What, if any, are the pitfalls of buying a second hand bike from an Top level expert rider ?? Like at British level ???

none, why would there be?.....will have been maintained to a high standard.

Buy by condition, a clubman can wreck a bike just the same as an expert.

It depends on what your thinking of buying & who you're buying from? Some can be probably be great bikes & looked after very well, But on the other hand some could be trashed & look like a shed, Same with any bike ridden at any level really.

Edited December 25, 201015 yr by BenBeta23

I'd say check out 3rd and 4th gears and the clutch.

Edited December 25, 201015 yr by TooFastTim

i once over heard a resident of Silsden telling a prospective purchaser..'' my bike gets ridden over rocks not into them..'' and on reflection theres a lot of truth in that

none, why would there be?.....will have been maintained to a high standard.

Hmm....

It depends on what your thinking of buying & who you're buying from?

Sherco 290 from Andy Shilton

I'd say check out 3rd and 4th gears and the clutch.

Can you elaborate please ?

Can you elaborate please ?

If it's a Sherco third will be used a lot more often than most of us lesser mortals would use it typically for big steps. Expert riders will slip the clutch (reason to check it) and stress the third gear pair. Hence these components will be the ones I would check. Check to see if the clutch slips and whether it pops out of third gear.

*edit* while I'm at it I'd check out the suspension linkage. Slamming into rocks when doing a splatter must wear the linkage. It's easy enough to check.

Edited December 26, 201015 yr by TooFastTim

For the most part,gearbox is a non issue on a Sherco, as well as clutches with the exception of 125's that get heavily flogged.

Rear suspention linkage is a key point and should be well serviced and well greased. Even off new, one might expect to find roughly 3mm of total stack slack in the system if the bike was on a stand and pulling up at the rear of the swingarm. Same might go for a gasser, yet I have not tried one.

I would not consider a 2.9 an excellent beginner bike, but you can tame then a bit if needed. A 250 seems a bit more docile and better suited for average clubman use, yet many still get anong fine with a 2.9, as they just have more across the power and can be a handfull.

Long as the bike is in overall good nick, doubt I would be scared of it.

The word 'expert' only applies to the grade of course ridden not the maintenance of the bike so don't let that word imply anything else.

As with a lot of things in life, when it comes to a trials bike you buy on the condition of the article,nowt else really matters.

From personal experience I would say the main snag in buying an expert rider's bike is it won't make you ride any better!

Square back wheel.

The top riders i see have excellent bikes and would doubt they would ride with a knackered clutch and any faults unlike lesser riders. If you listen to riders bikes they often sound sweet as a nut and often look well too.

End of the day the bikes top riders have generally dont get mashed into rocks, dropped, stuck on full bore etc etc.

End of the day the bikes top riders have generally dont get mashed into rocks, dropped, stuck on full bore etc etc.

You'd be suprised.

You'd be suprised.

Then they are nt that good an expert. Tony Scarlett Beta looked like new as it approached 1 year old as a few other riders i could mention. I used the word in general.

You see more clubmen novice bikes in sorry states than experts in my opinion.