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Pinchflat - I ran a '99 Techno 250 for 4 years which I bought second-hand, but in "as new" condition. Apart from an early problem with the electric "generator" (not sure what the proper name for it was) which needed replacing (common fault and expensive), I had absolutely no bother with it at all and it was ultra-reliable (in fact I've had more bother with my 04 Gas Gas in 1 year than I had with the Beta in nearly 4) Although a little heavier than the latest bikes a 99 Techno is still perfectly capable of competing at most levels. The Betas have the advantage of a removable flywheel weight which you could leave on whilst getting to "grips" (pun intended) with trials riding and take off later if you want some more "zip". All Betas suffer from an itermittent carb leak problem (this can be fixed via a mod -see the Beta forum) - just don't stop the motor whilst bike is pointing downhill or you'll get a sweat on trying to re-start it! I agree with the advice about local dealers. I think when buying a bike of this age you need to assess how well it's been maintained. All trials bikes will have suffered bumps and knocks but there are a few things you should look out for to assess how well its been maintained. Check out for corrosion (suggesting not cleaned properly / WD40'd), condition of nuts etc (if rounded suggests slack maintenance), check for play in bearings - wheels, headstock and suspension link, leaking forkseals, buckled/dented wheels and wheel spokes for tightness. You shouldn't need to worry about the motor as its pretty much bullet-proof.

I traded in my ex-John Lampkin TL280 SWM (plastic tank) for Nick Jefferies' 250 Armstrong. So I had experience of both the Rotax and Hiro engines. I thought the Hiro engine was much better than the Rotax. It was really smooth with a nice light clutch, whereas the Rotax was a bit of a lump and the odd clutch actuating mechanism required constant TLC to keep it snag-free. The Armstrong was relatively light and easy to maintain and a bit different from the ubiquitous Fantics at the time (the 250 especially). NJ had fitted mine with trick Fox air shocks (red body with blue and white springs) which I used to take to Keith Horsman in Silsden for servicing (this guy is a genius engineer and used to do a lot of work for Mick Andrews when he was a works Ossa rider). I also had the exhaust header chrome-plated - looked a treat! Eeh them whar t' days!

Must say I concur with pretty much all that's been said. Where we were (219N), PA was c. 70%. Too many folk on the arena floor - although more scorecard holders wouldn't have upset me - must get one of those suits for t'wife! Crosser's commentary was great. "Bert" was awesome and if he could eliminate those "unforced" errors he'd be unbeatable on that form. He even RODE DOWN the last section fluently - the only one to do so! Maybe the 4RT's do need different technique, however indoors demands that explosive launch which looked real hard work for the Mont riders. (I personally don't like their sound either - Sherco sounds better). Thought "Taddy" was great VFM - certainly a great trickster. There were a couple of instances where things got confusing - the 3 vs 4 finalists situation and at the end of the final where the scoreboard didn't seem to agree with the commentators. No doubt Raga is class - we were the wrong side to see his descent from the pallets - just saw him pop it on the nose and disappear gracefully from view - unbelieveable! But did anyone notice the two 5s he had on big steps towards the end of the final? Don't know if it's technique or machine set-up but his front end rebounded too much each time, whereas Bert's didn't.

I was fortunate to visit the Beta factory back in August and it was clear they have close ties with KTM. KTM supply engines for Beta enduros and I think (if memory serves me right) Beta also assemble some of the smaller KTM 2t machines. As far as developing a 4t goes they weren't giving anything away! I can imagine that for a relatively small company such a development is a major expense and that is probably why they have objected. They had already suffered last year from the beurocrats as they had not homologated their 125 (new EC laws) and consequently missed out on sales in certain markets where homologation has been adopted. Unfortunately for small companies like Beta such changes can really challenge their resources. One thing which suprised me was how strong their scooter sales are as you dont see many here. I think they account for c. 50% of their output (trials 25%, other 25%) - again from memory.

Could it be that Montesa are talking to Raga because one of their top riders might want to leave? Only speculation - but suppose Dougie is a) seeking a new challenge and isn't too keen on the 4RT? Maybe he's thinking that after 4 years he's made enough out of Honda (o.k. - maybe goes against the Lampkin "grain") and would rather return to the Beta fold? This would mean he wouldn't have to ride an as-yet unproven 4 stroke, wouldn't be in the same team as his main rivals and would have the extra challenge of putting Beta, as well as himself, back on top. Just a thought ...

this is my first time on - so please forgive me if I screw-up! After 4 years on it I've finally decided to part with my '99 Techno 250 and fancy a new Gas-Gas Pro (having received the required sanction from her indoors - you know how it is). I've had a brief ride on a 280 and was very impressed with the handling/steering (and lack of weight!), but am not sure which engine would be best. I'm a reasonable Clubman class rider and prefer a livelier/free-revving engine (took the flywheel weight off the Beta - for me a big improvement). I'm told the 300 is "smoother" which might suit my abilities - but does that mean it's also heavier on the fly-wheel? Also told that the 249 is a bit wick at the bottom end which might make it more difficult to ride - but if that also means it's revvier I might prefer it anyway. It's not every day you spend