thats_a_five

If you were riding easy lines, there could have been water in the tank all along. Because water is heavier than gas, it drops to the bottom and may have been low enough that the main tap did not pick it up. When the bike got dropped, the water mixed with the gas and then went into the tap and to the carb. This would cause the poor running after the fall. As others have mentioned, the vent pipe needs to have a hole otherwise there is no vent. That loop of hose from the factory has fooled many people because they think the hose has rubbed through. It probably saves the factory a couple pennies of vent hose. The non-vented bowl may have caused the floats to not work properly. Some of the old Delorto's had problems with floats getting saturated and not floating properly. Also, some of the floats can be assembled upside down which doesn't work either. Pull the bowl off, give things a good clean, make sure the floats do in fact float and reassemble it. Drain all the gas to get rid of all the water. Add an in-line fuel filter if there isn't one there already. Let us know how you get on. Cheers

Hi Mark, I think your bike has the plastic rear half of the silencer. Not the best design decision IMHO. A friend in the club had the rear half melt off during the Funny Rocks trial this year. He said the metal replacement part is on back order and his dealer told him "many people are waiting for them." Some high temp silicone sealer should take care of any small leaks in the joint. On the oil mix, many people suggest running rich or using higher oil percentage during break in. Then lean it out or reduce the oil percent after break in. I agree with Smalley, 80:1 is a better ratio for the bike post break in. Bill

I would tend to agree with Heffegren about the larger bike. Room to grow into and the bigger wheels roll over things much easier. Best thing would be to get him on a bike of each size, even at standstill, and see how it first. Does it look like he is reaching for some ape hangers, or crouching down for clip-ons. Either extreme is not good. If still uncertain remember, he is not likely to grow smaller with age.

Wow, he looks like a natural. I know trials seems slow and safe compared with MX but please get a helmet on your boy.

Very, very cool. I know that it might have just been a resting position, and I know how hard you have to pull drum brake levers, but suggest to him that it would be better to use at least 2 fingers to hang on to the bars. It looks like there is enough straight on the bars to be able to slide the perches inward, giving more leverage to apply the brake and clutch. Balancing at a stopped position is challenging. Have him try riding slowly on the pegs and come to a stop and balance. Also, on a slight incline with the front wheel downhill put more weight on the front, making it easier to balance. Its great to hear about him taking the initiative and showing the bikes some love.

I agree with Dadof2. These bikes are built tough. I had a well used '94 JT25 (same basic design as the 96 - the 96 had some enhancements) that served me for several years. Biggest thing to watch for is water in the oil from a leaking water pump seal. Water/coolant in the gearbox is bad for bearings and clutch friction plates - clutch drags like heck and friction material can come unglued from metal plates. No water in cooling system can cause piston seizing. GasGas sells a kit that includes the seal and water pump shaft to fix this. Welcome to the world of trials but be aware that once the trials bug bites you will never look at the scenery the same way. Oooooo look a creek. That would make a cool section. Oh, my neighbor just built a new rock wall in the garden. I wonder if I could make it up that? Have fun.

A riding buddy of mine has a 4T and found a kit somewhere to add a remote cable to the bars that actuates the hot start. I have only seen the bar end of that kit so have no idea how it connects down below. Sorry I can't be more help but thought this might give you an option to research if interested.

It sounds like you made a good solution. Nylon is self lubricating as well. If the bore gets badly worn, you could machine it out and press in a bushing - either nylon or bronze work well. Spongy is probably just needing a good bleed. Other cause could be pedal flex.

Others have given you good tips on foot position and keeping the knees out. A buddy of mine taught me the best way to keep the weight on the proper side of the bike is to think "to go right, go left (with your head)" and "to go left, go right." In other words, keep your head on the outside of a turn. Watch others, as soon as their head goes in, they will dab on the inside. Try to keep your shoulders parallel with the bars. That forces your butt to the outside helping with the counterbalance. Also, try to look farther ahead. For super slow stuff its OK to watch the front tire but any faster and you want to look where you want to go. The best way to clear an obstacle is to look past it. And yes, trials is humbling. Anyone can go fast. All that takes is the ability to twist a throttle and hang on. In trials we must perfect the skills of falling off both the left and right sides, as well as looping over the rear tire and the highly specialized 3 point landing: face, and both hands still on the bars, landing in perfect unison as the bike rotates over our flying W.

Hey Mags, That is a view we all get of out bikes from time to time. I had one kinda like that a few years ago too. Riding down a small hill, small rock kicked the front wheel and over the bars I went. Used my face for brakes, facing downhill with feet uphill. Thought I was OK until the rear wheel of the bike came over the top and landed on my back. Completely knocked the wind out of me. Couldn't breathe, thought I had at least busted some ribs and the bike was still on top of me. Mentally calmed myself and started breathing again. Crawled, dragged my body out from under the bike and finally was able to sit up after about 10 minutes (I think, who knows?). After sitting for about 30 minutes contemplating my navel and letting the pain in my chest subside so I could inhale a little, decided the only option was to get back on the bike and ride home. It wasn't until I tried to stand that I noticed the pain in my knee. Good news, it was the left leg that could not hold any weight. Because I needed all my (substantial) weight and right leg to kick over that TY350. Thankfully that old tractor of a bike had almost a seat so I could ride out. Parked it in the garage and didn't take it out again for at least 3-5 days when I could finally take a full breath in. Lessons learned: Never ride alone in remote places where your body might not be found. When you ride alone, drop back a couple levels in the difficulty of things you try. Always wear protective gear (always did anyway). Always tell someone where you are going and when you should be back, so they know when and where to start the grid search for your body. If there is any possibility of mobile phone service, carry your phone with you in a padded case. An extra battery is a nice addition so you can play games on the phone while waiting for the medivac helicopter. Did this stop me from riding? Hell no. Did it encourage me to improve my skills so a gold ball sized rock didn't kick my butt again? Absolutely. We know your pain and hope for a fast recovery. When you are up to it, go get that hill! (with buddies). A buddy told me once: If you are going to race, you need to learn how to limp. I hope you see the humor in my message. Cheers mate! Bill

That is great to hear Pat. So cool that your boy loves it. You have opened up a whole different world for him away from the computer. Riding is good exercise and also builds self confidence - something most teenagers need. It is also a time when you two can enjoy time together and interact as grown up buddies as he matures. Take some cool pics and video of him riding to share with his friends and post to his various on-line presence. He will love that. What a great Dad.

Clutches do wear and wear faster as you are slipping them. Your signature says the bike is a 2004. It is entirely possible that the clutch is worn or possibly even replaced by previous owners. But before you just go throw a clutch in: put the 2 springs back in and ride it. If the problem goes away, don't worry about it. at some point you can pull the clutch out and measure the thickness of the stack. I do not know the specification but it should be in the manual. Most of the time when people remove springs it is to lighten the force required by your finger. This does make it much easier to modulate the clutch but it is a trade-off with potential clutch slip in the higher gears.

Others have given good tips. Try to keep your shoulders parallel with the bars when you turn. This will cause you to stick your butt out over the outside of the turn more, which will help with the counterbalance when leaning the bike. Your balance is already pretty good. Loosen up, bend the knees and relax. I am waiting for the video of you jumping up onto that rock wall on the left!

I agree that TIG is the best for welding aluminum. But don't rule out the zinc/aluminum brazing rod. I have used it on many alloy items. As naichuff states above, everything must be very clean - same comment for good TIG welding also. When cleaning aluminum avoid using steel based abrasives, files or wire wheels. Aluminum oxide is OK but brass is better. I would not use the brazing rod on stressed parts like swing arms, or handlebars. Because the airbox is not a stressed part, I think the brazing rod will be fine. Be sure to practice on some scrap pieces first. And wear gloves on the hand holding the rod. You might be surprised how quickly heat travel up the rod to your hand.

That is a "Edition" model. It is essentially the same generation of bike as all GasGas trials from 1994 to 2001. The "TXT Pro" was a major redesign that came out in 2002. Based on the graphics on the bike, it is the 2000 year with the 280 CC motor. The "Edition" bikes were pretty well sorted by 2000 and were very reliable and solid if maintained properly. They are heavier than the "TXT Pro" models but are an excellent bike to learn trials riding.

I would start with a good cleaning of the carb. Particularly pay attention to the idle jet and passage as well as the starting circuit (this circuit acts like a choke). Also check the floats and needle valve. To check the gasket in the fuel tap, disconnect the fuel hole from the carb, then turn the tap on and off and see when fuel flows or leaks.

I have used some nuts that are similar to those pop-nuts. Those ones I used had a flange with holes that were designed to use some small rivets to hold the nut plate in place. I chose to safety wire them on using stainless wire. A little high temp silicone sealed the cover plate to the silencer.

What part of the world should we be looking?

The 2000 GasGas is part of the "Edition" design, rather than the "Pro" design. I have never found any written service manual for the "Edition." Jim Snell the US Importer has made many excellent videos showing and explaining how to do many repairs. Search on Youtube for "GasGas" or "GasGas Repair."

Very cool Biff. When I bought my 4RT, the ball was broken off the clutch lever. I liked the length of the broken one but it felt like my finger might slip off the end. So I took some zinc rod and gas welded on a small ball. It took several tries but I got it eventually. It is fun to make your own stuff even if it take 4 hours to make a part that you can but for a few dollars.

If the holes have gone oval in the bushes or bolts, you certainly could turn them 90 degrees. Hard to do that to the holes in the disk or the hub. Bolts and bushes are pretty cheap. Also if the bolts are badly worn, they are also weakened. If I found a problem I might try turning them 90 degrees for testing (or if the event was tomorrow) and order up new parts to replace at a more convenient time.

Nice pics of how to cut the back off a center and repair it with a new piece of material. I see people weld or pop rivet the new piece on. I prefer to put it on with screws so it is easy to remove the next time. Both the center and tail sections do need to be properly cleaned and packed. Why not make it easy to do them both? And thanks to all who keep their bikes quiet. We have enough challenges finding and keeping riding areas. Loud bikes only aggravate the neighbors who then try to limit our riding even more.

The disc material is pretty hard. It is much more likely that the bolts or bushings would wear first. As Guys said, take one or two of the bolts out and look at the condition of all the pieces. The parts and holes should all be round. If they are worn to an oval shape they should be replaced. AS others have said: some movement is normal, if it is bad enough to affect your riding, fix it.

How is your boy doing on the bike? He getting out there more regularly now?

I don't know where you are located. I suggest you get to a trial or two and talk with people, look at the bikes and see if you can get some short rides on various bikes. Just this last weekend, there was a new guy and he got to ride a Sherco 280, a GasGas 250 and a Montesa 4RT. They all ride well, but very differently. The Sherco and GasGas are 2 stroke and the Montesa is a 4 stroke. The 2005 Montesa 4RT is mine. I have had it only about a year and have put over 60 hours on it. The bike has been pretty much flawless. Ride, wash and park. I just had to do front brake pads.