I'm new to trials and am looking for a "starter" bike. A dealer who specializes in Trials bikes has a 1991 Beta Zero 260. Price is @ $1800US. He backs all his used bikes and rates this one as "8.5 Mechanical". I'm inclined to purchase from a dealer - especially a one specializing in trials bikes - rather than from an individual. How does this model stack up as a bike to start out on?

you could do with a bike that has a hydraulic clutch and that engine is a bit of a monster i had one a few years ago

I don't know anything about the bike, but Mike is a good guy, very knowledgeable and honest; I would trust his opinion. It's certainly worth a trip to his shop to try out that bike, and maybe one of the newer ones for comparison.

I don't know anything about the bike, but Mike is a good guy, very knowledgeable and honest; I would trust his opinion. It's certainly worth a trip to his shop to try out that bike, and maybe one of the newer ones for comparison.

Thanks for the tip on Mike. I plan to get down to his shop this week.

My personal opinion, is always buy on condition of any used vehicle, rather than age, mileage etc, the big issue, is spare parts for any older bike, in the uk I have struggled to get parts such as rear brake lever, cylinder base gasket either from the main dealer or aftermarket for a newer bike, the model after the Zero, the Beta Techno. To minimise parts availabilty potential problems, buy a popular bike, buy as new as you can e.g Beta Rev 3, later Gas Gas etc and manufacturers who are still in business.

Hey bud, that bike is a handful for a starter bike. Good luck.

As a starter bike, no I don't think so.

I had one of those,I'd say its a bit of a handful as a starter bike,I also dont see why you need a bike with a hydraulic clutch either...

Seems the concesus is this Beta model is a bit much for a rookie like me. The shop owner seems to agree - Mike said I should try out this 1990 Fantic 250 -

(thread over in the Fantic section) http://www.trialscentral.com/forums/topic/47394-1990-fantic-250-as-starter-bike/

nice collector bike...but not a good starter bike..parts are hard to get, water pumps are a nightmare,

spend a little more money and get a Rev3.. youll be glad you did.

the Zero has a cable clutch...

avoid any of these bikes 93 and older for a starter bike,.

the Zero was ahead of its time in 1990,,,but it had so many issues down the road,

the water pump was its weak point...forks were bad news, rear shock was rough..

early disc braks were kinda good..

for under 2500.00 you can find a good used Rev 3. and you will be much happier,

they are very reliable, and easy to ride, nothing turns like a Rev..

Edited September 17, 201312 yr by chuckindenver

Hmmmm, I sold my '05 with a fresh rebuild of the bottom end for $2500. $1800 for a 22 year old trials bike is rather optimistic. Look at prices around the web for used bikes to get a better idea of what the market is.

One bit of advice is to go to local events. There's always a few bikes for sale that you can try out and you get to meet the people you'll be riding with and see what the sections look like.

Edited September 17, 201312 yr by dan williams

There is also a vintage club near you:

http://www.newyorkaircooledtrials.com/

You might want to see if they seem like a good fit. If you start out on something like a Yamaha TY175, you can generally find one for less than $1000, ride it for two years and sell it for around........ oh say $1000. Vintage/twin shock stuff is a good way to get your feet wet, and my reasoning for recommending a Yamaha specifically is that they sold a million of the things and there's lottsa support and parts available.