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Anyone with a pro should compare their skidplate shape with a new one. If it has been flattened you are prone to breaking the case or brackets. Luckily the bracket broke on mine before the cases. I am able to hammer it back to curved with a 16lb sledgehammer and put in some new rubber cushions.

Your dealer should be able to order them as the parts dept is still open if this article is correct. http://www.dealernews.com/dealernews/article/gas-gas-suspends-production-it-awaits-financial-restructuring-plan-approval

I would call that a roll up. If you used a double blip, you could go up much slower and controlled and come to a complete stop at the top. What you did is perfect for endurocross.

The GG USA site lists over 100 "dealers". The one nearest to me doesn't have anything GG related, not even a poster. The ones I do use for parts don't stock GG specific parts, only inexpensive generic items like brake pads, levers, grips, etc. Parts always get dropped shipped from the parts importer and sometimes they have to order it from Spain. I don't see the need for a dealer when I can just call the parts importer directly. I heard that the only requirement to be a GG dealer is to sell 2 bikes a year. Most of these dealers are doing it as a side business or to get personal bikes at wholesale.

I wonder if the emergence of these new brands is in anticipation of the demise of GG?

The Gas Gas founder said the GG enduros sell 3x more than trials when referring the Jordi days. http://www.retrotrials.com/22-exclusive-interview-with-gasgas-founder-josep-pibernat.html Was the trials market bigger for GasGas at this time? We make 5000 trial bikes here And how many enduro? Exclusive Interview with GasGas co Founder Josep Pibernat www.retrotrials.com Exclusive Interview with GasGas co Founder Josep Pibernat www.retrotrials.com Exclusive Interview with GasGas co Founder Josep Pibernat www.retrotrials.com Exclusive Interview with GasGas co Founder Josep Pibernat www.retrotrials.com Maybe 10,000 also. In one year we make 15000 enduro. 5000 trial and 10000 enduro. This included some little enduro like 50cc enduro. So you sold more enduro than you did trial? Yes, yes. The enduro market is three times trial

Gas Gas sells 2-3 times as many enduro bikes than trials bikes, which is probably also the case with Beta and Sherco.

Ryan Young is always there and is a great teacher as was Ray Peters when I attended. Most students are beginner-novice level so don't expect Ryan to be teaching techniques from his advanced training video to a group of high level riders. It's good for learning the basics.

I ride trials stuff on my MX bike and when the power valve kicks in it get scary! Fantic had an exhaust valve and they went out out business shortly after. It seemed to just add weight with no benefits.

Trials bikes are among the quietest two strokes. I think there is a regulation in Europe where trials bikes have to be legal on the road which is probably why they are quiet and have lights.

Most guys are looking for less power so modifying the exhaust is not a good idea unless you want more high end power at the expense of low end which will make it less like a trials bike. Trials bikes don't have expansion chambers because they are tuned for trials. My middle box is packed with coarse stainless steel wool so it is not easily repackable. I made a door of sorts and can open it and burn out the oil. My silencer bent so badly I had to cut it up and have it welded to stop tire rubbing.

I can hop the rear just like the TTC video but I always think turn right to hop right which you can see he does on the first hop. Then he says turn right to hop left which is not the best way to teach the hop. Most students will just get the rear up with no side movement. I might have been there that same weekend of the video and everybody struggles with side hops as I did at the time. I suggest it's easier to do it when you think turn right to hop right.

My breakthrough in learning to move the rear wheel sideway was turning right to move the rear right whether stationary or in motion. If you watch anyone moving the rear to the right you will see a moment when the bars turn to the right when it gets airborne.

I have an 07 Gas Gas and have had 3 Ducati regulator/rectifiers fail. Once no spark, twice no fan and each time there was a burn mark on the epoxy showing that some component (diode?) burned out. The box is mounted above the radiator and my theory is as it heats up the fan power output decreases making the bike run hotter eventually making the regulator/rectifier fail. I moved the box to behind the number plate and so far no problems. A quick test would be to look and feel how fast your fan is running. If it is slow, you could be prone to failure. On a side note, I am still using my Ducati box with no fan power. I'm running the fan off of 10 nimh AA batteries running through a motor speed controller, voltage meter as well as using stock thermostat. I have to swap batteries once during a regular riding session. Also for amusement and curiosity, I put a meat thermometer in a gap between the radiator and shroud.

Check these out: http://youtu.be/IT98bNoSvzU?list=UU754QRdUQw3d9n6o4i1Fpuw One thing Ryan Young and Andreu Codina don't mention is when you want to hop the rear to the right, use handlebar turning pressure to the right when the wheel comes up as seen in the supermoto video. Turn back to the left to control landing. The supermoto guy is sitting the whole time and doesn't use much hip. A stationary trials hop to the right will have the front tire turned to the left, front brake to get rear up, handlebar turning pressure to the right with hip movement, then straighten front wheel and stop with front wheel turned left.

You should check out nearby Donner Ski Ranch in Truckee. They had several world rounds there. I don't know if you can ride there but some amazing terrain.

Mine is an 07. When mine started squealing a several years ago I kept lubing it and it lasted another year before burning out. If you drill the fan like my tip, you could probably get more life by lubing both ends of motor. Here's a cheap motor that might work but the shaft isn't round. You could put epoxy in it. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0096BJ92E/ref=pe_385040_128020140_TE_3p_dp_1 I burned out a Graupner Speed 500E motor after a few years which is actually a Mabuchi motor with a sticker on it. Right now I'm using a motor pulled from a O2 Cool 10 inch portable fan.

I have to agree with this. As long as your shock is not blown and your not way to heavy, ride with what you got. For months I rode my 07 GG with 1995 forks and I didn't ride any worse. MX guys tend to be obsessive about suspension. It's not as important with trials unless you are at a very high level. I don't mess much with rebound or compression because it doesn't make much difference.

During the 90's a dab while stopped was a 5. It was enforced like today's no-stop rule and observers let you stop for up to 3 seconds if you made an effort to look like you are not stopped. Observers tended to be lenient about stopping and going backwards just like today. They don't want to give a 5 if you are using all your might to push yourself over that log even though you are not moving forward and bouncing backwards. There were a few observers who were strict about stopping with your foot down and that's when the arguing started. Riders now don't like no stop because of the conflicts with observers it causes and inconsistencies in scoring. The same thing happened with stopped+dab=5. That said, it make me cringe when I see a rider who is too lazy to walk the section cruise into it and at the first split takes a 30 second dab, chats with the observer about what line to take, and rides out with a one.

I don't think Gas Gas is financially sound. In the retrotrials.com interview of the GG founder, he says GG is 90% owned by the government and doesn't think they will survive. I also got the sense the he is bitter about GG and doesn't wish them well since he left. GG received a 2 million euro loan from the government and another 4 million investment last March. Do financially sound companies need all that outside money? http://trialscentral.com/news-archive/trials-bike-news/15692-gas-gas-in-the-money

My 1995 and earlier trials bikes were pretty good for trail riding with their more linear gearing. I think the Contact would be better if they used the old Contact motor with the old style gearing. It would gain about 15 lbs but the motor would be more reliable. You don't need the Pro motor for casual trials and trail riding.

With the exception of the seat and gas tank, the Contact looks like the Eco model they have been selling in the US for a while. Lower grade suspension, components and leftovers for a lower price point. It won't be a good trail bike because it uses the same gearing as a regular trials bike with the huge jump between 4th and 5th. It uses a smaller carb than the pro which might explain 50:1

I found a way to remove the motor without destroying it. You drill a couple of holes in the fan to access the two motor mount screws. Then when you tap out the shaft, the motor will fall out. You can now lube both bearings if squealing and replace the motor. Put some tape on to cover the drilled holes when finished. You could also try pulling the fan. The fit isn't as tight as before on mine and I can pull off and push on the fan without much effort. I ordered a motor from a US source and it looks like it will fit. Geeks use these motors to build robots. http://www.trossenrobotics.com/store/p/5151-RS-540-Motor-12V.aspx

I suggest to middle aged newbies to not think about trying to zap until you have a few years experience under your belt. You can get up huge rocks with just the double blip and roll up. I've been riding 30+ years and can only get a couple of inches of back tire lift when trying to zap so I just place a kicker on undercuts to make it easier with the double blip.

I had a piece of wood glued to my flywheel cover to protect the shifter and it broke off during a crash this weekend. I may have gone overboard with this golf driver glued on, but it will protect the shifter! 20141123_235805 by burning retinas, on Flickr