sawtooth

A mates just text ma asking how much play there should be on the piston on his '09 EVO 250? Think he's got the barrel off so what slack should there be between the piston and bore, and also should there be any movement on either end of the con rod?

Currently riding an '04 280cc, love the snappiness of the engine and the power curve. Want a newer bike this winter which will either be an '11 EVO or an '11 GasGas. I'm leaning towards the GasGas as I'm really at home on mine so the question is, if I dropped down to a 250cc will I loose the snap and power of the 280cc? Would a newer 2011 250cc be anything like my older 280cc? Just want to know what I need to be looking for as a 250cc might come up at a good price etc. I'm quite determined though so if it's a 280cc I need then that's what I'll get.

Currently on an '04 GasGas TXT Pro 280 but looking to switch to an '11 Beta EVO 250/290cc over the winter. The current GasGas is OK for now so its the new Beta that I want to work some magic on. Current weight is 83KG I think.

Awesome, deffo getting a little annoyed with the GasGas as it always has to be done up on the pegs. My old Rev3 270 would start so easily.

I like snappy so the 290 sounds good :-)

Ok thanks, I'll have to try one then I guess :-) How do you find the 290 compared to the 250?

Thanks, does it always require you to be up on both pegs to start it? My GasGas 280 will not start if I keep one foot on the ground, I'd like to be able to start it mid section with a foot on the ground when I stall it.

I'm leaning towards an '11 EVO for my next bike, and as my last 2 bikes have been Rev3 270cc & GasGas 280cc I'm thinking about the EVO 290cc. I know the 280/300cc GasGas's are a bitch to start as a general rule so are the EVO's the same? The 270cc Rev3 I had a few years back was very easy to start.

Made a little 1mm spacer to go between the outer cable and the throttle tube and thats given me enough tension to allow me to get back on the threaded adjuster. Also found that I already have a white throttle tube so the one I've just bought will have to wait for my new bike. The throttle doesn't feel quick though :-( It was full of grey dried up gunk and worn plastic so guessing its a bit worn. Either way its all cleaned up, greased and adjusted properly now.

Ah ok that makes sense, didn't realise the stop was crimped on, so that means throttle cables are set lengths tailored for different bike models then.

I have a new quick action throttle here so I'll fit that and see if any improvement.

Why would the new stop fail? How is it secured?

It'll take an age and a lot of noise to grind through a decent chain, they are hardened. If you've ever tried filing some hardened steel then you'll know why the grinder will also find it difficult.

I've ran out of adjustment on the threaded adjuster on the cable down near the carb, adjuster is all the way out but I still have a ton of free play at the throttle tube. So I'm guessing I'll have to adjust it where it is secured inside the carb? So before I pull it apart how is the cable secured inside the carb? And how do I know how much to adjust it by? I fugure once the carb is assembled that when I let off the throttle tube I'll need to make sure I hear the slide in the carb snap shut, other than that, any tips?

Ah ok well that makes sense, thanks :-)

Yeah thanks that was plan B I guess, tbh though I very rarely see someone who's really good. And as they seem to appear very rarely I'd rather not bombard them with questions. I gues plan C is just learn it all myself bit by bit over the winter in the garage but my main problem with that is that depending on where you look or who you talk to online you'll always get different answers which was what led me to wanting to find someone in the know.

Ok thanks, will try that. What is the adjustment screw on the rear shock, rebound or compression?

Anyone know of anywhere that'll be able to set a bikes suspension up to a particular riding style and rider weight and generally set up a bike properly, preferably somewhere in the South West/Midlands? Had trials bikes for a few years now but never really got the hang of fine tuning a bike to be spot on. All of my bikes so far have been set up by me and have been pretty reliable and work OK, but I'm no expert and generally just function on common sense so my bikes seem to be lacking that little extra touch of a pro. My suspension always seems to be under serviced and a bit soft and sloppy as I know sod all about it, and although my engines have always started on second kick (sometimes first) they seem to lack the crispness and life that others seem to have. I'm not adverse to learning these things over time but I'm looking at getting a newer bike this winter (2010/2011 Evo 250/290cc etc) and figured it would be nice to have it prepped properly so I can get the most out of it rather than always be wondering if it's set up correctly. Also we have limited good weather here so would much rather spend it riding than wrenching. Have found this place (http://www.revsracing.co.uk/offroad.php), anyone know of them or know any others around?

Ahh that'll be why I couldn't figure it out then. Well as the bikes being sold soon I'll probably not bother messing messing about to that extent. On the other subject of a bouncy setup, whats need to achieve that? So far I have my compression all the way out and my rebound all the way in IIRC.

Need a little info here, trying to set my suspension up, I guess I'm aiming for 1/3 race sag, and my preferred riding style would be described as hoppy & bouncy. I weigh 87KG and the bike is an '04 pro 280cc So what actual adjustment do I have without changing oils or springs? The rear sag I'm guessing can be set by adjusting the preload. So what about the front, all I see are screws marked "C" & "R" which I'm guessing are Compression & Rebound, so how do I set the preload? Also with regards to a bouncier bike, what should I be adjusting? I don't want to go replacing the springs as I'm selling the bike this winter, just want to get it somewhere handy for the next few months riding.

lol fair point.

Whats the difference between that in this then? http://www.putoline.com/en/products/catalogue/segp_offroad/pchmp/582/off-road/chain-maintenance-products/drytec-race-chainlube/

Loads of info here thanks, will try some suggestions and see what works :-)

That more of a degreaser like WD40 or does it have some actual lubrication/protection ingredients in it like silicone and teflon etc?

Now thats not a bad idea :-)