sting32

Make darn sure that there is NOT any groove on the shaft, that is the reason for the "kit" but maybe our newer bikes have a harder shaft, I don't know. Glad youre getting this sorted. :thumb

Problem with loose bearing feel is "history"... I replaced my own head bearings, when I put it back together you kind of guess at how tight. felt tight enough, but had to re adjust one time. you have to overtighten tripple clamp's top nut (do it without the forks in place is easier) a little, just like you do AUTOMOBILE wheel bearings, then loosen up very slightly, then try to feel how much "drag" there is turning lock to lock. Then replace forks into the tripple clamps. THis (99 of 100 times) will mean you have to re-losen the top nut, because the forks have to go perfectly straight through both clamps. Dont tighten the forks until you tighten that top nut, then tighten the forks, then all that other parts and lastly that jam bolt on that nut. if it is NOT smooth and really free, or it has play you might have to repeat process. if the bearings feel gritty, toss them! you'll need to bang out the top and bottom races while you put in new bearings. It really is not that hard to get them out, lightly tap the new races back in. Someone might have skipped this step if they replaced them before you? These bearings are damn near without grease when the bikes are new, it is one of the places you grease when you unbox the bike from the shipping crate! that and the wheel bearings, dog bones, my buddy does the swingarm at that time too I believe. I have a needle that goes into a grease gun (like the zerk or nipple on a greasable assembly) that I use to grease wheel bearings in place. I don't know what is up, but some engineer "slash" accountant must have found they could save $10 dollars per bike if they dont grease this stuff while assembling the part, LOL. I have bought bearings for many things lately, from other MFG's of course, they ship them almost dry too, so not all is a Gas Gas problem, just sayin... I guess every few oz adds up to $ in shipping let alone in costs of grease, with $4.00 gas...

Tazz, I think you would be well served to just change the tranny fluid a few times. I have lost the seal on the WP on many bikes, over the years. it seems to take about 3 oil changes after you refil the 1st time. when I have this happen, I used the cheapest ATF for those 3 changes, then I went back to my better (and slightly more $ per quart) yama-lube. But a quart of oil is so cheap, lets not risk the crank bearings running without oil for ANY reason imaginable. But I guess it is your bike. maybe you can blow everything out before you fill and start the engine? I dont know, JSE might tell US, but the bearings dont get pressured oil, they more or less just sit in, below the fill level of the transmission fluids, aka gravity fed or submerged mostly? I dont have one torn down to look at atm, you know..

Spark plugs, really should be tan colored. Black means rich, or oil mixture in fuel could, just could be wrong. Jets in the carb, set the base altitude that the bike operates in. Plus you can change where the needle is on the slide to find tune along with those jets... Lastly the air screw (on the outside of carb) should be 1.5 turns out, for a starting point. This should Only affect the 2 things... Just IDLE though. 1, is the idle, because it enrichens or leans the idle circuit. 2, engine's response to closed to open throttle. In layterms, does it hesitate? if it does you must adjust. Age of engine on a 2010? I would think this means rich mixture, like main or pilot. I dont know enough to suggest remedy, other than contact other local guys, find out what they have, dealers should know your area as well, and suggest the right combinations, and supply them if needed.

Well, Tazz, the phraze "get a bigger hammer" definitely doesnt apply to you! you need to "smack" the impact (hammer driven screwdriver like impact wrench) not sledgehammer or SLAM on them. the orings, when you put it back together, use a tiny bit of greas to hold them in place, what happens is you turn head over and orings fall out of the grooves, the orings (if I recall correctly) will almost seem too big, but they do fit. usually 3 little dabs of grease (thick hard pasty type) will hold them while you let it down. The below the cylinder gaskets are adjustments to where the piston rises to in comparison to the head, called "squish" or something technical. there has to be a minimum clearance for the cylinder to the head. so color of gaskets also denotes the thickness. I think there are about 5 or 6 different thickness gaskets you can order when you need to. If your gaskets are good you can reuse them. soapy water can check for leaks when running. FWIW, my 08 had bad gasket at the base, I never really noticed it, except that the carb was finicky... Anyway, as it turned out, I felt it one day. I could feel it only because I had shorts on, which I hardly ever wear around bikes, that day...

To be honest, on a Gas Gas pro models, the seal that is behind the water-pump, is a "wear" item, the seal has a tendency to actually wear a groove on the pump shaft, where the pump shaft goes through the seal, which then causes the seal to be easier to "breach" if you get my drift. it takes about $60 or $80 US dollars, to get a new water-pump seal kit in the USA at least. Which replaces the little shaft, the seal, and I think the impeller. you have to make dang sure you put the seal in the right way! and, when you put it back together, you need to put a tiny little bit of grease on that seal, when you push the shaft through that seal, the seal has kind of 2 lips to it. don't overdo it, but a tiny amount, seems to let the seal last longer, I believe. (jury is out on this if you dont use any grease, that is fine too. BTW, I happen to use the same seal grease I bought to assemble the front fork seals, on that WP seal. Fork Seals, they SHOULD get greased when you do those, or they fail prematurely as well, I have been told. (disclaimer) - All of that information above is what I do, you might find out different ideas from other people. Or I could be doing it wrong, lol.

I am just regurgitating what I have seen/read/heard. I hope others on the forum will chime in, since before my 99 321, I had drum brakes. so I havent had 1st hand experience for why they went to the floating design, that is still in place today.

Tazz, that is Weird, the front brake rotor should NOT be tight to the hub, because loading of the front suspension can cause the brakes to drag (sometimes drastically) on the rotor (which is like applying the brakes for you) and that is why they went to floating brake rotors, least that is what I keep being told. I know my 99 321 had floating front disc. I Happen to have picked up a 1994, 250 Gas Gas, that I'll check when it gets back from my mechanic, but I thought it had floating front disc already, even back then....

The 13's are shipping to the USA already {I thought}. If so, doesnt that mean you guys in the Uk already have them? I know a buddy just not long ago posted on facebook that he'd just got the '12 raga and I thought he said '13 RACE? but I am not sure. (EDIT) 9/17/12--- I saw my friends 2 new bikes at the event this weekend, and he corrected what I had read off of facebook, the Racing was a 12 so was the Raga. I guess the 13's get here hopefully in mid october or november?

Rich! Seriously, it sounds exactly like you have failed to put oil into your gas? OR possibly you tried to use something like regular MOTOR OIL in your fuel, which is a BIG NO NO... which then due to lack of lubrication to the cylinder and the piston area and crank case, has seized the engine. BE DANG SURE you are adding 2-Stroke engine oil added to your gas, at 80:1 MINIMUM? Some like to run it at 60:1, this is not the same oil you will put into the transmission/gearbox. that only oils the gears and clutch and stuff in the tranny area. It has to be 2stroke oil that you will use in the gas, I really like my Castrol TTS 2cycle oil. http://www.castrol.c...ntentId=7040552 Others like other brands. If the above are not the cause, maybe it overheated? check radiator?

When in doubt, you should carry a spare plug with you anyhow, lol. so try the new plug. BTW, I rode and worked on a friends bike that would run 1/4 throttle perfectly, but go past that it would stall and buck you over the bars almost, lol. I swore it was a fuel problem, after a couple hours, of dicking with the carb and retrying, I finally tried a new plug and it freaking ran perfect. that was the only time I ever had a plug that did anything but fire or refuse to fire at all, this one refused to fire "quickly" or rapidly I guess... Live and learn I guess.

Rich, I don't know that you realize, you haven't told anyone enough about what is going on, to do anything but make smart ass remarks... We don't even have a clue which bike you have, for all we know... I mean, we can assume you have a gas gas, BUT you could have meant to post in any other place so I cannot assume anything. But, if it will help you... The transmission oil would not affect your bike running, unless you used the wrong oil, failed to fill it to proper levels. Just a guess, and from other newbs to motorcycling, to me it sounds more like you failed to mix 2 stroke oil, with your fuel or didnt mix it the right amount? Or your gastank is plugged up and not feeding he carb the fuel. Carbs can get clogged in the jets and other small little openings. you could have all kinds of things causing this from electrical to air leaks in combustion area.. Then there are a few little tests you can do, things to check, but honestly the information you need to trouble shoot is in books, no need for us to rewrite the whole book on this forum. So, if what you post is all you know, you best find a buddy that can help you with diagnosing that bike, not to mention maybe a mechanic familiar with trails bikes? Assuming it is a trials bike of course.

tankygsy, I think you will make a mess if you have a spoke problem... what you should do is take the thick rubber out, apply a thin coat of silicone, or even better yet, borrow some tire sealer wherever you get auto tires installed... it is better (easier to clean off next time). Do this only to the angled sides or edges in that rim, and NOT on the spokes themselves of the bottom channel so to speak... you will get some, but Silocone is a PITA to clean off! if you use that pasty tire sealer like I have, you can just put it anywhere, it cleans off with gasoline or solvent at worst even. \__.........__/ (cross section of rim, if this works right. ignore the ".'s I used to space this out right) ......\___/ <--- on both sides of this exagerated V shape area, not the bottom. then you will have a good seal, a little bit around where the valve stem goes through the rubber and rim, Ive had good luck doing this in the past, I like to clean really good and remove any rusy stuff from that channel. and I like to drip on drop of penetrating oil while I was done cleaning on each spoke nipple, saves you breaking spokes later if you need to adjust them for tighness

check the bearings by doing side to side movement of the tires... if you are holding the brake and that is rotating movement, then that is the "floating" brake rotor, it should be pretty small bolts can get worn too, allowing the wheel to move back and forth in the direction of normal wheel travel you know. IT is side to side that is a problem with bearings... I grab the wheel and try pulling the top of the wheel directly at or towards left or right fork, checking for play, there should be NONE. while off the ground is easiest. if you have slop then bearings are worn or bad. BTW, when you install the new bearings, be sure to remove on side's seal (very carefully) I use a stick pin and get under the lip on the outer race, so you dont mess up the seal at the inner race, THEN push some grease in there with your FINGERS, then replace the seal. it will last longer, the MFG I got my bearings from, one bearing had "SOME" but very little grease, the other had NONE at all! BTW, I use waterproof grease, when I do this, if it matters. more grease the better IMHO.

Coops, do you not know the previous owner? if you like what you got, you need to finout what he was using. I run yamalube, 5w/30 synthetic engine oil, love it. Better riders like some, like automatic transmission fluid, as that makes the clutch grab harder/quicker. I like the 5/30 becuase I feel like i have a bigger sweetspot on where and how much I slip the clutch compared to what ATF does. you will need to try things, see what you like probably.

Farmerj, Im not an expert as much as JSE, but I listen to him and others a lot, in person. I dealt with an issue like you have, but I'd not changed reeds to have it. My 2000 321, bike was bought from higher altitude (colorado >6000ft elevation, but riders usually up around 8-9 thousand ft when riding, so you have to lean out the gas to air mixture when you live or ride there. They use smaller jets (leaner). I took the bike home, ran it for about 30 minutes, kind of knowing I need to re-jet, but thought just idling shouldnt hurt it that fast. I blued the pipe. Fortunately there is a paste that you'll find in trucks-stops here in USA (chrome and trucking are you know big deal) that removed the bluing, fwiw. I cannot recall what it was, but man it worked so easy, when several other pastes I tried did nothing. The other thing besides the "engine's needs for fuel" that change of the reeds might have cause, that made your case more worrisome and magnified IMHO, is kind of reversing a "tip" big dog trials riders do. those old bikes had lots more "spinning" hardware than the pros, and compared to the newer bikes, they rev slower and were less snappy. So, apparently back then, better riders that wanted quicker throttle response; so it is likely, and probable, that along the life of that bike, someone tuned that carb with as close to LEAN as they thought they could get by with at his or your altitude (if altitude is the same for you both). This gives the bike a crisper response that more capable riders are looking for (it seems). I am kind of opposite, I like the bike richer, makes the snappyness just a wee bit less... Plus then you changed reeds that meant you were lean plus more lean, which could just cause it to finally blue the pipe. when pipe is blueing, it also can cause piston damage, so be warned if you are revving the engine under loads while lean. Other things, not posted above... make sure the antifreeze you use is 50/50. if it isnt mixed with water with less than 50% antifreeze 50% water (best results is exra-clean waters, not tap water), it will NOT cool as efficiently. if it doesnt get to -30F where you live, then mix it for your protection temps you will be. Southern California for example rarely dips below 40, lol so why have 50/50 that protects to something like -50F? I've always been told that plain water cools the best and is more efficient in cooling, technically, but you DO NOT want to run straight water, you need anitfreeze in there for anti bubbling/electrolysis prevention that they put in antifreez. I also use something that used to be called "water wetter" that my auto racing buddies use, seems to make the 50/50 a little more efficient. Try at your own risk though. All the above is also assuming the waterpump (there is a plastic impeller that can go bad) isnt damaged and other things mentioned by others like air leaks are not the CAUSE of your problems.

Hi, Thought I would add, that when my Kehin on my 08 and now 10 raga 300 gets a little crap in the pilot jet (I think that is what it is called, it is in the bottom of bowl area when bowl is on) I have to use throttle to start the bike. But! when jet is clean as a whistle, no throttle to start. so sounds like 2 possibilites for our OP if he has Kehin carb... dirty or sized wrong (both are lean)? Mine gets a jelly like substance once in a while, I know now, that it happens when the "local premium" at the pump has the Methanol/alcohol blend, which seems to react to the premix oils, they seperate? I stay away from all stations but one around me, I have ONE, that does his best to buy alcohol free fuels. But he is at the mercy of his suppliers/truck drivers honesty and prudence (hoses from trucks drained before changing tanks etc). (so for the last year or so??) I haven't had as much of a problem, this month once again I have. The less I ride in a given "month" so to speak, the worse it seems to be affected by this. so I still think it is alcohol trying to seperate the oil, into clumps. I had read that about blended gas doing this to premix, several years ago, never read if premix companies figured out how to keep this from happening? Part of the problem is, USA states that they don't have to tell you if they use blended fuels at the pump, I have not talked about if the guy selling in bulk, to gas stations have any such rules as well?

ALL Gas Gas "pro" engined trials bikes, have a little bit of drag to them, I think it is by design (Montesa and beta dont have this) and when you pull the clutch and everything is "set right" the bike will have a slight drag or not easily free-wheeling say to backup or find neutral. ATF VS 5w30 oil: Using ATF, means the clutch is a really really grippy touchy on or off type clutch by comparison. In another way to describe it, the clutch seems touchy, more like on/off switch than say, if you use the 5w30, I use synthetic from Yamaha, then the clutch has some degrees of grabbyness. when you use ATF and clutches drag, they drag more with ATF. This is from my experience, since my 2004 pro 300's. Add to all of this, the oil gets contaminated quickly with clutch particles and anything else. So, when it drags more than it did, "last time" or anything out of normal you think, If I rid your bike, I'd look at your sight glass, and I BET the oil has been in there a while. it takes less than a quart of oil, something like 350-400cc's of oil, so change the friggin oil every 5-10 hours of engine run time. it is soo cheap to do so. DO NOT OVERFILL, overfilling can add to the feeling of dragging clutches. Yes, I am mad at myself, I cannot recall exact cc amount and that is why it is written in PAINT on my toolbox, so I dont have to guess, and I do it almost every other weekend. The sight glass should easily be half full, with the bike held perfectly straight up, both tires on ground (NOT ON SOME CENTER STAND) when you are through filling and letting the oil fill both chabers. IMHO, if you get oil to sight glass, you need to start the engine, for a second and let "rest" after filling to check this level, as it fills the outside case, and between center cases with a small opening between them.

there are more "layman" videos by a guy named 2ply, on vimeo. Try this link, I believe he does a nice job of explaining things. vimeo.com/user1141037

They come off the newer bikes. from at least 95 on. newest bikes have a piece that fits into the cams themselves that makes them different size holes than say 2008 or OLDER... In my 2010 & 2011 raga's, the hole in the cams are bigger. FYI, I had an older set of aftermarket cams from jitsie I kept when sold the bike (it was a 2006). I had to drill hole in cam a little bigger to put on a 2011 Raga... Im sure when you order you specify year of Gas Gas if I were you, Im sure they make both styles still. aftermarket ones are bigger adjustmen ranges (snail/cam diameter is much bigger) than stock ones, they are handy when changing to smaller front sprockets, if not you have to hunt for a 1/2 link for these lightweight chains, which isnt easy if you ask me. (im in the states btw).

you have 3 possible problems you could be facing, year/age of bike? 1. I mean the master cylinders have Kits available, because the rubbers wear out. (wont pump fluids because seals leak, they are just o-rings). 2. then an incorrectly adjusted levers, can cause your clutch/brakes master cylinder's plunger, to not be able to come clear back to the "at rest" where it gets another gulp of fluid. 3. It can be also because of "dirt" that has got behind that little rubber "umbrella" shaped seal, that umbrella dirt seal, is a beyotch to get in place, that is at the master cylinder. if you have a lot of AIR, in the line, you wont get any clutch and it takes thousands of pumps (it seems) to get the air out, on a good day... So, it is easier to push fluid in from down at the case, it is called reverse bleeding, if you need help you might be able to google for the concept. what you do is get a syringe, some places sell these for automobiles, get that, and small clear hose that can go on the bleeding nipple really really tightly.. you then push fluid up to master. you must NOT push air bubbles when you do this, so there is a trick to it, as always. But most can figure this out.

the rear brake line goes through the swingarm, and you have to remove the swingarm most likely to thread it out and then another back in there... It is inside the swingarm, you know, kind of for a reason: So it cannot get damaged by rocks and ledges, you know, unless the swingarm breaks, or of course the 2 little exposed bits somehow get knicked. Id spend the money elsewhere honestly, like some carbon fibre guards or something, even pinstripes... but that is me.

Stiff rear is adjusted with that big ring which is a nut more or less to adjust the pre-load to the spring, while shock is in bike it is on top of the spring. front stiffness would be done with springs, or replacing stock spacers, with longer ones (we make our own). springs can be changed in one or both sides to stiffer than stock. what you dont want to do is remove too much from front spacer, in fact I would save that spacer, make new ones shorter by say 1/2 inch, then try it. I wish I could tell you what the stock length of spacer was, maybe the guy you bought it from has original spacer, or maybe JSE can tell us. 1/2 inch makes a lot of difference when you do it to BOTH sides, so start there. you dont want any slack when you re assemble the fork-spring cartridge, be sure. I think 5w might be stock weight oil, I used 5 on rebound, 12 or 15w on compression myself on my 08 raga. I moved to the 2010 raga without any changes though, to springs or weight of oil. The oil makes huge differences in how fast fork will compress or rebound, then the adjuster on top will make slighter adjustments on (depending on which fork) compression or rebound. I used to like hard compression fast rebound, I set my compression screw all the way in to last click, (closed or clockwise, and more restrictive) and my rebound side is open all the way (turn screw counter clockwise), or at least close to that (which means it is open and les restrictive). you can experiment with fluids. problem is getting them pumped up after draining and flushing the forks, you need to flush the workings inside that do rebound/compression (clean pretty well).

Have you ever done a wheel bearing on a car? same principle, Top and bottom have tapered bearing sitting in a "RACE"... I was able to carefully tap the race out with long punch, and carefully tap new race, grease new bearing. Just keep track of where each part came off... seems like there were shims involved in there, there is definitely a key issue on how you put it "back together" where the very last thing you tighten is the top triple clamp -> around the fork tubes...

Good job Michael, with the 300 specs, but what should it be on the OP's bike, he says it is a 280, but that has the 250's cylinder and piston on it? Me? I say he needs a delorto, but that wont be what he wants to hear, lol.