charliechitlins

Well...it depends on the balance factor, which, to a certain degree, is a matter of preference. But what I mean by 'to the gram' is that everything is weighed, right down to the wristpin clips, then material is either removed or added to the flywheels.

Electrical solder is fine. Still has lead in it, whereas the plumbing stuff doesn't anymore (funny...being that 'plumb' comes from the Latin for 'lead').

Ray Peters has a story about getting off line and having to ride a Scorpa off a 15 foot(!!) drop. I believe him about the height for several reasons...one of them being that he blew a fork seal right out of its seat! I'd say that any breakage of a major component on any of the modern bikes is due to either poor maintenance or a rare instance of a faulty part.

My Harleys are always balanced within a gram. They still ride like a lawn tractor with a broken blade.

You're describing a 'hare scramble' or 'hare and hound'. Flat out in the woods careening off trees. Great fun! An enduro has a time given to each "section" and the objective is to arrive neither late nor early.

Our Rookie runs great with the BPR5ES. I recently fitted an iridium plug, and I sense little, if any, difference. I have never looked in the carb, as the bike has run flawlessly since we got it (used), and the plug is always a nice, toasty brown. I use Silkolene because it's sold right up the street. The mixture srew will make very subtle difference...rev and clean out the bike after each tweak. Idle speed won't change much, but smoothness will. Our's is cold-blooded and is not an easy starter...especially after sitting for days or weeks. I can leave the choke on almost until it's warmed up...I'm tempted to drill the starter jet.

That will probably work, but may be a career-length process. The best way is to get a big syringe (around 60cc, I think) from a horse or cow vet, put a piece of hose on the end, and use it to push fluid into the bleed nipple and up into the reservoir. Pumping air up is much easier than pumping it down.

Get actual air filter oil. It really does work best. I change oil every 4 rides. Probably overkill, but I use cheap oil so I don't feel bad about dumping it.

Welcome. It's addictive. pretty soon you'll be dealing to support your habit.

Lazy man method: A couple big hands-full of nuts, bolts and washers (old or new); wrap it up in a couple old blankets and a bunch of rope; put it in the clothes dryer and let it rip for about 30 minutes. Have a cold beer. You might want to wait until the missus will be out for awhile.

I bought myself a Pro 250cc Gasser from a frensch speaking belgian to discover at home that french speaking belgians don't like to clean airfilters. And never enter into a game of wits with a Sicilian!

[Oh...i live in west and south yorkshire,.. brierly/grimethorpe is where i use to take the bike, apparently a well known spot, near the bypass, Grimethorpe! I love it. Thank God Dickens was born in England!

Definitely available in the US from Mike at the Tryals Shop in NY.

What's the deal with the footpeg?

Now you're asking me to remember past last week... On the right,I think I cut off the peg and the brake pedal pivot and put a piece between. On the left, I think I just made a new piece and put the peg mount on it. I customized the stock pegs by welding pieces of serrated metal to them...but I'm pretty cheap, and I like to do things myself. And I almost always use a torch...it's the most fun way to weld!

I thought there were some glaring omissions...like an Indian 4 and a '36-'57 Harley. Great book, though. It was rare to get to see some of the European stuff I'd never seen...although I have seen a Megola running! I want a Dollar!!

In general, if it spins clockwise gets a left-hand nut. As for holding the clutch, you can jam a rag in the primary chain, or you can put the bike in gear and lock down the rear brake. I once saw in an old repair manual, putting the bike in gear and feeding a length of rope into the sparkplug hole to keep the engine from turning, but I've never tried it. For Harleys, I just have a clutch plate with a steel bar attached. The bar is long enough to hit the ground (or lift) and stop the clutch hub from spinning.

I lowered mine so the bottoms were almost level with the skidplate, maybe 3/8" above...they start quite a bit above. I was a little gun-shy about moving them back. I only went about 3/8-1/2 inch.

You can make it work for the price of 2 zipties to hold it to the rear fender support.

Polyester. That's what most powdercoat is.

grass clippings

Epoxy powdercoat is strong and chemical-resistant, but is sensitive to UV radiation. Sunlight dulls it. Stick with poly.

My experience with K&N filters is that they pass more air to the point where you will probably have to re-jet. Cheap horsepower.

Try drilling the starter jet. It's not a terribly precise operation like a main or pilot jet would be. If you have a small drill index, find your jet size and go up about 3 sizes to start.

Thanks for the explanation, Ishy... I thought I'd been having a flashback.