peterb

Those spacers in the lower shock spherical bearing usually come out ok by prising evenly with a couple of screwdrivers, then you can get grease into the bearing and replace the spacers. Don't try to twist out the spacers as they are knurled so as to provide a tight fit into the bearing. Same for knocking them out with a drift, best not to as they are thin walled. Bye, Peter B.

Have a look in your inbox, sent you a message.

Went belly up in 2015. Bye, Peter B.

Have you removed the air temp sensor from the inlet manifold and carefully cleaned this with a soft cloth? Check the earth connections there may be some corrosion under the terminal lugs. What condition is the spark plug? Is it a sooty black colour, wet looking? When the motor is cold, after a short warm up period, does it rev out ok, or is it smoking a lot. There is a little black cased relay, called the Chassis Relay, have you cleaned these terminals with spray, the plug and socket. The relay is located under the front of the seat unit, to the right. Bye, Peter B.

We had some of the first 2015 models which had a new type RHS main bearing fitted that required the oil seal to be changed out from new as the elastomer was nitrile and not viton, as was specified. One rider here did want to ride his bike as supplied and as advised, the RHS oil crank shaft oil seal gave up and was subsequently replaced. Forks were the usual Marzocchi on these bikes. The 2015 bikes were probably the best out of all the model years, a lot of gearbox oil passageways were enlarged, the entire gear cluster was heat treated and these two things created a reliable gearbox over previous versions. Not sure but I think the clutch basket bearing was changed to a needle roller type. The crankcase was the same as the 2014 model, which held a tad more oil than the previous version. We always ran at least 400ml oil in all of our bikes from 2011, was never an issue having this amount. Actual weight was very much as quoted, 64.5kg, the bike feeling very light to ride although front end heavy compared to a GG. Bye, Peter B.

Ciao Simone, there is not very much information there to diagnose the problem. Does the fan turn straight away while you are kicking? When the motor starts from cold will it rev properly or does it sound like there is too much fuel? Have you removed the ECU connector - very carefully - and used a cleaning fluid like Wurth type OL on the connecting pins/socket? Bye, Peter B.

Anieyo.

You can charge the 9v battery before you fit it to the bike on a purpose made battery charger. The battery must be a nimh type, nickel metal hydride rechargeable 200, 250 or 300 mAh. Theoretically a 1,000 mAh should work, it would store more electric charge than a 200 mAh. I used a 300 mAh for a long time. Bye, Peter B.

Hello Michael, that front engine mount nut is a speciall shape to fit inside the mounting lug. The nut looks like a piece of rod with two flats machined at one end and threaded M10, unsure of the pitch but possibly 1.25. Best to use the original nut, a regular nut would not fit. Not heard of anyone selling packs of regular fasteners. Do you mean the HT lead is loose into the plug cap or that the plug cap is loose on the plug. Some of those caps are made to fit on the threaded top of a plug while others are made to fit onto the "nut" on top of the plug. It could be that you need to investigate this. Bye, Peter B.

MOTS do a range of trials gear, the Step 5 would be a more roomy fit than their Rider 3 series.

I have never heard of any wear being related to the odd/even combination, only that with a 9T the sprocket and chain wear a bit quicker than with a 10T due to the smaller diameter, interesting though. Besides, sprockets and chains on trials bikes tend to last 1-2 years before needing renewal so probably not really worth considering in this case. Bye, Peter B.

Hi Andy, the problem is likely to be with the fuel pump. At the bottom of the pump is a filter screen, sometimes these can fall off when the pump is removed and re-assembled, just letting you know so when you take out your pump you know what to look out for. You would need to disconnect the 12v power to the pump and very carefully prise off the top hose, fuel outlet pipe. Then remove the 4 mounting bolts and wiggle the pump out. What can happen is that the pump suction can become clogged with sediment from the tank, it is a small hole at the bottom of the pump, have a look if this is the case and if so clean it out. Bye, Peter B.

Yes, that is the correct plug circled. Black wire is the negative, red wire is the positive. You can use any car/motorcycle 12 vDC battery to start the motor then disconnect this before riding. When you park the bike after finishing your ride, leave the magnetic kill button in place on the switch otherwise leaving it off drains the battery. Your Vertigo 9v battery should be a re-chargeable type. Bye, Peter B.

Anyong ha seo Jeong Won, It is easier to press the push kill button to wake up the ECU, it will then be energised for 7 seconds (I think it was 7 but may be a few more) by the battery. When the Map light blinks constantly, quickly, that is an indication that the battery power is too low. You need to have a re-chargeable 9v battery on those older bikes that provides enough current, 9v 200mA or similar. I have used a standard non re-chargable 9v battery in an emergency but the bike was always best with the re-chargeable. Just to get the motor going, there is a 12vDC plug under the petrol flap that you can hook in a 12v battery into. There could be other reasons why your bike does not start. Was the bike working when you got it?

Factory recommended 350ml but they are fine to run with more oil, I always used 400ml. Bye, Peter B.

That "2 gear" TXT50 has a centrifugal clutch with a manual over ride. It can be used in either high or low gear but it is not designed to be changed while on the run. Released around 2000, they were well made and quite pricey. Parts are really hard to obtain. Bye, Peter B.

GG changed from DOT4 to mineral oil for the clutch hydraulics in 2004 so the 2003 model would have been DOT4 as mentioned earlier. From the description it seems as though the clutch master is passing and needs a new DOT4 kit. Bye, Peter B.

Section swept, what a very good post. I also tend to use ATF in clutches, Bultaco's too for well over 30 years now. Never had any problem with ATF in the clutch on any bike. Bye, Peter B.

Looks like the port has been enlarged and a bridge added, I haven't seen that on a standard barrel Villiers motor before.

The noise you describe is in line with a main bearing failure, however the age of the bike would suggest not. Has the bike been drowned and not fully cleaned out at all? You have checked all bolts, s/arm, head steady, sump plate as mentioned before. Other things causing vibration and noise are the ignition flywheel, which if loose would very soon have sheared the woodruff key, also on the other side of the crankshaft is another flywheel weight, pretty sure on the Beta they are a taper fit so if this was loose then there would be no drive to the clutch. Does sound like a main bearing failure. Bye, Peter B.

Hi Jim, I've not worked on an old Ossa clutch, but there may be a couple of things to look out for. One is the condition of the clutch centre and clutch basket, where the clutch plate "ears" or "tabs" connect, on older bikes, the long term use of the clutch can cause the tabs to cut grooves into the basket, I have seen this on Bultaco's that I have worked on, which may prevent the plates freeing up. The other more usual problem, is that the plates are sticking together hydraulically, one way to cure this is to drill 5 or 6 holes in the annulus where the fibres drive the steel plates, 6mm dia hole is sufficient. It worked for me on a 301 Fantic that used to go forward still when you pulled the clutch in. Maybe if you have all steel plates, this is not the answer!! I never liked the idea of forcing the disengagement with the front wheel up against a wall. Bye, Peter B.

Gestetner, invented by an Hungarian bloke sometime between the Bronze and Iron age!

G'day Ash, as far as I know there is no workshop manual for the Zero, you could ask some of the guys from the Manawatu and Ixion clubs for any tech help. Bye, Peter B.

As far as I know, there are no replacement levers for Formula master cylinders other than standard, plus as lineaway mentioned, you would be better off replacing the Formula masters with AJP or Braktec. I looked at modifying AJP levers to fit the Formula master, but the pivot/actuation points are too dissimilar to be effective. Bye, Peter B.

The extra washer should not be there. There should be a washer in between the kickstart shaft and the outer casing, but I am not sure if this should be 0.5 or 1.0mm thick, have a look on the parts list description, as the "extra" washer may be from there. Bye, Peter B.