cleanorbust

Standard Bultos never had chrome frames. Usual reason for a chrome one would be where a Miller frame has been used, but that's obviously not the case with yours as it has matching numbers.

My best diagnosis from the video is that it just needed warming up to respond to the throttle properly, video shows typical lagging response when cold. Other than that, have you eliminated any slack from the throttle cable? Even allowing for the delayed response when cold, you seem to be rolling the twistgrip a long way before the revs rise.

Interesting, I'll look forward to seeing it out and about. Question is whether it's a genuine Gaunt produced bike or a later copy as one or two did crop up. A genuine one (from 1967/8) would almost certainly have a history of being road registered. Does this one have the "double" gearbox, with three high and three low ratios controlled by a lever on top of the casing? One more point is that the bikes were 118cc originally but were modded to 128cc using a Super Six piston.

As the best riders are deliberately bunched at the back of the field it's no surprise to see late numbers at the top of the results sheet.

"As some would say "Low hanging fruit". Given the experience of many on here I would like the Police to go after the bikes actually stolen from riders. The amount of effort put into that seems at odds with legally owned bikes being confiscated" Legally owned, possibly. Legally used, no.

When I first rode a 200 Fantic back in the day it felt like cheating (after a diet of Spanish bikes) and I ordered one straight away. Here in the UK Bill Pye runs a business which can supply parts or do anything needed to keep them running I think.

Sorry to hear this, would be a great pity if this event passed into history as it uses such famous sections. Could it be the need for road work that killed it?

The best way of spending your £1600 is probably best determined by finding the best maintained/least abused example you can of any of the main manufacturers within that price bracket rather than there being one particular make which stands out as being superior. With the possible exception of Betas suffering stator failure, you shouldn't be facing the likelihood of catastrophic reliability issues. What you want to avoid is any bike which needs a lot of work to make good wear and tear, eg chain, sprockets, suspension linkages, tyres, cables, etc as the cost may soon go beyond your budget. There's no such thing as a bad bike among the main manufacturers; if you go as new as you can, any of them will be a revelation after riding your 247.

Could be that you have reached a plateau, where you are not improving and in effect practicing or repeating the same errors. At this stage it's effective to learn from watching the better riders on the sections you are riding. Take note of what they are doing with the throttle, clutch or brakes at critical points of the section. Are they weighting forward/back or on the left or right side where you are having difficulty? Where do they ride with bent knees, where with straight legs? Where do they speed up to attack an obstacle within the section and where do they almost stop to get into exactly the right position? Pick up on two or three elements of a successful attempt and fix your mind on copying that. Then keep practicing. Bear in mind that the best riders can make a difficult section look easy. It isn't, but they're just putting good technique into practice. Another few weeks/months of following this approach and your riding should be in a better place.

If unobtrusive noise is a priority then I suppose an EM (Electric Motion) would be the gold standard if you can find one.

Ah, the days when - Cubs sounded like two strokes and Greeves like Gold Stars (apparently) - film makers thought it was OK to use the terms skid lid and ton-up - self respecting trials riding chaps always wore a collar and tie And yes, I remember the East London Sportsman's Emporium. Excellent.

What seems surprising about the feat, given the meticulous preparation that went into it, was Dougie's decision to ride without eye protection. It would only have needed a small bug or fly to get in his eye and the whole attempt would have been made much more difficult - even Dougie couldn't have relied on riding one-handed to clear it.

If you make a complaint to American Beta about it, they should spring into action, albeit after recoiling in horror.

Could be wrong damping rate.

"Thanks for all the advice guys, I'll give it a swerve and spend a little more on something better known." Good decision. Plenty of other bikes around.

Probably nothing against it being a 125, but the whole bike is subject to the usual bought-unseen risk of eBay purchases, ie it might be OK or have quite a lot of issues which need sorting at a cost as yet unknown. "Well maintained" could mean it's been cosseted with no expense spared, or been jet washed to death and shoved in the back of the garage until the next ride.

Yes you could in for problems with the fibreglass tank. From previous threads several on this forum are experienced in this problem and the treatments available, which I am not, so hopefully you'll get some help.

hillary posted: "The programme doesn't go to press until October so there's no chance of knowing the entry much before the second week of October at the earliest." Not so. Full list of entrants is on the club website.

Another factor to consider, which may or may not be an issue for you, is that if you go for a 125, when you come to sell it there is a specific demand from youth riders who are restricted to that capacity.

The question "Will a 125 be powerful enough for me?" is fairly common on this forum. The answer is always an emphatic yes. Don't think of any modern 125 as "just a 125" instead consider it a well developed trials bike which can be ridden at any level.

Have bikes improved in the last 15 years? You bet they have, especially if you read the list of improvements every manufacturer puts out when they introduce each year's new model. On the other hand (reality check coming), providing it's in reasonable shape that old Gas Gas is likely good enough to clean most sections you'll be riding.

Hang on to your Sherco, perhaps? Brilliant bike after all. And if you're still worn down by doubts, use the money you save on counselling sessions.

Old??? Pah! I started trials 40-odd years ago but I'm not getting older. Just more experienced.

Also note that, if you bought the boots with a credit card and the dealer won't play ball, under section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act the card company is held equally liable for refund for faulty goods and so you would be entitled to your money back from them. This is often invoked when there is a dispute with the supplier as in your case and usually works out in a quicker resolution with less hassle.

Problem is that the dealer thinks it's necessary to send the boots back to Alpinestars to sort out your problem. That's wrong. He should agree they are not fit for purpose and by law refund or replace them himself, it's his responsibility as a trader. If he was wants to take it up with Alpinestars to claim back his costs of the faulty goods that's up to him. You should not be inconvenienced. I'm really sorry to hear you're having such difficulties, it's wrong and unfair.