jon v8

Mine are a couple of years old now and for the first year remained waterproof,,but even after two years hard work,(Rigid AJS + Fat git...) the soles are almost like new.There must be something wrong. Kit like this I always try to buy from somewhere you can try them on,and then go back if there is a problem.

I bought a TLR 250 new for my birthday back in 1986. Lovely looking and sounding bike,but that was as far as it went. It lasted a year before the engine died. I didn't do any better with the RTL250 I had two years later. Big disappointment... Never ridden a Seeley,again its a lovely looking bike,but I think you need to be a an excellent engine tuner AND rider to get the best out of any small Japanese four stroke,for the rest of us we are better off with a TY250... If you really want a four stroke to appreciate how lovely they can be to use,you need to ride and get used to a British four stroke,with a separate gearbox.

Bikes seem to have rear suspension now... Can't see that catching on - Why would they need that ?

Think I would opt for Falcon or Rockshocks over the SM ones.

I'd like to thank the Golden Valley team for ALL their events this year,and they certainly finished off the year on a high note. The Christmas trial was a cracker,(Pun intended) with all the rain it was always going to be slippery,but they marked out 10 excellent sections in their best venue - Cowcombe woods. The most enjoyable trial I've ridden this year . Narrowly beating the Somerton Classic 2 day,because there was so much pressure on my nerves ! The steam cleaner had its work cut out to remove all the mud today,can't remember having a dirtier bike - Well worth it,looking forward to 2016.

Mmm, yes actually.

Junior or over 50 on modern bikes. Have a look here; http://www.gvcmcc.club/trial-on/

That would be John Griffin,he has made a nice job of that Greeves,and rides it well. After therapy he has now seen the light and has nearly finished building a rigid Matchless.

NO ! Not the dark side.

Stiched up.... Here goes,it would help us a bit if you told us a bit more of your previous experience,what sort of trials and what sort of bikes ? Around the South West,Devon esp - the South West Classic Trials Association is a good start.Heading north a bit Somerton Classic MCC are top notch at welcoming newcomers,esp with British bikes. The main point I would make is that Pre Unit trials bikes don't come up for sale that often - and rarely are fit for immediate use,despite what the ad states.So you really need a well equipped workshop and skills to use them.Or know someone who can sort it out for you.Had you considered a Tiger Cub or C15/B40 to get you going ? Please don't think I'm trying to put you off,successfully riding a Pre 65 big banger is a VERY rewarding and satisfying thing to do. But you have to really want to do it. I'm not going to say anything about money,it tends to influence peoples choices, I just chose to do it and make sure my income is capable of funding it...

Despite the large sign, I found something far more attractive on that picture.....

I remember Triss Ball turning up on a brand new TY250R at a Bath club trial sometime in 1986 I think. It was a full John Shirt job,can't remember if it was a 250 or 270, but the engine sounded crisper and smoother than any one I'd heard before or since.The suspension had been worked on,it was so plush,even compared to how good the Yam was originally. There is no doubt that John Shirt knew EXACTLY what to do in terms of making an excellent bike even better.

I have to say at times I've I wondered if it is worth building a full 500,you only need to look at how successful Barry Barthorpe is on his 350, my 350 AJS is never short of power and grips like no other bike I have ever ridden...(Too late,bought all the bits) The Mick Dickenson barrels are 85mm in their unfinished state if that's any help. The piston I am going to use is an 86mm XT500 - genuine one. If there is enough crown thickness when we measure it I'll take material off the top to keep the compression down,and use a plate under the barrel as well.My aim is a chuffing steam engine at low revs that will pick up and shut down quickly.Remember also that the finished bike will be alot lighter than the originals,so less power is required to make it move Deryk, I think now mags can be an expensive option,espcially if you are building from scratch.A new BTH electronic will arrive in 48hrs and be ready to use.Buy an old Wader off Ebay,get it serviced ... Thats a couple or three months.(Both will cost about the same in total) If I could get decent quality service parts I would consider using them again.But now the BTH and Electrex etc ARE reliable,and are far more accurate than a mag could ever think of being.I've scoped both running them on the lathe,there is no comparison.The electronic advance is smooth,I can easily start my Ajay by hand,then go straight into a section only needing to balance,steer and control the throttle.OK,its cheating... But it is how it seems to be now, modern tyres grip so well manual advance is not needed,a reliable smooth motor at low revs is vital for the tight turns we are asked to ride now. I believe it really doesn't matter which way you build it,or what you use - it will be another Pre unit bike being ridden.Whilst there are not hundreds,there are enough that clubs need to bear them in mind when marking out.That is the key,keep the sections sensible - as I have said,and will keep saying...

The idea of the short stroke is mainly that it picks up quicker,and equally important - shuts down quicker.The original longstroke motor is a lovely engine to use,but is a real handful in todays tighter sections.Its also an inch shorter in height and a bit lighter,all of which helps. The parts needed are a 350 crank and rod assembly,a short stroke barrel from Mick Dickenson. You then need an 86mm piston,usually an XT350 or XT500 Yamaha one.The standard 500 head is used,often with the inlet stub cut off and rewelded to get it inline with the bike,rather than sticking out the side. A Mk1 Concentric or Villiers S22 carb does the fuelling. For ignition some people hide a modified Electrex world unit on the end of the crank,the one made for C15's can be made to fit.Others use the Interspan electronic mag or the BTH electronic unit.Few seem to use an original Wader or BTH mag,or if they are there it is for show only... The only problem I can see,besides the overall expense is to make sure you don't create an engine that it too much to handle,compression plates and a healthy amount of ignition retard are the order of the day.

I didn't ride it much after I did the conversion as I had done a deal to swap it for a BSA C15.(With another forum member) it felt fine,I was originally going to do it so I had an original TY and a Majesty to compare side by side.This didn't happen,as my standard Rat TY250 wasn't dug out of the cobwebs until the Majesty had gone... I still have enough bits around to build another,but its unlikely as my interests are more towards Pre65 now. I wanted to understand how Mick and John had done their conversion and having an original Majesty frame in for repair gave me the perfect opportunity to make the jig and find out.Its quite subtle in some respects and I see plenty of replicas that are not at all accurate - not that it matters to most. I think the Majesty is better for more difficult twinshock stuff at a higher level than ordinary club level,the extra ground clearance will help. But for ordinary club trials I don't think there is much advantage,I still think a standard TY250 is one of the best all round twinshocks. I think there is also an element of the look of the Majesty,I think they look great,especially with the slimline Holtworks tank like the one I bought.If I did another I would do the frame silver and have grey guards,finished off with a fabricated alloy side panel.

It does not matter if its a 125,175 or a 200. What is important is how complete it is,does it have a logbook/v5 ? Show us some more photo's,tell us a bit more and you may even get an offer.Does the engine turn,how rusty are the forks etc. Have a look on Ebay and see what there is there to compare. Most people looking for a TY175 to rebuild know exactly what they are looking for,and how expensive replacement parts can be. If it is a worn out,overbored 175 the barrel can be re-sleeved to whatever size you want it back to.

No plans to as yet...

My TY250R had a chromed frame,it also had the previous owners postcode stamped into it in various places over the bike. Excellent bike, but I can't say I wish I still had it.

When I was about 10 years old a teenager from the local village was really cross when I wouldn't accept £3 for my D3 150cc bantam... Think I got a tenner for it in the end which helped out with my C15 which I paid about £20 for in bits. That was 40 years ago.

I'd stick with the original if you can get decent plates for it. I fitted a Jawa clutch to my last HT5,it was a bit of a fiddle,had to shorten the mainshaft by 12mm and cut more thread on it.Good clutch,but was only worth it because the Jawa clutch was there ready to go. My 350 AJS has its original clutch, I was going to fit a Jawa unit to it when I rebuilt the engine. Again, a lot more work - the original went back on and is still fine.Don't use it much though,the engine is so soft its not really needed once moving.

https://bvm-moto.co.uk/

Interesting post,I think you may well be right.A while back I had a very early 247 Montesa,with a registration number close to that of the bike that "Sparky" Telling rode and I think won the Scottish on.I went to the Wiltshire records office and looked through their books,there it all was,Sparky's bike and mine a few numbers on.All on record and easy to access - should be the same with Sammy's bike ?

This is all a bit old hat... We are currently testing fully enclosed disc brakes using titanium rotors and carbon fibre calipers. No cables,lookalike hydraulic lines and the master cylinder hidden into the lever clamp. The Amal Concentric has now had its guts removed,it now hides an injector,pressure reg and throttle positon sensor. The ecu controlling the digital ignition on my 410 short stroke rigid hides inside the oil tank,powered by a super capacitor.(Topped up by an AC generator hidden in the mag body)Fuelling is closed loop as soon as the engine is warm,there is a 6 wire UEGO hidden in the back of the exhaust,this gives feedback to the ecu,obviously as a wideband sensor it is capable of close control of fuel adaptions for max power on snap wide open throttle situations,whilst keeping the throttle response crisp at low revs. All undergoing daily tests at a secret West Country location.

I've used JB weld for this job on Rickman hubs,leave it for 24 hrs after assembly and it will be like new...

Or here; http://www.falconshockabsorbers.co.uk/index2.html