2stroke4stroke

I think your complaint is justified but the steel toe plates can be bought for a tenner - worth a try?

One assumes a four stroke is intended to fourstroke on climbs and therefore not likely to be a souce of concern?☺

Some joker will tell you that, with a Rev 3, you will need to carry tools to remove the flywheel in order to fit the spare stator you should be carrying. Notwithstanding that, it depends on the event and the distance involved. Most folk carry nothing as, sadly, trials has deteriorated to the point where at a great many events it is feasible to walk back to the start to get what you need in the fairly unlikely event these days that something goes wrong - given a modicum of pre-event preparation. However, you need to be able to change a spark plug, fix a puncture, replace a broken handlebar lever (and have a spare pin that goes through the rubber boot at the master cylinder), replace a broken cable, fit a chain link, bodge up a broken mudguard with cable ties, tighten loose handlebars ?, perhaps a spare air filter in the event of a drowning, replace brake pads if the friction material detaches, drain the floatbbowl/clean jets and find the kickstart lever after it falls off. I carry spare handlebars in the car but haven't seen a broken pair in years. Those are the most likely (and some less likely) scenarios but you can balance the tools carried by judging how far you could ride the bike without a brake or with a flat tyre etc at any given event. Others will no doubt cover what I have missed.

I usually wear them nowadays but back in the 70's the leather gloves we had did not offer good feel and very little grip if wet or muddy, not helped by the fluted black rubber grips. Not to mention being cold when wet on the road between sections; sometimes it was warmer without. There was also going in to work on Monday and Tuesday with black, or red if you had fancy gloves, hands. Hence we seldom bothered. I think there is still a faint mark on my throttle thumb where the skin used to wear away☺ I remember trying goalie gloves for a while though. The first bike I remember having decent grips was the 348 Montesa (only one of many improvements it had over other bikes of the time) - they really seemed to be designed to grip well to bare skin and were comfortable. Modern gloves are much better, though can still be a bit slippy if mud covered, but I wouldn't expect them to protect me from real injury, grazes yes, but not if clobbering a rock.

Having owned two diesel Berlingae I'd be interested to know what consumption you end up getting with the petrol version.

Back in the day I put an unsuitable oil in my 348 that caused severe drag. I had to strip the clutch and clean the plates in petrol to get rid of it. Perhaps you may need to do likewise if you do not know what might have been in there. They can't swell as they are all steel.

Whilst "low" bars give better control clearly one size of bar can't suit everybody, given the large height variation between riders. Risers can give a different effect to high bars. I recently wanted to try higher bars on the 4RT but, being a trials rider, did not want to spend fifty quid on a set of bars, then again on another set to experiment with various heights. I got a set of risers that give a variety of rises. Due to the angle at which the bar clamps lie the lift given by the risers is not vertical, as it would be with higher bars, but also has a rearward component resulting in a currently unfashionable tiller effect, the amount of which varies with the rise selected. This may not suit everyone and, in any case, reduces the resultant rise. We did use higher bars back in the high footrest Bultaco days than we do now so possibly roughly similar stance but the works guys all seemed to be pretty tall then, ironically enough given b40rt's comment.

WV denotes Wiltshire which might tie in as "Sparky" Telling was a works rider from that neck of the woods. https://www.theimagefile.com/?Action=VF&id=7001599202 Didn't get the bike from jon v8 did you? I see he was trying to retreive registration for such a Stewart Wiggins registered bike a few years ago.

It is quite possible that your replacement carb had been left lying with modern petrol in it by the previous owner. It that is the case then the passages could be obstructed by the gunge that is left when such petrol evaporates. Not always easy to clear.

Beta UK advise contacting them if removing the headlight as it is not as straightforward as it might appear.

If the 250 has the same set up as the 175 then there is a fundamental flaw in the design. The abutment for the outer cable also takes the cable through an angle; you can feel this tube bending when you apply the brake thus weakening the braking effort. If I remember correctly the brakeplate from the motocrosser fits and solves that problem.

Thanks ar

I had been about to ask so will hijack this thread if I may. I am after "thick" adhesive vinyl/plastic in plain black to use as abrasion protection on side panels - shape immaterial - does anyone know where this can be obtained?

We all have our own tastes but, as a veteran of the era and having an SWM now and recently aTY200, I think most folk would agree that, unmodified, a Fantic is the "best" in terms of performance and reliability along with ease of riding - particularly the 200. There was good reason for almost every bike at a trial being red at one time.

They're both supposed to be made to a standard, to ensure compatability. Such a quality control issue ahould not have existed for as long as it has.

No sensible businessman thinking of entering the trials market will be making any decisions until the full effect of the VNUK verdict across Europe is known surely? The same goes for anyone dishing out government subsidies.

I see there's a near enough new orange Sherco currently on the TC ads.............

So, a mystery then as rain could not have a permanent effect on the plug. The advice would appear to be normal but I have found no difference in running if I start up then ride off after a few moments.

In accordance with Newton's Third Law it should make no difference which way up the spring sits.

I'd suggest that, in relative terms, yours is barely run in. A pal sold his 2005 last year and it still sounded like a Swiss watch and on the original plug. No SSDTs admitttedly but an indication of lifespan. Keep the oil fresh and the air filter clean and it should go on a lot longer than your hour meter will last at any rate. Others will have similar stories; I think JRSunt might have the most experience in this matter.

A previous owner of mine had drilled out the threads in the rear mounts and used longer bolts with nuts which makes the job easier.

I tried this on the advice of a pal who had run like that for years. I don't recall any slipping in sections but there may have been at speed. Eventually I went back to the full set once my fingers were accustomed to the greater clutch use compared to my previous machinery.

I don't suppose you've hit too many rocks with it yet. Don't worry it will become more awkward, but not as bad as a Beta, in my experience.

I find that hard to believe given that boots, along with helmets, are mandatory. I don't recall ever seeing anyone trying to ride a trial without boots, far less being permitted to do so. Additional requirements for youths are gloves and to have the arms covered, and that sort of difference applies to youths in many areas of life so fair enough. Rabie has it right - if there is no problem then don't invent one. I have only once seen a lanyard switch deployed in anger and the motor continued to run anyway. The biggest disappointment to me about this topic is that the malaise in wider society whereby "my safety is someone else's responsibility" seems to be gaining a foothold in the previously sensible and realistic trials fraternity. You shouldn't need someone telling you what to do. As an adult, if someone feels the mandatory safety gear is not enough then they are free to use their own judgement in selecting additional equipment to cover their lack of competence or confidence, whichever of the two it may be; just as in any activity, but there is no need to impose things on others. Incidentally, there was a substantial rule change some years ago; previously you had to make a bona fide attempt at every section in order to be classed as a finisher. With the dropping of that rule you could theoretically avoid every section in a trial albeit, clocking up a large score.

Fine if you already have the switch connected but this particular bike has no way of tapping in to the system - fully sealed from generator to the enclosed multipin connector at the HT coil so no kill switch.