heffergm

Bou didn't qualify well either, he dropped a mark. Not as bad as Fajardo, but he started 13th. So I don't buy it. Fajardo rode well.

Bou aside, I have to say Fajardo's Saturday ride was inspired. He got Raga by 12 marks, which was quite something. Hopefully he can put it together a few more times this year. Busto on Sunday had a great second lap which gave him the edge over a very consistent Bou. I suspect the lingering back injury and lack of practice time are the biggest contributors to Bou not winning as per the norm, but often at this level it just takes one small hint of weakness for rivals to force their way in and start to exert more consistent pressure. I'd love it if we saw a regular battle for the top 4 spots.

Having the wheels completely true on a trials bike is completely unnecessary. Use the chain guide as a marker to find the places where it's really out, adjust the spokes, and call it good.

Yeah, it seems that way if you ignore all the numbers that are 1's 2's and 3's.

Busto wins. GasGas's collective heads explode as Bou goes winless on a weekend for the first time in I can't remember how long.

I'd suggest waiting. You'll get used to it. I can't ride the Dell'orto, the throttle is insanely heavy to me. Which is to say again, you'll get used to it.

Aside from throwing away the MT43, you're worrying way to much about this. Set the cams the same. The chain guard always rubs, ignore it. Check your rear spokes if it's really bad, you can pull the rim back the other way a little.

They all basically come lean on the pilot and rich on the main. That said, the standard jetting isn't a million miles off. Start with the air screw and see if you can make it better. If you're less than a half turn out or more than 3 turns out (you're way likely to be closer to the former), adjust the pilot. Go from there.

Well, sure, but things happen, and this is why businesses carry insurance.

If you're new to trials the best thing you can do is leave them alone. Trials suspension is good out of the box. The best riders ride close to stock settings. Unless you weigh a ton or you're a little person, the stock setup will work well

Surely they have insurance?

Not to be the voice of dissent, but... not crashing three times would have made it a lot better (for me anyway).

If the bite point is moving in, that definitely sounds hydraulic to me. Depending on your ambient temps, the bite point will generally move out (in the form of less drag) as the bike warms up, but I've never heard of the bite point moving in. One random thought that springs to mind... are you using quick adjusters on the levers? Are they holding their place with enough spring tension? I can see them maybe turning on their own if not... maybe put a witness mark on them and make sure they're not moving around by themselves.

The Vertigo was indeed very easy to wheelie... it was especially fun in 5th gear.

I say ban whistles.

That'd be my guess.

Gear oil and engine oil measure viscosity differently... an SAE 80 gearbox oil is roughly equivalent in viscosity to an SAE 20 engine oil. An SAE 90 gearbox oil is roughly the same viscosity as an SAE 50 engine oil. 75w gear oil is commonly run in trials bikes.

Serves me right for not watching the final 0.8 seconds

I must be deaf because I don't hear anything I'd refer to as a squeak.

Marquez made a fool out of himself when he could have produced an amazing ride, without the need for all the shenanigans. He was so much faster than everyone else that, had he not decided to run into people, he probably would have had a shot at the top 4 even after the ride through... I wouldn't doubt he lost 10 seconds between Aleix and Vale. Both his moves on Aleix and Rossi were way too late. He dove inside both of them at times neither could have predicted to have him there, into a space that was non-existent. However, given his antics on the grid (ignoring the instruction to return to pit lane after he stalled the bike, then riding against the flow of traffic) he should have been black flagged in the first place, then none of his subsequent bs would have transpired at all.

The 250 4t Beta is a kitten. Buy it and have fun.

Any old oil in the cartridge in techs will be mixed with the majority of new oil added during the oil change. I'm not going to completely disassemble the cartridge for the sake of 50mL of oil. On Marzocchis I agree, you have no choice but to drain the cartridge, but on techs I haven't found that to be the case. I could always be wrong...

Maxima SC1

Good thing the TYE has a clutch...

The best trials bike for 2018 is the one that you like the most. Try a few. They're all good these days.