Thanks for the spark plug info r2....will check it out now...Hope they'll post me a box to Hong Kong!

Neo, just wanted to welcome you to the world that is Beta.

Aaron

Neo, just wanted to welcome you to the world that is Beta.

Hey, thanks! I think I'm gonna like it in Betaville.

Oh, and just to add fuel to a fire that you all probably thought had gone out, what I didn't mention in my "first ride report" was that I noticed a slight knock, especially under hard acceleration. I didn't mention it because I hadn't read the spark plug conversation at that stage and in my (limited) experience, such problems are usually easily solved by installing a new plug and/or switching to a higher octance fuel. I've replaced the old Champion with an NGK and the knocking's disappeared. I'll let more intelligent and experienced persons than me draw conclusions from that...

Oh dear....now you've put the cat amongst the pigeons neonsurge

Its the opposite on my Rev 3....i.e NO knocking with the Champion plug...and SOME with the NGK...I have noticed that higher octane fuel helps also.

This debate could go on for a while...but maybe its different for me here 'cause of temperature/humidity...and maybe it was specific to here??..when the Beta factory told our dealer here, that we should ALWAYS use the Champion..and never the NGK??

COnfused...I AM

Around here, Champion have the reputation of being slightly inferior to and subsequently less reliable than the NGK equivalent although Stu's theory about atmospherics affecting plug performance is probably correct when you take into account all of the associated variables such as the relative density of the air passing through the carb, ambient humidity, altitude etc. The reason that the Beta factory state that only Champion plugs should be used in their bikes is almost certainly a consequence of an exclusive supply agreement that contains some element of reciprocal marketing.

Just a theory.

Good point neonsurge...or rather pointS

I guess the Champion advice from factory could be linke to some supply deal they have...and the weather in different places MUST make a difference.

From about now untill September it is often between 93 and 98 percent humidity here!!...gets you shedding a few pounds whilst on the bike though!!

neos - I just moved an old thread about 'Pinging Beta' to the top - lots of factors, lots of fixes... good luck; timing fixed my problem.

Someone asked about changing the airbox on their '01 Rev to a later model;

I have just recently changed the airbox, subframe and rear mudguard on my '00 Rev3 for the '04 parts. It really didn't cost that much NZ$400, which should be about GPB140 or US$200, but will depend on the parts pricing from your lcoal importers (I think that I got a pretty good discount from my local importer as he was trying to stop my whinging!).

It has made a huge difference with the power characteristics on the bike. This is mainly because I am not a jetting guru, so the bike was not set up all that well. I really hated the old '00 airbox and airfilter arrangement, and I am much happier with the '04 setup. We ride in creeks a lot, and I used to drown out quite frequently with the old system no matter how much silicon sealant that was used.

Originally I had a lot of pinging problems, especially when the weather was cold. So when BillyT came up with the float level adjustments I tried to follow them to the word. I had lots more problems then getting any low end performance out of my bike even with a 45 pilot jet. So I readjusted the floats to about half way between BillyT's instructions and stock. I then kept trying smaller and smaller jets as the bike was too rich, and have ended up with a 27.5 pilot with the airscrew at 1 turn out. This seemed to be pretty much spot on for me and my riding style. After the airbox change the bike has run much better again, but more in the mid range which logically should mean that the needle was a little bit rich.

My conclusion is that the airbox swap was well worth the money because;

(1) the bike wasn't setup properly by me, so performance improved

(2) I really hated the '00 airbox/airfilter setup and am happier with the '04

(3) the rear mudguard was pretty scungy looking and needed replacing anyway, which has tidied the bike up a fair bit

(4) my local importer can sleep better at night knowing that I won't be whinging at him at the next trial

very nice wayneg the bikes look really nice well worth the money in my eyes im always gettin water in my techno airbox and watever i do it still gets in i wish i could swap mine for a better one anyway like i said the bike is really nice and looks the part it is amazing what just a rear mudguard can do to the look of a bike

I agree with beta boy about the bike looking nice but i would not be able to live with having a 00/04 hybrid bike especially7 when ordering parts i would get confused very easily.

btw: are those the bars off a 98 techno?

i wish i could swap mine for a better one

get a 99 subframe and musguard beta boy

nah it s alright techno98 im gonna get a newer bike and you can talk cause your bike is a 97/98 hybrid but it is not as bad as a 00/04 my bike is all 95 and that is the way it is gonna stay

Yes the bars are off the '98 Techno - and surprisingly haven't been bent just yet.

I have also spent quite a bit on the bike such as tyres, chains and sprockets etc, and for its age it really isn't all that bad.

The main difference between my bike and a 'real' 2004 model is the front end - the newer bikes steer a lot better, so yes I hope to move to a newer bike at some stage, but are still pretty happy with the one that I've got at the moment.

the 98 techno bars will never bend or snap. u should have seen some of the crashes that mine took and they still didnt go one bit out of line. i changed the ones on my bike because i found them to short and opted for the wider renthals.