lowside

Thanks mate. I think they have been discontinued as I can't find them anywhere, even manufacturers site. If thats true, I'm sure it's because someone devised a simpler workaround, but I'm at a loss as only just getting into this sport. Maybe the fast throttle is a good thing if it's limitable. I'll have a ponder.

I'm always wary of following published torque settings on older bikes. The torque settings the manufacturers publish assume brand new hardware of the OEM spec. I tend to be a little cautious. Get it on tight, but use a drop of carefully applied blue loctite. Blue, not red! Only snag with blue loctite is, you can't test it for torque a week later unless you're willing to reapply the loctite again, but it's easy to remove and reapply. I use it on everything after a lifetime of big v-twins, which are constantly attempting to self destruct.

When the stop is removed, does these revert to fast action, or slow? The white tube suggests they are fast action, so I'm not sure about fitting one. As a beginner I'd benefit and so would my lad, as we've had incidents of whisky throttle and whilst I'm OK, it knocked his confidence a bit. Can't find any info outside of what you posted and another store in Europe. I thought maybe it would say on the box or something. Cheers

Im not averse to saving a few quid. Not sure whats available locally though or at what sort of price. Things here are generally very expensive across the board.

Putoline (anything) is expensive stuff, but running costs for trials aren't really too bad overall. Nano Trans is even more expensive, roughly double the cost of GP10! Some of it is marketing, thats for sure, but there are differences in products that aren't immediately obvious, so when you venture outside manufacturer specs, it's at your own expense. I don't know enough to be particularly bold.

Haven't ridden it since my last post as we've been away a lot so nothing will have changed. I'll be riding it soon and you guys have given me some info to go on. I need to make more detailed records of what happens and when. I'll post back. Thanks

The clutch lever is properly adjusted, first thing I checked. I will do some further testing. Dealers said GP10 is too thick for the Sherco and can cause the diaphragm to swell? Problem is, as it was a used bike, I've no idea what was used previously. Thats the next thing I'll look at if I cant solve this with just gearbox oil. The swarf wasn't anything that made me cringe, I just dont think the oil had been dropped for a while and the engine probably hasn't seen that much use. When I come to change it again, if theres still a bit of swarf, I think it would be worth digging into deeper. It's fines, not chunks. Does anyone have a late model Sherco 250, what do you run in yours?

Because I'm a plonker and forgot to take my calipers to the shop today, does anyone know the bar diameter at the clamp for the Beta 80 Jr (2023)? Had a good google and cant find anything conclusive. Want to change out the stock bars for some risers. Ta

I've used diesel on my road bike chains, but they are covered in all manner of horrible gunk. For trials or MTB, if I was stripping it right back, I'd use something like MucOff. it's way harsher than many people realise and really does take everything with it as it drips off. Easier to deal with than diesel on disposal. I've got a 3 sided brush from Halfords for the trials bike which seemed to do a half decent job, but it didn't come out as clean as my MTB chains do with the plastic Park Tool enclosure (pic below - too small for motorbikes). I used a ton of rags on the trials bike in comparison to when I do the MTB. Then again, it's a bigger chain isn't it. Lube is my biggest issue always, because it goes everywhere and rarely in the places you want it to and unless the chain is off, access is difficult. Ideally I'd want to bathe my chains in lube rather than spray it on. Anyone know any products like that, where you can shallow bath a chain, like I guess the OEM's do? The above is for MTB and just an example.

I hope I'm still doing this at 75, more power to you. Enjoy!

Hello, welcome to the forum. I'm a beginner so not much help on things, but my instructor told me to practice balance and turning as much as possible, with the emphasis on proper technique. It's very tempting just to blast around on the bike, but now I can clear some obstacles reliably, I've started to feel more like a trials rider. My son and I got some cheap flags, so we mark out our own simply courses. Maybe a small hill with some rocks on it and do laps of that, in one direction, then the other. Stuff like that. Trials is much more of a challenge if you use flags vs just riding about, especially if someone else sets them for you.

Thanks feetupfun, I'll give that a bash then, see if I can find neutral when its moving as I haven't tried that approach.

Hi cascao, Yes it seems to drag most of the time. I've been out today and had a couple of problems, but as I don't really ride in 1st, I'm not sure how much effort to put into fixing it, but it can't be good for clutch temps or wear. Neutral can't be found when the engine is running usually. Only with the engine off and even then, I typically have to use my hand. Again, not a major issue, just would like to sort it if I can. Thanks for note about master cylinder, I will check when I wash it. Thank you

Hi all, I'm gradually working my way through maintenance items on my "new to me" bike. I've noticed that in 1st gear there is sufficient clutch drag to pull the bike forwards unless I am sitting on it. No noticeable drag in 2nd gear. Also, it is almost impossible to find neutral if the bike is running, although it can be done by hand, with limited success. I believe it is a diaphragm type clutch. It has recently had new levers (for cosmetic reasons), but I've checked the play in those and the master cylinder is operating with a full cycle. Just to be sure, I misadjusted the lever to remove play entirely and the result was the same, so I think the actuator rod is fully engaging and disengaging the piston in the master cylinder. I've dropped the oil, which was somewhat dirty but not horrific. There was a tiny bit of swarf on the drain plug magnet. It's had 650cc of fresh 75W (GP10) put in, bringing it up to full as far as I can tell (I think its ~700cc total capacity). I am wondering if the clutch needs a little more fluid in the line? I've noticed the brake lever engages very early in the stroke, which suggests to me, assuming I've adjusted the lever correctly, that it has potentially too much fluid. Worth checking both in case they have been filled incorrectly? It's all DOT4 if that makes a difference to anything. I am not experienced with motorbike mechanics, so I was hoping someone may be able to point me in the direction of things I should check for the clutch drag issue? If necessary, I'm willing to put in a new clutch kit, but obviously want to rule out simple stuff first as taking the clutch apart, for me, would be a challenge. Thanks

Will do, thank you. Mine's a Sherco, although I have been reading those threads about the clutch drag on Beta's too. I think its a different type of clutch on mine, diaphragm type.

Oil was the colour of dark caramel. Drained out about 650cc and replaced with 75W. No improvement, clutch still drags in 1st gear, enough to pull the bike along if I stand up. I'll make a new thread about clutch drag to try and document it. Is that accepted on this forum? I thought it might make the content more useful for people in the future, thats why I do that rather than bundle it all into a single long thread.

I'm told the inertia of the engine helps with balance but as I say I'm new

I am new to trials bikes, so take this with a grain of salt, but I don't think your bike should be routinely dripping fuel. It's likely not much of a problem at all, but it would be worth investing a little time to identify the location of the leak. I have a Keihin PWK28 on my Sherco and once I'd cleaned the carb and figured out (with help from folks here) that the manual was wrong, it hasn't leaked a drop. In my case, I was sort of glad it leaked, because it showed me that the carb overflow pipe was zip tied and positioned directly above the dogbones and had therefore removed much of the grease from the linkage. I'd rather know about that, than not. Maintaining these is half the fun, at least it is for me. Love the learning process and they are pretty simple really, a step or two up from a lawnmower, so accessible for a newcomer like me. Practice balance again but this time, put a tiny bit of cotton wool loosely into the end of the overflow pipe. Chances are thats where your leak is. Balance practice will slosh the fuel in the float bowl and you might get a couple of drips. At least you'll know. Engine running during balance practice, I take it? You'll sort it, good luck and nice bike

MI6 couldn't find neutral on my bike if the engine is running 😆. I suspect it's probably related to the clutch drag, as if the clutch is engaged, neutral will stay hidden. You're right in that you definitely don't want to find neutral accidentally, but the drag is enough to move the bike on its own, unless I sit on it fully, so it's quite strong I'd say. I don't think its by design. I am expecting the oil to be grim, based on everything else I've found so far.

To close this off, I've just got finished sorting out the mixture and idle. It's running brilliantly now and the hanging idle has disappeared. It rev's smoothly and freely so I'm confident its OK. A mm or so too much free play on the throttle, so will sort that tomorrow. I've noticed the clutch is dragging a bit, always was hard to get into neutral. I think I'll do an oil change, take it for a ride and see what happens. Can't spend all the time in the garage. Thank you to everyone who took interest and tried to help out

Resolved. It's seam side up for the Twin Airs.

Hi Glayne. No. Once I realised the kill switch hadn't worked, I left it attached rather than drop it on the floor. I cut the fuel. My next step was removing cap off spark plug ASAP. Before I got off the bike to do that, I blipped the throttle and the RPM dropped instantly to the high idle (which I know the cause of). It all happened so quick.

Thank you, I see what you mean. Kill switch did not respond when bike was at max revs. Before resorting to taking the cap of the spark plug, I blipped the throttle. RPM instantly lowered to a high idle. Once at the high idle, it did respond to kill switch. I have since tested the kill switch repeatedly and it is functioning apparently correctly. After that, everything worked normally once I'd adjusted the idle screw about 1 turn out. I checked the throttle cable, its routing and seating to the carb prior to first starting. It all looked and felt fine. Correct play in throttle, lock nuts in place and tight (I had not adjusted it) and it was seated correctly on the carb with the gasket nice and tight fitting all around. The only thing I noticed before I started the bike, was the lack of the usual loud "clack" of the slides in the carb when letting off the throttle. It was a more muted sound. Now, following the second start which I was able to control, the "clack" of the slides returning is at what I'd call normal volume. Thats why I'm convinced something in the throttle slides became slightly stuck and has now unstuck itself. I wondered if they had dried out and after the first start, were lubricated again? I am led to believe that at maximum revs, a kill switch may not always work because the engine is able to self ignite, similar to how a diesel engine works? Thanks for responding, all of this is very helpful when trying to learn.

Thanks lineaway. Very lucky about the motor yep. It completely blindsided me but the throttle blip sorted it so it only revved out for about 5 seconds. I'm almost sure it was a stuck slide after disturbing the cable with carb reinstall and throttle grip removal. Thought maybe I'd twisted it, but I think you'd feel tension in such a case. I know what to listen out for next time. The screws were visually identical to the OEM parts held side by side, but I hear what you're saying as these adjustments are so slight. It was about 1 turn off on idle and fuel is probably 1/8th of a turn out. The parts are CSP and looked to be well machined, but next time out I'll use calipers and take a more cautious approach as you suggest. The air filter check will work for coverage and seal, but it's a slightly different shape top and bottom and I think I remember reading that some filters have varying foam densities across their surface so wanted to make sure it was the correct orientation, as well as sealed all around. Hoping someone who has one can confirm on that other thread. Thanks again

I've just popped a new air filter into my Sherco as part of its wash and brush up. The old one was pretty dreadful. It's my first time oiling and installing one. These bikes have a frame to mount the filter on, so I'm fairly confident I've done it correctly, but it's hard to be certain. Removal was a real pain as it's so small inside the airbox, in my frustration, I didn't note the orientation. I would like to be sure that I've installed it correctly. It's a Twin Air and there is a single seam at the top on my install (shown in pic). It's on the frame and clipped in. Looks OK, but I can't see the underside. Pic attached. Does this look right, with the space at the top revealing the allen bolts, seam at the top? I am not sure the flap and the aluminium are standard, can anyone confirm please? Just a nervous noob... Many thanks.