jon v8

I have to admit,when I first rode my ty250 twinshock - I thought "Mm,nice handling,but too high geared and gutless." Wrong - now I've done a couple of trials on it, there is nothing to change on it.It is I think completely in the spirit of twinshock trials,the engine will run down to nothing and slog harder than I thought,it grips,steers and runs beautifully.Makes me realise how bad the 250 Beamish I started on in 1985 was.The ty is pretty much standard apart from the seat/tank unit and exhaust - both Miller items. I'm really chuffed with it,and when I find time to practice on it,I'm looking forward to really getting used to it. What differences were there in the Majesty framed ones? - cant get over how well this one steers,if the Majesty's were any better I want one. The second one I have in bits I am now determined to find an electric start Serrow engine for - two reasons,I'd love it to be 4 stroke and also electric start.(Dont mind the weight penalty) Three,actually - it'd be nice to have a Jap 4 stroke that isnt a Honda,just for a change.(Done the Tlr/Rtl thing already in 86/88)

When I bought my ty250 twinshock there was a second one in bits with it.At the time I intended to build it up and flog it,things got busy,started riding the twinshock trials and really enjoying it.Looking at other bikes,(saw one of the Majesty/Jhailing specials - looked/sounded great)Had me thinking,about the spare bike,as I really wanted a Seely Honda,(had a new TLR250 in 86,an86 RTL in89 etc)would it be worth finding a Yamaha Serrow xt225 motor for it.Reason for wanting the Serrow engine is the electric start,my right knee is a bit dodgy and kicking up a four stroke engine on a cold damp day is painful. The extra weight I dont care about,I'd just like a 4stroke trials bike with leccy start.Building it really doesnt bother me - just wondered if anyone else has done it ?

Just to muddy the waters even more,in Feb 1986 I paid

From memory the extra flywheel weight I removed was a metal "saucer" held on by about 4 screws.(C/sunk headed ?) Remember this was the earlier silver engined 250,after removing it the engine was loads better - but not a patch on my "new" Ty250 !

Marina 1800tc - huh,I had 3 dolomite sprints,excellent fun with no brakes or suspension.The only thing i can remember doing to improve the Rl250 was to remove the bolt on flywheel weight - it made a hell of a difference.It actually slowed down when you shut the throttle near the top of a climb - instead of propelling you into whatever the brakes had no chance of stopping you for.Sorry ,I can help you with piston/bore clearance or ring end gaps,just thinking if you can get the exact settings from a shop manual then one of the old reference books like Phil Irving's Tuning for speed ought to be close enough. The other thing I remember about that bike is that the spark was so weak you couldnt see it in daylight - but it always started first kick.

Interesting stuff this,I started competing in 1985 on a silver engined Rl 250.What a dog of a bike it was too,not that there was anything wrong with it mechanically - it was horrible in most respects,I rode the Dartmoor 2 day at the w/e on my Ty250,first ride on it.What a lovely tool in comparison ! It goes,grips and steers like the Rl could only dream of,all I need to do now is lose about 3 stone and not get completely hammered the night before,and I might get somewhere !! Thanks to Bill Hartnell,Mike Naish,et all for a great weekends ride - Im glad it didnt rain and I managed to miss the traffic on the M5 too - Bargain !!

Yep, first trial in a long time - on an unproven bike I have not really finished or practiced on,looking forward to a bit of wobbling/dabbing and plenty of booze in the pubs at Halwell/Moreleigh ! Esp if I can get rid of all the cable ties and replace them with nuts/bolts.Previous owner must have had a good supply of ties and a toolbox with no spanners.

Thanks for that,I'll keep a look out. That photo of Rolly Burke - EXCELLENT !!

Ta for the quick reply and the link,shame if that bloke has given up - looked like he was doing some really nice stuff/conversions for Ty's. Looking forward to giving my Ty its first outing in the SW classic down in Devon next W/E !

A little while ago I used to look at a site called Mjesty Moto - or something close to that.They were based quite close to me near Wotton Basset in Wiltshire I think. What happened to them ? Their website is just a blank page,or is it my steam drive computer ? Now I have a pair of ty 250 twin shocks the stuff they were advertising would be really handy.Any ideas ?

Cheers for the quick response - all points noted,I thought that would be the situation with the pistons.Sorry,but as yet I dont have any bits to sell - I bought basically 2 complete bikes and most of a spare engine off Ebay,(my first and only purchase)one was complete and running,the other is boxes of bits.I originally meant to get the second bike up and running and flog it to make the first bike cheap.Trouble is the bug has bitten again,it is 21 years since I did my first trial and in September Bath Classic Bike Club are holding a trial 2 fields away from where I live - the same place as then.(On an early 250 Beamish) Over the years I have had so many nice bikes, I look back and now think "sod it" - in terms of their financial worth I'd just as well keep them.I will be buying more Ty bits as they come up though,if I can help I will,but for now I just need to get both of them going,one to ride and admire,one to argue with myself about !

Hello all - my first post here,please be gentle ! I have recently bought a very smart looking ty250,with a few mechanical issues.I have had the motor to bits and put in a new rod and bearings/mains and seals etc.But I'm not very happy with the top end,it was bored .5mm o/s and fitted with an aftermarket piston from Hirsts. The top end is very noisy - esp at idle,not too bad with a few revs on.I know its never going to be devoid of two stroke rattles,but this is too much ! I have almost 2 spare engines so there are a few options,my question is does anyone know where I can get original pistons or maybe Wiseco ones in the UK ? I have accurate measuring kit and the piston/bore clearance is OK - I just dont like the look of the piston,it doesnt look very nicely made and i've been told originals are no longer available.What do you reckon ? Should I put up with the rattling ? Cheers.