trialman

always make sure there is free-play with pin that pushes piston in...otherwise back-bleed hole does not clear to allow oil in..this can also cause front brake to lock up after about 30mins use as it pumps fluid in under breaking but does not release pressure,so again make sure the piston has no pressure on it from the screw. ;-]

the ty175 has a sleeve on the r/h side of front spindle! always bounce the forks before clamping r/h leg up....if you still have stiction you need to have the fork tubes checked to make sure they aren't bent,you could do this on a plate glass sheet or you need v-blocks with a dial gauge.for fork oil in mine I use atf fluid its about an 8 grade

check the woodruff key,trials bikes are a bit prone to shearing them..you get a spark but its out of phase.

Hi antman, you don't say whether you have it running?? if you have a spark but it won't run! check the flywheel key as the 280 was a bit prone to shearing it, so you will need a flywheel puller to check. When you put it back together make sure you use a torque wrench as it needs to be done tight,also while flywheel is off,if key was sheared check the taper on crank and in flywheel as the slightest damage will cause future problems [which means lap them in with grinding paste to get a perfect fit if any damage evident] I assume you have done a basic going over with the carb etc..Add onto that change the footrests!! if you look at the modern ones they give far better boot grip and aid balance.. you can buy a weld-on kit to improve them or get some s/h gasser ones which are plentiful and hopefully a reasonable price, and hopefully that would save you having welts up your legs from your foot sliding off. The only other thing I hated about SWMs is the clutch would drag or not disengage instantly [friends bike] which very nearly sent me off a bridge parapet [bloody scary] so check correct oils required and don't try to scrimp with any old oil!!! Hope you have great fun and get practicing with your local club members as you will find them very helpful and yes they will laugh when you crash but thats the learning curve.[ mines lasted 48years and they still laugh,but when they crash its doubly funny] PS. Those plastic leavers were scrapped back in the 80's for good reason,try some amal ones as they are pretty robust??

Hi hughie, yep you have a lot to learn, it took me about 3years before I was fully competent. Trials is a very exacting sport and wheel placement is all important! In the superstars 6 competition back in the eighties don godden [grass track superstar] likened it to slow motion masochism he had that many offs, so just keep at it and practice practice practice it will all come together. Also riding road bikes does not give you a good sense off balance as you tend to lean into corners?? note which side you are putting your foot down will give you a clue?? trials technique is based on bike balance and a lot off the time too remain central on the bike and let the bike lean. Forget log jumping and set out the tightest you can do a figure eight, if you can maintain full lock on the turns you will find to do it well you will be above the bike and not leaning in!! Back in the day we had books by sammy miller,don smith and mick andrews who all worked on the basics of position for the bike and balance. So get on with it and find that time on the bike is time well spent,even if its only doing figure eights in the drive, and when you're that good put a brick in the turns so you have to contend with hopping over it on each turn!! all the best Trialman P.S I was out down the local wood at the weekend setting out some basic stuff for my mx mates who have found trials good fun, and all the others started joining in because they were simple but testing sections,requiring good balance and positioning even the better riders joined in because at the end off the day basics are what you should remember. Mick Andrews is fairly local and his teaching is second to none and he's just one off the lads who loves biking..;-]

Hi hughie, don't know what you've done before, but modern bikes are very quick on the steering and you need good core and upper body strength to keep the bike from tucking,also maintain a straight ahead position with the bars until after the landing.When I started riding I didn't think I would be a good rider and wasn't a natural at it so I did a lot of gym work, so when I got stuck I could lift the bike when I was stuck in rocks or on waterfalls and get myself going,as stops weren't allowed in them days [1974] and after a few years of riding you get to improve and enjoy the sport even more.Still riding and enjoy passing on tips to my old friends children now and within months they've achieved what took me years. So when the lads at your local club go practicing, join in and listen to their advice. Its just a great sport to keep you young and bruised ;-]

A very cheap and simple way is to use a cycle speedo kit, you fit a sensor to the fork leg and to a spoke and run the wire to where you want to mount it. they work perfectly and are o/k for mot's if you're on the road with it.most cycle shops sell them.

First thing I would tell you is that the front brake provides 75o/o off the braking as the back end is unweighted when braking correctly!! o/k. I have just built a twin trials and have used the front hub off a cg125 honda and as the hub is about 30mm bigger than a tl/tlr the brake is far better, I have a ty175 as well and it doesn't match the Honda brake. You would just need a respoke, and as you use it on the road it would be far better. Also you would drop on cg parts cheaply as there were lots sold. feetupfun man is right, and it would improve things if you have crappy linings [chinese] fitted,but as you are using it on the road you would have a massive improvement.Your crash scares me, in that it doesn't sound like you use the front brake??, find an empty road and do an emergency stop with just the rear brake,then with just the front and then with both.NOTE place a marker at the start point and do not lock the wheels.Trials is about complete control and knowing your bikes capabilities. ENJOY LEARNING AS TRIALS IMPROVES YOU AS AN ALL-ROUNDER..look at how good trialsmen are at super enduro,and also mick andrews being the best in the superstars six competition back in the 80's.

Hi, I had a mk1 berlingo and now have a later 2010 berlingo, both are WAV disabled with a handy ramp and carry a bike no problem. Being WAV, the floor is 8inch lower giving more headroom, mine has 2 front seats and 1 rear seat, although you could add a 4th and still have room for a bike. on the later one the chassis is about 8inch longer and you could get 2 bikes in if you removed the rear seat which is q.d . My early one I converted into a micro camper, as it has the extra headroom it works well as against the std van.

Hi vfr man, I run a ty175 and as it has a fantic plastic tank I run it on esso supreme 99 as according to esso they don't put ethanol in it, also if you check the ty has a very low compression ratio so it would not cause any problems.I also run 2 of my specials on it as it seems to give cleaner pick-up and power. bike was run on 95 octane prior to fitting tank and ran fine. with the 125 I would think you'd be glad of any extra power you can get?? I've been a bike mechanic for over 40 years and now i'me retired I get to tinker in the garage all week.If you know any lads on plastic or f/glass tanks advise them to go for the esso unless you can get avgas from a local airfield!!

if you've got a helpful EBC dealer near you their spec book gives all size dimensions for reeds and pads and brake shoes, very handy for a lot off bike builders, if you take a reed with you the pictures in the book are actual size. ;-] Its sorted things for me over pads and brake shoes when I've dropped on a wheel or caliper during a build.

just found this link..that says 2.7 to 3.2 for timing, it is electronic is it?? as there were some models with points?? ossaServiceBulletins2(1).pdf

3.5 mm seems too much advance!! I would set at 2mm. would be better if you could strobe it to check whats happening??? mark flywheel with paint at TDC, THEN ROTATE FLYWHEEL CLOCKWISE UNTIL PISTON HAS DROPPED 2MM DOWN THE BORE AND MARK AGAIN, you need a car type strobe that has a 12volt battery hooked up, and at tickover your second set of marks should line up. for the TDC gauge you could use a piece off wooden dowel, mark it off level with a fin at TDC then mark 2mm above and do as above, if you're man is old school like me he would of done this many times.. ;-]

you can sometimes get water included with your fuel at pumps [at no extra charge???] it only takes one drip to foul your jet, so unfortunately its a strip and blow out, or you could try the lazy way and apply an airline at the fuel pipe which does the job sometimes? NOT familiar with the evo so if its got a fuel pump do not use airline!! this is a common occurrence due to condensation in station pumps, and most times it is mopeds that suffer worst as they have even smaller jets and its the mechanics nightmare.On my bike I use a good fuel filter and orientate it so fuel goes in at the low point and out at the high point, its useful to have a clearish plastic filter as you could check occasionally and drain if necessary, note as an example air compressors have the same problem with condensation in the air and can be a nightmare if you're spraying and water comes through with the paint.. As you can see there is a few nightmares in my notes!! but it is close to Halloween ??? hope this sorts you out..P.S.ALWAYS CARRY TOOLS NEEDED FOR THIS JOB TO MEETINGS AS YOU DON'T WANT TO TRAVEL MILES AND FIND THIS PROBLEM AT TRIAL OR PRACTICE GROUND?? BET YOU WILL ALWAYS FIND SOME ONE IN THE PADDOCK WITH TOOLS,,BECAUSE THEY'VE GOT THE T-SHIRT ;-]

Just a note as nobodies told you NOT to over-do it, If you go too far engine will run hotter, and also there's a possibility of the engine kicking into reverse if you go beyond TDC. Do yourself a favour and learn/read something on how engines work. I would recommend phil irving-tuning for speed, its available for 2strokes and 4 strokes or really anything that get's you to understand the basic's. Remember the saying is a little knowledge can be dangerous. Whether you're using a motor for trials or racing if you know how they operate you can adopt it to your needs. ie carburation,compression,exhausts,timing,camshaft's or porting, it can all be worked on and when you understand it will make you better at many other things.

to ALL riders, came across this e5/e10 issue because of the damage it does to plastic/f,glass tanks. It also does not work well with rubber seals or '0'rings !! hence anything prior to 2010?? NOT BEING SUITABLE FOR THIS FUEL[later cars/bikes use synthetic seals] after some research, it seems that only esso supreme plus is free from ee's although it does say e5 on the pump, ITS 98 OCTANE, and I am now using it in all my bikes, it seems to give better pick-up through the range so for the few pence more per litre its a fix.Hope this sort's your problem. Also on a similar note due to pick-up issues on my van, I tried some FTC additives to my fuel tank, and its that good I'm going to add them to my bikes, it's a catylist and yes I was skeptical but the van now run's impeccably without any other work, read the reviews. They are small disc's that you add to your fuel tank and do not need replacing, I'm thinking put two in each tank, the van set-up was about 8 put in when you fill up,[read instructions].Note get the discount code out off classic car magazine to get a discount on them.

I assume you had a passenger[monkey] on this ride?? If not don't ride again! go to the next trial and study technique,and also ask for advice, you will find the sidecar lot happy to discuss things like this, which is why they are in the sport.The passenger has to be highly intelligent or crazy to do it, and understand how to balance the outfit and also mega fit to do this job. Which thankfully rool's me out, I'll stick to solo's..HAVE FUN ;-]

1st are you turning fuel off when stood?? old amal float needles are plastic and are crap! I think there are teflon tipped ones available. Have you checked plug when it does'nt start ? is it wet? It could also be caused by a weak spark as it is more critical from a cold start so check quality off spark by seeing if it will jump 5mm gap. MAKE SURE POINTS ARE GOOD AND CHANGE CONDENSER AND TRY AGAIN. Also final query I think 349 had alloy tank?? if its a plastic one or fiber-glass these are being damaged by ethanol fuels ? I will only use 98 octane esso supreme plus in 2 of my bikes for this reason, check other threads on this forum.hope this helps.

thats a big sprocket? on my cub, I just bought a sprocket from an engineering company [sprocket blanks] these come normally with a 25mm centre hole that you just turn out with a lathe to suit the hub. plenty of suppliers in england for specialist stuff !, would do a search on ebay [my favourite supplier] for a blank and then any engineering shop would be able to machine hole, you then clamp your old sprocket to it and drill mounting holes.unless you want to go to the expence off shipping one over. Just looked on feked.com website [ex sammy miller stuff] who do stuff for classics and they do B40 fronts in 13 to 16 tooth at £19.95, and rears up to 66 tooth in 428 at £54.95..note rear listed is for a cub hub. regards from england, hope this helps.

I USED TO HAVE AN EARLY TY250 AND YOU'LL FIND THE EARLY HONDA LEVERS HAVE THE SAME SPLINE. THE ORIGINAL TY ONE WAS TOO LONG AND WHEN YOU CLOUTED A ROCK YOU WOULD SNAP OFF THE LUG IN THE GEARBOX, WHICH MEANT A FULL STRIP TO WELD IT BACK..IF YOU HAVE THE ORIGINAL WITH THE FOLDING END WE USED TO CUT ABOUT 1.5 INCHES OUT AND RE-WELD IT SO THERE WASN'T TOO MUCH LEVERAGE, IF YOU CHECK ANY LATER BIKE THATS THE LENGTH YOU SHOULD GO FOR. THE HONDA XL'S ARE FINE SEE IF YOU CAN FIND A COPY ONE WITH A FOLDING END. ALL THE BEST IN YOU'RE RIDING.. ;-]

Well I think I will just go by the wording..PRE-65..yep that says it all!! if you're frame isn't pre 65 then you can't argue. You are now a late twinshock.. no extra classes. Let's start it all off at the scottish entry asap, all bikes are checked just by the frame originality and if they don't pass load up and go home. I would like sammy miller to put in the final nail to this coffin and end any further crap, I think the twinshock guy's would shake in their boots to have the super modded bikes in that class as they are finer tuned than any original twinshock, we all know a lot off the top center guy's are riding these thing's as they definitely don't want to ride the current nationals as they have more in common with sheffield for the stunt riders.Anyway lets all scoot of to our fun trials take away any awards so you only do it for the exercise and the joy of a good natter and look forward to collapsing at home in the recliner chair and thinking..THAT WAS FUN..AND OH ***** I'VE GOT TO WASH THE BIKE OFF.. whats really funny is that I've been riding for 48 years and still enjoy it. And still build my own bikes to play on, because me bodies that worn out i'm no longer competitive. SPORT FOR ALL AND ALL FOR THE SPORT I SAY. And thanks for all the great people that tirelessly put on our great trials whether club or national for our enjoyment.

Hey old geezer rools..I was very poor [violins in background] but managed to get a bog std cub T20T went well and in the early 70's rode it in the club trials against them super bulto's and monts, but thoroughly enjoyed it all and especially the friends I made along the way,we were out practising one day and my mate? threw it off the top off a cliff snapping the frame..at the next club meeting another friend had just put a whitlock frame on his mont, and offered me his original frame for £20 quid, well sounded good so the TRITESA appeared not long after and extended the cubs life and looked trick..I was in a VMCC trial the other day and I asked a friend in the Que how much his trick tlr tubeless back wheel was! hell it was dearer than my ty175 cost in total. My favourite bike is still my scrapheap special, made from anything I could scrounge and cost not a lot, but worked really well xl185 engine and miller ty frame ossa tank and lotsa welding. Great fun to build. can't believe people spend 6 grand++ I could have lotsa holidays with that money.! people are just too serious these days???

Well we have a full basket off worms don't we..and what about the scrutineer at the club trial?? sorry I haven't seen one in the last 30years!?? yes armac's otters millers etc not to mention electronics and suzuki gearboxes and yamasakiuki pistons and reed valves. I've ridden the tricked up ones [belonging to friends] and they are total cheat bikes, if its got all these mods its a modern twinshock and that's the end of it. From now on you have to produce the original GREEN log book at signing on and undergo a severe scrooting before commencing trial ;-] Its so sad when you look at the pre65 scottish and all these cheaters are lined up like wolves, what hope has the TRUE rider got???? Oh and I've just caused the non existent scrutineer to take up crown green bowls..Now lets hear from some more true riders. I'VE JUST GONE TO GET MY RUNNING SHOES ON ;-]

Hi, check your compression as above with throttle wide open and look for at least 130 to 140, if that comes out OK I would look at your'e crank seals as lack off lower compression would give the symptoms you have in starting, ty's are prone for LH crank seal failing especially if there is slight play in the main bearing [lift flywheel up and down to check], pull the flywheel and remove points plate, brush a mixture off washing up liquid[diluted] over seal and turn engine over by hand [with spark plug removed] and watch for bubbles, if there is, seal can be changed without stripping if RH seal was faulty it would smoke badly as gearbox oil would be sucked into crankcase. note lack off crankcase compression means lack off fuel supplied to cylinder hence having to spin motor faster to get it going. If this isn't the problem add some more to your'e post and i'll get back to you. regards trialman. ;-]

Simple and cheap way to get back on the road is to use a cycle speedo kit, you just measure the outside dia. of wheel and input length into unit. this keeps you going until you find one.. In the meantime, send photo of hub and dia. of spigot that gear goes onto, will look in my junk box?? also look up david silver spares, he keeps lots of classic bits. all the best.