90vanman

Thanks for that JB, if you hadn't noticed a lot of these posts aren't right up to date..........still have interest for people who haven't seen them though. I have a friend who has recently asked similar questions, he would still find some of the remarks and information on here usefull.

Hi folks,I would like to chuck in my two bob's worth, I turned 60 a little while ago and was lucky enough to find a tlr200 to have another go at the sport on. I bought it in scruffy but usable condition for £1100, and with help from a mate who must know everybody involved with Hondas, I have managed to build a very nice little bike, more details if you want them. I used to campaign a very trick Otter B40, a lot of you in the Eastern centre will remember it, I was always accused of building a "fiddle bike". Anyway, about seven years ago I was entered in a Saturday evening "fun" trial, which was more like a "National" event,whereupon I decided that enough was enough. The bike was sold, and I went on to flying R/C aircraft. Late last year I decided to ride the Honda in some local trials, and thoroughly enjoyed it, riding the easy route. Inevitably, one or two of my mates started having a dig about the bike not being in " the spirit" of the thing so I entered on the 50/50 route, which I did not enjoy half as much. The moral of this story is that you can't please all of the people all of the time, and if you try to force riders into too much conformity you will probably lose them. I cannot ride in Pre65 events, as I used to, so have to ride in a class tacked onto the modern classes, which, given my age and health, is a bit tough for my liking. We do have a Twinshock class in the EFA (club), but not all clubs do. I think more could be done to consider the rider's age, as in the Gingerbeards and Greybeards events, and not necessarily the build of the bike. I don't think I could manage the BSA now, due to breathing difficulties, so the Honda suits me fine, being light and lively, and with a little luck we'll be going for a few more years yet. For those of you who stuck with this post to here,I hope I haven't bored you too much, and may even have given you something to ponder on. PS what is going to happen to all the Pre65 bikes when all of the old boys who own and love them have rolled up, I don't see very large numbers of young people choosing a 40 or 50 year old bike to start in the sport with, and that's without the loss of knowledge of what makes a good bike tick. Dave

Hi, Why? what a strange comment to make, some time ago i gave up with more modern two-strokes to ride and modify a tlr200, so does that make me weird? I find that single word "Why" almost offensive, the man, like me, has a choice in whether to ride a 2T or 4T without being thought of as ridiculous for choosing 4T, they will eventually, I hope, become the norm as they were at the beginning of the sport.

James,the reflex is much the same basic set-up as my 200e, they both need the gearing sorted as well as the suspension, the main problem with the Reflex is the carburation. If you replace the exhaust and carb with good quality aftermarket stuff they should show a marked improvement. If you get a "Californian" Reflex you have much more work to do, as these were equipped with emission control carb and exhaust systems and need much more work to get them fit for competition, not impossible just more expensive. All that said, having done most of the work I wouldn't swap my bike for anything else. Dave PS have a look in the Honda forum

Back in the day, I used to wear Dunlop "fire brigade" wellies, excellent value for money and had steel toecaps and steel plates in the soles along with heavy protection around ankles and shins. Have tried to find something similar recently but seem to have gone for good.......great shame

Hi, thanks for the interest and answers, I can only think that it had been supplied by a dealer in his corporate colours, but who it was I have no idea. It seems that it will remain a mystery. Dave

I had a similar thing years ago, but used fine silica grit and an electric impeller arrangement instead of air, ran off a car battery. Worked a treat, sadly it got nicked and I couldn't find a replacement, good luck with yours. Dave

Hi, back in the end of the 70s, I had an Ossa MAR? which had a yellow tank with a black stripe round it, similar to the MAR design, does anyone know who supplied them with a yellow tank? Thanks for looking. Dave

Hi, slightly off topic,but I am trying to rebuild a Dax, and want to replace the steering head bearings. I cannot see what holds the taper roller bearings in place,ie pulling together in the headstock tube. I did this job on a BSA Otter but that had sockets for the bearings to sit in. I will also change the bearings on my TLR200 if it works OK on the Dax. Anyone like to comment?

Hi, thank you all who gave advice, I have fitted a big bore kit, new camchain and one or two other bits and am pleased to say that all is quiet now. The engine is running very sweetly, except for the crap carburation which gets more unreliable the hotter the engine gets. Oh well, c'est la vie!

Hi, not strictly on the topic of mags on big singles, but a mate of mine had a B40 with a little mag which bolted onto the side cover in place of the points cover, driven off the camshaft. It was a nice neat little unit, the like of which I had not seen before, so, does anyone know what make it is and where I might get one? Dave

Hi Andy M, thanks for the advice, it all went together very nicely thanks. It's a 210cc upgrade, and if it stops the knocking it had before I shall be delighted. All I need to do now is sort out the horrible carburation and it will be perfect. As I mentioned in a previous posting, I have never come across such a nasty carb for losing tune, or so fussy about float level. Thanks again Dave

What locates the camshaft in the head? I'm in the middle of a top end rebuild and can't see what stops the camshaft moving sideways out of alignment in the bearings. It seems that the chain has been doing the job, is that right? Also, with the O on the camshaft sprocket at the top, should the cams be pointing upwards, as there are no marks on the shaft. The reason I am asking is that I didn't strip the head myself. Dave

Hi, I also have a Mk1 Focus, 2004 model, I don't know about detachable hooks, but I fitted my own standard one in about an hour not including the electrics (another ball of snot). They are easy to fit to these cars because the chassis is pre-drilled. The electrics aren't too bad, don't use scotchlocks though, no special electronics to worry about, go on do it yourself. the wiring you need to tap into is on the left side of the boot.

Hi, when I was modding my B40 I found that a very usefull book to have about was Rupert Ratio. This is a guide written by a very knowledgable bloke, oddly enough not called Rupert. It's well worth having if you can find one, as it outlines mods to the motor like replacing that bushing with something more durable and getting rid of the "distributor", almost to the point of having a G spec.

Ability not a problem, but I don't want to split the cases unless absolutely essential, can't face poking all those bloody gears and bits back in the box for the sake of something simple,truth to tell I don't really want to go further than stripping the head and barrel off it to have the rebore (assuming I can find an o/s piston w/out a mortgage), but if necessary I will strip it for a full rebuild, but I would rather buy another lump ready to fit and run-in. Thanks to all of you for your help, Dave PS keep the ideas coming.

Hi, it was a bit noisy when I bought it, but trying to adjust the chain tensioner does not make too much difference. The valve clearances are OK, and if a rod is poked down through the tensioner assembly, the tensioner can be felt vibrating. No obvious slack can be felt on the top chain sprocket, so I am led to believe it is something more serious. Thank you for your suggestions, it's nice to get such a quick response. Dave

Hi everybody, I have a tlr200 with a rattly engine, and I can't decide whether it is camchain, piston slap or posibly the bottom end. The point of this missive is, does anyone know where I can buy a rebuilt engine, or possibly have this one rebuilt fairly quickly, not too far from south essex/east London? I don't really want a secondhand replacement, as there is no comeback if it turns out to be as bad, failing this, is it possible to strip this engine whilst leaving the gearbox more or less intact in one half of the engine casing? Dave

Hi from Essex, if you need somewhere friendly to practice, if it's not too far from you,come over to Poles Wood. Incidentally, I have no connection with it, other than enjoying the friendly company and wide range of terrain and obstacles. Dave

Hi, I know that we're talking bigger scale, but I fly electric model aircraft using LiPo batteries,brushless motors,and some very fancy speed controllers.Using this current technology (no pun intended), a very small motor,fitting in the hand, can produce a couple of horsepower. There are downsides however, the LiPo batteries require very careful handling and charging and voltage management to avoid fires. The speed controller will be very expensive in a size to handle the current for this application, but also very efficient. A clutch would be superfluous, but the drive take-up would need working on so as not to break traction under hard acceleration, these drives do not build up like an ICE, full torque is there from nothing. If you have a little time on your hands, research LiPo technology, it's a real eye-opener. PS 400 amps is easily manageable in a small plane, so imagine scaling it up to bike size.

Hi, having had carb problems of my own with a tlr200 I can sympathise.How much choke are you using? I find that full choke is only required for a few seconds then reduce it to about half till the engine labours a bit, then put it off altogether. The choke on most Hondas i've come across is a bit savage, but you'll soon get to learn how much it needs, and for how long. Hope this is of some help. Dave

Hi everybody, took the bike to Poles Wood yesterday after rebuilding the original carb,straightened out the float arms, reworked the tag that sits against the float needle and refitted the original jets in a thoroughly cleaned out body and it works almost perfectly. Still get a bit of soot on the plug tip, but the throttle response is so much better, no coughing or stumble now. I think I'll live with the sooty plug now the response has improved so much, so thank you to everyone who helped me out on the forum, I hope to meet some of you at some time, Dave.

Hi, thanks for the answers, to take the points raised one at a time, the plug is sooty with occasional black smoke from the exhaust. The carb was rejetted with the jets from the original carb and the old needle too. The reason for the change was to get rid of the eternal annoyance of petrol peeing out of the overflow( a problem I have never had with a proper carb like an Amal). The first job I did with the original carb, was to level up the two floats and set the fuel level, but it is almost impossible to get the tag to sit squarely on top of the needle, so I still had leaking. The slide is not the problem afaik, as it can be heard hitting the adjuster screw or bottom of the throttle body every time. This is ruining an absolutely blinding bike, so a cure HAS to be found. Where can I get a proper Viton tipped fuel needle? Dave

Hi all, can anybody diagnose an idling problem for me? I have an 84 200tlr to which I have recently fitted a copy carb.The carb was fitted to cure idling probs, but it has only partially done so. Above idling it runs OK, but often when closing the throttle, the revs don't die down properly. Also, occasionally when left idling the revs increase on their own.It seems to me like an air leak, but after doing all the usual checks/tests, I am ruling that out. The carb has been set up to the best of my ability using the jets out of the original carb, as there were no markings on the jets from the new carb. Any ideas greatly appreciated, Dave PS its not a Reflex.

Hi, I would also like to welcome you to the world of trials. After a break of a few years, I am coming back to the sport on a Honda tlr200, (bit lighter than my old B40 maybe)and also live not too far from Pogles wood, so hope to see you either there or at a trial somewhere in the area soon. You should find plenty of trials to suit yourself and your son in the eastern centre, I have several favourite venues in Essex and Suffolk. Best of luck, Dave