thats_a_five

I have had the rear brake lock up on my Montesa from not having enough play in the pedal. It kept just enough pressure that the pads would drag ever so slightly. It didn't happen at regular slow trials speed but only on high speed transits. I backed off the adjuster and was able to finish the event, OK. All good when it cooled off. I adjusted a little more free play in the pedal and had no problem since.

First, I want to say I am not an expert on the PRO engine so exact details of how that engine disassembly/reassembly should be confirmed elsewhere. Don't assume you need a rebuild. You might but there could be explanations that are easier to fix. For the spooge, are you fouling spark plugs frequently? it could be just running a little too much premix oil. Most people run between 80:1 and 100:1 ratio. Also, trials does tend to run the engines at low RPMS which does allow any excess oil to collect in the pipe. I would recommend cleaning out and repacking your silencer with new packing. It is not uncommon for a lot of smoke after climbing long hills as that heats the exhaust system and burns off some of the collected oil. *** Yes there is a seal on the shifter shaft that could be the source of your external leak. I would recommend doing a thorough cleaning of the outside of the engine, then starting the bike on the side stand and looking for the leak. Removing the skid pan (sump guard in UK, I think) will allow better viewing. The reason is that oil will run downhill and drip from the lowest part, so it could be leaking elsewhere and dripping off the shifter seal area. This seal may be changeable from the outside after removing the shift pedal. I know it was externally replaceable on the pre-PRO engines. *** The other seal I am referring to is the crankshaft seal on the clutch side (right). I know that to get near enough to see the seal, you have to remove the right side cover and gasket, then disassemble the clutch and remove the clutch basket from the crankshaft. I think you can replace the clutch side seal without splitting the cases but am not an expert on this. I just happened to be on the GasGasUSA web site earlier and noticed in the "tech" tab there is a link to a youtube video titles "Changing older Pro crank seals to the newer (o4+) style" so there may be an upgraded seal available if you need to replace it. Unfortunately, the Youtube videos are not working at the moment. I think it is a temporary problem. *** There is a similar crankshaft seal on the stator side as well, but there is no oil outside the seal (or should not be!). When the stator side seal fails, it allows extra air in making the bike run very lean. *** Hopefully some with better PRO knowledge can give you more precise info. Good luck and let us know how it works out.

If you have a tubeless rim, running a rim lock would mean drilling a hole in the rim to mount it. If it is an older tube type rim, it probably already has a hole for a rim lock. If you do run a tube, be sure to NOT use a locknut on the tube valve stem. If the tire / tube do slip on the rim, it will pull on the valve stem and eventually tear the valve out of the tire. (Of course that will always happen at the point in the ride that is farthest from the truck - don't ask how I know). Without the locknut, when the tire/tube does slip, you will notice that the stem is coming out at an angle and pulling itself back inside the rim. You can easily deflate the tire, break bead and slip the tire/tube back to the correct position.

Is the bike leaking gearbox oil or is it burning it through the cylinder? If it is not leaking, it sounds like the clutch side crank seal is shot. This will allow the engine to suck the oil in and burn it through the cylinder. This would make for a very smoky pipe and eventually lots of black spooge coming out of the end of the silencer. If you are going to ride it as is, until you can get it fixed, make sure that you do not run the gearbox dry. Bad things (expensive too) happen when there is no lube.

You would have to check carefully that several things fit correctly such as: axel bolt and snail cams, spacers on each side alignment of sprockets - front to back. alignment od brake hardware, left to right and braking surface on disk to caliper location Also check clearance of tire to frame, fender, chain, etc. when the shock is fully compressed It might be easier to have someone lace a trials rim onto a CRF hub. That would ensure all the hub and axel related alignment issues. Still need to check clearances when the shock is fully compressed. Many club rules do say "Trails tires only" but it depends how strict the club is. How is the turning radius on the CRF? There are lots of tight turns in trials. Lower grearing would be a big help for the trials riding.

Running a tube will make the sidewall feel slightly stiffer so it you dislike the feeling, you can run slightly lower air pressure. The biggest issue is heat build up IF you are running at high (for trials) speeds for long periods of time. I think that is called green-laning in UK? Heat build up is generally not a problem for normal trials use.

It sounds like your idle jets may be plugged. Time to pull the carb apart and give it a thorough cleaning. Be sure to write down the position of your idle and air screws before you tear it apart.

GasGas has not been very meticulous in record keeping or maintaining consistency of parts, even in the same year and model. And sometimes a bike that is built in one year is sold in a different year and the seller gets things wrong on the paperwork. If you go to the site from Gasserguy, on pages 5 and 6 you can see the models that are listed from 2002, to 2004. On the right is an icon of a camera. Click that and you can see pics of the bikes. The colors of the bikes change among the different models. Maybe that will help you determine what you have. http://www.gasgasmot.../manuals/5.html Of course, since 2002, someone may have swapped some parts on your bike so it could be a 2005 engine in a 2003 frame??

I have seen 2 different wiring diagrams for that say they cover 1996. One is the Kokusan that Bilks posted. Here is the Ducati system. On both, you will notice that the kill switch is wired to the ignition module which is wired to the ignition windings of the stator and the spark timing sensor. All other electrics come from the "lighting" coil of the stator. That feeds to the voltage regulator and fan, and has a red wire that feeds to "all other accessories." From there, all I can suggest is chase the wires with a voltmeter to see what color goes to what accessory and make your own diagram. There are only horn, headlight and taillight, right? You say you have a "similar" switch, not an exact replacement. Again, use your VOM and figure out the what colors go to what things and make your own diagram. If you know what bike the switch came from, you might be able to get a wiring diagram for that bike. Pretty hard for us to help without being hands on with the bike. Don't ride without a kill switch even if you have to wire up a separate one.

That is the kind of fix we like: No parts, no labor charge, no "leave the bike for a couple weeks for us to be sure we find that problem." Now get out and RIDE!

LOL, you are right Dadof2

First I must admit I am no Beta expert. So generalities only. The "chain slipper" as you describe is designed to protect the swing arm for the chain wear. You did not mention anything about a chain tensioner, and when you said the "slipper' had knocked the chain off, it made me wonder. Most bikes have a spring loaded lever that pivots on the swing arm to hold the chain in line with the rear sprocket and to take up the slack in the chain as the wheel moves up and down in it's stroke. Does yours have that? It should look something like this pic. You may have to remove the swingarm to replace the "slipper pad" that can be a fair amount of work to get to it. Do you have a manual? Are you fairly handy at working on things? The main things you will need to do: 1) Remove rear wheel. Pay close attention to any spacers and where they fit so they get back in the right place. Take lots of pics as you disassemble to help you get things back right. 2) disconnect the shock and linkage While you are in there, check the bearings. If good, grease them up good and reuse. If bad, replace. 3) remove the pivot for the swingarm ( can me a P.I.T.A sometimes). Again take pics so the various linkages, vent hoses and such get back right. Be careful with the rear brake hydraulic hose. If possible make the repair without disconnecting the hydraulics. 4) Replace the "slipper pad" and reassemble everything the way they were. Be sure to adjust your chain tension equally with the snail cams on the rear axle. Let us know how it works out.

It would help if we knew where you are located so we can direct you to parts that might be on the same continent.

Getting the bead to seal enough to be able to inflate it is quite difficult without a compressor with a lot of air volume. Remove the valve from the stem to allow faster air flow. I have had to use 2 of the cinch straps that Guys showed above with the levers 180 degrees away from each other to get it started. Once both sides begin to seat, release the tension on the straps. I do like to use some rubber lubricant to help the bead slide on the rim easier. Especially on the Dunlop tires. They have a very tight fit and even with lube, I have had to use upwards of 80 PSI to get them to seat fully. A friend who used window cleaner as lube told me he had to put 105 PSI in to get the beads to seat. Yikes! If your rims are aluminum (or aluminium un UK) do not use soap as lube because it is alkaline and can cause corrosion inside the rims. As GTMuzz says you can spray some product with flammable propellant (hair spray, starting fluid, penetrating oil) in then ignite it but that is risky. Basically you are causing a small explosion to create a surge of pressure inside the tire. Never tried it but for sure if I did, it would be outdoors.

Dad, did you get the bolt out?

Yes, you are correct, they are very different bikes. I thought I had made it clear that I was describing how the EFI on my 4RT was affected by the starting procedure. My point was to have Viper consider both mechanical factors and starting technique factors in his quest to get the bike running. I did find it interesting, when Lotus54 described his starting technique for his Ossa Explorer, that it is very similar to mine. Particularly the need to leave the throttle untouched while starting the bike. Just trying to help a fellow rider. I know you regularly help many riders as well. Cheers.

Stou, many connectors have a small barb that holds the contact into the housing. Sort of like a fish hook, it goes in but does not want to come out. To take the contact out, the right way is to squeeze the barb in before pushing the contact out. Simply pushing it out may have bent the barb or even broken it off. That is why you did not hear the click when you inserted it. I would suggest you take it out again and look to see if you can gently bend the barb back out so it will click in place in the connector. Otherwise it could vibrate out. I have no idea what might result from that.

LOL, hadn't heard the tv joke before! Good one. I remember a writer from many years ago named "Satch" Carlson who wrote for Car & Driver explaining English car electrics with his "Smoke theory." The theory is there are no electrons, but the wires really carry smoke. When the smoke leaks out, the thing stops working. So, all you have to do is follow the smoke, replace that item and the problem is solved! Brilliant!

Oh, and I started at about 55-56 after not being on a bike for almost 30 years. Nobody told me that was too old. Remember, you don't stop riding because you get old, you get old because you stop riding. Cheers!

Stellar job Tom. Great blend of views and angles. I think it really conveys the fun and skill involved in riding a trials bike. You are a quick learner. And so is Ben. Great job by both of you. And 0007, "... intense Dubstep kinda Rave music" ??? While we are at it lets throw in some opera and some disco. On second though, let's not. Cheers!

Thanks for posting that Ben. Those look like some superbly thought out section. Kudos to the section builders. Good videography and music that even this ornery old curmudgeon liked. Aces all around.

Yes, I believe an event can be too easy. I recall one event where I killed the bike in one section, finished the day with 6 points (in 30 sections) and came in 6th place, out of 7 riders in my class. I think first place was decided among the ties with 0 total points by giving it to the oldest rider. What did we prove? Basically that all of us could ride the sections easily within our skill level. I think that trials is both a mental challenge and a physical challenge. There was no physical challenge. If I wanted just a mental challenge I would take up chess.

Do you have gaitors or fork socks on the bike? If so, maybe residual oil from the previous seal failure? Did you check for scratches or gouges in the fork tube while you had it apart? I have heard of a small piece of debris getting caught in the lip of the seal resulting in a leak. Old trick was to take a piece of 35mm film negative and slide it between the seal and tube and run it around the fork to clear the debris. I don't think that will work with digital cameras but you get the idea. Much easier than to tear the forks apart again. Good luck.

Some new cars push the air through the rad because the fan is mounted in front of it. My buddy's '012 290 Sherco pulls air toward the engine.

Yes, the Healey was sweet. Sometimes a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do. No regrets. Thinking about the Healey reminded me of a saying you probably know. Do you know why Brits drink their beer warm? Lucas refrigerators. Cheers all.