nzralphy

Being an engineer i thought it would be easy to find an alternative from the SKM etc team. No a sh*te show - they are a special made part. So i got them all from the Beta importer.

Copemech... we must have been to the same school! I do the same. My bike ALWAYS looks great. It also gets a quick wipe over with Armorall/plastic polish. Tip - do not lube the throttle tube to handle bars, and keep it free of dirt.

As a young guy i practiced by doing figure eights everywhere and on any surface/slope. When i started to get it together the biggest error was dropping my heals and not standing upright like a tree, or dropping a sholder in a turn and not standing upright like a tree. Be like a tree. Ralphy

Just a thought and you are likely to know this, so sorry if i'm out of line. With 4 or 2 strokes.... to get the best benefit you should match the inlet tract, to the cam profile or 2t porting, to the exhaust system. Not doing so will only give some of the potential benefits you are looking for in your mods. However, as rough rule of thumb - reducing the length of the reed block will move the tuned length (the power band) up the rev range.

Yes it could be petrol related. Someone, many moons ago, was saying Beta's were susceptible to needing good petrol..... remember that petrol has a manufacturing tolerance and the budget stuff varies a heck of a lot. FWIW i fitted a pilot jet one size smaller to get the bike to jet really well and it 'dings' like you say but only sometimes and mostly when hot. Ralphy

Hi There is a small allen screw at the small end of the shock that adjust rebound damping (it appears to effect the compression a little). It faces out sideways. If you can't see it it may be around the hidden side, so undo the shock mount and turn the shock head 180deg. If your shock is in good order a couple of clicks either way should make a difference. Ralph

Why would it be normal ?.....I'd say you have a fault. At best i'd say you have a leak of air in the rubber boot between the carb and engine. Check it by spraying brake cleaner on the rubber and the joints when the bike is warmed up. Try moving the carb about a bit when do it to get any possible hole to open up. If you have a leak the revs will go up momentarily. The only other fault i can think of is that you could have a starting jet or air jet fault/missing. Ralphy

There is heaps on this website about this. Go to the Beta area or search it here.

Check the choke system isn't leaking fuel past the stop. Has the inlet to the air box been covered. Is the air filter clean. Ralphy

I'd say it is about spot on then. 50.8mm sag will do just fine. With no turns on the spring and a little sag - as you have - your bike will ride really well. Don't forget to adjust the damping... it turn the adjusters in until it feels like it has a slow rebound then back off just a touch to stop it from being dead on it's action. If the rear shock appears to be very fast or the adjuster on the rear shock makes no difference then you are in need of a shock rebuild. 500-550cc oil is good. I think 80w may be a bit heavy but am not too sure. I use ATF in the gear box....the clutch is light and it is cheep to use.

If I put something in there that I don't like the feel of, will it flush out with the next change, or do the clutch discs absorb the oil and screw things up over the long haul? Nope. It will flush out as it always has for me. Try synthetic ATF or III ATF it is great and is cheep

Yeah. And you are????

Rear travel is 170(ish)mm. Some sag without a rider is good for traction. You should set the bike to roughly 30% sag or around 51mm for a lively ride, 40% (68mm) for a little more deadened.

The electrics are very weird on Beta's..... the light switch can effect the kill switch!!. When i tested one i found it had a faulty switch and started better with the lights on or off (i can't remember which). I'd pull the kill switch off, and fit a good quality unit (as i have done on my Beta Rev3 2T).

Welcome to trials and i hope you have some fun. You could try finding a smart 98/99 Beta Techno (slightly larger bike), they are getting a bit old now but it will be cheep and parts are available for them. If you are lucky you'll have change for a fresh pair of trials boots. Hunt down some heavy springs for the bike to cope with your weight - if you don't the suspension action will be dire. Keep the springs if you sell the bike and fit them to your next bike. Also consider fitting a bar rise kit if you feel too hunched over. Ralphy

They are normally a perforated can inside an sheet alloy can. Often the perforated can gets oil-soaked or sodden. It sounds as if the oil has court fire and the two cans have become separated (or one has melted). Nothing is lost if you open it up so file all the welds off and see if it can be repaired. Don't forget to check to see if it has melted the air box! Ralphy

Ohhh now we see what you are trying to do. Well I've had my beer and have figured out what you should do. You need to make the wheel-base shorter. Try this.... cut the very front and very rear ward facing tyre knobs off. It should shorten the bike up a bit and will work brilliantly ) More beer.

The bloke on the tractor has more hair than the dude holding the girl. It is therefor scientifically proven that tractors are better.

Interesting... Yes it will turn tighter. But only by a couple of mm. Leaning the bike further into the turn will make it turn much tighter. 6mm will make the steering angle steeper buy approx 0.16deg. You may as well be talking about nothing and tyre pressure or spring settings will have more effect on steering head angle. It is likely to effect the feel of the handling of the bike and how the front would either tuck under or plow forward. But again tyre pressure and spring settings will effect things more The biggest difference i found is that the bars will be lower which suits some riders more.

Hi Overthehill. I rode the SSDT in '89, and was one of the lads that got through.....God that was a lot of rain! The river was over wast heigh as i pushed my bike through the river... I never protested cos I was just a guy on a bike having fun. ) Ralphy

....All above are good things to check. Also check the the timing hasn't moved with a sheared flywheel key. Been there and the bike ran just like you said. Ralphy

Guys, A larger master will make the clutch heavier and faster. A smaller master will make the clutch lighter and slower. Brand doesn't matter but 'bling' may ;o) See the previous link above about touching up the tabs - do this. I leave all the springs in. Change the gear box oil often. The clutch basket could have corrugations warn into it that the plates are running in - this will make it heavy or slip. Ralphy

Hi NGK plugs are great plugs heat range 5 or 6 or 7 is about right for a trials bike. Check in your manual or on the NGK web site. I have ftted an Iridum NGK plug and have been really impressed with the huge spark form it - they are expensive. Normally plugs will run for ages (even years) if the mixture is right. So try these.... Is your air filter clean and properly oiled? Are the cab mounts and read block snug? Check that the correct jets are fitted to the bike. Remove them and check. BLOW all the carb passages clean. Check the idle mixture screw is set correctly. Set a fast idle and turn the screw in and out slowly to get the fastest idle (normally 1.5-2 turns out). If the bike is running rich the plug will be black and sooty and blub along rather than a clean pop. For the idle running rich a good sign is that the choke is only needed for a few seconds rather than 30ish seconds. If this is the case try fitting a smaller pilot jet. Normally the needle clip should be in the middle or one notch up from middle. Beyond this there is SOOOOOOOOO much more to getting jetting right. Try Googling the subject. Ralphy

Hi I have shipped a bike from NZ to UK a few years back. If you take the tyres off you'll save a heap of space and weight. Further.... as i disassembled the majority of the bike (i couriered the carb separately) i could call it "Parts" avoiding some tax. Ralphy

If you plan to TIG or MIG welding the frame.... always!!!!!.....remove the electronics. It may be 20min of work but it could/will save you a heap of cash. Ralph