ridgrunr

Maybe losing antifreeze or pressure? Wonder if the radiator cap's bad or not sealing? The system needs pressure to stay cool. Lose the pressure and it'll over heat.

TooFast, I think if you'll look close you'll see that Saunders is covering the brake in the top pic. Three fingers on the grip and index extended over the lever. The bottom side of the gloved finger is black, so it's a little hard to see.

I tried the hopping thing, but just don't seem to have the balance after I land and usually end up taking a lot more dabs. Maybe at 53 I'm too old to figure it out! I've noticed that the guys who can really do it well can make it work in a section. Everyone else usually ends up taking more dabs than they would have if they'd just taken a "planned dab". If you watch the guys who can hop good, they usually only take one, vrs everyone else who is hopping around the section like they are on a pogo stick and end up dabbing any way. So I just figure out where I'll need it, and take a "planned dab". I usually get less points that way.

I keep both levers covered ALL the time. Keeping them covered allows you to finesse them, just a little, or a lot when ever you need it for more precise control. For years I've watched guys ride and realized that the guys who keep them covered have much more finesse control of the bike. The guys who don't keep them covered often seem to be banging through the sections. Feathering the clutch and brake become second nature, like breathing when they are covered. You'd be amazed at the difference in time it takes to unwrap your fingers from the grips and then try to grab a lever vrs having a finger covering it all the time. With today's brakes and hydraulic clutches, one finger can easily do the job. Keeping the levers covered also helps keep you from "death gripping" the bars too, allowing the bike to move more freely beneath you. Feels absolutely weird now if I don't cover them, like I have no control at all. I keep them covered on my road bike and quad too. I like the instant control. The fraction of a second that it takes to get the fingers off the grip and onto the lever can mean the difference between braking and crashing.

I would bet that 80% of the Trials bikes sold never see a Trials section. Most are bought to trail ride. We do both, and trail ride ours all the time, anywhere from 2000 ft to 10,000 ft. The new liquid cooled bikes are actually better for it than the old air cooled ones were. Heck after riding a Trials bike on a trail, anything else feels like herding a Mack Truck down the trail. Like the others guys said, just pay attention to the maintenance. Here's the Five Miles of Hell we ride near Moab, UT. It's one of the longest most challenging rides you'll find. Actually 8 miles across, and we ride it over, then ride it back. Takes 3-4 hours to cross it one way. Guys ride it on Enduro bikes too as you can see with the helmet cam you tube video, but it's not easy. We've seen the enduro bikes get so hot they boil over. We pick up a lot of broken Enduro plastic too. On a Trials bike though, it's just pure fun! http://www.utahtrials.com/5moh/5moh.html http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjTVFsmawOo This group has a Trials bike with them, and even he's getting a workout on the 5MOH http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gP-OCbf_NU The only times I could see where the Enduro bikes would be better for trailing is in the sand, or on long fast desert roads.

I'll soon be getting my new bike after a two year layoff. I'm pretty excited to get back into it. I was a little burned out after helping to keep a club going and hitting it hard for twenty years, but I'll admit it...I REALLY MISS IT! I've ridden and competed against most everything since I started riding way back in 1975. I've also worked on most of them at one time or another. I have to say though, that I've never owned a Scorpa, although I have owned a TY80, three TY250's and a TY350 which were all powered by Yamaha. I'm not like your average trials rider in that I usually keep a bike for five years or more before I trade, and I ride a lot, both in monthly Trials meets and lots of "way out in the middle of nowhere" trail riding in places like the Five Miles Of Hell, so I need something that's stone reliable. I've been doing lots of research on the different brands, trying to come up with common problems that seem to be inherent, and in doing so, I've changed my mind a couple of times as to what I was going to get. At first I was going to get a Sherco, then changed my mind and settled on a Beta (although I hate that left hand kick), but as time went on, the Scorpa SY250R started to stand out. I've only ever ridden one, and it was well used and beat up, but it still ran great. The only thing I didn't like about it was those cutouts in the fuel tank, but then I didn't understand why there were there. I do now, thanks to the wonders of the internet. I'm not here to bash any other brands, but as far as I can tell, about the only common thread that seems to be a negative about the Scorpa SY250R is that the carb isn't as easy to access as some of the other brands. That's the only thing you ever hear about. That's it? That's the worst thing about the bike? That's pretty remarkable. I don't know about the rest of you, and maybe I'm missing something, but I just don't mess with the carb that much. Now I know the thing's not perfect, no machine is, but there seems to be nothing terrible about it like inherently bad shifting, or transmisson grenading, or hard steering, or terrible suspension, or bad frame design, or bad electrics, or bad fan motor design (been there with the KRoo), or impossible to get to spark plug, or brittle plastic, or hard to start, or peeing all over, or won't start pointing down hill, or twitchy power, or bad clutch, or tire wearing a hole in the exhaust or spring or air filter box, or bad dog bones, or needing lots of intensive maintenance, or any of the other continuing problems that seem to plague many of the brands. Hard to get the carb off? Anybody who says the Scorpa carb is hard to get off has never messed with the four carbs tucked down beneath the fuel tank of a 1985 Honda V65 Sabre. Now those carbs are hard to get out! I think that once I initially got it dialed in on the thirty some bikes and quads that I've owned, the one thing I messed with the least was carburation. So if that's the worst that anyone can come up with...the carb's not easy to get off, I'd say that Scorpa must be doing something right, and I'm feeling better and better about my decision to order a 2008 SY250R.

Both of the adjustments you describe will affect almost all aspects of handling. Raising the forks in the fork clamp steepens the fork angle. That can make it easier to turn, but the more you raise it, the more it can want to fall into the turns. That can have adverse effects such as when having to turn with the rear wheel above the front. With the forks getting steeper (even more so as they compress), it's a lot easier to end up going over the bars when dropping off a down. So you need to find a happy medium. Plus the lower they are, the more ground clearance you lose. I always ran mine about 3mm on my Gassers. Haven't got my new Scorpa yet, but the Scorpa forks are steeper than some to start with and turns pretty sharp already, so raising the forks in the clamps very much makes them VERY quick turning, and it can become twitchy, especially on the downs. As for moving the bars forward, that does two things, puts more of your weight forward, which helps the front end not wash out so much in the turns, and will give you better control, both in the turns, and in the ups and downs such as when the bike is at weird attitudes. Having them angled back puts a lot more weight back, which unloads the front end and makes it much slower and harder to steer. Guys moving from motocross and cross country where the bars are angled back always find moving them forward very unnerving. They liked them back for high speed stability, but it's just the oppposite in Trials. More forward increases your leverage, and will much improve your slow speed stability. I have seen world champ riders who have their bars way forward of vertical, which for most of us mere mortals is too much. I always found an angle that put the bars just a couple of degrees forward of vertical worked best for me, an intermediate rider. It used to be easy to find vertical with the old bars that had the cross brace, but with the new bars it's harder. You just have to get off to the side and try to eyeball across both left and right sides. If you've had them back, moving with them forward will feel weird at first, but once you get used to it, I think you'll like it alot. You'll find you have much better and more precise control. Good luck.

Scorpa 3, your advice about this link in the Monteasa forum http://www.trialsinfo.com/articles/bike/Bi...02.htm#section2 was one of the reasons I decided to try a Scorpa this time. I know the test was for the 2002 models, but it confirmed what I pertty much knew knew from having owned and ridden with the other machines for years. Thanks for the tip!

I've got one ordered! Wish I could ride like that, but if that were me in that video, I'd probably be lying in the bottom of that gully wondering what those white things were sticking out of my skin!

Check out this YouTube video of Miguel Angel Jimenez on a 2008 SY250R

One thing I learned early on in Trials...in Trials competition the bike is about 10% of the equation. The rider is 90%. Top riders like Doug Lampkin will win on anything they ride. Doug won his first three on a Beta then switched to the Montesa for his next four. The bikes they ride are nothing like the bikes we ride.

I think Colomer only won 1 in 1996, between Tarres and Lampkin. Lampkin won three on Beta before going to Montesa.

A few weeks ago I was in almost exactly the same delima that you are in. I sold my GAS GAS 321 a few months ago and was trying to decide which new bike to order for next summer, the Beta Rev-3, Sherco 290 or Scorpy SY250. I finally decided on the Scorpa. The reasons why were pretty much as stated here. All of the machines are great machines, but the Yamaha engine, linkless rear suspension, right side kick, left side sprockets and steel instead of aluminum frame made the decision for me. The Beta has a linkless rear suspension too, but I decided against the Beta Rev-3 because two of them in our club have had transmissions that grenaded in the middle of a meet. I know because I was riding with them in both meets when they went south. That scared me away from the Beta. I personally don't really care for aluminum frames either..or left side kicks. I had an 85 Yamaha TY350, 92 Fantic 309, a 94 Fantic KRoo, and a 94 GAS GAS 250 which all had plastic tanks and I never had a problem with any of them, so I wouldn't be afraid of that. We had leaks in both of aluminum tanked TXT GG's I had and we ended up getting both of them welded. I like the way the Scorpa looks too. At first I thought the cutouts in the fuel tank looked sort of funky till I discovered that they were there to allow better air flow through the radiator, then suddenly they made sense and I looked at them with new eyes. I started looking at the whole bike closer then, and decided that I liked what I saw. Lots of neat detail stuff like the rear subframe that comes off completely with just a couple of screws. The Scorpa plastic seems really resiliant too which is important to me as I don't like buying new rear fenders every meet. I'm hoping the Scorpa will be like my Yamaha TY350, bullet proof. I hope so. Time will tell. The Sherco is a great machine too, and I was wavering between the Sherco and the Scorpa but in the end it came down to the Yamaha engine in the Scorpa, so I called my dealer about an SY250 for next summer. Good luck on what you decide.

After doing a little investigation it seems the diameter of the aluminum forks are 40mm while the steel forks are 38mm.

Seems most if not all of the manufacturers are going to aluminum fork tubes. The lower ends have been aluminum for years, but they haven't been the part doing the sliding and contending with friction. So I wonder if this is another "new and improved gimick" for them to announce that their bikes have a new inovation (like the upside down forks of the 90's...remember them?) or if the aluminum forks sliders really are better than the steel units? Aluminum parts that move have less unsprung weight than heavier steel counterparts. Wheels and rear swingarms come to mind. And aluminum is stiffer than steel, with almost no flex and it has no memory, so if it bends or flexes it stays bent. So in many applications, not much is gained by aluminum. Take frames for instance. Beta and Montesa use them, but the other makers don't and usually the aluminum fames have to be physically larger to get the same strength as steel tubing, but they end up being very close in weight anyway. Aluminum is much softer too. I'd have to think that they'd have to be thicker tubing than their steel counterparts to be as strong, and then be coated with a very hard material to keep them from wearing out in a year like the cylinders of a 1970 Chevy Vega. So are they really lighter? Are we going to see curved forks on most bikes after a year of use? So are there any real advantages to aluminum fork sliders?

I appreciate all your input guys. I've gone back though all of these posts a couple of times and it's obvious that everyone has their favorites (mostly what ever they happen to be riding at the moment ). I realize that most of the posts in the forums are guys looking for help eith problems. We don't hear much about the bikes unless there's a problem. Maybe we need a forum where guys can post about the remarkable ride they had. Right now I'm not in the postition to ride any of the bikes, but I have the cash, and want a new bike when I get home. So I got into the web, went through the web sites I could find and did some serious investigation into what each of the brands had to offer. I put down on paper what I was looking for, then did a Pro's and cons sort of elimination. After doing the research it surprised me to discover that the bike that made the most sense for me was the one I least expected...the Scorpa ...the one I thought looked old. So I called the guy and it turned out it was a little old, a 2002 that had been ridden hard for five years with almost no problems at all . The Yamaha motor sealed it, I mean I've had four TY250's, and a TY350. That TY350 was one of the most fun bikes I've ever owned! Suddenly I looked at the Scorpa with completely different eyes. Just looking at it, it looks a little quirky, ( I discovered thos funky fuel tank cut outs aer to help the air flow for cooling through the radiator. But quirky was one of the things I loved about my 94 Fantic KRoo, it was different than what most of the guys were riding. It's weird, but suddenly I'm excited about a bike again. Haven't done that since I ordered my '99 GG TXT321. I'd never ridden one of those either, but it was great for eight years. So for better or worse, I'm going to put in an order for a 2008 SY250 for next spring. Anyway, thanks for helping me get fired up again .

Xispa! That's the one I didn't try!

Since 1974, I've owned Yamahas, Betas, Fantics and Gas Gas's. Due to a job move, I've been bikeless for a year, but am getting ready to order a new '08. I've always been a guy who kept a bike for awhile, and with the prices going the way they are, that will be even more true. I've ridden all the bikes and have watched them work in the sections so have a pretty good handle on what each of them are about. I loved my GG321 but I'm not a fan of the GG PRO, too fragile and I hate the kick starter. GG's seem to be turning into a ride it a year, then throw it away bike. Just couldn't get on with the Scorpa. Just didn't look right to me and they seem to start looking old in a hurry. I liked the Montesa, especially the way it handled, but not the 4RT's motor..or the noise! That's always been a draw to trials, environmentally quiet bikes. Take that thing to Moab on the Slick Rock trail and every moutain biker on the trail will start throwing rocks at you. That 4 Stroke is anything but quiet. And I just couldn't come to terms with that four stroke power on the Utah rocks. Stalled it on a ledge and couldn't get the damn thing started again. How can anyone sell bikes that take a magic touch to start? From everything I've seen it seems that Montesa has the best quality, but I'm just not ready for a 4 stroke yet, plus they are maintenance intensive. Man I wish Montesa would still build a 2 stroke model and put it in that 4RT frame. The Sherco felt most like my GGs. I liked it a lot, great power, but too many Power Ranger stickers that come off the first time gas touches them. Still I like it a lot, so it came down to deciding between the 290 Sherco and the 270 REV. I know I probably don't need the big bore, but the less shifting I have to do on the 6 hours of the Five Miles of Hell the better. Loved the Rev too. Liked the idea of no linkage on the shock to mess with every few months, and I like the non painted frame. The Technos I rode had great suspension and the REV did too. It had great power and quite honestly looks dynamite. The new carb was supposed to fix the mikuni peeing problem... So I decided to try something new and was getting ready to order '08 270 Rev-3. Then I start reading about chain clearance problems, and tire problems rubbing on the shock, and now maybe the carb problem isn't fixed by the kehin after all and the carb is all but impossible to get out. Then recently I discovered that two guys in our club have had their Rev transmissions grenade. Not good. How can these manufacturers continue to make bikes year after year that have the same engineering flaws and not take steps to fix them? Heck everyone here talks about them and everyone seems to have the same problems. The more I read, the more I discover that none of the makes are immune. So now I'm leaning back to the Sherco, but it's not without it's own problems. Quite honestly at over 7 grand a pop...I don't know what to get now.

Hi Folks, If you've ever ridden at Moab, you know what a terrific place it is. If you haven't yet, you have a treat in store. Unfortunately over the years, the areas where we can ride have shrunk till there is almost no "open" riding areas left. But now we have an opportunity to actually obtain a Trials dedicated area where we can ride and hold Trials competitions. They are looking for comments. We need help to convince the BLM that they need to do this. I got this late, and time is short. They need comments by November 30. There is more info on the WTA web page http://www.geocities.com/utahtrials Please, take a moment to drop them an e-mail letting them know that we need this. Be sure to put your name and address on it. Here's a copy of mine. Please, don't just copy, paste and send it. Use it as a template, but make it your own. Send it to: UT_Moab_Comments@blm.gov You can send hard copies too (I sent both): Moab Field Office RMP Comments Bureau of Land Management Moab Field Office 82 East Dogwood Moab, UT 84532 Dear BLM Managers, I participate in off road vehicle sports, particularly Motorcycle Trials. For over twenty years the Wasatch Trials Association (WTA) has held a yearly Trials competition at Moab. In the '70's, and '80'sand into the '90, the WTA used to hold annual events in the rocks just above the Slick Rock Trail parking lot, but a few years ago there was a push to close much of the rock area, and we were restricted from being able to use that area for our competitions. I would love to see the slick rock trail area expanded laterally to allow for exploration and allow us room to navigate around the bicycle riders. Since the Slick Rock Trial area was closed to our events we have hunted, mostly in vain for an area where we could ride, and now a glimmer of hope has risen as I understand there is a proposal in the works to create a dedicated "open" Trials motorcycle/bicycle area at Pole mountain near the BFE area. I whole heartedly applaud this effort, and hope that you will do everything possible to make it happen. Although we enjoy the opportunities in Moab of riding on designated roads and trails, we also need "open" areas where we can set our competition sections as the sport requires rugged terrain that can't be found on marked roads and trails. Please don't make the mistake of trying to lock us into a small area. As I am sure you are well aware, OHV's are the fastest growing sport in the nation, and we need an area large enough that will accommodate those growing numbers. Now is the time to make this happen as you are the folks we rely on to ensure that our rights and needs are met too. We understand that there are places where we should not go, places that do need protection, and we agree those places need to be protected. But the entire area does not need to be closed. It has been my experience that the tighter that you make the restrictions, the more problems you will create for everyone involved. This is exactly why we need an area like the proposed area at Pole Mountain. An area where we can go that is dedicated to our sport where we can recreate without fear of riding in an area where we shouldn't be. This open area also needs to be easily identifiable open area located along easily identified geologic features, or preferably along boundary roads of Ruby Ranch Road on the West, Blue Hills Road on the North, and Duma Point/Ruby Ranch (back way) on the East. Please, allow us an area where we can be able to recreate too. After all, this is everyone's public lands. Thank you for your help. Sincerely ,

Man this is so true. You really don't know the differences between each of the bikes till you actually ride them. I've been bikeless for almost a year now cause of a move with work, but I'm planning on buying a new one in a few months. I had my heart all set on a certain model, then I had the opportunity to ride the new Montesa 4RT, GAS GAS 300 Raga, Beta Rev 3 and Sherco 290 back to back through a simple section. I was amazed at how different the bikes felt, and my preconceptions of them changed dramatically, as did the bike that I think I'm going to get. I'd still like to try a Beta Rev 4T, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen any time soon. Go to a meet, and ride the different bikes if you can. Most folks will let you try their bikes if you ask. Just be careful and remember that you are riding some one else's pride and joy and you don't want to screw up someone else's bike by doing something stupid. You don't really need to get super radical to figure out which one will work best for you. Good luck.

My 321 and 280 both did the same thing. Made me crazy for awhile, put in new pistons, rings, checked bearings, clutch, nothing seemed to make it better. Then I started checking around and found that most Gassers make that noise to some extent. Some more than others, but mine was a 99 321 and a '00 280 and we rode them for ten years like that. The guys I sold them to is still competing on 'em. So I'd quit fretting, just ride it and enjoy.

When my son's 2000 TXT280 gas tank started leaking at the weld seam, I checked into a new tank and I think it was like $350 or more for a new one. So I took it to a good aluminum welder who welded it up for $39.

This is just the kind of stuff I'm waiting to hear! I just sold both Gasers, and I'm thinking it's time to try something new and spice things up a little. I'm think the 4T is going to be my next bike when I get back from my TDY to Arizona. I don't know why, but I just can't get excited at all about the 4RT. Love the way the Rev 4T looks though, but have yet to actually see one. I drool over the pic I have on my computer desk top. We do a lot of trail riding such as the Five Miles of Hell near Moab. How do you think the 4 stroke will work for trail riding? Nice to not have to mix gas/oil. So how was throttle response right off idle? Does it launch off idle like a 2 stroke, say when you are trying to launch up a wall with no run, after having just made a full lock turn? Any of the dreaded four stroke bog problem after you chop the throttle and then get right back on it? I've heard the 4T has more flywheel action than the other 4 strokes after you chop the throttle, much like the 2 Strokes. Is that true? The 4T has a right side kick starter. The right side kick is a must for me. Hated that left hand kicker on that 90 Zero we had. Easy to use? Does it look as sweet in person as it does in the pics?? And the big question...can a mere mortal start the darn thing easily...hot, cold and otherwise??!!

I don't have a new Beta (yet), but if they are like most of the other bikes I've owned, 90 Beta Zero, 92 Fantic 309, 94 Fantic KRoo, 94 GG 250, 99 GG 321 and 2000 GG280 I think about the best tranny fluid you can get is the Maxima lite 75 wt Transmission fluid. You can get it at most bike shops. It's designed for two stroke tranny's like trials bikes and has worked great in every bike we've used it in. Hope this helps...good luck.

You might take another look. My 1999 321 and our 2000 280 both sounded loose, and I've heard lot's of GG's that have. Mine started sounding like that right after I bought it. I worried so much about it that I put a new piston and rings in it about a year after I got it, going from an A piston to a B. When I got it apart it didn't even look worn a bit, and the lower end bearings were fine. It was just as you described, sort of rattly sounding at idle that would pretty much disappear as the RPM came up. Always had great power. Even after I put the the new top end in it sounded exactly the same. So I rode it for the next eight years without a single problem. Same thing with the 280. Both ran perfectly and sounded exactly the same the day I sold them. New owners have been tickled to death with them.