ross brown

http://www.trialscentral.com/forums/topic/49850-how-quiet-is-the-new-montesa-260/

And after the trial. Oh yes. Buy a 4RT as well. Keep the twin shock to remind you of how the world has moved on in 25 years.

Agree. Borrow a twin shock once a year for a memroy-lane-fix ( swap with your 4RT). Rest of the time use a LIGHT modern 125 to improve your time on the 4RT. On Saturday a friend summed it up as "on the 125 you have to ride it and be more ahead of the bike. Less of a passenger". I also find that riding a modern 125 has helped me finesse my clutch control, my ability to commit to a rock or pile of logs that i'd hate to fall off, and to believe that i really can turn that tight.

Have a 4RT and love it. Liked the 'idea' of a twin shock but found a TL heavy and disppointing. Rode a TLR00 and was very disappointed ( but still lovthe look). Fell out of live with twin shocks soon after. So my second bike now is a Beta125 2011. I find its a lively learning tool and has helped me be more agressive when I ride the 4RT. It is light, reliable and fun. Did I say it was light"

Hi. Sorry. Didnt see your post or I would have responded earlier. The exhaust is easy. A CT200 replacement bolts has the all important " fitbehind the shock" bend.. And then I needed a short custom length to connect the ct to the header piper as my triangular tl250 torque chamber had rusted through. Musket mufflers in Nz supplied the CT200 exhaust. They make new pipes to fit old Hondas. The key things for me were that in the 1980s Honda went for larger volume pipes on the RTL to generate torque ( rather than short straight pipes for horse power). And the applies this tech to their 1980 CTs and XLs. So a CT 200 bolts on with a simple bracket, fits behind the shock, and has a large volume for torque just like a TL of the mid'70s. Perfect. Ross

Bought my son a Downhill Mountain bike helmet. The 3 big changes when compared with an MX helmet are: Lower chin piece and thus larger opening (easier for the MTB crowd to take goggles on and off). Lighter weight. As impacts are expected to be at a lower speed than a road bike, MTB helmets aren't made for 70mph impacts and so don't meet road bike spec such as the Snell standard. But in reality, these helmets are probably perfect for trials as our head impacts are at even slower speeds. Rear of the neck is higher than an MX helmet. MTB body position is more weight forward over the bars than a traditional sit on a motorbike seat so as they hold their neck up more, they need more of a helmet cut-away at the base of the skull. Some of the new MTB helmets have more air holes on the sides and even have removable chin pieces such as the Bell Super 2 R. My sons helmet below.... Ross

Off topoc, but that is one serious clutch mod on the Yamaha right there.

It could very well make a difference.As you say., Honda is involved but the dealers are not. My nearest Montesa dealer is 300 miles away. Beta dealer 200 miles. Between me and them are at least 12 Honda dealers. Not one stocks a trials bike. But there are at least as many KTM dealers out there.Irresoective of engineering, and if nothing else, KTM can bring an established dealer network to the scene that allows other dirt bike riders to at least see a Trials bike on a show room floor.

I have access to a Beta 125 as well as my 4RT. I am 88kgs and on the wrong side of 50. Love my 4RT. The principal advanatge of a 125 is, I find, that it is light. And when you are tired or pushing yourself to learn a new ability, lightness helps and when you put a leg down on top of a log, or on a slippery bank, to balance the bike after a move has gone wrong. Lightness makes saving it easier. Even if it is the bad leg. It takes less effort to restore balance to the bike and rider combo. And for the same physical effort, the bike moves around more. I only miss the 4RTs power on hill climbs. Or between secions on higher speed trails? On short wind-it-up-and-launch steps or logs I prefer the 125. Friends say the 125 makes me ride it more aggressively. This is a good thing. The 125 makes me think ahead, operate in a higher rev range, and it has taught me to slip the clutch as a launch device and for traction on hills. If I had one bike and it was a125, would I be thinking ' this is a mistake, can' t wait to sell it'. No. I'd be thinking I bet I can float over the surface of that stream without getting my tyres wet while those Raga GG 300 owners with their overly large horsepower reserves dig a Red Sea sized trench to the streambed.

Funny you say that. I rode a Beta with Apico pegs and immediately felt more comfortable in the slowest and tightest of turns ie. if the soles of your feet can't move freely then the knee takes up all the twisting. I got back home looked at my upward angled S3s and though "Ah Ha". Time for the file

Same. I filed my S3 Hardrocks until they sat flat. 10 minute job with a hand file. The peg first touches an inner corner of the hanger (rather than being stopped by the back of the hanger) so very little metal needs to be filed down from the peg before the it sits more horizontal. I have dodgy knees and find the flatter peg attitude is easier on my legs and makes it easier for me to turn my feet on the pegs.

"Hey Guys, I've got a plan to use up all the left over black frames. 288cc, everything else 'new' is a bolt-on. Call it a limited edition RR model Now let's get on with the all new from the ground up 2018 model." Hgas- "Repsol" tag Is what we customers continue to call the bike. Officially they changed flagship model name to Race Replicas -RR- more tha a model year ago.

Mods to my '14 standard; 'Must haves': - Bigger pegs - Lower gearing. Makes 2nd gear a gem, whereas with 1st I spin it too easily. - Replace stand as OEM stand is too up right and bike falls over when looked at. - Home made strap across mudguard for picking up/loading bike places. - Bigger pegs 'Useful to haves': - Short levers - personal preference, lanyard kill switch, new bars - VMar snail cams for more adjustment postions. The new rear mudguards are more rigid than the '05 - '13 models, so they tend to tear through the mounting holes where the guard screws into the airbox. I've plastic welded the supports and the guard can still tear away. Last weekend I saw a different approach, cut an inverted "V" so that the guard actually comes away from the bike easier - and without tearing.

This is a poorly thought out sports strategy- just pushing until Tony Bou becomes injured; and then having to set a different course.

How you mounting the rear wheels? My own trailer is 6' x4' and I have found I can even squeeze a third trail bike in: facing reared and with the bars turned at an angle. Surprising how many trials bike you can squeeze in the space of single big adventure bike.

"Go find something that makes you uncomfortable and ride it until it you have beaten it. Don't stop at the first clean either. You are trying to reprogram your brain". Then borrow a 125 and try it. Jumping on my sons Evo125 meant current body movements had a greater effect for the same effort. So I've learnt to be bolder with less risk. Great for practice and moving on.

Then I wonder why we don't see them around on bikes. I recall Honda had a Dakar race prototype direct injection 2T of about 350cc a few years back. Is itemissions that remains the issue? Are a boat and a snow mobile are not subject to same strict air quality output.

I too sold an '07 (<300 hours) and upgraded to a '14 (60 hours on it). The '14 has a mid range that pulls long and hard and the front definitely feels lighter; Alu forks help as does the change in steering geometry that took place around '09). Before the '07 left to its new owner, I had the two running side by side. Putting an ear close to the top end surprised me – they sounded so similar. Photo below shows an expert ear listening for, but failing to find, piston slap, bearing failure, stretched cam chain, lose tappets, or twisted valves.

See here. http://www.trialscentral.com/forums/topic/47643-4rt-new-260-whos-got-one/page-5

At long last, got around to adapting the Dave Cooper 4WD rack to fit my Hyundai Santa Fee. Being the 4WD version the rack was designed to step out a few extra inches to give extra space to a spare tyre hung off the rear door of a 4WD - but absent from a Santa Fee. It required two mods. First, hammer down the extruded tabs on each of the two removable outside arms, so that without the tabs sticking up the arms slide deeper back into the rack. The bike is now some 4 inches closer to rear door. It still sits further out from the car than some racks; but not by much. Doesn't look it in this photo but the bike does not extend beyond the sides of the vehicle. Using two anchor points (one to handlebars and one frame) plus a strap around the rear tyre to hold it steady. Rock steady at motorway speeds. Should have done this years ago. Second mod: The rack's pre-drilled UK tow mounting holes (front to back) aligned with nothing on the car. previously on a Honda CRV I had an "L" shaped plate made to bolt the rack thought the tow ball hole. But this could twist and let the rack yaw. So this time around I went for a stronger solution. An all new piece of square bar to replace the standard tow ball mount was found. The a slot out was cut out of it to let the Dave Cooper rack be 'pinched' by the top and bottom of the slot and then the whole assembly was welded it into a single piece (filling in the original mounting holes with weld). The rack is removable, should I need to restore the original toe ball. Bike rides beautifully firmly with none of the previous yaw motion.

In my experience in the hunt, the best advice I can share is know what bike you want and pusue it ruthlessly. You will be surprised how many trials bikes are listed as Trails (spell checker - a 1st world problem) and dont use the key word TRIALS. Many search engines such as Craigs list or ebay then don' t show the bike. Owner gets fewer click-throughs. You get lower price.

Hey MagsVince at V-Mar regularly ships across the Pacific to AU and NZ. A few 4RT's around here with snail cams and case guards of his. You should have a case guard. And, now that you know they exist and are umhing and aching about whether to get one, you are statically more likely to throw a chain and be in need of one next weekend! V-Mar also does some nice mudguard risers and brake hose clamps. These are small beautifully crafted items that fit in Dad's Xmas stocking at the end of the bed so much more easily than say, Renthal handlebars. Ross

Be sure to search for Pidcocks Rothmans. Before they surrendered therir UK dealership of Montesa, Pidcocks did a lovely homage to the Rothmans bikes of the '80s with blue rims and decals. Those annodized Showa fork tubes with the spectrum of colours are to die for. My old 2003 315 had them. If only i could have sold the bike and kept the forks!