neils on wheels

Hi Geoff, I have a 2008 Rev3 125. It uses an NGK BP7ES, not the BP5ES you are using. Having said that the '5' is a hotter plug so should burn off more deposits and so be less prone to fouling. I think your best bet would be to take the carburettor jetting back to standard, you should be able to get information on the correct jets either from your loacl dealer or from the Beta importer John Lampkin. They should also advise you on the correct plug. Then put in fresh fuel, drain out any old stuff if you need to; 15cc of good quality synthetic 2 stroke oil mixed with 5 litres of unleaded and then give her a run. After this you are looking at a number of things such as leaks past the rings or leaking crank seals, but get her back to standard first before worrying about anything drastic. Best of luck, Neil

Blimey! Now Pete, don't go getting any ideas for the next Stratford club trial! At least, not on the B route

They need to reorder that table to put the bloke with 99 world round wins at the top!

I always tick "CD" and get sent a book anyway! Scorpa3 is right, club officials need a printed copy to take to events, but most of us could just have a CD. That way we have more trees left to ride trials around :-)

Jeff, I'll not be riding on Sunday as I'm out on my mountain bike, but I could sure do with some practice!! Let me know via the forum, or better a PM, if you're heading up to Top Farm anytime, I just live in Chipping Campden. Neil

Jeff, The Evesham trial is next Sunday (18th Jan). The on road trial starts at Hancocks Wood, at the top of Fish Hill. The off road trial is in Saintbury Quarry; turn left just after the top of Fish Hill with the car park on your left. Where the road turns sharp right, keep straight on & you will see Saintbury on your right after a short distance. I'm sure it will be signposted from the A44 at teh top of Fish Hill. Neil

Susan, We've been to the Madrid Indoor before & found the arena absolutely fine. We were there last March and it was about 25 C. Madrid is inland so has a very dry climate. It's also a top city for a weekend break. Neil

Mark, there's two good options in the event listing on the front page of this site. Stourbridge trial this Saturday, they are always pretty steady & then the Bewdley Boxing day trial. First Sunday of the New Year Cheltenham Home Guard usually run an easy trial at Hazleton, just East of Cheltenham on the A40. Get stuck into those

I'd agree that a 160 Gas Gas would have enough power. I rode a 200 (also 156cc) Sherco for a few years, it was lovely. I think Steve Saunders rode a 200 Gas Gas in the British Expert Championship for a season around 1997. Needless to say, he won a few rounds.

Has anyone heard any news about the venue of the Irish world round next year? They announced the loss of Bangor a few weeks back since when it has "all been quiet over there"

Fred, The thing to do is to set the suspension sag on both the front & rear of the bike. To do this measure the unloaded ride height by lifting both wheels off the ground, using a stand under the sump. You can measure from the wheel spindle to a fixed point, say the rear mudguard or silencer bracket at the rear; along the fork slider at the front. Do recognise that one of these is likely to be a vertical measure, the other is measured along the angle of the fork leg, so is a reduced vertical height. Then stand on the bike and get someone to repeat the measurements. You should aim for around 30% (plus or minus a bit) of the suspension travel to be taken up by your static body weight. So if you have 170mm travel forks, you want about 54mm of suspension sag. This is a decent starting point, you also want to make sure that the front & back have equal sag so as to keep the geometry balanced. Similarly you want to set damping so that both front & back of the bike compress & return at the same rate when you apply a load to the centre of the bike, say through the pegs or the seat. Use these measures as a starting point then make minor tweaks if you feel the need.

Hi Andre, Whereabouts in Portugal are you? We had a fantastic holiday in Cascais this summer & regret not taking our mountain bikes. What is the trials scene like? Are there many competions, or opportunities to practice freely? Regards, Neil

I think you'll find it ideal. I rode an '02 200 from new until earlier this year, still shown as my picture to the left. The motor is super smooth with a bit more tourque than the contemporary 125s had.

Does anyone have experience or advice to offer regarding the choice between NGK & Champion spark plugs in an '08 Beta? The spec sheet states the plug to be a Champion N7YCC, whilst the manual recommends use of an NGKBR7ES. I know these are equivalents, but does one suit the bike more than the other? My bike is a 125, but I think the plug recommendation is the same for all capacities. Cheers, Neil

I think the guys are forced to develop better technique by riding small bikes. Wiggy rode the Junior class on a 125 because he had no choice due to his age, he still finished 2nd. Atom won the Junior WTC last year on a 250, he felt he didn't need a 270 until he moved up to WTC. And for teh grey haired amongst us, remember how Mart kept Doug on a 125 Beta all the way through A class schoolboys. He wasn't top of the tree when he started out, but soon whipped the rest on 250s & lets face it, Doug's never been a small lad! Whatever class Pat rides, he'll do well to develop his technique.

Air Fruit, I would say a 125 would be fine. I ride an 08 125 Beta, having switched from a 200 Sherco. I weigh in around 66Kg & 5'6"" (to follow your mix of units!). The Beta has the the most bottom & mid-range of the 125s, though all have come on in recent years due to the Youth regulations. Also, the Beta has the most stable geometry for a traditional riding style. Conversely, the Gas Gas is the revviest engine and is the lightest with a chassis that best suits trick riding. The Sherco occupies a middle ground between these two. Ultimately if you learn good skills on a 125, they will translate to a bigger bike, should you wish. On a 250, not only may the power overwhelm you at first but it will mask, or in some cases amplify, poor technique. I think the balance you need to weigh up is: do you want the trickest geometry that will suit you coming from a cycle, then I'd say Gas Gas. Or do you want the engine that requires less aggression, then I'd say Beta. To answer your final question, what is a 125 cabable of? I think you answered it yourself. Look at the Youth World Championship, or Jack Challenor's results in the British Expert Championship on a 125 against 250s & 300s. Or Alexz Wigg's second place last year in the World Junior championship on a 125 against 250s & above. You will constrain the bike more than it constrains you!

Where are the World scores published

Just to add another cultural dimension to this post I've just read all 7 pages in a Berlin hotel room. I think the cutlure gap is overplayed. I'm an English guy; I spent 3 months of last year working in the US, I'll be in Germany 3-4 days a week for the next 18 months. People either embrace differences in culture or object to them. It's not better/worse; spoilt/backward, its just different. My best advice is to enjoy the difference not try to make Europe feel like America or America feel like Europe. On which, Europe is not homogenous, the UK will feel similar to the US because of language and heritage. The language & customs will be no more different for Pat in future rounds than they will be for the UK & Scandinavian riders in Latin countries, just as they were for the Spanish lads in Bangor (I bet they loved it!). At least in Bangor Pat had language on his side. Moving on; I was in Bangor & only saw Pat ride one section. First section, first lap on Sunday. It struck me that he rides on the front wheel a lot. He seemed to push the bike over steps to roll on the front, as opposed to say Bou who has a cycle background & prefers to stay on the back wheel. Did anyone else notice this? Is it a deliberate riding style? Was I still wiping the sleep from my eyes?

I've just read Shirty's Gas Gas preparation tips for Scotland... Evidently so!

The next thought that has sprung into my mind is maintenance. Do you still remove the cover & clean inside after every trial, or spray WD40 or similar inside through the hole, then just dismantle it every now & again?

Thanks for the replies guys. The drills coming out. Neil

I recall reading a recommendation to drill a small hole in the bottom of a Beta flywheel cover a good while back. Is this still recommended & has anyone any experience to suggest whether to drill, or not to drill - that is the question?

If you read it again, I think you'll find they are referring to a top ten rider to contest the 2009 championship, not 2008.

If the state of our legal system is the issue then how can then even more litigous US, where trials is even more a minority interest lay on a round?

I'm not sure where you read this. I'd grease on bearings and anti-sieze (Copa-Slip) on bushes, axles & splines. I've never heard of putting an anti-sieze, which has particles in a grease suspension into a bearing, it doesn't sound a very smart idea to me.