not_guilty

Andy, Major pisser, but it is possible that a van can catch a car and the driver doesn't realise. For instance on vehicles with long overhangs behind the rear wheels if the driver turns hard right the back end of the van goes left and can easily clip whatever it is near. If you consider that there must be quite a few vans hired / borrowed for the week where the person driving it is not used to driving them, particularly in narrow Scottish roads, it is likely that the driver was unaware of what he did to your car. Having said that if when returning their hire van fresh scrapes were reported they should do the decent thing and own up as I'm sure most of the people visiting the sections also keep a close eye on your website.

Shaun, I'm not the best person to help with hopping the bike as I'm an old fashioned rider who just points the bars towards the end cards. The reason for the reply is that when I picked up my new bike from the dealer the front forks had no pre-load or damping set whatsoever! I had not messed about with these things before but I now realise that it is really important to check that they are at least set to the "standard" settings otherwise you are up against it before you even go through the start cards. Have you looked for the settings on the Beta Uk site, if they don't have them then give them a ring they are obviously the best people to advise you.

Hoggle, The answer to your question is a simple one... Go see Gary at Highland Leisure, you are much closer to him than most of the trials competitors in Scotland. People can have differing views on dealers based on their dealings with them but my experience is that he is first class. He is in the best position to recommend the correct machine for you and he will keep you supplied with the spares that you will need as well. Hope you enjoy your return to trials, it's just boys playing with their toys.

I see that you have a Scorpa at present. I swapped from one of these to the Beta 4t and unless you have had a four stroke already I would say that it will take you quite a long time to really be able to understand the way it wants to be ridden. I got mine last December and have probably ridden a dozen events with it and I'm still adapting to it. I would guess that going from a 2 stroke Beta would be easier as you would only need to get used to the difference with the engine. The Scorpa is a completely different animal with the long travel suspension. One major plus with the 4t - compared to the Scorpa - is that you can drain the carb (in place) with a screwdriver, which is a massive bonus if you live in Scotland!! It is a great bike and you should not be afraid to take the plunge, just be prepared for a whole new experience!

I have had an Erde trailer for a number of years now and it is spot on. You can get them from a number of places but I got mine from my local Indespension dealer. They are not cheap but as the saying goes, you get what you pay for. They tow very well, have proper wheels, are well finished and best of all you don't need to faff about with lighting boards! I had a quick look and there are a couple of 2nd hand ones for sale on Ebay right now.

Benz, I've had mine since December, I had a Scorpa before and it has taken a long time to get used to the different way that it behaves. The first thing you'll notice is the gearing. I wanted to do everything in 2nd but was losing marks all over the place. First is all you will need unless you are attacking something big. The main thing that I keep telling myself in sections is to keep the throttle movement under control, on the Scorpa you could spin the engine up but still have more in reserve if you needed to pop up steps etc. With the 4t if you are too quick and you need to throttle off to adjust then the weight transfer can be a problem. I don't know what the 4rt is like, perhaps this wont be a problem for you. Overall it is a great bike and you should really enjoy riding it. The only little tip I have for you is that you can drain the carb really easily with the screw at the bottom of the carb, the Scorpa needed a full strip down to even see the carb. Enjoy!