experiment70

I broke one of the rockers in the shock linkage on my '07 300. The US importer is out of them, and won't have any for at least a month. I can't stand the idea of being off the bike until the snow flies; does anyone have a set for sale? I'm after #37, part number BT280014005CT, in the picture: Thanks in advance for any help, Forrest

I finally got it installed today; I built a little tool out of a piece of spring steel that helped me pull the kick start spring up when it wanted to come off the AL top hat piece. It looked like such a simple job... Forrest

Thanks for the encouragement. Any tips for keeping that spring from getting stuck between the case and that aluminum top hat piece? And any tips for increasing my patience? It's running low... Forrest

I broke the kick start gear in my '07 300 Pro, and am having a miserable time getting it back together. I found the technical bulletin about indexing (www.trialspartsusa.com/diagrams/Pro_Technical_Bulletin_June_8_2010.doc), and have the shaft itself back together. The problem is getting the shaft back into the cases. I have watched Jim Snell rotate the assembly one time counter clock wise (www.youtube.com/watch?v=A80n7zq80n8) and drop it in, but I can't do what he does; I keep getting the spring caught behind the whole assembly, which doesn't allow me to fit the shaft into the blind hole it's supposed to rotate in. When I swear loudly and take everything back out, I can see that the spring has actually bent at the long straight section that fits into the case. What am I doing wrong? I really want to ride this weekend, and I'm getting frustrated. Thanks in advance for any help, Forrest

I had to rebuild the front master on my '03; it was pretty cheap and very easy. I also had problems getting all the air out after the rebuild. I ended up finally getting it right by taking the caliper off the front wheel and securing it (I used my drill press vise - gently) so that the caliper was higher than the master, and the bleed screw was the highest point of the caliper. When I bled it this way, I got quite a few air bubbles out that I couldn't get out with the caliper on the bike. Good luck. I also was able to rehab a set of pads with a small propane torch. I just heated them enough to burn the dried brake fluid off - they were good as new. I don't think this works for non-metallic pads.

Thanks for the replies. I do need to go back through the carb and make sure I don't have any of the issues mentioned. I did just go and check the cap again, and I can tell that sometimes the valve is closed, sometimes open, and it seems that when it is closed, it is not letting air out. Which way is supposed to be the "one way" - in or out? I just poked a piece of safety wire through the hole, and now it seems to be open in both directions. Would I need to disassemble the cap to drill any holes or remove the valve, or can I just run a tiny drill bit through the vent hole? Thanks again for all the suggestions. Forrest

I just upgraded from an 03 280 Pro to an 07 300 Pro. I'm riding in the same area, doing the same climbs, etc, and have been having problems with the 300 stalling out on long climbs where the 280 had no problems. It seems to be heat related - the last time it happened, I simply opened the gas tank, venting the pressure, and it fired back up. The vent hose is not blocked. I'm using the same pre-mix at the same ratio - 70:1. It seems as though I'm boiling the gas. Is this common? Does the 300 run hotter than my old 280? Am I running too lean? Any ideas would be appreciated. Thanks, Forrest

I had to rebuild the master cylinder on my '03. The gaskets were leaking and I couldn't bleed the air out; every lever stroke let more air in. The rebuild kit was cheap (I think it was less than $20 USD) and the rebuild took 20 minutes and a pair of circlip pliers. Easy and now I have good feeling in the clutch again.

"I hereby direct the Sheriff of this county to remove you from this garage forthwith, and to transport you to the gallows, where before sundown this day you are to be hanged by the neck until dead; your body left to be picked at by the crows, until the Sheriff directs it to be cut down, drug to a shallow grave in unhallowed ground, and buried face down in the dirt.

That's really helpful. Thanks to you both; now I have some new ideas to try tomorrow. Thanks again, Forrest

Thank you for the new idea. I haven't taken apart a master cylinder before; will if be obvious what needs attention when I do? Any tips? Thanks again, I needed a new direction. Forrest

I'm having an issue (which is a euphemism for a screaming tantrum) installing a new rear caliper on my '03 280 TXT Pro. My previous issue involved a broken bleeder valve in the old caliper; it has been replaced with a brand new caliper. The old caliper and the rear brake system were not violently damaged, and worked fine when removed. I received my new caliper, bolted it up, and went to bleed it. I cannot establish any pressure in the brake system. I have used a syringe to push fluid from the caliper towards the reservoir; I can't seem to get any fluid to move into the reservoir. I have pulled fluid from the caliper; I can't seem to make the reservoir level drop. I have pumped the brakes and cracked the bleeder valve; I can make a small amount of fluid and a lot of air come out of the bleeder valve, but I can't get any pressure. In desperation, I forced some fluid from the reservoir towards the caliper using a syringe; fluid emerged from the bleeder valve, and I had one stroke of the brakes with pressure, and then nothing again. I took the caliper back off and, again using a syringe, tried to fill it with fluid before reinstalling. Still no luck. Either there is air still trapped in there, or there is a leak somewhere. And I don't know why there would be a leak now, when there wasn't one before. I haven't ridden in 6 weeks and I'm going nuts. Is there something I'm missing? Am I doing something wrong? Do the trials gods hate me? I am grateful for any advice I might receive. Thanks, Forrest