ChrisCH

Anyone going this weekend? I am still trying to make my mind up. It's a bit under three hours from Calais. Weather looks cracking and Belgian beer there too! Missus is hobbling about after stacking the Beta on Sunday so looking for something less energetic - could be ideal.

The Lite is only £6400. I would want the clutch model but I don't have the cash sitting around just at the minute. Very good idea though - no motor to maintain. I would love one.

What difference does Europe make? Honda is a global brand and well respected as a bike manufacturer. Montesa is a bit like Ossa - a name from the past.

The clutch transfers power from the engine to the gearbox. The point of bite is where friction is adequate to transfer that power. if you rev the engine at or near that point you change the dynamics of the clutch and the friction. So - if I understood your post correctly - the increased power, the "blip", moves the bike forward even though you have not fully disengaged the clutch? This is because the additional power creates more friction and the engine power is transferred to the gearbox. My riding skills are not good enough but I understand this is the basis of the manoeuvre called the splat? You add power while slipping the clutch before a final "dump" of the remaining power. I think that's how it works anyway. The clutch is a major part of trials riding and coordinating it with the throttle allows you to do stuff that is not otherwise possible. I've ridden road bikes for years and trail bikes for years but this stuff is like learning to ride all over again. Honestly I don't understand why so many people recommend modifying a bike to overcome lack of control skills. Surely that just makes a person skilled at riding a modified bike? Maybe I'm wrong but that's how I see it at this point in time. So I fall off a bit and make a fool of myself now and then but hey so what - nothing new for me

I think this is what a trials bike is supposed to do? The missus has taken over my old Rev 3 and so I bought a TRS. The first time i tried a wheelie I went over the back. That's why they have a lanyard kill switch. It has taken me a couple of months to learn to control the thing but dropping the clutch will lift the front wheel with virtually no throttle at all. A double blip will launch you skywards and it is essential to shut the throttle down as soon as the rear tyre has done it's job, or better still pull the clutch in. It takes a while to get used to it but you are on a machine designed to jump up a two meter vertical obstacle. I am sure I will never do that but the bike can. people keep saying to me about all the modifications that remove the power like low compression heads but honestly if you don't want the performance why buy the bike? There are plenty of 125cc machines around.

A guy in our club had the 250 One. I rather liked it and thought I would get one but they seem to sell about 3 minutes after they come on the market. I needed a bike as the missus now hogs the Beta all the time. The 280 doesn't sell so well and I bought one simply because it was available (the dealer had three in stock). Several people have subsequently said to me the 280 is "better" than the 250 and smoother. I have no idea if this is true, however I can say as a very new rider that the 280 is OK and I am now getting reasonable with it. It has the fast throttle and is the RR with the Keihin carb but the diaphragm clutch is nice and you can lift the front wheel so easily that no fork compression is required. The power makes it easy to climb without the need to have a big handful of throttle and slip the clutch. It has taken me several weeks of practice just to get the hang of the bike and it is still a bit intimidating but I shall not be changing the spec to make up for my lack of skill, just practising more to bring my skill more to where the bike is. The man who had the 250 had a 300 previously and sold it as he found it too much. He has gone Beta now and loves it (250 factory)

Boof.

Looks like the old style wheel with a bearing built in. You might struggle a bit with that. If it is the 25mm you can get them but not sure about the old 1" ones. Looks a nice job though,

Fair enough - you can be 99% certain that the GVW is 200Kg. Can you lift the trailer? So you know roughly what it weighs and as trapezartist says it is unlikely anyone will ever both you. Not 100% kosher but near enough unless something is very wrong. If the lights work and the ratchet straps or fixings are good the police will be happy. (Ratchet straps need a CE mark) Hopefully DVSA have better things to do.

All trailers need their gross and unladen weight clearly shown on the plate. Older trailers do not need a VIN number nor are they subject to type approval. The gross weight is the maximum the suspension units or axle is capable of carrying (e.g. 400Kg) and the unladen is the weight of the trailer (e.g. 123Kg) the maximum load is the difference (in this example 277Kg). Lights can be integral or a removable lighting board. The vehicle must show reflective red triangles to the rear. If the vehicle lights are clearly visible you can get away without lighting but it is a grey area. Tyres need to be roadworthy in accordance with normal tyre law. You can get the trailer weighed at a weighbridge and the suspension might have a rating on it if you are lucky. You could - if you have that data - make a plate. It should really have the date of "manufacture" but if you don't know it cannot. If it is in good order like yours the chances of getting stopped are slim and the chances of the police knowing anything at all about trailer law is slim. The DVSA (formerly VOSA) are the people to watch. If you tow for hire or reward they have jurisdiction. A commercial vehicle - van or 4X4 - towing is something they like to stop. If the total permissible weight is over 3500Kg (i.e. a 3.5 tonne van and a bike trailer) the vehicle should have a tachograph. There are "grey" areas but they tend not to see the grey just their own point of view Hire and reward can be construed as towing a competition vehicle for which a prize could be awarded. (I kid you not).

The reseller sites are very good and offer a variety of options. We use parcel2go from time to time and find the price is the same as our regular contract couriers in the UK and cheaper for EU mainland. You will need to package the wheels up first so you have weights and dimensions to put into the website.

Very hard to find ethanol free here in the UK. I don't know anyone that bothers. I try to find the lowest ethanol fuel I can on the last ride in autumn for my wife's road bike (Ducati Monster) as it sits in the tank for the winter and I have read stuff about it affecting the plastics. My Suzuki has a steel tank and runs regular unleaded. Both bike run regular unleaded when in use. I doubt the accuracy of the ethanol information on UK forums so whether I am getting what I think is questionable (it is not labelled here) My TRS likes Shell V Power which is a 99 octane fuel. It has "up to" 5% ethanol according to the manufacturer's website. I mix 80:1 (Putoline TT Pro) and use it for both the TRS and the Beta. The TRS is better on that fuel but the Beta doesn't really run any different to 97 super unleaded. The Beta pinks on regular (95) unleaded. (I made that mistake when I first bought it). In France the ethanol content is displayed on the pump. So you can buy E5 or E10. Nearly all outlets are E5. I haven't taken the bikes for a while so I am in my diesel car when there, but hopefully we will go to Belgium to watch the trials this year. The Suzuki will be happy on whatever goes in it! I think the whole ethanol thing is overstated to be honest. The early issues with plastics appear to have been sorted. Nearly all bike tanks are plastic and all the manufacturers know that Europe is moving to E10. My lawnmower has the cheapest, most rubbish, plastic tank imaginable (and runs on 99 octane as that is what I have in the can for the bikes).

The xhg summer rides are not very competitive and the beginer's bit is OK. We have a ride on Wednesday evening. http://www.xhgtiger.org.uk/

I run Nano Trans in the Rev 3 with the same results. Hard to credit an oil with so much effect but after half a dozen changes it is a different bike. The cold stick "breaks" after a gentle push in 3rd. A couple of clutch actions remove the last of the stick and the bike rides perfectly. I had intended to do the "fix" but I will not bother now. Bleeding the clutch also made a big difference. I read about the oil on here and have not used any other oil so nothing to compare with other than how the bike arrived with whatever it had in it and whatever it had run before. The cold stick was very bad when I first got the bike and I thought there was a fault with it, so I looked on the Internet and found this forum (thank you everyone for your contributions to this topic).

Thanks I will have another look at it. I put a couple of extra nuts into the mounting point so it has taken it out about 10mm. The silencer doesn't fit very well and this allows it to rotate and the bottom of the oval is still a bit too close to the tyre. I cannot see any additional mounts at the front of the silencer - I assumed it should locate properly but there is nothing for it to butt up to. The missus is at the small obstacle stage and all is fine, but it will give a problem as the rear suspension gets compressed further and harder going forward. I have just been too lazy to give it my full attention if I am honest. I enjoy riding not repairing. Bank hols this weekend so might get a bit more time off and something to do other than be stuck in the traffic

OK. Thanks I will try the SKF items. If your experience has been a similar life span then I can hope the forks are still OK. I will change the bike when I can find a nice Evo as replacement but they don't hang around long enough even to go look at them. I don't want to sell it with a defect and if I can't find what I want we will hang on to it for a while (the Missus loves it). They are nice bikes just that annoying silencer rubbing on the tyre.

There were professionally replaced new seals and new oil. I am lucky that I have a mechanic in walking distance of where I work (and store the bike). The bike will go back to him but I wondered if this was a common thing? Seals are a rare item on road bikes and I am new to trials so want to know if it was a more common thing. I think the rebuild and TiN coating service is a decent price, new forks are nearly 8 hundred and that is way way too much for an old bike like this. Plus that would mean new yokes as the new size is 39mm, so about a grand all up.

My old Rev has the Paioli 38mm forks, now defunct. When we bought the bike the fork seals had "just been replaced" (presumably by the previous owner). After a couple of months or so there was a new leak (R/H). I got a local mechanic to fit new seals as it was cheaper (£45) than going back to the dealer - he reported the fork brace was loose. I therefore assumed the previous owner had been ham fisted. After what is now 6-7 months we have another leak. I cannot see any damage or marks on the stanchions and the forks function OK it is just a bit wet. (L/H only) The black coating is uniform and not showing obvious wear. I assume that the forks will gradually bend and deform over the years? Is this frequency uncommon (bike is '05)? There doesn't feel to be any play in the bushing and the forks are nice to ride, don't sag or anything. The oil was changed and there is no other reason to think anything is wrong. I just wondered if other people find they are also putting seals in more than once a year? I can see a rebuild and re-coating (Titanium Nitride) service for £350 and that is tempting. Very bling gold too. If the coating adds a few microns that should help seal and compensate for 15 years wear. Anyway thought I would canvas a few opinions before spending. Thanks for any feedback.

I have looked all over the Internet. There is an Italian after market item on eBay but the cost (with shipping) is eye watering and I see no reason to imagine it will not wear out exactly the same. New OE item is about 150 notes. On eBay at the minute is a secondhand one with a carbon (presumably look like not real) wrapping. The supplier doesn't list a carbon protector. Again I have read the entire Internet looking for a carbon or other material guard to fit on the inside of the silencer. This is the only thing I don't like about the bike and the only reason to move it on and get an Evo. The missus has now taken over the Rev and likes it for where she is in her riding now. The bike runs nice and does everything but at some point she will start bumping over big stuff and the silencer will be an issue again. Mine is '05 250 and I think the can is probably not the right one (there are two lengths). It wobbles a bit and doesn't fit well on the central box. If it would hold in place then you would get a few mm clearance and it would probably be OK. Also I am sure you could glue a stainless wrap on the existing can that would wear the tyre not the can (tyre is much cheaper...) Shame. These are good bikes and this is a p*** poor design. Virtually every other component can be replaced and - if you want - upgraded. I am sure that with time and money you could adapt a Gas Gas can to fit but by the time you have done all that you have bought a new bike.

I wanted the 250 - like you I am a long way from Mr Raga. (I started trials last October). However they seem to sell in about 30 seconds after being advertised, or are over 4 grand. As the missus has now hogged the Beta and I needed another bike I bought the 280 RR simply because it was all I could get in budget. It has the fast throttle and (I assume) is standard (2017 model). I had eyed up a club member's 250 One for a while as I thought it was a nice bike. The two bikes are different. However, after a few weeks of riding it and getting used to it I have to say I have no bother with it. There is far more power than I need or could ever use but I have never felt it to be something you cannot control. First attempt at a wheelie and I end up off the back with the bike taking itself for a ride. You just need to put a bit less throttle in the mix. You have to pick up your riding skill a bit. But persevere and it is not so hard. On the plus side the power and clutch let you place the front wheel anywhere you like with a one finger clutch movement. That has improved my riding. Weekend before Easter we had our usual Sunday practice session and the ground was nice and dry and the power made climbs easy. I also mastered a half meter obstacle that had scared me before - the first time I managed it under control I hit the sump guard (too scared to put enough power on) but by the third attempt I nailed it. I actually felt that the power was a good thing and it reinforced the view I needed to improve not buy a smaller bike to make up for my lack of skill - the bike isn't the issue, just the rider. I need to put more time in and work on gaining confidence and balance. I don't know if this will help you in your choice, but I would say that you should not be put off if you only find the 280 at the right deal for you. I am happy with my bike and my deal (Lee in Northamptonshire) and I am sure I could sell the bike quickly with only a few hundred loss if I really didn't like it. However, I am now determined to learn to ride the thing rather than just buy a smaller bike or do all the mods everyone talks about - throttle, flywheel and so on, I read all the posts on here about the One vs the RR and bought into the RR as the better, but the better shock is wasted on me at my present level. The Keihin carb and fast throttle are chalk and cheese to the old Rev 3 with Mikuni and slow throttle. I will replace the Rev for an Evo when I see the right deal but it is very OK for the missus at present (she started with me last October). With less power you need to pre-compress the forks more to get the lift and I actually find the TRS "easier" to ride in that respect. I am sure more experienced riders will give you all sorts of opinions, but as very much a newbie and at the start of the learning curve I hope that helps you a little. I was prepared to sell the TRS if I couldn't get on with it as it was the right price and good condition but I will keep it now for sure. One "tip" for what it is worth - I have found Shell V Power runs very nicely in it and now use that 80:1 with Putoline TT pro and use that in both bikes. (Beta is happy on any super unleaded).

I struggled with the neutral for a while (it is essentially the same gearbox and clutch). After using the NanoTrans for a while it is much much easier. I think there is still some drag on the Beta clutches even if they appear to work OK. I have no idea what the NanoTrans has in it or how it is different but I can say that it certainly has made a difference. The old Beta is easier than my new TRS.

I hope so mate. Ours certainly runs a bit "off" after the bike has been wrong way up. My TRS ran a bit "off" after it got the better of me as well and then settled down after a couple of minutes. I wondered if that was a carb issue so i will follow your progress with interest. Hope you get it sorted at the weekend.

Have you checked the float height and looked at the carb issues that are fixed at the top of the Beta sub forum? My Rev 3 ran badly after the bike went upside down. When the carb was removed there was a metal item in it (I think a fragment of a nail) which I can only assume was put in to stop the flooding issue. The mechanic put a new jet in it and cleaned it up and it is OK, but there has been some flooding. The Mikuni seems to be problematic - the fix described is a good start point. I (foolishly) thought on an old bike all this would have been done by at least one of the previous owners. My missus has now taken over the Beta full time and I have bought myself a TRS. Riding the Beta I wonder if the bike revs out properly - the TRS is worlds apart. When she gets to the point that this is an issue I think it is new bike time rather than keep throwing money at a 15 year old bike. Ironically the Beta runs nicely at low revs and the relative lack of power is just what she needs for the time being so it is doing a good job. It also has the slow throttle so that is a factor. i did think about fitting the later Keihin as per the Evo, but it needs a new reed block as well so the overall expense is significant.

Are you sure it is a Sherco? In my day these bikes were known as a Bitza. (sorry)

I fitted a new engine to a Suzuki many years ago. If you send the V5 back the DVLA change the engine number for you free of charge, so it is not a very big problem. The engine numbers in the OP are odd, in that the first three digits look very much like CC. If so then the bike was a 250 which has had a 300 engine fitted later. I don't know enough about the bikes to say if the engine is a "factory" edition or not. I would think the importers could quickly find out. The engine number and the V5 should match - this is a sign that something has been altered. If the engine had been legitimately changed at some point the V5 should have been changed to show the new engine number. I suggest that the OP uses the DVLA system to check the registration number of the bike. It should show the bike's details and that it is SORN (I assume it is), but it will give you the engine CC and taxation class. If it shows as a 250 then you will have solved the mystery, but not what to do about it. https://www.gov.uk/get-vehicle-information-from-dvla