bob

On the 2000 bike I don't think there is a flap in the back mudguard to make it easier to get at the air filter, so what you'll need to do is (preferably when the bike is reasonably clean); 1. Take the rear mudguard off by undoing the screws holding it on. 2. Undo Wipe any muck off from around the filter, and pick any silicone off the airbox or mudguard. 3. Undo the two screws which hold the plastic frame over the top of the filter, then the filter should just pull out the to of the airbox. 4. Take a look inside your airbox, if it is mucky inside then it might be an idea take that off as well and give it a clean out, if not then just stuff some clean cloth over the air inlet until the filter is ready to go back in. 5. Take the filter home and give it a clean up with some warm but not hot soapy water (or if you really want to splash out then some proper filter cleaner), rinse it and leave it to dry naturally. 6. Spray a small amount of filter oil on the inside of the filter (I use the spray stuff which I find to be much more convenient and I've not had any problems with it, although soaking it in a bottled oil then squeezing to remove the excess may be better?) Also put a little grease or oil around the base of the lip on the filter where it seals with the airbox. 7. Put it all back together, putting a bead of silicone around the top three sides of the airbox which will seal to the mudguard to stop water running down into the filter. It might be an idea to use a small amount of copper slip on each screw, or some light grease. Go out for a ride! If you do need to remove the airbox, then you may have some problems getting the small countersunk screws out of the subframe, they have a tendancy to rust in. Also you'll need to remove the exhaust muffler and mid-pipe to give room to wangle it out. Shouldn't be too hard! Hope that makes sense, Bob

Hiya, My swinging arm has got a bit of play in the bearings/bushes somewhere. I thought at first that there would only be a few bearings to change, so I phoned up lampkins who said that they would send me all the bearings I might need, then I could send them back whatever I wouldn't need. Anyway, I've now got a huge stash of bearings and bushes on my kitchen table worth about a hundred quid. So when I pull it apart, what exactly am I looking for to determine a knackered bearing or bush? Is there any real way that I can judge whether the bearing needs replacing, or if the problem lies elsewhere, other than just juggling it about of course. Cheers Bob

According to my dad, this isn't as such government policy, just a group of back benchers trying to make a difference to a problem they really don't know much about. He reckons it is unlikely to make it through to Law, for most of the points you lot have stated above, although it has got through the first stages. That doesn't mean to say that the government won't be triggered to do something else silly because of this . Bob

I think it would be quite reasonable to expect everybody to pay a fiver to get into the trials central tent. Most people will have traveled a reasonable distance to get there, and a few quid to get in. Whats a fiver extra? Although I'm not too sure if I have much ground to say that, seeing as I haven't shelled out to be a supporter yet (sorry I forgot) (but now that I've remembered I will do after my exams are over next week!). I'd really like to go along to the trials central party, reports from last year said it was a good event! Cheers Andy by the way, and everyone else who puts so much time into Trials Central, and best of luck this weekend. Bob

It might work if you turn the wheel round the other way. Don't give up al hope! Bob

Try getting the brake quite hot by riding around with it on, and then pouring water onto the disk, not mentally hot or it might crack, but doing it when it is quite hot will clean it. Once you've done that try replacing the pads with some good quality ones, your dealer will probably recommend some, but I normally get galfer ones and they work well. Look for a goldy colour in the pad. Should sort it! Going through water shouldn't affect the brakes much, or atleast they should clear quickly. Bob

Probably not the woodruff key, this sits in a small slot in the crankshaft tucked away about half an inch back from the outside edge of the stator core. To do the flywheel nut up, you'll either have to remove the weight (if it is still on) and put some bolts into the holes (not going through the other side) and make something to attatch to it to hold it in place, or put the bike in top gear then get somebody/thing to hold the back brake on and tighten the flywheel nut. You might find it easier to use an air powered impact wrench. Do it up to about 140nm. Hope I explained that well enough. Bob

I'm not too sure about your other questions, but with the clutch master cylinder rebuild; 1. remove the lever rom the body and be careful not to lose the little push rod. 2. remove the lever body from the handlebars and attatch it to something so that the bit where the lever pushes in is pointing upwards. 3. Using a smallish pair of circlip pliers gently remove the circlip (it is one where you close the ends inwards) You can use a small blunt screwdriver to hold the master piston in as it is sprung. 4. slide the piston out. 5. You should now be able to replace the seals, or sometimes just bung a new piston in there. If you are changing the seals, use a bit of rubber lube to make it easier, there will be two seals, a conical one and an o ring type one. 6. Once the new seals are on the piston, take a bit of brake fluid and top up the bit where the piston goes in, fill it right up so there is no chance for bubbles. 7. Gently put the piston back in, followed by the circlip. 8. Bolt it back onto the handle bars and refit the lever. 9. before you use it, remove the resevoir cap with it level and check the fluid level, it may be a bit too high, if it is then syringe a bit out or otherwise. Use DOT 4 brake fluid in both the brakes and clutch I think, but it shoud say on the resevoir caps if you are still using the standard ones. Good luck, and enjoy your smooth clutch with no dribbles. Bob

HAHAHA That was on ITV national news a few months back, they were appaled at how the youth of today was wasting itself!! Bob

Oh, ok, he must be focusing on blinging his van! Whoops, Bob

Marky Boy, who posts on here occasionally does all sorts of paint workincluding Helmets. He's round abouts Malton (between York and Scarborough). He'll probably be quite sarcastic, but helpful. look at www.wizardpaintwerx.com Bob

I would seem sensible to check things like the spark plug lead aswell as the spark plug cap, check that nthing is earthing on the frame anywhere. The electrics are pretty simple to get your head round, so it shouldn't be too much bother to pull the wires out and check most connections. If that fails, see if your dealer will lend you a CDI unit (beta UK did for me) and see if it is that, same for the coil and even stator. Try changing the easy parts first. You should beable to diagnose the problem with a few hours tinkering. Bob

PJ1 clutch tuner is nice for me. But Silkolene and Motul has been fine in the past aswell. Bob

Lampkins reccomend a heat five, but I've run a heat 6 in the summer before. Bob

The carb is a cheaper item, and although I've never been inside one I expect the mixture can be adjusted by moving the needle up and down in relation to the slider. The UK beta importer 'John Lampkin Imports' will stock all parts, and might even have some upgrade carbs or carb parts. Also on their website is a map locating all the UK beta dealers if you want to stay local. You can find them at - http://www.beta-uk.com/ Bob

The Betas are normally very nice bikes, and almost as reliable as the hondas. The 2000 bikes do have the disadvantage of USD forks, but this probably isn't a massive problem. If the bike is now absolutely sorted then it is probably not a bad bet to keep it, it will last you a few years without too much routine maintenence. Bob

If you have bought a Cota 200 then the engine cc is 175, I used to own one, other than that I'm afraid I can't help. Bob

yep, I was disappointed.

I've found that trials bike gearboxes can be a little tempramental, but I've generally found that it is when the clutch drags slightly when you are stood still and the gearbox is tight that changing gear is difficult. I also believe that trials bike gearboxes must be meade of stearner stuff than they appear to be because on my old bike I got false neutrals a couple of times and cound hear the gear rattling about before dropping in somewhere with a loud clunk, but I've as yet had no lumps in my oil except occasioanlly some clutch material. Don't test your gearbox though, use the clutch, an oil change for some good thin oil would be what I would try first in your situation. Use something thin, and do it whilst the engine is warm. Bob

well, i would say that your stator doesn't look too bad, unless there is rust on the core. However if the coils are broken it will probably need replacing. unforturnately I don't think that there is anybody in the UK with the correct cores for your type of stator, so you'll need a new one from JLI. Have a check of the timing though aswell, it looks a little off, you can get this info on the UK beta website The woodruff key looks about right to me, it is surprisingly small. Good luck - if the rings were wrong you should get them changed foc surely? Bob

Here in the UK, they reccomend using a BPR5ES which is a slightly hotter plug. I've never been sure whether having a higher resistance plug (BPR5ES) has any effect either. Not too sure about your top end clean up, but I think the carbon should just wipe off. Bob

I've just started driving actually, and I have got to say that the most dangerous thing on the road is women driving large four wheel drives, they don't seem to have any concept of the width of their vehicle and where there are no central lines they just drive in the middle, I was forced onto the verge twice yesterday, my sister who was with me can support me as well, it wasn't me in the middle of the road. That video had me in hysterics! Bob

On a mod I'm running a Hope Trials brake, and it is absolutely brilliant, I can't really fault it and is much more reliable in the wet than any other rim brake I've ever run, plus it is really light at the lever. I much prefer it to a front Hs33 because it is so much easier to keep running nicely, it sorts itself. New rotors aren't too expensive, but I actually found that they are quite solid, but are also don't catch stuff as often as you might think. Bob

Hiya, You could try emailing Beta in Italy for a copy of the manual, have a search in the Beta forums, there is a specific address for somebody who can deal with them specifically, and you should be able to either get a pdf version or a hard copy if one is not available for free. Bob

I've often wondered about this on my bike. I tend to run the front at a low pressure for grip, but at a level such that I won't rim it too often to avoid pinch punctures as much as possible. Regarding the back it seems that you can run them as soft as you like with no real fear of punctures, however a hard tyre may not feel very smooth, equally a really soft tyre will make the back end feel slack and may feel inconsistent. Unless it is wet then i run a back tyre which is as bouncy as possible. Bob