has been made as to the new fuel tank as to durability and weight placement, but my guess is that it will be fine. It centers the weight lower (gas weighs about 6.3 lbs per U.S. gallon) and I would think it will improve the handling to a certain degree. I've heard some concern as to the fuel pump, but it appears to be the standard Mikuni diaphram type and they are bulletproof and reliable, we use them in the shifter karts with no problems. Any time a new design is offered, there will be detractors. We ran into this when the bikes first went to water-cooling and there was a lot of talk about the weight, complexity and vulnerability but it was a positive change (well, maybe not the Yamaha YZ with the radiator behind the number plate.... My hat offs to the design engineers for the new Sherco! Can't wait to see one in person. Jon

Chris has been riding dual-sport and doing well. He's a tech freak like me and keeps up on the latest stuff. I keep bugging him to ride Trials and he's still interested, but short on time. I told him Trials is like riding Ducati's and smoking cigars, you may give them up for a while, but sooner or later, you'll be back........ Jon

Before and after photos of an 85' TY350 I built for a friend:

A photo of the one-piece intake and the carb mod:

I like the tank, it's well made and fits nicely. You will need to seal it before using (I used a product called "KREEM" here in the states) and I've never had any sign of leakage. The tank on my bike is quite a few years old and if you don't throw it on the rocks, is quite durable (when I fall over, I try to position myself between the tank and the rocks..... ). The air filter is easy to get to by taking out the rear fasteners, take off the fuel line and then the whole tank pivots up at the back. They are fairly pricey here, but so is trying to find a stock Mono tank in really good shape on this side of the pond. I still have my stock 85' tank which cracked all over the outside, but intererstingly, never leaked at all. Jon

Here's a few modifications: Frame/suspension modifications: Footpeg mounts lowered and moved back 1

Ron, Can you cc me those photos and maybe post a couple of good ones on this thread? Chris Johnson just sent me some good photos of the new OSSA and you guys know how much I love to spend some quality time with the new design technology.. Jon