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You need to set your camera to a higher shutter speed on some of your photos to prevent blurry subject and sharp background. Really good sports photographers use expensive lenses that blur out the background so your eye focuses on the subject.

My Ducati burned out twice in the past six years. I doubt there is an alternative to OEM. If you could take off the epoxy backing maybe you could replace the bad resistor. It should be easy to find under the darkened spot on the epoxy. After the second time I burned out the box I noticed a loose wire hanging that was almost touching the radiator. The original owner cut off the lighting wires and left that live one hanging which probably caused the short and burned out the box.

Cody Webb is scheduled to race EnduroX this weekend in LA yet didn't ride last weekend in AZ. His foot must be healed but I wonder if he will be back to trials? Same situation with Louise Forsley. Talent goes where the money is and X-Games gold nets $50K while a trials national win gets $500. He could have easily won $300 for 2nd in AZ but even a 10th place in X-Games wins $1000.

Jap is a racial slur. As a Japanese American with parents who were sent to internment camps during WWII, I'm offended by the word. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jap

Here's another video I shot in Tennesee where the rider gets away with stopping and a body dab! http://www.flickr.co...N05/8969488869/ Three different rides on the same section. This one is true no stop with a clean. This other rider could have gotten a clean if he stopped and hopped but he chose to dab to keep going forward. The first rider would have never made it up the first big rock if he didn't prop himself with the tree, yet he only got a one.

From what I saw at the Tennesee WTC round, stop and hop is alive and well outdoors. If you prefer no stop, there were plenty of riders who rode that way. If you like stop and hop, there were even more, with many of them not even attempting to ride no stop and yet not getting a five. For them it was about how much stopping and hopping you can get away with. Turned out to be a lot. Common scenario was the top riders watch the lower riders try to ride no stop and fail, so the top riders figure out a zig zag, stop and hop route that will get them a clean knowing that they need to try for a clean loop to win it as shown by Raga's 1 point for two loops.

Here's one where he goes backwards. They could have gone over the big rock on the left but everyone I saw chose to stop and hop through the gap. http://www.flickr.co...N05/8868710048/ Bou gets a one. http://www.flickr.co...N05/8868668378/ Fuji stops and dabs for 3 seconds. http://www.flickr.co...N05/8868174097/

I was there and the observers were instructed to let them stop for up to two seconds. Everyone I saw this weekend who stopped without penalty only took two seconds, borderline three. Some even went backwards a little which they also got away with under the old rules. We should call the new rules pause allowed. Since they were allowed to stop and hop, the riders picked the easier line that zig zagged instead of the straight more difficult line. At the section on the video I noticed the observers were recording everyone's time. Everyone I saw was taking 1:15-1:17.

Yes! If it gets TV coverage like on X-games it would help bike sales. Already done before with judging on style points but too much like fmx on trials bikes.

Thanks for the measurments. 3.5 inches wide is the same as my 16 inch tire. I'm looking for a better tire than the hard Cheng Shin or Shinko. Vee Rubber makes a soft trials tire, the 17 inch VRM-308 which I think will work well if it fits in the swingarm. I know where to get one for $85 but the seller drop ships them and can't measure it.

Bike is a 2003 Suzuki RM100. That year Suzuki and Kawasaki had a partnership where they branded certain Kawasaki models as Suzuki and vice versa. My bike is a yellow KX100. Modifications: Geared down to 13/60 Steahly flywheel weight Rox Risers Skidplate Thin seat foam (to be added) Steering locks trimmed Double width footpegs Trials tire Standing position is very much like a trials bike. I can do trials, trail riding, and MX. It's a cheap, scaled down version of the KTM Freeride, Randonne, XRide. Mine cost $900 stock and since there are so many KX100's being parted out, spares are dirt cheap. I have a second rear wheel and seat to swap back to stock. This bike would be good for teenagers and small adults who want to try trials riding without committing to a trials specific bike. One drawback is the only 16" trials tire I can find is the small, narrow Shinko. I'd like to put on a 17" rim and install a real trials tire like the Vee Rubber that is used on the Gas Gas Cadet 70. Does anyone know what the width and outer diameter of that tire is? I think it will fit in the swingarm.

Who's going to be riding in Tennis E in the new Guest Class? It looks like anyone can who pays the entry fee. From TTC site: New for 2013 is a 5th class called “Guest”. The Guest Class will allow for a greater number of American riders to participate in the Trial World Championship. This 5th class requires the rider to be on a 125cc bike (or larger, per request) and ride the green line. This will allow riders who are not looking for World Championship points to compete with their international peers. So now if you would like to participate in the “Guest Class” You can send the FIM a request to ride larger than a 125 CC bike! http://trialstrainingcenter.com/blog/post/3629/

Check out the sticky thread in the Gas Gas section about replacing the fan motor with a model boat motor for about $15. It's the same motor used in vacuum cleaners so you might get one for free if you take apart a broken vacuum.

I was riding in the backyard yesterday and when I tried to kickstart, the lever was locked up. I layed it down and took off the clutch cover, clutch and looked at the gears. Idler gear was fine and kickstart gear had the same chipped tooth it had for years. Put it back together, started right up with no problems, and then made a video with my new gizmo called a Swivl that is an automated cameraman.

Did you buy it from the guy in Gadsden, AL? If so, how much? Without seeing a photo, I offered him $800 and he passed. I paid $760 for my 95 Section that didn't look as nice. The shock was toast and I replaced it with a brand new one made for a 90's Gas Gas. Now I need to figure out how to replace the heim joints they use in the linkage. My 89 Fantic had cracks on the frame and so does the 95. The aluminum frames are known for cracking. Even with the flywheel weight removed the power delivery is way mellower than my 2007 GG 250. The power valve doesn't seem to do anything. I had an overheating problem that took a while to figure out. The intake side hose on the water pump was so soft it would suck itself closed.

I'm also wondering how good the 20.0 will be for adults. I'm 5'4", 145lbs (162cm, 65kg) so the bike looks very appealing to me. The stiff forks sound good and I would use the 1000lb shock spring to make the bike like an electric pogo stick/trials bicycle. The delayed throttle response concerns me. Has anyone tried the technique of using the front brake like a clutch where you hold the brake, give a little throttle, compress forks and release the front brake like you are popping the clutch? Combining that with compressing the rear shock, you could get the bike to jump off the ground. I'm also interested in the Lipo battery conversion but would consider putting them in a backpack like the do on the EGO conversion kits. http://www.ego-kits.com/en/ego-kits/ The EGO kit looks like a good alternative to the Oset but it costs more than and doesn't include a bike. It would provide more options and not look so strange out in public. Plus it could be ridden like a regular bike when the battery goes dead.

I had overheating problems even though the thermostat and fan were working. When the bike was new, the fan was very audible over the engine with a strong push of air. 5 years later the fan is quiet and pushes a gentle breeze. I replaced the fan motor and no more overheating.

I think the solution is to keep scoring as simple as possible by making stop/no stop irrelevant. Score a five only if riders exceeds time limit, crashes, goes out of bounds or stalls. The designer of the section would set a time limit for each line from 20 to 90 seconds with the time allowed limiting excessive stop and hops. Stopping, hopping, going backwards, and crossing your tracks would be allowed without penalty. A special timer or smartphone app would be needed where you input the time and ten seconds from expiration there would be an alert and the observer would blow a whistle. This could be more interesting for spectators because new strategies could be used. For instance, have a 30 second limit section with a tight technical turn in the beginning, a straightforward middle section and a challenging obstacle at the exit. A rider could stop and hop in the beginning, race through the middle endurocross style, stop and size up the exit with a few seconds to spare.

Yes, they did better than the US men. Strange how our best rider chooses not to represent his country...

Sharpening the edges should help in slippery, muddy conditions but in the dry stuff, cutting the lugs will decrease traction because you are reducing the contact patch. Knobbies have less traction than trials tires on rocks and logs because of the smaller contact patch. Reversing your tire for a fresh leading edge also reduces contact patch.

Looks like real photos, not mock ups. I hope they actually start shipping these at a fair price. 63kg, 138lbs! I wonder how much hp it produces. Weird having no clutch. I'd like to see a second rear brake control for the left hand. Recent UK magazine has an editorial about the sport in crisis and electric trials is the future. Here in the US it is in an even bigger crisis. I can see trials taking off by going electric. Old warehouses in major cities can be converted into extreme sports facilities. BMX, skate, trials, endurocross using the same indoor/outdoor courses. You would swap out batteries at the counter. Recently, there was operating cost comparison between a Zero electric dual sport and a DR200. They should have tested the Zero MX with a 4T MX with both producing the same hp. Ownership costs should be comparable, maybe even less long term. electric/gas study

I've was having trouble with my clutch when going very slow/stopped with the clutch disengaged or slightly dragging. Often, the point where it is slipping and engaging will be abrupt, not smooth. I was reading the sticky in the Beta forum about improving the clutch and know about the clutch basket filing method used for enduro and mx bikes. GG has a steel basket and I noticed very subtle grooves worn in the basket. The pull is as light as new and thickness is within specs. The clutch plate tabs were a bit rough, which I suppose is how they come from the factory. I did a very light filing on the basket and a super light filing on the plate tabs and the clutch abruptness went away. I didn't take the clutch pack apart. I also think just taking the clutch pack out of the basket and rotating in to another position might work as well.

If it has an aluminum frame I would check for cracks. Manuals are hard to find and in Italian.

It seems all trials bikes made in the last 12 years or so have the huge gap in gearing between the section gears and road gears. 70's and 80's trials bikes were great as trail bikes. My 1995 bike also works well as a trail bike with it's evenly spaced gearing. I also think the older, heavier bikes feel more stable on the trails.

I have a copy of Bernie's book that was handed to me by Len Weed himself fresh off the press in 1983. We were setting up a local trials event in Hungry Valley, CA and Len strolls up with a box of books and hands them out to all the club members present. I remember Bernie was there helping set up sections. I also have a scanned PDF of the whole book and if anyone can get Len's permission to distribute, I could post a download link. He seems like the kind of guy who wouldn't mind.