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"Mating taper connections can be used for temporarily securing one item to another. One such taper connection is a Morse taper connection. Generally, a Morse taper is defined as a taper connection having a taper surface making an angle of about 2 to 12 degrees relative to the longitudinal axis of the component. Morse taper connections can be made between interpenetrating parts, with, e.g., a first of the parts having a tapered bore, and a second of the parts having a frustoconical shape for securement in the tapered bore of the first part. The tapered bore and the frustoconical shape can have slightly different sizes or taper angles to facilitate securement of the parts via the mating taper connection as described below. To assemble mating taper connections, including Morse taper connections, items having a mating taper structure are interference fit one to the other to cause cointegration or locking of the items. In some cases the cointegration results in material transfer across the zone of contact, i.e., cold welds." Jon

I usually use a regular flywheel holder in the shop, but as I said, the rope will work in an emergency and, in fact, is easier on the internal parts as it acts like a cushion. A note on the taper: The tapers of the crank hub and flywheel hub are different. They are machined at a slightly different angle from each other (it's known as a ".001" interference fit" or a "Morse Taper") so they stick together, and why you need a puller to get them unstuck. When you lap the parts together, the interference fit is gone (the taper angles are now the same), so the parts are not as secure. As such, I'd add a little more torque valve (if torque setting is given in a range, say 38-42 Ft Lbs, use the higher number at least) and check the torque after a couple of heat cycles (riding sessions) as it will probably back off a little (which happens to new bikes if the flywheel fastener is not checked after a few rides). Sometimes, a little red Loctite ("non-serviceable" stud and bearing mount and a little heat to the fastener will break the Loctite bond if the flywheel needs to be removed) will add a little more security. Jon

Part numbers for the Dellorto PHBL float valves should be: "MO9001300" for the #300 valve "MO9001350" for the #350 valve. Jon

The squeeling is actually the high frequency vibration of the pads and manofsteele's advice will work well (150 grit wet/dry sandpaper is good). I like to use brake cleaner on a new Scotchbrite pad (actually a 3M medium abrasive pad, which is similiar and be sure to wear gloves as the cleaner will remove oil from your skin and cause cracking) to clean the disk. The slight radius on the edges will help and if you are working on the rear pads, put a large radius on the back edge of the pad as that will make it easier to slide the disk in between the pads when replacing the rear tire. Sometimes cutting an "X" on the pad face with a hacksaw will help channel dirt/grit to the outsides and reduce squeel. There are bonding agents designed to eliminate squeel and they are actually a high-temperature, flexible adhesive that bonds the pad to the caliper puck. If you try them, be sure to remove the paint from where the adhesive will contact the pad, otherwise it won't bond correctly. The adhesive bonding dampens the harmonics. Probably the best way to reduce brake squeel is to keep the brake components clean and deglazed. On the list of things I hate to hear, brake squeel is near the top. Jon

Very well put Dan, and I couldn't agree more. Jon

Copey's right. The MIG will work well but it's hard to beat a TIG in the right hands (and the welds are usually much cleaner). The frames are Chromoly, so make sure the welder knows that. A gas welder creates too much heat in the outlying areas and a TIG concentrates it just in the weld area and is my favorite way to weld. A CAW (certified aircraft welder) is really hard to find but they are the absolute experts. I had a friend who was one and just for fun he showed me his skill one time by TIG welding a razor blade to a short length of railroad track. You had to see it to believe it. Jon

You da man! A great invention that has saved lots of time and probably a few engines. If the stock donut pops out (it's often about 5mm short), an engine will ingest a bunch of grit which will quickly eat the insides. I've seen it happen. Good job! Jon

I will second that advice. The small screws are generally butter soft and strip easily. Use the newest screwdriver you have and put good pressure on the screwdriver so it won't pop up out of the slots. A little "trick" to extend the life of the Boyesen reeds (and any reeds) is to take some 600 grit wet/dry sandpaper and carefully and lightly sand the edges of the reed to add a very slight radius. This reduces the sharp "stress riser" (a sharp 90 degree angle) at the edge and will extend their life considerably. Spacer plates can be used to modify power delivery very slightly or just to space the carb out a little to clear the top of the cases. What a spacer plate does is to lengthen the intake tract. Lengthening the intake tract tends to favor the bottom end power delivery as it lengthens the pressure pulses. Jon

If it was working fine before, it may be that something is hanging up in the linkage system. The two front bolts on the dogbones have a special short head on them for clearance, I bet you put them in backwards. Jon

Actually, it needs to be backed out until the plunger that goes through the boot comes fully out. If you lightly touch the lever, you should feel a little slack before the adjustment screw puts pressure on the plunger. The piston has to fully retract out/back so the hole to the reservoir is uncovered and the system can ingest more fluid to build pressure. With the hand lever let out, the adjustment screw should not be putting ANY pressure on the plunger that is in the center of the rubber boot. I know it looks like screwing IN the adjustment screw you would get more throw/travel to the clutch servo cylinder, but the opposite is true. Jon

Here in the U.S. we can get them through LewisportUSA, who has V-Mar make them ( http://www.lewisportusa.com/parts_gasgas.htm ). I would guess something similiar would be available in the UK? I have an 02' Pro and the airbox boot fits directly on the Dellorto (which it is designed for), but the 03' airbox boots are designed to fit the large bell of a Keihin PWK28, so the rubber donut is used to "adapt" the Dellorto to the boot actually made for the Keihin. Jon

Sometimes a couple of long sockets and some "threaded rod" will work as driving them out with a hammer can be rough on the surfaces. One long socket should be internally large enough for the bearing shell to fit into, the other should be slightly smaller than the bearing shell. Put one socket on each side of the bore the bearings are in, put the threaded rod (small enough to fit down the holes where the wrench is normally attached, I find 3/8th inch drive sockets work well) through the sockets, put a nut on each end and tighten them. The smaller socket will be drawn into the bore and push the bearing shells out the other side into the large socket. Kinda hard to describe, but I think you should get the idea. You can also install bearings this way, after tapping the shell into the bore in a little, and is a lot less stress on the bearing shell than a hammer and punch. Jon

That sounds about right. I usually recommend 5-10 hours of use or after a wet Trial (the Pro is less prone to sucking water into the tranny than most engines due to the breather placement, however). The key is change it often as the Pro tranny fluid has to lube several other things a "normal" engine does not, like the crank main bearings and a roller in the transmission splitshaft. Under "normal" conditions, Trials bike transmissions face an unusual amount of shock and stress, which is counter-intuitive as you would think that the low speeds we run them at would be easy on them. The extensive clutch use also adds to the transmission temperature which breaks down the fluid quicker. The Type-F seems to work well in the 07' (with the thinner Belville spring) and another trick is to use a new Allen wrench or an old one with about 8mm cut off the end so that the flutes are "sharp" and will not strip out the aluminum drain plug. Jon

Dave, First of all, check the adjustment at the lever. There is an adjustment screw that contacts the plunger that goes through the rubber boot on the master cylinder. Back the screw out so that there is a little slack there and the piston retracts back to the circlip (you'll have to look under the boot to do this). If that does not fix it, let us know if you have a newer Pro or the older TXT model (the Pro was actually a "TXXI" model, but they changed it to "TXT" about then-03'- and it can get a little confusing). The actual clutches are quite different between the TXT and Pro TXT. The lever screw adjustment is the same for both models (also for the brake M/C and rear brake M/C). Jon

In my limited experience, reasonable changes in bar height do not change weight placement per se (that's up to the rider) but they do allow more comfort for the taller rider who needs them, who in turn is able to adjust weight placement easier and quicker. The easier the rider is able to maintain a neutral position, the quicker they can react to bike input. Jon

The S-3 one's are nice. They raise the bars up just the right amount, offer good forward/backward adjustment and seem to be much stronger than the stock GG clamshell clamps. I've found the bars a little too low on the new bikes for my liking and the S-3 clamps move them up so I'm not hunched over the bars. Jon

It could mean that the jetting is too rich, the air cleaner is dirty, too much premix oil was accidently added to the fuel, the exhaust pipe has too much carbon in it, the mufflers somehow got clogged, the ignition system has low output, the carb float level is off or the float valve is not sealing well, things like that. Jon

Don't trust that Jon Stoodley guy, I personally have been assured he doesn't know squat about Trials motorcycles! Jon ps. Scotty97, You can e-mail me personally off the GasGasUSA website Tech section and I'll work with you on the forks. At 224 lbs rider weight, we will probably want to make a few adjustments on the forks while servicing them. Cheers.

Zippy, a tape that works even better is what used to be called "Mechanic's Tape", which is a black adhesive imprenated cloth strip tape familiar to old geezer's like me (it was before plastic electrical tape time) and I think it's still available. We always used it before grip glue time and it really held the grips on. The trick with the safety wire (if you're using a wire tool) is to not tighten the wire all the way using the twist tool. Stop when the wire is snug and then loosen the tension on the wire and tighten the rest of the way by slowly hand twisting the tool (using the tool to tighten the wire all the way wall cause it to cut through the grip on the opposite side the tool is). Don't overtighten and then cut the wire leaving about 4mm and then fold that over and use the blunt end of the tool to push it into the grip at a 45 degree angle. Safety wire tools have a flat tip on the end for that use. Jon

It depends on the type of grip, material-wise. I've found that Renthal grip glue is pretty safe with all grips (not so with other glues, even Scotts). If you use the super-soft grips, you have to be real careful as to the type of glue/paint, you use, as the solvents in the gluing medium may very well cause the grips to split or fail prematurely. The medium and hard grips do not seem to be affected by the gluing solvents as much. Sliding on the grip with glue on the bar is a real hassle (they always stick half-way as the glue is quick drying) but if you spray a little alcohol in the grip and on the glued bar end, the grip will slide on easily and the alcohol will evaporate. I like to safety wire on either end and in the middle, so if it's a wet Trial and the grip gets cut, it is a lot less prone to slip off (when water enters between the grip and the bar) as there are two "pockets" of dry, gripping surface on either side of the center wire on the grip and chances of cutting both are very low. Jon

Well, yea, I really, really felt bad after I did it so I hooked the poor kid up with this really hot Nigerian Princess I know, who has a ton of money she has to smuggle out of her home country. They'll make a beautiful couple........ It was the least I could do........and I STILL get my 25%. Jon, the Yentl of the Internet.

I've already talked with Dick, so it's all handled. I talked him into making it 25%, boy, is HE a fool........... Jon

Well, I for one am really proud and appreciative of the effort you and the rest of the group put out. I can only imagine the obstacles that have to be overcome, both forseen and unexpected. You are riding against the best in the world and you always do your best as far as I am concerned. You all have my applause! Jon

It does and it works quite well. The Talon uses the early AJP pads and is quite simple in operation. Jon