dgshannon

Gee, I might consider coming if I thought there would be some mud!

I'm going to reclaim my heritage. I figure that Shannon airport, Shannon river, etc. must be named after me, for a reason!

Hey Bearingless, Can you give me some insight? I am coming over, from the US, to Ireland, from Sept 13th thru 19th. Will start out a couple of days in Dublin, but then want to tour around. Certainly Blarney Castle, Ring of Kerry, etc. but what recommendations would you have for a tourist in Ireland?

Why do you say that?

They were back in the day, when we wern't using synthetic oils. With fully synthetic, it is a different ballgame.

Yes, the Japanese bikes and cars were piles of crap, at one point. Wouldn't buy one of them, during that time, either. Until China does follow suit, with a quality bike, why buy one? Any money saved up front will be more than spent on headaches, and repairs later. So far, the norm for the bikes coming from China, is to be pretty cheesy in quality and materials. Until the production Xispa shows up for real, and proves otherwise, there is nothing to substantiate a belief that they will exceed the current Chinese quality level.

Based upon the number of questions I see on Trials Central, regarding how much oil goes in a gallon, or liter, of gas for a certian ratio, I am assuming that you guys must not have these in the UK? This is a Ratio-Rite mixing cup. There are ratio scales on the side, and you just pour oil in, up to the line, that matches the ratio you want to use. The scales are in columns, depending on the amount of fuel you are mixing the contents into. Super simple, and takes all the guesswork out. For what it is worth, 50:1 is still probably more than you need. Fully synthetic at 60:1 is extremely common here. All in my group (247, 348, 349, TY250's, etc.) run 60:1, except for one club member who runs AMSOIL at 100:1 in his Bultaco Sherpa T. He has for several years now, with no problems at all. I am just not that brave!

The best deal is to forget the trials gear and pickup some Moose Qualifier pants. The Qualifier line is made from a much thinner material than regular motocross stuff, but not the flimsy stretchy material, found in trials gear, that tears so easily. Link: http://www.mooseracing.com/catalog.jsp?lev...ategory_id=1158 If you look around for deals, you can often find them cheap. Unfortunately, we just lost a good source that sold them for less than $40 a pair. Places like www.denniskirk.com have them for $59.95, but you should be able to do better than that. With a little searching, it is usually pretty easy to get two pair shipped to your door, for the same cost a a pair of trials pants.

After a TON of research, the only product that seems to have any merit, for preventing the ethanol attack on fiberglass fuel tanks is made by Caswell Inc. gas tank sealer. Link: http://www.caswellplating.com/aids/epoxygas.htm In a post above, reference is made to "a guy in Texas who advertises in the SMOG newsletter--James Enterprises". His name is Ed James, and here is his website: http://www.edsbultaco.com/ After coming across various postings, on marine websites, discussing the failure of such products (POR15, KBS Coatings, Caswell, etc.) in fiberglass boat fuel tanks, I contacted Ed James to gain his insight. In the end, the Caswell sealer is the product of choice. But, the key is in the preparation for sealing, and then the sealing process itself. Here is where Ed is a pro worth paying for his service. He has fine tuned the process, and developed machinery for keeping the tank rotating across multiple axis, for at least an 8 hour period. My tanks (2 Cota 247 bodies) are headed off to Ed, so he can work his magic. I will let you know how it comes out.

My 3rd season on 4-strokes, with a new and different (SY175F, SY250F, Rev-4T) bike each year. No, I would not go back to 2-stroke.

Less expensive, and available in America!

What makes you think testing and modifications are the cause for delay?

Going with a 200 would be a good compromise. Also consider the Scorpa SY200F. It is a VERY capable bike, and would serve a new adult rider well, for good long while.

While you have the tank off, drill a small hole in the very end of the fuel petcock lever. Then, place the metal loop, off of a key chain (some use a colored ty-wrap), through the hole. This gives your finger something to grab hold of, when you are reaching in to try and turn the fuel on.

I have not had your particular problem, but often you can go larger on the hole, and then install a helicoil. It will insert into the now larger hole, but provide new threads at the original size.

B & J Racing http://www.bjracing.com/id115.html sells a top notch electronic ignition kit, for the TY 250.

It is really not even the price, that matters. The most expensive motocross boots, in the world, would still not be good for trials.

Really. It is not like you are going to stall the motor!

Same for the outdoor, in my opinion.

Welcome to the club. Let us know when it arrives, and how you are getting along with it.

Why? To repair his bike after Kimmie crashes into it!

And...

Tesla Motors: http://www.teslamotors.com/ already makes an all electric roadster.

Depends on how far into the future, you are talking about. Next year will of course be a mix. Five years from now, most likely all 4-stroke.

Having grown up on 4-strokes, and owning a number of large displacement singles, I can agree. One thing, that most folks coming off a 2-stroke don't know, is to slowly push the kickstart through, until it comes to the compression stroke. It will get progressively harder to push, and then notch over, ever so slightly, as the piston comes to TDC (top dead center). The larger the displacement of the engine, the more important this step becomes. It is when the piston is in this position that you want to try and start the engine. It works because you are now kicking through the power, exhaust, and intake stroke, building up flywheel inertia, before hitting the compression stroke. This fresh intake charge, and engine inertia, provide the best chance for the engine to fire.