smarty156

If the Hebo are small then try the next size up. Generally I've found I get the next size up in Boots, especially wearing thickish socks.

Someone in our club has one. He started it at one section and it ran backwards!

New boots are horrible whatever they are. Very stiff but they soften up fairly quickly.

You can't. If the clutch is dragging and he has the correct lever adjustment (must be 3mm of free play at the lever before you feel resistance) then I would say the fibre plates have probably swollen to the point that the clutch pack (and therefore finger height) are well out of spec. To bring it back into spec he could possibly replace 1 or both metal plates with thinner ones. Will require careful measuring and replacement metal plates. Or just replace the whole clutch pack and be done with it (which will give him a complete new clutch). If the fibre plates are swollen that much why not replace them? I'd go with replacing the whole pack. A Surflex one is £60 and you'll have spare different size metal plates for the future too.

Measure the total pack (3 fibre plates and 2 steel plates). You need a very accurate gauge (as I found out to my cost!). If you get a Surflex clutch kit then it comes with 1.3, 1.4, 1.5 & 2 x 1.6mm steel plates. Use the 1.3 and 1.5mm plates and it should be spot on. Finger height (measured from top of fingers to upper lip of inner clutch basket) should be around 17mm. Any more and you risk clutch slip and any less will mean a stiff lever. Watch the YouTube video of the 125 clutch change and just do what they do (i.e. lay the bike on its side). Watch for the washer around the Kickstart shaft. It will probably stick to the clutch case when you remove it so take it off and put it back on the shaft before it gets lost. No need to drain the coolant. Any questions ask as I've recently done it a few times (see my posts in the clutch topic below!). Replace the clutch cover gasket too (I'd recommend the black metal reinforced ones rather than the cheap paper ones. They're reusable whereas the paper ones aren't).

That's just the standard Racing, not the Factory rep. Not heard anything about a Factory GasGas yet.

I don't like 5 speed gearboxes and I just feel comfortable on a GasGas so that's what I have. 1st to 4th are all very close together on the GasGas so you're unlikely to ever be in the wrong gear in any section. Tried a Sherco and it was actually pretty similar to the GasGas. You need to try them.

I've had the same pair of Gaerne boots for over 10 years. I had them re-soled a couple of years ago which was dead cheap as you can get Gaerne replacement soles. Just took them to a local shoe repairers to be professionally fitted. Think I've got my money's worth out of them. Quality boots.

So I've worked out either I can't read a manual vernier caliper correctly or its just wrong. The digital vernier caliper I now have gives a different reading and the clutch pack is indeed too thin. I'll swap one of the steel plates for the next thickness up (which came in the Surflex pack) and this should solve the problem.

Photos may help?

I'll see how it is this weekend as I have another trial then.

Possibly but why wouldn't it go back to shape until I opened the radiator cap?

It was slipping the first time I rode it so they didn't even have a chance to wear. Yes, the steel plates are all new. I'll take it out and re-measure. I have a digital vernier gauge now which should make it simpler to check.

Kev thinks the clutch pack isn't thick enough now, which makes sense. Maybe my measuring skills with a vernier caliper just aren't very good! Will take apart again and re-measure, putting in a thicker steel plate to see what that does.

Just undid the radiator cap (bolt) and the coolant was at the top. After I undid it the collapsed hose was normal again. Maybe the previous owner topped it up when it was hot? By the way, the bike was cold when I washed it. Do I need to flush the system or shall I just see how it is next week? The trial yesterday was very muddy with lots of flat out in 3rd and it never seemed to get too hot. Radiator was on a lot but you'd expect that, especially with the front pipe and radiator covered splattered with mud.

Noticed this afternoon when washing my bike (2014 300 Racing) that the long coolant hose from the radiator to the water pump is flattened. Before I take it off and check things out, any idea what could cause this or what I should be looking for? Thanks

I've just emailed him to see what he thinks the problem is.

Ok. My clutch is still slipping in 5th and 6th. This is after a new clutch pack all measured to correct thickness, finger height spot on and oil changed twice (Putoline Light Gear Oil as recommended by Factory Kev at GasGasUK). Clutch lever is lovely and light. Was at a very muddy trial today, lots of 3rd gear clutch slipping (deliberate) and blasting with no issues at all. It's just in 5th and 6th. Any ideas?

What bike (incl. Year)? Do the pistons move freely? Pads ok? Discs ok?

No that's for the 2015 model. Think I found a tank sticker for the 2014 Racing on there but that's about it. Not found any anywhere else either.

Any 2014 Racing original stickers anywhere?

Absolutely.

What I meant was that no stop is not as physically demanding for an older rider than stop allowed (trust me I know) so he'd be at less of a disadvantage to the younger WTC riders.

I think because the first friction plate has to sit in a lipped clutch basket. If the friction plate wasn't thick enough it wouldn't touch the bottom and you'd lose some of the clutch grip. All the Surflex friction plates are 2.3mm so no need to get the right one at the bottom like the original plates. Although maybe the newer plates are the same too?

All the Surflex friction plates are the same thickness. It's the metal plates that they give you different thicknesses of (1.3mm, 1.4mm, 1.5mm and 2 x 1.6mm).