charliechitlins

For optimum braking on any drum you need to have the shoes arced to match the drum and make a cable from a wire rope that has minimal stretch. These 2 things make a world of difference. And I always bought the least expensive brake shoes...they were generally the softest and didn't last as long but gave better braking. I always figured that anything that made a shoe wear longer is probably harder and wouldn't give as much drag.

Slow throttle is the best if you're uncomfortable with changing the timing. The conventional wisdom was (maybe still is) that the entire range of timing adjustment is useable, and anywhere in that range can be set according to your preference without fear of damaging your engine. Not necessarily so. I once retarded the timing on my '01 290 and the bike ran so hot that the plastic near the muffler began to melt...so taking small steps is best. BTW...no puller is needed for this. Just slack the screws and turn the plate.

Thanks, Jon. You're probably right about the water pump, but for the price of some 5w30, I'll put some in and keep an eye on it. Funny...Sherco had the same problem around then with seals wearing grooves in the shaft. Rubber eating steel...makes a guy wonder... I see what you mean about treating the hyd clutch like it's a cable...if it's not disengaging, try tightening the adjuster. Kinda sorta makes sense if you don't think about it for too long! I'll definitely have the tank off to see if everything is sorted under there, so I'll check that vent. Right...red...rebound...I like it when it's easy! Y'know what's not easy? That eyesore light/instrument cluster with the mounting bracket UNDER the top tree. No fair! I am really looking forward to taking this thing for a rip! I wonder if the folks at the golf course across the street would mind....

I played a little tonight... AFter all these years I've finally learned to go for the simple stuff first. Although the previous owner has ridden for many years, I noticed that several things on the bike were poorly adjusted/sorted. This bike needs a good strip-down so I can get to every fastener...everything I touch takes a tweak...sometimes more... I think problem may be as simple as the adjustment at the lever. I had to back the adjuster WAY off to get some freeplay. I'll be sure when I get some oil back in it. I had to drain the pink stuff ASAP...it was bumming me out. I think, though, that it may just be a mixture of ATF and motor oil. I drained a bit of coolant and it looks perfect. Could I assume that if there was coolant in the oil, there'd be oil in the coolant? I remember that water pump...it has a pin that indexes into a notch in the shaft. I wonder how many of those covers have been broken by socking it down without having the pin in the slot. Also...I really cranked up the pre-load on the rear shock...mmmm, mmmm good! What's with the liddo knobs on the tops of the forks. One preload and the other damping? Which is which? Is there a spring in both forks? Inquiring minds want to know!

I hadn't thought of the water pump. Duh... I thought of hydraulic fluid being there from the clutch, but not water pump. Doesn't that pump just slide into the cover and get sealed with an o-ring? Any seals on the shaft? It's been a while since I've been in one of those..... I guess the clutches could be swollen, eh? And...ixnay on the awnmowerlay... I thought that was our little secret.

I'll get it apart soon... I forgot to mention the milky, pinkish ATF I can see through the peep-hole. I wonder what it means for clutch plates to be sitting in that for a couple years. I just have to share the most amazing part of this return to trials maneuver... My girlfriend actually asked me if I wanted to park it in the living room. I told her that it's every rider's dream to park his bike in the living room, but it was probably the first time in history that a wife or girlfriend actually suggested it. I think the bike and the girl are both keepers!

New bike! It's a happy day. Bad clutch, though. It seems that there was an update (new plates) that changed the pack height...this was performed a while ago and the clutch was working. Now the clutch disengages partially, but not enough to come to a complete halt. The bike did sit for some time. Could this be the o-rings in the slave? Of course I'll try bleeding first. Can this one be back-filled? Also...the rear suspension seems very soft...this bike might not be set up for a 190# rider. Is the pre-load adjustable to set the race sag? DAMN, it's good to see a trials bike parked in the yard again!!

Good to hear it Shawn!! (did I spell your name right, or is it Sean?) It would be cool to hear some recordings from musician/riders!

Blues and trials...it's like a recipe for having no friends...

Gorilla snot. Also known as 3M Weatherstrip Adhesive. Works for everything from tank badges to shoe soles to Harley and Indian engine cases.

I used to work on a guys drag bike. They index the plug with spacers so the open part of the electrodes faces the intake valve. THAT'S getting serious about spark!

Cope! It's good to be back...click the link and see/hear where I've been. Music completely took over my spare time for awhile...and the fact that I moved away from having trials heaven in my backyard and moved into the flatlands. But the boy has a Honda 70 now and I can't wait to ride with him and hopefully he'll stop needing to sit down! Such a shame that kids' trials bikes cost twice as much as trail bikes. Yeah...I'm figuring on the GG being a little more fragile than the bulletproof '01 Sherco. But the one time I rode one, it was so damn cool. So easy to toss around. Last time I rode regularly I was 42 and now I'm 49! Still a kid compared to Stoodley, though! Har!! You out there, Jon, old pal?

That's true for steel...not so with alum. Get it to temp and quench...it'll be annealed. The soap trick works great...I use a bar of Ivory. You can also use acetylene. Turn on the acet only and coat the part with soot. Then bring in the oxy and heat until the soot flakes off...then quench. Done it a million times. Also..."slow"... as in cool-down...is a relative term. Letting a small piece of aluminum sit after being heated is a pretty fast cool-down. When blacksmiths want to anneal, they do it at the end of the day...heat it, set it on top of the fire, put ashes on top, and let it cool over the course of hours while the fire cools.

Well...I've been away from trials for a few years, and my 11-year-old has a trail bike and I need to keep up with him...found a good deal on an '03 200 Pro that I'll pick up this Sunday. I rode one a few years ago and REALLY liked it. Anybody got one? Any advice about it?

Interesting article. One thing I know for sure is hat when I was building a lot of Harley engines (and LOTS of top ends) I was having to rough up the cylinders a little extra just to get the rings to seat...probably because oil is so good these days. I had several top ends bounce because they wouldn't stop smoking. A little extra rough with the ball hone and no assembly oil in the cylinder and the rings broke right in.

Since I was a kid in the '70's I've been cutting teeth into a steel strap, wrapping it around footpegs and welding it on. It works OK until they fill with mud...then they STILL work better than the stock things. Some REAL footpegs would be cool. As the OP asked...does anybody move them? The front feels a little heavy to me, and the bike is tall. I'm thinking that a little back and down might help.

Yikes! These things bring real money. I thought you could still buy Mikunis all day long for 10 bucks. Maybe you still can at swaps...just not on ebay.

Pile of gears and rollers....and shims, I imagine. Can't wait! I've been told that the transmission USUALLY stays in the right half. Well...ya can't put a price on a good time! Cover me...I'm goin' in.

oops...redundant post

Considering an inexpensive TY175 with a missing carb. What would work on this bike?

OK...all the parts are available, and the 247 will be coming completely apart. Any words of caution or instruction (not to mention encouragement) will be taken gladly.

She just said, "Make sure you put down plenty of newspaper." Atta girl!

Jared from Southwest Montesa has them. $50.

This is a big bummer, I think. Broken kick shaft. Between the 2 splines where the kicker arm goes on, there is a hole through the shaft making it very weak. Is this factory, or a cob job by a previous hammer-and-tongs man to secure a stripped shifter? Either way, the end of the shaft snapped off. Does this mean split the cases to install a new shaft? Is a new shaft even available? I wonder how the new girlfriend feels about engines on the kitchen table....

Sorry 'bout that, Kev... Bad choice of words about 'talking the owner into ...." Any bad feelings I have/had about the situation are definitely directed towards the guy who had it on Ebay and pulled the auction. Enjoy the bike!