ChrisCH

On old tractors there was a built in hours meter, rather like the mileometer on cars. It worked by being turned by the cable on the rev counter, (tractors don't have speedometer) I don't know if this crosses over to small two stroke petrol engines but it is pertinent. The "hours" is dependent on the revs rather than the actual physical time the motor is running. Tractor service intervals are therefore dependent upon the number of revolutions the engine has made rather than chronological time. If you apply the same to a trials bike the need to service it is dependent on whether it is running at quarter throttle round sections or revving it's nuts off jumping up a huge obstacle. My gut feeling therefore is that the service schedule of any trials (or other competition bike for that matter) bike is really guesswork. A factory team with a big budget and a pro mechanic or two might well service the bike far more than it really needs, but at least it keeps the bike competitive. Me, I am rubbish and usually come last so being "competitive" isn't really an issue to be honest. Another benefit of being rubbish is never revving the bike up either. I don't think I've ever opened the throttle past half way. So really the need to service and to replace items like pistons is really dependent on the individual use. Well IMHO anyway.

I wonder if the business rates relief will apply? Are trials bikes "leisure"? That would sure help a lot of people.

There is a playlist. Looks as if they have added English subtitles to them https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_EU7WNasz1i6KYKr7KyURh9GNLb_aa4a

I like this chap, but as this is an English language site have not shared with everyone my "find". However this has English subtitles and I found it very informative with the slo' mo' and breaking up into sections. It's better to watch without the subtitles as they obscure some of the vid. so you can re-run bits without the subtitles switched on as an option. Or brush up your French 😊

I always wondered why Honda fitted brakes that had a bit of front and back for this reason. Also if you want to brake hard in the snow I would be very very wary of any front brake without the back wheel already locked up. I put off buying a VFR800 for that reason until they (Honda) gave up on the idea in 2014. (Still have not got the VFR as spending too much on trials bikes). As I understood it at the time the thinking was the "born again biker" mob who instinctively use the foot pedal as they are really car drivers not motorcyclists. As someone that had a bike before I could spell 'automobile' this is not really something that affects me. I find it difficult to modulate the rear brake with trials boots and the bike at an angle that I am not accustomed to as a long time road rider. I tend to over brake and lose the wheelie. On my mountain bike I for some weird reason tend to forget the brake lever completely and fall off the back. (No fun at all). The TRS has a superb brake but the wife's Beta has a poor rear brake by comparison and it is actually a bit easier as it doesn't work so well and needs more pressure and does not brake as hard. I am sure that better balance makes it less critical. So just another two million hours practice....

Well I've found a picture on the advert from SW trials. No idea.

Intercooler? Is it a turbo?

There are some good spray products about like X20 that work for long enough to do a trial. If you want to waterproof things where it is possible to do so a shrink wrap is the best way to go.

I found the Nano Trans improved the clutch over time - by the third or fourth change it was noticeably much better. I hate to think what chemicals are in it ? I found a lot of good advice from people on this forum and have gone with the idea of using half a bottle (0.5L) each change to get two changes per bottle. As the clutch got better I have changed the oil less frequently than before and found it is absolutely OK. This really made a big difference on the old Rev 3 and has also improved the Evo (which was not anywhere near as bad to start with). I hope it works for you.

The Beta clutch is not great. The Nano Trans is definitely an improvement based on the two Beta bikes I have had. But I do agree with you a 2020 bike should not need modification from new, but if the clutch is the same one that was in all the other models then yes - it does.

One person in our club had the TRS 250 - the "One" not the RR. This has a Dell'Orto carb on it and is supposedly less fierce than the Keihin. He had a TRS 300 prior to that and said it was too much. I liked that bike and wanted one but couldn't find one so settled on the RR 280. I am surprised that you find the 250 RR such a handful. I was wary of the 280 but it really was all I could find at the time and the guy in the shop was very reassuring that it (280) was smooth power and I would be OK. It took a few weeks to get used to but I find it OK. There is more power there than my wife's Beta (but it is an older one). My bike is standard and fast throttle. I think I must be so bad I am not getting into bother ?

Is there really a "bad" choice? As a new person in the sport I am a keen viewer of lots of You Tube training videos and I also like the X Trial and championships too. All the different bikes are clearly capable of more than I am. My club has a wide range of different bikes and riders and most of them seem better than me no matter what brand of bike. The push bike blokes that fill in on the X Trial look rather better than I think is possible for an oldie like me and they have no engine!

My goodness this is a TRS love fest ? As I have a 2017 TRS 280 I suppose I should join in. My observation is that a 30 minute ride is not enough and you probably need to ride a bike for 20 hours or more before you can really say if you like it or not. I like my TRS but I have never had anything to do with the other bikes (only Beta) so they might be as good or even better. That said the TRS is a very popular bike and so if you want to sell it in a few months if you really don't like it then that should be easy. (My wife's Beta is also a good bike and I really like it but the brakes are not as good as on the TRS. )

It's not the technology to be fair it is what you can buy as a private individual. There are acid bath products that would almost certainly give a near-new finish with little effort. All of those kinds of products are restricted as they are environmentally hazardous and usually dangerous to the end user too. If you haven't bought paint stripper in a while you will be very disappointed if you try to strip paint with Nitromors. The active ingredient is carcinogenic and has been banned. The new formula is about as much use as the wheel cleaners you describe. If you have a bead blaster or powder coating place near you it is worth asking, often a couple of little items can go in with a batch for a tenner cash and a big smile.

Define "grubby". If the stuff to be removed is grease/oil based dirt then a degreaser is the best way to go. Rust needs a derusting product and a combination of rust and grease needs both. Alloy wheel cleaner is a catch all for all sorts of detergents that might or might not shift whatever is on the base metal. Like all cleaners they are there to make money for the detergent company. We sell an industrial level cleaner that is very similar to muck-off and that will shift most stuff. Muck-off is pretty good and if you brush it in will shift a wide range of things and then rinses off. You can buy it most places (push bike shops are a good start) and it would be my first option. A specialist grease product like Jizer is good for grease/oil. But no, there is no wonder product that does it all and the only way to get your particular task done is to try different products to find the one that relates to the material that you want to shift. The least effort possible would be to take it to a bead blaster and let them do the work.

I'm sure you are right. The UK is a "wet location" ? i will give stainless a try next time I need some.

Has anyone tried stainless steel bearings? The 6004 rubber seal bearing is very cheap (I can see them online for less than £2) and the stainless is not too bad (£7.50) We sell trailer wheel bearings and for boat trailers they only last a year or so as they are routinely dipped in seawater. The stainless versions last a fair bit longer as they don't have the same corrosion issues. As jimmyl says it is not a big job to do so really a non issue, but I am lazy - if the stainless lasted twice as long that means only half the faffing about. PS I can see the ceramic for a bit more (£12) - might be a better option still?

You guys need to ride more - what is this "few weeks"? I've never had fuel last that long ?

I am. Oh yes. We used to live in Luxembourg and the south of Belgium is full of such wonderful delights - it is a requirement of us Brits to drink as many as possible in the interests of good relations with our European friends. I love the xmas markets too. We have a place in Montpellier and go every xmas for a fortnight as we have shut down at work. The xmas market there is not quite as good as some of the more rural ones but there is a good selection of stands and an ice rink that all the kids seem to love. Down the coast a bit there are loads of oyster stalls to cater for the rather odd French tradition of oysters at xmas. The channel hypermarkets are awesome. Not been to Dunkirque for ages but we do shop at Carrefour in Citi. The falling pound and our decision to mess about aren't helping but they are still well worth a visit. The little street markets are fantastic too for fruit and veg and cheese in particular. We used to have some great markets here when I was a kid but they are few and far between these days. Big one at Walthamstow that we used to shop at when we lived in London. Go when the stalls are closing and you can get a week's veg for a fiver.

We looked at the tunnel (I prefer it at all times). But for us it is 3 hours to Ashford with the dreaded M25 to negotiate. Then 5 hours to Rennes. The ferry to Cherbourg is about 5 hours and leaves Poole (where we live). Then about 2 hours in France. The missus hates the ferry and gets seasick if it is too rough, but the very long drive was too much for a weekend. We were going to Comblain but decided that too was too much driving for a weekend. (Had hoped to take road bike if weather nice). There is often an event on in Bercy in Paris. That is ideal if you take the tunnel and that would be the better route. Guildford is nearer but you still have M25. We slept on the ferry both ways - outbound is too short a night's sleep and gets you in at stupid o'clock, so had a couple of hours in the hotel to top up. Coming back had food (awful) and a kip then drove home (20 minutes) then up for work this morning at 6 as usual. The cabins are pretty decent but can be a bit hard to nod off if it is rough (beer/wine helps) The ferry home was delayed which didn't help plus the hour time difference works against you. We love France too. The hotel food looked fantastic but the restaurant didn't open until 19.30 and the event kicked off at 20.30. Buffalo grill is not too bad and fast service so we got half decent food and a full belly to start the Trial. Gutted about the beer.... Boot full of shopping on Sunday to bring home so a little bonus. Nice red at €3.50 a bottle - same thing here in Sainsburys is £7. [ Costières de Nîmes - Super U ]

Was thinking about this on the way home. The Rennes event was organised by the local club who are (like all French clubs) FIM affiliated. I wondered if we suffer as ACU don't push the X-Trial agenda? No idea if this is relevant or not. (The kids from the local club got to have their 15 mins of fame!) The event was good - the Glaz Arena in Rennes is smallish and so you got close enough to really see what was going on. We were a couple of rows back, just right to smell the 2 stroke and see the riders' faces. The crowd were enjoying the event and I guess the arena was at about 80% capacity. There was a bar laid on for the break but you had to buy tokens and I hadn't so missed out on the beer. Not a disaster. It was a good event and loads of kids there. Very family friendly and a good night out. Finished about 12 so lots of tired youngsters. There is a lot of parking there and a big supermarket with a multi storey nearby. We ate in the Buffalo Grill just before the opening, so full of steak and chips and red wine. Nice. Only downside is the long ferry crossing from here (Poole) to Cherbourg. 2 hours drive to Rennes once you get to Cherbourg. Sunday night ferry back was delayed and got home 12.30 this morning. I would do it again but yes please can we have it in the UK please? Ferry was £290 and €90 for the hotel Saturday night. With a free day Sunday we drove back along the coast and had a nice lunch at a local market we found. Very pleasant until it got dark and then a boring wait for the late running ferry.

As I have the bike at work I practice in ordinary boots and work trousers. I wonder if you would get the same feedback in trials boots. I have tried hard to use the feedback through the soles of my feet to get the balance right. As the bike leans then it is inevitable your calf will touch the bike as best I can see. No idea what is right/wrong but my experience suggests that as you get better you can use the pegs more which (I hope) is the correct way to balance when you are actually riding. One thing I do try to do is move the front wheel from one lock to the other as I have needed to do this when on a section. Generally this causes me to overbalance even if I have managed to balance OK on full lock. For me this is "stage three". Stage four might now be with the front wheel facing forwards - see just as I thought I was getting somewhere you guys add a new challenge. Hmmph. Thanks a lot. ?

If it is the same then I think it is : https://www.trials-action.de/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=27&products_id=1176&osCsid=d03c3dfb5a286e5b956b0bba4b3439fa The filler and drain are the same thread I believe? Also : https://www.bts-motorradteile.de/Beta-Evo-300-70539/de/motor/motorschmierung/oelablassschraube/oelablassschraubemagnetischjmpbc260007c.html pattern part? I wish my German was better. kinderleicht! [edit] I can see why you are struggling - I would have thought there were lots of on line places in Germany but there are not [/edit] Sometimes it just pays to stick at it ? https://www.neubert-racing.com/search/result?q=2900451 000 PS thanks Reggie for the part number - makes life easier.....

If you want to get a return on the money (I assume the promoters do) you have to look at the biggest available population that might want to go. The O2 arena makes the most business sense. The population of London is about 9 million and it has very good transport links to the surrounding areas. All in all a catchment of maybe what, 15 million, 20 even? Next trial after Rennes is Budapest. Total population of Hungary 9.8m (Coventry is very good for me personally BTW - friends there) I really can't believe that it wouldn't get at or near capacity here. Who do we shout at to get one here?

Next weekend in Rennes. I have tickets.... Sheff is OK but a long drive (further than Rennes if you ignore the ferry). Why oh why can we not have a round in the highly populated south? Are there really not enough people to fill an event and not enough revenues to be had? You don't have to like trials to find it entertaining. Guildford would be great (I'm sure Gordon Farley would be pleased)