charliechitlins

Heat the dogbone and tap the bearing race out using a socket (as close to the size of the hole as possible) and a hammer. I sit them atop a bench vise and open the jaws enough to leave room for the bearing to come out the bottom.

Just for fun... Heres the power train for a '38 Indian that I'm building. It weighs more than my whole Sherco!

That's because they don't want to have to follow you through all those places they can't go.

No.

I guess it would be a little expensive, but any of the bikes with aluminum tanks could be made larger.

Don't forget the Sawzall.

You'll need some real tire irons...not screwdrivers. Don't worry, they're cheap. Get long ones. Remove the wheel. Take the core out of the valve. If you don't have a core remover, get one when you buy the tire irons. They're cheap, too. Then take the nut off the rim lock(s). That's the thing that looks like the valve stem, but isn't. Then, you need to 'break' the bead. On a front tire, you should be able to do this by hand. Put the wheel flat on a bucket (or similar), put both hands on the sidewall (180 degrees apart), and push down hard. You'll know it when the bead comes off the edge of the rim and moves toward the spoke nipples. Free the bead all around the rim. Now, get your tire iron between the rim and the bead and pry the bead up. Hold that iron where it is, and insert the next iron about 4" away and pry. Leave the first iron in and go around the tire with the other iron until the tire is free. REMEMBER---there is a tube in there. Try not to pinch it between the tire and rim. Reach in and pull out the tube. Push the rim lock bolt into the rim. Reach inside the tire, pull the rim lock out, and say, "Dang [blimey], so that's what it looks like." Now, break the other bead. Then, stand the wheel up with the bead that's completely off facing you. Push the iron under the bead from the far side, and put the tip on the edge of the rim closest to you. Lever the iron towards you and the tire should pop off. Pump up the tube to see if you put any holes in it. Replacement, as they say, is the reverse of removal, but the main challenge is to get the tire on without pinching the tube. If you're strong and use plenty of soapy water, you can put it on without the irons. After you get the first bead on, then put the rimlock and the tube in; then seat the second bead. If you have to use the iron, this is where you'll pinch the tube. All of the books say to put enough air in the tube to have it take shape, but, to me, this just gets it closer to the tool. I keep the tube empty and stick my fingers in as I go and push it out of harm's way. Wherever you are trying to get the tire on the rim, make sure the bead of the tire 180 deg away is down in the 'drop center' of the rim...touching the spoke nipples. When it's all together, soap it up really well and fill it with air. That bead that you tried so hard to unseat needs to seat, and the soap will help it slip on. Look very closely around the tire near the rim and make sure the tire is right against the edge of the rim, and there will probably be a little seam around the tire---make sure it is the same distance from the rim all around. You may need 50 or 60 psi to get it to seat. Use plenty of soapy water, and if you can't get it to fully seat all around after several deflations (and putting soap on the trouble spots), fill it up to 50psi and let it sit for awhile. Do't forget to put the nut back on the rim lock and leave the nut off the valve stem. If you do this for the first time without pinching the tube, you're way ahead of the game. However it goes, you will need several pints when you are done.

Some folks used to remove the springs and use air to save weight. It's a bummer if you ruin a seal. Others used to just run a few psi to tune the suspension. Their best use is to bleed air from the forks after a few hours of riding. It's best to have your drums turned on a lathe to make sure they're round and find a brake place that can match the arc of the linings to the drum. The easiest thing you can do is make your own inner cable out of decent wire. Most cables are completely twisted, and want to un-twist when stressed, making them 'stretch'. I have found really nice wire in hardware stores that has a longitudinal core and doesn't stretch. Any catalog that deals with home-built and/or ultra-light aircraft will have wire rope that is far superior to what you've got.

That one looks pretty 'fixed'. Mine is the 'infinitely adjustable' model. Just drill another hole and move the bolt.

I have good luck with safety wire "stiches" and a glue called "Goop" that stays a bit flexible.

Too easy. No fun. And it would probably look a lot like mine.

Of course welding is fastest and best. I was taking him at his word that this isn't an option for him.

There are plenty of people who mark the nut and replace it with an impact, and I haven't heard of any problems. I just feel safer with a torque wrench. I need less things to worry about.

Just about everyone would.

Race sag should be about 1/3 of your total travel with you on the bike. Probably about 2 1/2". At 13 stone, you could probably use heavier fork oil. ATF (about 7.5wt) or 10 wt.

There are several tank sealers that work very well. Check an aircraft supply place. Those guys can't afford to have it peel off. I have been using one from a company called "Randolph" for many years with great results. Whatever you get, be sure it is alcohol resistant.

The vast majority of my engine building experience is with big, air-cooled 4 strokes, but I have found that if I break in with synthetic or semi-synthetic oil, the rings will never break in and the engine will smoke. I have even had problems with regular petroleum oil because it's getting so good. I used to slather everything with oil, so something would be there for start-up, but now I assemble top ends dry and this helps the rings bed in. Maybe somebody with more experience with modern trials bikes could comment.

Hey, Bri-- I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts/opinions on the 200 compared to the larger bikes.

Are those really fried eggs on your jersey?

If the machine surfaces are in good shape, you can try removing the head gasket to tighten up the squish clearance. The old school method is to use metallized spraypaint to coat both surfaces and assemble while still slightly tacky. Sometimes it says on the label if there's metal in the paint. All paint that said it gave an 'aluminum' look used to have it, and I think all of the 'chrome-in-a-can' paints have it. I've run bikes like this for years, but if it makes you nervous as a long-term solution, it's a good test to see if it helps your problem before you start removing metal. You should also check piston-to-head clearance to make sure nothing is going to hit. I put 'silly putty' on top of the piston and crank the motor.

Doesn't sound like a great deal to me. The GG might be worth a little more than your Sherco because it's a year newer, but a lot less than you'd get for your '96 GG! I would think that, in a couple months when the '06s come out, the price you could get for your 2 bikes would get you an '05. If it were I....I'd stay where you are. I imagine your Sherco has been bulletproof, as most are, and keep the GG for a spare and for introducing new folks to trials.

Beautiful work. I don't think I would use button-head bolts because I would strip the heads, but I'm a bit ham-fisted.

Yeah. Ryan sez about 1/8" in either direction from the factory timing is the range of adjustment. Mine was set with the screw way towards the front of the top slot, so I set it so the screw was way towards the rear. It was interesting, actually. The bike was totally different. The power was too slow even for me. It was great on a slippery hill, but I had to plan a little further in advance to lift the front for obstacles. It even sounded like a completely different bike. Actually...it sounded like a Montesa.

That's why, when she went shopping for a husband, she picked a 230 pounder! In my experience, it's much more technique than weight or strength. I've seen big, macho guys (like you, big boy ) get frustrated because they can't budge a Harley kicker, but I've also known a 125lb woman who rode a kick-only Sportster. It's like when you swing a sledgehammer, you hold it loosely and let its weight do the work. When kicking a big bike, it's more a matter of sort of jumping up and using your body weight. When I kick a Harley, I am very wary of my reconstructed knee (because a slipping kicker gear could send me to the hospital), so I keep it slightly bent and hold it in that position, and all the force is applied with my weight(no cracks!). One of the keys is to make sure you keep a little pressure on at all times to take up the slack. If you''re coming down, and the slack takes up and the ratchet 'hits', it won't work. Of course, when I do this, my sidestand is firmly planted on pavement, and the kick pedal is much closer to the ground than on a trials bike. I do it sort of the same way with my trials bike, though. I hoist myself up (watch it) with my left foot on the peg, balance momentarily while I get my right foot on the kicker, and come down with my weight. You could help her practice by holding the bike upright for her (I do this for Zak when he is having trouble). She could also lean her handlebat on a tree so she can get up on the pegs. And that'll be $20 or I tell the wifey you told her secret on an international forum.

But if you spin the wheel the other way, you have to tighten the other side. Sorry, Gaby....couldn't resist.