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I'm surprised the cheap steel in that Tomos 'ped could handle the weight of that blob!

173 views and no replies..... I guess you all bought new then!

I know somebody who did that and caught his missus and her taxi driver going at full pelt after her night out!

Guys, I've been thinking of buying a 2nd hand machine, but I'm curious as to what you do to prove provinance of a machine that your buying. I've got my eye on a couple but how do I know that it's not stolen? I don't fancy discovering later on that it's been taken from some poor sods garage in the middle of the night or that bits of it are from stolen machines? Thanks Shaun

I'm tempted to say keep a hungry rabid Rotweiler in the garage with your bikes! However try these people for some of the best security chains http://www.almax-security-chains.co.uk/ I know the guy in the video and a few years ago he was breaking other manufacturers 'sold secure' and 'thatcham approved' locks and chains at the Birmingham International Bike Show infront of their retailers and customers. Apparrently he was asked to stop as people were taking their new found purchases back to the retailers stands and asking for their money back! Almax chains may seem expensive, but it's cheaper than replacing bikes which have been stolen because you had crap chains on them. (I'm not connected to their business btw!). Combined with a good ground anchor and you'll stop most theives from taking your pride and joy away. Shaun.

Here in the UK there was a terrestrial channel T.V. show called 'Kickstart' (as described in another thread). It showed the top riders of the day, Eddy Lejeunne, Mick Andrews etc riding over various man made and natural obstacles including VW Beetles etc. The UK nation loved it, eventually spawning a 'Junior' Version of the show. The best way to attract interest in the sport is for another bout of mainstream T.V. coverage. Computer games are fine for those interested in that sort of thing, however you need Mum and Dad sitting with their kids watching it infront of the box on a Saturday night. If it's done correctly like 'Kickstart' was then you'll soon have an influx of wannabe's knocking on their local clubs doors. Some may derride the MX crowd as being chav's, I know a lot of the MX crowd and you'll get a chav in any field of sport. However these "Chav's" have money to spend - some have rich parents happy to throw money at little johnny and his new found obsession. If some of these throw their money at trials then where's the harm in that. The problem with some people is that they can't see how to make progress and help lift the sport back on it's feet again. Motorcycling in the UK is still a minor sport compared to other countries such as Spain and France. I know, I've actively been involved in the Supermoto world for the past 6 years or so and I know how hard it is to find backing for anybody that's into 2 wheels, whether supermoto, MX, road-racing or even trials. Take the case of a certain D.Lampkin - how many times has he been World Champion? How often do you hear his name mentioned outside of the circles of motorcycling in the UK? He could pull a moonie at the queen and get his picture in the papers and hardly anybody in the UK would recognise him as the Multi-World Trials champion that he is. However I bet his Dad was recognised in the street when Kickstart was on the T.V.. Shaun.

This is some information which I was passed by a mate on another bike forum. As he states, he is a VOSA tester so should know is stuff. Shaun.

If you own the land and it is for agricultural purposes then if I remember correctly - the 14 day rule can come into place whereby you can in effect do what you like on the land without planning permission. If you do go ahead and run under those rules then remember one thing especially.... If you peg out a course for your PW50's to ride on on the Sunday for example and you don't take it down until the Monday then the council can view this as you using two days...... whether they were riding it or not. The law is an a*** I'm afraid. I'd have a quiet word with the councillor who's complained. Offer to take him up to your land and explain and show him what you're doing and how your trying to help the lads earn respect and keep them away from the PS3 etc. If the councillor is a total tit then start cutting your grass on the land with an unsilenced mower at 8am on a Sunday morning citing that you're 'working your land as to be expected in a rural enviroment' There's loads more you can do to wind up the little ess aitch eye tees but is unprintable on a forum such as this.......

Cheapskate. (kidding!) though a bit like me! I'll admit that I do it too. Unless you are a top rider and really know your stuff, mere mortals will not be able to tell the difference a way the tyre feels due to the stresses and strains being put upon it's structure if it's turned the opposite way from the manufacturers intended. If you're a sponsored rider then why not change your tyre - you're not paying for them so 'hey'. I, like most will think that turning the tyre is a sensible and viable solution.

I was advised to use a good quality automatic transmission fluid too. That was by my local Beta dealer. He also stated that it will help eliminate clutch drag. Just change it every couple of rides and it will be fine. He nor the bike has not let me down yet.......

it's Gouge..... how deep is it - you'll be surprised how much you can polish out with the right equipment. You could consider taking it to a metal finishers if it's too much of a job for yourself or you're not sure how to do it Another option would be to gouge more marks such as 3eta - and tell everybody that it's supposed to be like that!

can you not just polish the scratches out - and then re-buff with scotchbrite to give the original look back?

So what causes the stator to go faulty? Is it moisture, if so would a generous squirt of WD40 under the casing etc after a ride/wash sort it?

Not strictly true..... the stronger the oil mix that you put through then the weaker the petrol mix.... however too much oil can starve the engine of petrol and make the bike run lean. (Less fuel burning to the air mix). The oil only burns as a by product of the petrol combusting inside the cylinder. A lean running engine can run hot and therefore be more prone to seizures. You could do a plug chop to see how your engine is running. A very black sooty plug will indicate that you're running too rich a petrol mix, black and wet then too much oil in the mix, very light brown then you're running too lean. I'm no expert - but this is how I've been lead to believe it all is... However the manual should give you the correct mix ratio as well as explainging what RON of petrol to use. Shaun.

My '06 270 has had the Keihin carb fitted, Nigel at Inchains reckons that this was to cure the known carb problems. Anybody else running one of these. Any advantages/disadvantages. My machine never leaks fuel, starts very easily, although i've noticed a tendency for it to stall if I don't blip the throttle on a long and very steep down hill descent. Shaun.

link to frame no identifying info Shaun.

Go on - admit it though - I probably like most..... as a youth loved the smell of Castrol 'R' and if to be lucky enough to get a whiff of it now suddenly find myself whisked off into a dream and find myself start remembering very happy memories as a kid watching my father doing MX. I'd stand behind the start line and watch him disappear off into the distance on his old Sprite or Husky380 and just take it all in (cough! ahcheww!). It's one of those smells which can invoke lots of memories to lots of people..... There's almost a little tear in my eye now! lol Shaun.

I think that you'll find that they don't make Castrol R anymore. I may be wrong of course but if I remember correctly then there is an alternative which smells the same.....

I've used one to transport bikes before and they are a cheap, simple and convenient way to go about it. I used to use mine on a 2.5 V6 mondeo estate and even with a light bike on the back you could certainly feel the bike there - that's with a heavy car with a long wheelbase. I wouldn't like to say what 85kgs of machine and all your riding kit/fuel etc will feel like in a small car. You've got to remember that with the weight slung all that way back then you'll be taking weight off of the front of the car and the wheels. Those wheels are your driving wheels (less traction), steering wheels (less grip for cornering) and most of the braking forces are transferred to these....... Also remember - your nose weight has to take into consideration the weight of the rack too - so do your research well. Good luck! Shaun.

Everyone has been offered that bike! click here for a link to my website If it is the same one then I wouldn't forsee a problem. After all he is the importer and isn't going to rip you off or disappear in the middle of the night with your money....

Hot Air Guns are useless on the standard Beta graphics as they are very thin and just snap and fall apart leaving the sticky backing in place sooooooo use one of these...... http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Eraser-Toffee-Wheel-...ksid=p1638.m118 it was recommended to me by somebody a while ago and I was sceptical. I took all the standard stickers off of the swinging arm, frame and front mudguard in around 10 mins. It just rubs the stickers off leaving no marks. When it states to use at low rpm - DO JUST THAT! I went a bit mad on the front mudguard and whipped a bit of paint off , however a new sticker would cover it up. When you are removing a sticker from metalwork such as the frame then it's no problem. After you think you've done the job - a little tip would be to rub back over the areas with a dusty/oily rag. Any glue residue which you can't see will make any dust/oil stick and show up. I've done a lot of graphic sticking and unsticking in the past - just wish I knew these existed before! I got mine off of somebody else on eblag and paid a fiver for it = look around and you may find one at a similar price. (apparently it's called a toffee wheel as it smells a bit like toffee) hope this helps. Shaun.

That's a lot of great info for me to be getting on with - Thank-you very much.

Right then, A mate and myself are off up to the Steve Saunders Trials School on the 19th of this month. We've both been involved in bikes over the years with more history than I'm prepared to divulge right now due to me hitting 40 this year and he is of a similar vintage. We're both down to do the school to learn how to ride these things as with our combined histories, we've discovered it's not like anything else we've done before. Our aim is to compete in a trial and not compete against anybody else really - we just want to laugh at each others antics and take the michael out of each other. I have a personal long term aim to compete in the Taunton Jubilee LDT (my place of birth), but as I understand it, to compete in any trials event we are going to need to join a trials club and or the ACU to get the desired licenses to compete. If anybody can impart some advice and recommend our route then you've got yourselves two new competitors willing to give it a try. I'm in Southampton and my afore mentioned mate is in Winchester. Travelling to events isn't really an issue but the more local it is the better so it would probably be best to join a localish club to compete. Does anybody have any recommendations for a club, specifically one who will cater for complete trials novices as ourselves. We've both got recent machines, mine being an '06 Beta and his being an '05 GG. Thanks Shaun.

It says a lot without saying a lot. The thing is that the govt hasn't got the funds to look into this sort of thing properly or with any expedience - they'll just keep pushing it to the back of the pile, occaisionally let it raise it's head at a meeting and then let it drift back down again.............