pindie

I can't comment on what Lampkins say as they are the main people and I am just a flawed genius. Be a bit weird if they are designed to leak! Set up is probably critical to getting it right. My bike has the tell tale holes in the overflow pipes which means mine has had some or all of the mods done to stop it leaking at some stage. It drips rather than leaks. Bear in mind this is after chucking it about for 10 min though. Mine always drips when I stop for 2 seconds or so then stops. If I am stopping proper I turn the fuel off. The bike runs well and does not stall etc no matter what angle it is at so I am not going to be fiddling any more as i may end up with larger snags. I did tape catch bottles on the pipe to see how much I lose and it was a max of 150ml over a tank full - I feel I can cope with that. I'd rather it not leak but it does as so do most Betas. They also shake bolts loose for a pastime. I would still buy another 200 though, I love it! I run Castrol A747 pre mix oil as it is biodegradable as well. The petrol evaporates?

Welcome and congratulations on such an ace choice of bike. Betas do like to dribble. There are various cures but my 200 still weeps a bit. Have a look at the Beta carb fix thread and you will find various fixes. I drain my carb every month or so and thats it - maybe not for six months if only dry riding (mind you Betas seem self draining most of the time). As for Gbox oil. Use light gear oil or ATF. I change mine every 10-20 hours of riding. Keeps your clutch sweet and box slick. You could try going for longer and change as soon as things stop working as sweet? Clean you air filter and re oil every 5 rides or when dirty. I have a spare so I don't have to wait for the old one to dry etc. Just swap and go. Does your motor have a top end/barrel rattle at all on tick over and low revs? Mine does and it is an 07. My thought is I may change the piston kit in the spring or if it gets really knocky. Modern bikes are light weight super skinny models and suffer quickly with no maintenance. Older bikes were not so highly strung and could take a lot more abuse. I am sure the 200 will get you more places than the Beamish though. Use good oil as your premix and enjoy it. You should be able to judge when things are in need of sorting out. Happy trialing dude!

What seems to be a common issue is this spooge phenomena. The residue you had would be unburnt oil/fuel build up. This is common when using any fuel and oil mix. Trials bike run fairly cool and at tick over a lot so this can be a problem. Did you try dropping the needle a clip or two to lean it off?

My preference as a starter bikle is a 200. I originally bought a Raga 300 as it looked nice! It was a nightmare. After years of enduro and road racing bikes I thought "it's only a 300". How wrong I was. I now have an 07 rev 3 200. There is nothing I can't get up/down and there is no weight, does not wear you out, not scary, very controllable and am chuffed to bits with it. I am the upper end of my 30's now (ahem) and find with the 200 I am happy to tackle things that on the 300 meant almost certain death or lunar orbit. I also seem to be able to "clean" all the bits I dabbed on the 300. You need fitness, skill and balls for the 300. Smalley250 is right with the 1000cc analogy.

Mine rattles a fair bit (07 200), I put this down to top end/piston rattle as well. I am happy to lift the barrel etc myself but was wondering where to get the piston kit from and is there a prefered one? How much am I lookingat cost wise for new base gasket, piston, rings, bearing, pin and clips?

I use a Putoline light gear oil in my rev3 200 with no probs. However I do have a 5ltr tub of ATF left over from my landrover owning days which will be going through it once the LGO has all gone. Trick is change regularly. I only ever ride for about 2-3 hours at a time and change it every three or 4 rides. A bit keen I know but oil is cheaper than anything else.

I know this sounds obvious but you are running the right amount of oil in your fuel?

Have you tried less air gap etc first? Less damping if you need more bounce?

What is the verdict on the best castor oil? Forget cost and avilability, we are talking clean running oil (if your jettings on the money) with the best smell. Sad I know but as my riding is guff my bike might as well stun me with a gorgeous smell. I've used A747 with no complaints but I read plenty about Maxima 927. Any good?

Tyre slime. It also helps stopping you if you ever get minor punctures which can ruin your day.

And you have Ninja levels of skill and ability.

Some thing has gotta work. Harsh or gentle - you decide.....

Sammy, Bad luck on the wrist. I can only sympathise. Hopefully surgery will be fine and it will be the re hab part you will need to conquer. Movement will be everything. As soon as you are able you will need to do gentle stretching movements of the wirst in all directions a few times a day. Eating Yoghurt is excellent for bone growth as well until you can do stretches etc. I broke a collar bone in two and was able ride a couple of weeks later and it held up in a 3hr hare and hounds enduro. I put this down to a pint of yoghurt a day! Previously my bones always took longer to heal. Interestingly, I have never had a break since increasing my yoghurt intake (a small pot a day not a pint!). It is twice as rich in calcium as milk apparently. The tip came from a sports injury man who works with shattered limbs. Once back on the bike be gentle and start at the basics of bike control and lever use etc. The riding will soon come back but you need to be careful not to undo any hard work up to that point. Chin up. It will get better.

Undo the bolt in the kicker where it meets the shaft which goes into the engine case. The kickstart should slide off the shaft now. Rotate it a couple of splines away from the footrest and it should then clear it. DON'T TRY AND KICK TEST UNTIL THE BLOT IS RE TIGHTENED. IT MAY SNAP THE STARTER! It can also be wear in the pivot which lets you swing it out from the engine to put your foot on it. If this is very wobbly and worn you might need a new one. Try moving it around the splines first.

See - The weak mind thing gets the truth out! It doesn't matter.

Is it worth stripping the caliper and ensuring the flex is iliminated before bleeding? If it is opening up you have no chance bleeding it.

Left hand kickstart is only an issue if you have a weak mind? It really does not matter. If it matters you will want electric start soon. If you get that you will then complain about thumb sores from pressing it. The alternative is keep your motor running where possible in sections to avoid starting again. If you suffer from a weak mind it won't matter then?

Have you tried doing verything in real slow time? Very slow gentle strokes of the lever to gently encourage bubbles to move? Try unbolting the caliper and hold higher than the master cylinder. Bubbles should work there way up. It is only oil or air stopping you by the sounds of it. I know this can be very frustrating indeed. Back bleed from caliper is always the best way to fill and then do a bleed proper once pressure found. Good luck - don't let a little bit of oil and air win, just remember the pipes are small and air squashes one hell of a lot.

Someone is going to be a tired boy!

Before you get out the disc cutter is it worth looking in detail to see a screw can be removed to take the silencer apart? This is usually the case so you can re pack the silencer from time to time.

So far I have not found the 200 lacking anywhere. It still hops up a free metre high rock ledge I play on with way more oomph if needed. Its also light when I need to drag it up or down something! I can't knock the 200. I simply did not have the skill or fitness for the 300.

Always buy the best condition bike you can afford. I have a Rev 3 200 after a Raga 300. I love it and I can get more out of it than the 300. Don't overbike yourself? Apparently lots of knowledeable over 50 riders have 200s. This means they tend to be ridden sympatheticaly and the experience of the rider means less abuse and the possibility of nice touches such as proven mods etc.

There are lots of oils and loads of people have different preferences and methodologies. My list would be: 1. Castrol A747 if you want the most gorgeous smell(due to castor oil in it). It's not synthetic but does give a very good oil film on the piston and bore. 2. Castrol TTS Fully synthetic. Ok smell but nothing like A747. 3. Any high end fully synth two stroke oil from a known brand such as Castrol, Putoline, Ipone, Silkolene etc. For the Exol stuff I would see if the specification numbers match the more expensive oils out there. If it does it should be fine. Personally, I would only ever use the best oil I can afford. It is false economy to use cheap oil etc. I am only a chugger and spend more time leaping logs and rocks with the odd climb. I run my 200 on a 50-1 mix or 20ml per litre of fuel. I have never had engine issues on any two stroke I have owned whether or not it be road race, MX, trials or enduro bikes. If I have had issues it can alwasy be put down to something else not related to lubrication.

Have you just filed off pad material? If so by how much?