February 4, 201115 yr Hi i have benn looking for a trials bike for some time. my bike of choice would be a Sherco, simply because I like the way they look. A tidy 290 has just come up for sale locally, would this bike be to much of a handfull for me. I have been riding enduro and H&H for quite a while, and in those diciplines I always found the bigger bikes easier and more forgiving. Is this the case with a trials bike, or should i look for something smaller. By more forgiving I mean you could be lazyier with the gears and let the engine do more work. Sorry if this has been covered before, but I couldn't find anything after doing a search. Edited February 4, 201115 yr by Drake
February 4, 201115 yr hi - i got a sherco 290 after many years away from trials an i love it - sure it will punish you if you don't give it respect but your previous experience will serve you well - go for it, the 290 is a glorious bike, gentle when you need it and a beast when there's a mountain to climb cheers tony
February 4, 201115 yr Hi Drake - i ride a 290 and have been competing for about just over a year, so i'm still a newbie too. Trials is obviously a different technique to MotoX or Enduro and in most sections you wont need to change gear. The bikes have tons of torque and will get you through pretty much anything. The big thing is clutch control which i would imagine would be very different to MX or Enduro, as you need to "slip" the clutch to feed in power, find grip etc. The 290 will want to "go" and you will need to control it on the clutch. Having said that, i expected to have a wheel in my face all the time, but as long as your smooth with the power and control the clutch you'll be fine. I've not ridden the 250, but i would be suprised if they didnt want to "go" too. Try and get a test ride if you can, stick it in 2nd and have a little potter about, you'll soon get the hang of it. Mine was very retarded until very recently and for me it was a perfect way to learn new techniques and get to feel at home on it. It was a bit too retarded to be honest, but it does show that you can down tune them if its a bit much. a slow throttle (the black one) is a must too. if its a decent bike at a good price you havnt got much to lose. if it turns out to be too much of a beast, you have the option of down tuning it, or trade it on for a 250. Others may disagree, but i'd say give it a go. Power is relative to the twistgrip after all. Hope that helps Caddabs
February 4, 201115 yr aye you have to keep them on a lead till they get used to you .just like the wife.
February 5, 201115 yr Just be bloody good with the clutch and practise, practise, practise!!...Rev it up and slowly craw up a hill (not too steep!) If that's not enough for you and you are mechanically minded... This looks good Fit an OKO24 Carb .... Copemech and myself have both done this on our 250's. The 250 revs up quicker than the 290 .... so it can still get you into trouble without great clutch control. Best of balance. Neo
February 6, 201115 yr I do think a lot of it has to do with the rider. An experienced enduro rider will not find things that have the raging power of a modern enduro bike here, and a good aggressive rider may well take to them right away. One never knows it seems. Yes, the bigger motor can let you be a bit lazy at times, yet it can bite you if you get tired and sloppy! Trials is more a control game, and you gotta figure out wich won is in control, you or the bike. The bikes do come with a toolkit that includes clutch, throttle and brakes. You just gottaa make them work together. Seems to me that the bigger fellows get along better on the bigger bike as well.
February 6, 201115 yr Just be bloody good with the clutch and practise, practise, practise!!...Rev it up and slowly craw up a hill (not too steep!) If that's not enough for you and you are mechanically minded... This looks good Fit an OKO24 Carb .... Copemech and myself have both done this on our 250's. The 250 revs up quicker than the 290 .... so it can still get you into trouble without great clutch control. Best of balance. Neo That head spacer does look interisting. First I have seen of one. Wonder who he is? And how thick this is? Seems with the design, you gotta paste it on, yet should work I suppose. Not sure I want to do a test on it right now, as mine is fine as is.
February 6, 201115 yr That head spacer does look interisting. First I have seen of one. Wonder who he is? And how thick this is? Seems with the design, you gotta paste it on, yet should work I suppose. Not sure I want to do a test on it right now, as mine is fine as is. I know of a couple people useing the head spacer..It make the bike very dull and very easy to kick over.. You only need a very thin smear of the sealant. Whats the jetting on your OKO carb copemech,,,I be intrested to know.. And how tame does it make the 290???
February 6, 201115 yr My 290 had standard sprockets and a slow action throttle. I'm not touching the timing so I put a 9 tooth front sprocket on to replace the 10 tooth. I took the bike to a trial today for the first ride and it seems like a different bike and is much smoother. 2nd gear for most things, but for dead slow 1st was perfect. Its the best
February 6, 201115 yr Author Well the 290 I went to see, didn't pan out. To expensive, and a tad tatty, so i left it there. Luckily one came up on fleabay last night, which was a bit older but the bike is mint (ish) how do people keep their bikes like that? Anyway i am now the proud owner of an 2003 Sherco 290 Went out for a quick blast when I got it home, and it was a lot harder than I expected it to be. Fun though. Anyway thanks for the comments
February 6, 201115 yr which was a bit older but the bike is mint (ish) how do people keep their bikes like that? 2 ways: 1 don't ride it. 2 spend much time and money to keep it all pretty. Welcome to the wonderful weird world of trials. It is a bit of a mental adjustment when one realizes that this slow speed sport is more difficult than it seems. But it is OH SO MUCH FUN!!
February 6, 201115 yr it was a lot harder than I expected it to be. I think we've all had this experience when we first started ....But lots of commitment and patience will get you there Best of balance. Neo Edited February 20, 201115 yr by Neo
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