ChrisCH

I have researched a lot about this to see how it affects the Ducati. Much of what is out there seems to contradict other articles and opinions. I have also read about liners failing as @totty79 has posted. I must admit I have not taken much interest in the vulnerability of old components as our Ducati is a 2012 model. But you guys have got me googling again. I wonder if anyone has any experience with the additives? These are supposed to overcome the issues with ethanol and old pre-ethanol components such as O rings. I don't know how they affect the water absorption which is the source of any corrosion. (E60 seems to come out worse, but going from E5 to E10 doesn't seem to make much odds) Anyway there are things out there which either work or are just to take your hard-earned. Wonder if anyone has a view? https://www.demon-tweeks.com/uk/frost-ethomix-fuel-additive-fstz555/

I think there is a liquid you can tip into tanks to line them? (yes - https://www.rust.co.uk/product/slosh-petrol-tank-sealer-7) I have read about this for fibreglass tanks. My neighbour bought something similar to cure a leak on an old Yam 900. However he is a bit ham fisted and managed to block up the carbs but not cure the leak ? Might be worth investigation? Do please have a google round first though as I have no other experience of this type of product.

Yes, you have understood it correctly. Tow bars have a weight limit that they are designed to "carry" which is the equivalent of the nose weight imposed by the trailer. As well as the recommended capacity of the vehicle you must ensure the weight capacity of the tow bar is adequate. The tow bar manufacturer will supply this weight capacity on request. The insurance company could propose that the capacity of the tow bar is exceeded. In practice I am sure they don't bother unless somehow the claim revolves around the bike rack (ie it fell off with the bike on it) Years ago people used to fit coil spring assisters for towing to beef up the rear springs. These are still available from most trailer/caravan outlets. I am sure Dave Cooper would weld up aluminium bike racks if we were all willing to pay for them. That would save a few kilos and probably bring the bike/rack into line.

Yes, what I have read seems to suggest the ethanol can absorb water and this can cause deformation issues with plastic. Since pretty much all UK petrol is E5 it is all but impossible to avoid without the huge cost of Aspen. I have had no issues with the plastic tank. I don't know anyone else that has had issues. There are quite a few TRS in my club and everyone runs ordinary fuel from the petrol station. The main problems seem to be on the internet and not in real life. (I am sure there are a few real world examples) Some people have another agenda the same as happened when lead was first removed from petrol and a section of society had an issue with "vegetarian petrol" or other such nonsense. It is all forgotten now, but of course some old vehicles still need an UCL additive. Interestingly a huge proportion of modern vehicles have plastic tanks. I fail to understand the science that 5% ethanol is OK and 10% is not if I am honest. TRS position - none at all - is at least logical. If only the internet was not full of fruit loop conspiracy theorists we might get to the core of the real issue. Assuming there is one ?

I have never heard of any issues with unleaded and carburettor parts. I will have a google to see if anything turns up. What I am guessing is the issue is more likely to be the ethanol rather than the lack of lead. Lead is (was) an upper cylinder lubricant in older engines. In two strokes the lack of lead as best I understand it was never an issue. You can buy a lead replacement additive but I am sceptical that you need it. Ethanol can attack certain plastics and some people report issues with it and early petrol tanks. There is a lot of internet noise about ethanol and Ducati. My wife's Ducati Monster runs fine and has no issues with E5 but there is some concern as best I understand it about the new E10. As best I can see the "super" will still be E5. My TRS states "no ethanol" in the manual but it runs on E5 OK (Shell V Power) and as best I know you cannot buy ethanol free fuel in the UK unless you buy the Aspen fuel for chainsaws. - this seems to back up it is the E10 that is an issue - https://www.dandyclassics.com/welke_benzine_tanken_in_oldtimer/

First outing last night and it was OK. Probably half the people we would normally expect so it was fairly easy to show willing. Made for a more relaxed evening as well. Nice to be back although I ache this morning. Looking forward to the next one.

If it is half decent order it is a shame to waste the stuff you have. Just make sure the rubbers on the suspension are not perished. If it is not left out in the sunshine it is probably OK. The 25mm hubs are obsolete (at least as best we can find) - they have two roller bearings while the 1 inch has taper bearings. Bearings should be easy to source. Wheel nuts and studs should be OK as well so you should be able to keep the whole thing running for a while. People do totally mess up trailers for some reason. Welded on suspension is not that uncommon. Bonkers.

If they are the old wheels with integral bearings the tube is probably there to keep the old tyre inflated. They are tubeless, everything is. Old rims get rusty and don't seal and the bearing type rims are a pain to do at the roadside. We are unable to source the rims any more and advise new suspension units with the more common bolt on wheels. I would thoroughly check the suspension before you invest in the tyres. If it is OK and you change the tyres yourself it is the lowest cost option. I'd check the bearings at the same time and replace them too if they are not 100%. Once you have the old tyre off you can inspect the rim and make your decision on the tube. I'd be tempted to put in a tube if the rims are crappy. New tyres will - of course - "repair" the puncture that probably was the reason for the tube. Do you have a compressor? You can inflate a tubed tyre easily with a foot pump but often need a compressor to seat the beads on a new tyre. The new liquid latex sealants are very good and seal a puncture rather than go flat - even a tube will puncture. I run latex in the mountain bike and it is very good. Tubes increase the heat slightly in high speed applications like a trailer, but beyond that are a non issue.

You can get a T bracket (designed for two sockets for caravans) That will move the socket from where the rack is positioned. The nuisance is the need to get the wire back in and out. A better option might be the extension plate which has a cutaway in it. You can cut the existing plate as well so you don't need to touch the wire. https://www.pfjones.co.uk/witter-zeap1-electrical-plate-extension.html

We are a wholesale distributor for Franc in Southern England. They do both a single bike and two bike trailer. Our trade customer Dave Cooper does a range of his own aimed at trials bikes as well as the rear mounted bike racks he is well known for. http://www.davecooper.co.uk/trailers/trailers-for-bikes Stocks of all French trailers are low at the minute as France has been shut down the same as we have. (Dave has had problems getting suspension units to make trailers as the UK manufacturer of them has been shut down). I think things are getting better quickly though. Some of our retailers will have stock of two bike units, we have only singles in the warehouse. Erdé do a single bike trailer as well and I think there are plenty of them about. They are imported by Wilstow who sell them direct as well as wholesale to smaller dealers. https://www.erde.co.uk/product-category/erde-classic/erde-motorcycle-trailers/ Sadly Franc do not list their UK dealers - their support is not that great in terms of marketing for some reason. I can point you in the right direction for the South Coast and London areas if you want.

If anyone is interested it is possible to buy the pre-made channels for bikes. We import the French ones for Franc trailers: https://www.code-remorques.fr/rampes-et-rails-porte-moto/31-rail-porte-moto-avec-fourche-franc-tr800818.html Sadly trailers and parts are much cheaper in France and this would be nearer £80 retail in the UK. Any Franc dealer should be able to get you one. If we are ever allowed to go there you could pick one up with some cheap booze. X-Trial in November.... If you don't mind the extra ferry fare trailers cheap there too.... https://www.feuvert.fr/remorque/feu-vert-porte-motos-feu-vert--2-vehicules/p562688.html

You only need to comply with type approval with a new trailer. However it must have a weight plate and capacity stamped on it with the year of manufacture. The IVA process is mostly about lighting and compliance with the road regulations. Converting a goods trailer to a bike trailer is not going to give any real problems. There are (as above) kits sold that never get tested and there are commercially manufactured trailers that side step the process. The IVA is designed for custom trailers and very small manufacturers. The next level is batch approval and finally European Whole Vehicle Type Approval. If you buy something like an Ifor Williams it will have whole vehicle and come with a certificate of conformity. Following the letter of the law to the absolute if you modify the bodywork strictly it needs re-approval. For example converting a box trailer into a catering van. If this is done all that is tested is the modifications. Therefore modifications that do not affect the road characteristics (lighting mostly) are not part of the approval. Even the people that test them are a bit vague and unclear on the process. Our experience of the test process is that if you can you are well advised to not get dragged down into it. When type approval was introduced VOSA thought it would be a big deal and set up a lot of stations including independent test facilities (we applied to be one and were approved). Now there are hardly any test centres as hardly anyone goes through the testing. All the small manufacturers have either packed up making trailers or are producing illegal trailers. Adding a bike carry channel to a goods trailer should be OK. Do not overhang the back too much and make sure that the bike weight is over the axle. Please, please, please make sure the lights work and the tyres are OK and the general state of the trailer is good. The chances of being stopped if the trailer is in good order with working lights are tiny. The chances the coppers know towing law is even more tiny. They will know a bald tyre if they see one and ticket you (rightly so). If you weld the channel on you have modified the bodywork. If you bolt it on you have not. (No one will care I am sure). If you build a trailer from scratch it needs IVA and you will need to comply with the requirements. All the components such as lights and reflectors need E Approval and you need to supply the certificates. The responsibility lies with the person that puts the trailer on the road not the one that builds it, so the ebay kits make you wrong and the seller is OK. Do not buy them unless you want the hassle. A new bike trailer is not expensive. A lot of the camping type goods trailers get their strength from the box and are not really suited to conversion. Older better made ones are ideal. In my experience a secondhand trailer is nearly always well overpriced and a bad buy. By the time you have repaired one you might as well buy a new one.

We have an invitation only event this coming Saturday and will start the summer series in July when it is legal to do so and in agreement with ACU guidelines. You can see what is on as it is on the ACU website together with all the latest info. https://www.acu.org.uk/events/Trials/

Parcel2go quotes UK to Germany for that size and weight at £10 for economy and about £20 for fast delivery.

Have you worked out the shipping? Parcel2go.com is good and will calculate the cost for you. If you want to you can send it to our warehouse and we will forward it on. I would check the price though.

I have been watching the bikes market on ebay for some time. There are no "cheap" bikes and have not been for a very long while. When I bought the TRS (John Lee) the sales guy said the "middle market" did not exist any more. What was old rubbish is now the bottom end and it is £1,500 upwards. I have not noticed any price hike since the lockdown if I am honest, but there are fewer bikes advertised (sensible as you are not allowed to go look). Personally I think you have to realistically look at three grand as a start point. If you buy something cheaper it probably will end up near that when you have fixed it. Just how it is. On the upside whatever you end up selling benefits from the situation. So a three grand bike is still worth two grand after a few years of being beaten up.

By the time you have spent all this extra on turning it into something it was not designed to be would it not make more sense just to buy what you want in the first place? 2011 is an old bike and so probably needs a few things doing. Add up the cost of that plus your softening modifications and I don't see what you are gaining if price is the issue. After a while you will have gained some experience and start thinking about taking the modifications off. More faff and expense. I bought an old bike to start off and the first thing you realise is the previous 23 owners did not know a spanner from a gerbil. You tidy up this bit, that bit and the other bit. Now it is half decent. But the cost of the tidy up is probably not very far from the difference between a better bike and the cheaper one, unless the one you are looking at is super cheap. If it is a mate doing you a favour great, otherwise it is cheap for a reason. Just my way of looking at things. There are other perspectives.

You are looking at it from the point of view of a participant. This is a trials forum, my comment was perhaps not clear - not many people out of the whole population, not those of us on here. The "average person" is not interested in motocross. They are not interested in trials. They are not interested in football (American or soccer). They are not interested in walking further than their car. The "average person" in the US (and the UK) is obese, lazy and a waste of space. But hey, that is the world. And we live in it. So the issue of discussion is whether we - the "interested in trials" person are interested in watching other people having fun doing what we like to do for ourselves. The answer for me is only if they are amazing. I might watch some "motocross" if it is amazing but I have no interest in doing it. Events to watch are a spectacle. Things you do yourself are participatory. Trials (well for me anyway) is participatory not spectacular. X-Trial is spectacular not participatory. This forum is about trials. Not going to watch it, but taking part in it. How to fix your bike or improve your technique. Well that is what it is about for me. To answer the OP question.

I assume you mean trials not BB ? To be fair if you have an interest in trials then it is maybe something a person might go to watch. There are not many of us with an interest though. I recently went to watch an X-Trial and it is a full on entertainment event. Loud music and multicoloured lights, the full experience. (Beer too) I am sure such a "spectacle" would appeal to lots of people with little or no interest in conventional trials.

Normal trials is underwhelming. Boring. Why anyone would watch it is a mystery. But that is because it is a participatory sport not a spectator sport. It would be like watching someone sat on a river bank for three hours fishing. Hard to imagine why anyone would do that, but not hard to enjoy the peace and quiet and relaxation of going fishing for an hour or two. Although, to be fair, there is a sub group of barely human people that watch something called "Big Brother". It was on UK TV "live" and people did actually watch another (barely) human fast asleep. Apparently this is called "reality" TV. Now in my opinion the reality is is you watch it you are a bit of a dickhead but hey, let's be fair, some people do. And at least while they are watching someone asleep they are not stealing anything (bar some atmospheric oxygen maybe).

Only 4 years to go then. ?

Modern towbars fit into where the crash absorption bar is at the rear of the vehicle. You will generally need to remove the rear light clusters and the valance. Also the reversing sensors. It is a job within many people's capabilities but it is quite easy to break the plastic and a lot of cars there is a "knack" that once learned is easy but if you don't know it... The T-Roc will be Euro 6 if it is diesel. Lots of these (especially VW) can be a right PITA. It is sometimes the case that the Adblue tank needs to be taken off. So it can be an easy task if the car is one model or a PITA if it is another. Personally I would let someone else do it, someone that I trusted to do it properly. If you do them all day long it might take a couple of hours, if you are unfamiliar with them (and don't have the bodywork tools) it could be an all-dayer. If you break the valance it could be an expensive day as well. Again depending on the model the valance might need cutting to accommodate the towbar. If you have a good cutting tool, a steady hand and a keen eye should be no problem. If you are a bit ham fisted (like me) again I would let someone else do it. Not trying to put anyone off - I love the DIY option, but just to be aware. There really is a huge difference between different sorts of cars. As with motorbikes, knowledge is the key.

The max load for the Scirroco is 50Kg. No idea about the T-Roc - it's far too new for me. There's some good data here: https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/media/12354614/noseweights-mo__2_.pdf It's for the towing shed people but the principle is OK. Really hard to beat a panel van, but if you don't have storage space it is not going to work for you. Dave Cooper (of bike rack fame) does a nice fold up trailer as well as the bike racks. Your Scirrocco would tow that easily. Again (sadly) not a cheap option. Towing reduces your speed limits and keeps you outside the "fast" lane of the motorway, but then a panel van drops speed limits too. Depends on how much you need to travel with the bike. We ride local and I have a van for work so ideal. Jolly handy too for getting changed and you can have a little camping stove and make a bacon sarny for lunch, hiding out of the rain.

There are two options - put the bike inside or attach it with a trailer or bike rack. If it will not go inside whatever you plan to move it with then you need a tow attachment of some sort to pull the trailer or fit the bike rack. Bike racks are very good but you need to check the weight rating for both the car and the towbar. A lot of cars will not cope with the weight. You need to add together the rack and the bike so generally about 75-80Kg or so. Most cars/towbars will not be rated for that. As above the VW garage will charge a premium for the fitting and then probably go to a local towbar fitter to get the job done. Most car dealers don't fit towbars themselves. There are a lot of people around that fit towbars that are not very good at it. Try to get someone accredited by the NTTA or similar. Part of the cost issue is that you need a vehicle specific kit for the wiring. Modern cars like the T-Roc have a vehicle network (Canbus) and the electrics need to "talk" to it. Cheap backstreet operations will fit a bypass relay (bypassing the canbus) which is much much less expensive but might well invalidate any manufacturer's warranty on the car. If the car is on a lease or similar you need permission to alter it. The backstreet towbar fitter will not tell you about this - they will just take your money then fit some old rubbish and now it is your problem. https://www.ntta.co.uk/buyers-guide/quote-towbar https://www.towbarexpress.co.uk/volkswagen-t-roc-detachable-flange-towbar-t-roc-suv-a11/ £573 Seems about right. That is with a bypass relay - 200 extra for vehicle specifics. You would need to check if that is OK if there is any finance on the car - the specific kit is the correct option. The flange type is what you need for a bike rack. For that application you can get away with a lighting board as the bike covers the lights. For towing a trailer you need to look at things like reversing sensors and so on. So with a vehicle kit and proper fitting plus a main dealer mark up I would imagine you are getting near to a grand.

I hope you enjoy the new bike! I bought a Rev 3 about 18 months ago and yes, I did read all the thread.... We have exchanged that for an Evo (2014) and the clutch is better. However, I have to agree with the earlier poster that the Nano Trans oil makes a huge difference (no idea why). With the Rev 3 it improved the clutch but did not "cure" it. The Evo when we bought it had clutch drag and cold stick and I have changed the oil twice since then with the Putoline. There is a little stick there now but I can ignore it (at least now in the warm weather). I am often sceptical about what you read on the internet and forums are places for people to air their weird ideas and think someone is listening, but that "tip" worked out for me. Many thanks to all the people who contributed to this thread - it is a fantastic resource.