ChrisCH

Our club generally has a mix of old and new at most meetings. I don't think having a new or old bike would really restrict you much in terms of getting a ride. If you like fixing bikes, hunting auto jumbles for parts and machining up components you cannot buy any more than by all means get into older stuff. My dad was a mechanic and would have enjoyed all that stuff. I know people that do. If you want to ride, buy a new bike. My missus put her Beta through a fence when first learning. My TRS spat me off the back when I first bought it. Both those bikes have a device on the right hand side of the bars that you need to learn to control a bit better 😎 There's a bloke at our club who is 70 odd and new to the sport. I don't think age is much to do with anything. Buy what will give you the most fun. If you like fixing stuff fair play - buy something that will need frequent fixing. From my limited recent experience with trials and having had bikes in general for nearly 50 years I would go for something like the TRS 250 One or the Beta Evo 250 as a start point. I don't get the 125cc thing - they will scare you if you rev them hard enough same as the 250s.

I doubt age is the issue, more what a person's interests are. I like the X-Trial and would go to see it if the venue was near enough, but I would happily go watch the "traditional" trial as well. X-Trial is designed to be entertaining and a spectacle. I am sure most that watch it do not ride. What I cannot understand is why X-Trial is so popular elsewhere and not UK.

To me, if I am honest, that cuts both ways. Sure the 'traditional' outdoor is a better event (and surely there is a way round the possible contamination of waterways issue?) but bringing things into an indoor stadium with artificial obstacles increases the potential venues. Either there are enough people here in the UK that would pay to see it or there are not. I can't decide. I would pay but that doesn't tell you anything much - only about me.

I have just cancelled my hotel booking for the event. For me it was a tough decision to go because it is a long long drive up and so half the weekend is in the car not watching the riders. To build on @baldilocks point why not have the event in the South? (I know, I know - howls of protest from the northerners - sorry chaps) The advantage of the higher population density and larger number of people potentially interested is worth a debate. I think perhaps there are more people as a percentage interested in trials in the more northern parts of the country, but more numerically in the south. If the issue is getting a return on the time and investment for the organisers then does the south not make more sense? The UK now has no GP and no X-Trial.

Everything I have read suggests that the Ethanol absorbs water and that is the main problem. I think your experience shows this to be true. Diesel suffers microbial growth if there is too much bio content. My road bike is stored under cover and in a warehouse where it does not freeze. I have no issues with the fuel in it. If you are storing in sub-zero conditions i think it might be wise to empty the tank or put a small amount of Aspen in just for the winter. (I once left a VFR for a long time and it gelled up - pre Ethanol fuel at the time) I would appreciate any feedback on the effect of the two stroke oil in the cold. (In E10)

E10 is OK for most vehicles and the main objection seems to be from people on the internet that give anecdotes rather than evidence. The issue is clouded by people that have an agenda other than just offering their experiences. My GSX runs fine on E10 and it runs fine on Sainsburys petrol. The marketing effort to get you to waste money on fuel is impressive and largely dishonest. My TRS runs better on Shell V Power, but it is a "performance" engine, not a road tuned vehicle. Or maybe it is my imagination? Whatever. Since it only burns a few litres a year and it feels to me that it is running better I will continue to buy a 5L can of V Power now and then. The car, van and road bikes get filled up at the supermarket. Our last van (Transit) did 200,000 miles on supermarket diesel and never missed a beat. What I have found out for sure is if you do enough research (on E10 and fuel generally) and read enough on the internet you can find two diametrically opposing points of view expressed with equal conviction and convincing supporting evidence.

OK - I am a bit thick here. What difference does the sprocket make? The forces on the hub are the same irrespective of the format of the sprocket surely?

The Euro 5 standards are just coming in for bikes (https://www.acem.eu/new-euro-5-environmental-standard-for-motorcycles-and-mopeds-to-enter-into-force-in-2020) As best I understand it type approval is not required for competition machines and so trials bikes do not need to comply. Not sure about the exact details. Micky is right about the Sachs and again my understanding is they are not designed to be rebuilt but there are repairers that can do (here in Europe anyway). https://aftermarket.zf.com/go/en/sachs/products/cars-and-vans/sachs-performance/repair-service/ You can view the drawing of the latest Beta exhausts in the partfinder - https://www.beta-uk.com/index.php?route=common/partsfinder - there is no cat in it. [edit] The gas-gas also has no cat - it is not a requirement for Euro5. I cannot find what they have actually done to meet the standards on their website. I guess it must actually meet it for them to publicise it.

I am sure you could sell it on eBay. If you go the auction route it will sell for what is worth, but what that is really depends on who wants it. What is is worth to you? Make that the reserve price. Just be 100% honest and if possible give an accurate price for a new motor in the description. I can't really see what the alternative is other than fit a new motor then sell it. At that point it is "worth" the average price of a secondhand bike and you will have that much money less the repair cost. I'll stick my neck out and make a fairly safe bet that will be a smaller number than the one you get selling it as it is now. (The eBay fees might level the two numbers up if you can be bothered to sell the repaired bike through some other route) I lot of people enjoy repairing stuff. I am not one of those people.

Splat shop list the Ohlins (six hundred quid 😵 ) and the drop down menu (to select bike) splits out the Evo post 2017 models as having the longer shock. So I guess yours and mine are the "old" length. I might upgrade next year - will have to see how things pan out. Secondhand bikes are stupid money now and it is a much more difficult decision whether to spend on an old bike or to trade in and buy a newer one. I have just replaced the front brake master cylinder with the braktec one and that has improved the bike and got rid of one of my main complaints. (I saw the new Factory has this m/c) The bike runs well and the wife loves it so the present strategy is gradual budget-permitting improvement rather than bike replacement.

I don't know the changes over the years, however I am interested (if you don't mind) to learn a bit more about your thinking. My missus has a 2014 bike (not the factory). She is OK with it but I find the rear shock a bit poor. I have looked at the Ohlins as a replacement. My understanding is the Factory still has the same Sachs unit. Would it not be better to fit an aftermarket shock? The Reiger is good (have one on my TRS).

If you swear as much as I do when you fall off I think you will annoy the neighbours.

My new plug worked fine on Saturday and so had a few hours practice. All good - starting OK, no issues. Many thanks again to everyone for the advice. I will get the carb checked over and make sure the tuning/jetting is in accordance with the TRS published spec.

I remember my dad teaching me that whiskers were the issue with spark plugs. He had a bantam to ride to work on as a young man. I have owned four stroke bikes since my youth and spark plugs are not something I have given much thought to until now. Many thanks to everyone that has given their feedback. I think I will get fitted one of the knurled mixture adjustment screws and experiment a little. I bought a couple more plugs off eBay but the ones that failed came from a specialist trials shop. I have been running the BPMR6A from NGK and could not readily see an alternative. But now I have a little knowledge to work with. (And yes, that is supposed to be a dangerous thing I believe)

I would guess the bike runs a bit rich, the plugs always seem a bit "oily". Last time round I changed the air filter as I thought that might be a factor. I'm afraid two stroke is a bit voodoo to me. But this is a good place to start - thanks for that.

Is anyone having issues with plugs on their TRS? My bike (2017 280RR) would not run again last night at the trial. The previous trial (2 weeks ago) it was fine. I have fitted a new plug this afternoon and it runs fine again. The "old" plug is less than a year old and replaced a failed plug that had also cost me a day's riding. As I was loading up the van to go home another club member with a 250RR returned to the car park with a defective plug. He said his bike "eats them". I have ordered some more for stock and will make a habit of carrying one in the van. Just wondered if this is a common issue or not?

They are getting near the bottom of the container of old clutch baskets they bought in 1966 and evaluating what next.

Stick with the gasgas. Wait until all the nonsense dies down and bike prices hopefully will get back to where they should be. If you want to upgrade look at a newer bike rather than a bigger one.

As you say the distance selling allows you to return the item if you want. The question therefore is really whether you like the bike enough to mess about getting it fixed or fixing it yourself (with or without help from the dealer). The alternative is send it back and lose the shipping costs but get your cash back and look for something else. Only you know how much you like the bike.

Hope it is OK for you (or I will be on a major guilt trip...)

Give Farley a ring at Guildford (01483 538485) they are expecting an Evo 200 in shortly (2018) no idea about the price they don't tell until the bike arrives. Might be in your new budget though. Personally i would look at the 250 as well but that is just me.

Generally speaking no. The driver and vehicle standards agency (formerly VOSA) are the people most involved in this area of enforcement. They are rather more "jobsworth" than the Police. The common issue is overloading and there are weighbridges around the country where this is checked. They are also responsible for tachograph and other similar enforcement. As a very general rule the Police don't know enough about the law to be bothered. If you have a minor accident they will be much more bothered about getting the road clear and testing you for alcohol and so on. Where the trailer and bike rack would be scrutinised is if the accident resulted in a fatality. Then the insurance companies would be seeking some serious money out of one another. If overloading were present this is contributory negligence and can adversely affect the level of cover. It is possible the Police at that stage would look to prosecute for something because the family of the deceased tend to want that. If you just dented someone's car they just want it fixed. Too much weight on the rear of the vehicle is unlikely to break the bar but adversely affects the handling. This will be the prosecution's line of blame attribution. The recommended limits are there to save you from that line of attack. It is unwise to ignore them. There is a VOSA stop point near us and it is not often open due to limited budget. When it is open there is soon a line of sorry looking individuals with crappy old trailers and big fines.

Bike prices have gone mad in the lockdown and in the UK you could get £1500 for it. Whether it is "worth" that is another matter. My wife's Beta would now sell for more than we paid for it 18 months ago. My TRS is now probably the same as I paid about the same time back. All of which makes it difficult for people starting out to find a cheap bike sadly. Newer bikes are a better buy IMHO.

That is all correct according to my local MOT person as well. Lights must work if fitted, but not a requirement.

Ford (IIRC) produced an engine that had 100k service intervals. it never took off as the service is a revenue generator for garages. Modern oil technology is amazing, as shown by your VW gear oil. I often wonder about axle diffs - they do the whole life of the vehicle and are totally forgotten about. The difference between the old oil and the Nano Tech in the missus' Beta is quite something. I have experienced the change for real but it is hard to get your head round. On really big kit (like earthmovers) the service engineers test the oil to see how much wear it has had rather than just change it at an arbitrary interval. The half litre in a trials bike is so cheap and so easy to do it probably makes sense to overdo it.