heffergm

I'd just never considered a 4 stroke before, so I know nothing about the Mont. That changed, if only a little, when I rode a dealer friends... although his was actually built by Bou's mechanic. He showed me the parts bag the guy took off the bike... it's basically every nut and bolt that comes standard on it plus a bunch of other stuff I didn't immediately recognize. Anyway, that bike is unobtanium, but it was a great ride and it sounded fantastic. So I asked how it compares to another local guy's 300rr, and it basically boiled down to weight, and a lot of it. He said even pushing it around it's noticeable how much heavier it is. In any case, the build quality interests me enough to consider it, but the TRS also looks pretty well put together with a lot of thought to maintenance, so it might be easier (and cheaper) to just stick with a 2 stroke.

Yeah, I know Honda own the company, but that doesn't necessarily mean they do any engineering or manufacturing related to the bike. But it sounds like they do... I might be into one just to get something to bolts don't constantly strip out on.

Out of curiosity (and the fact that I've broken more bolts on the GasGas) is the Montesa built from the same parts bin the rest of the manufacturers use? Or are they actually sourcing higher quality parts from different vendors? I'm not clear on how much manufacturing, if any, Honda does directly for this bike.

If it's cheap and fun, looks good to me.

You might want to talk to all the other trials clubs that already exist and have large contingents in the US first... http://www.trialsclubs.us/

This is in US dollars, but you can probably find a price list in pounds easily enough (or just do a rough conversion): http://langcourtperformance.com/price-list/

Yeah, have extra fun exporting them to the rest of europe when the all the EU free trade agreements no longer apply...

What kills me that is that 52% to 48% 'popular' vote now swings these sorts of things. Major shifts in political trajectories occurring, essentially leaving half the populace p****d regardless of which way things go. I don't think that's a very tenable position to be in anywhere, and it's certainly not the only place it occurs.

Some of them apparently got a batch of faulty crank bearings, but provided the bike has more than 20 hours on it you're likely fine (they all seemed to fail after a few hours). Listen to the bike at idle. With the clutch in it should be very quiet. Clutch out you'll hear a lot of rattle which is normal. Otherwise it's normal used bike stuff. I check for bent wheels, make sure the frame isn't bent, etc. Check the airbox... a clean one is a good sign. Ideally I like to remove the whole tail section and peak at the carb inlet to make sure there's no sign of dirt having made its way to the motor. Pay attention to who rode it. Expert guys can make a year old bike feel like it has 10 on it. They tend to take reasonable care of them mechanically, but they also torture them quite a bit.

It's somewhere under the rear section. Just remove the rear fender airbox section and you'll see it.

They're all largely made out of the same parts. The unique bits, at least from the outside, are the motors and the frames. The OSSA is a big outlier in that it's the only injected 2t. The one guy in my club that still owns and rides an OSSA loves it, but he's already been on the phone to jolly old England to get parts, and not for simple things (i.e. broken shift drums). I wouldn't touch an OSSA with a 10 foot pole, but that's just me. The rest are all pretty straight forward. The big difference between GG and the rest is the diaphragm clutch which is great, but the gearbox is a little funky (they made a six speed about the size of your fist, and it can feel a little scary going from 4th to 5th as two sets of gears move). On the hugely stereotypical and offensive to owners front: * GasGas: rides awesome, best clutch, does everything well, very neutral. Sketchy gearbox. * Beta: very solid, best turning bike * Sherco: if you're talking 2016+, no idea (although people seem to like the Scorpa, and it's the same bike now). Pre 2016: bizzarro rear gas tank, restrictive air intake, otherwise decent enough * Vertigo: frightening both in terms of power and price * TRS: a GasGas/Beta hybrid... sort of I don't think the newer bikes are really going to be any noticeably lighter than your 09 GG, but anything newer should feel less abused which goes a long way. I also don't think a new bike's suspension is going to feel any different to you. I think you're seeing guys hopping around and thinking the suspension should feel a certain way (i.e. like a pogo stick) when in actuality most of that movement is generated by timing and technique. Shorter story, if you really can't ride anything before you buy, are going new, and you're a total novice: Beta EVO 200. Slightly expanded story: they're all really good, buy the one you think is prettiest.

As far as how it rides goes, it seems more Beta-y to me. Although that might just be down to how narrow it it is approaching the headstock. I have a really hard time judging when I only get a few minutes on a bike that isn't set up remotely how I like it to determine these things. I'm sure I could make a TRS feel comfortable to me, but coming straight off my GG onto the TRS, it just felt weird... but then any bike not set up like my GG would. It's funny how many small setup details can make such a huge difference in perception of a bike. In any case, I'm willing to bet the TRS rides beautifully, but for me the clutch effort is a killer... it's just too much for my gimpy hand to deal with over the course of a full trial. If the effort can be reduced I'd be willing to try one though.

Yeah, it definitely was clever. And still not easy!

Build quality is excellent. Clutch feel is very good (diaphragm clutch), though the pull is a good bit stiffer than my modified GG clutch. The engine is their own design, although looking at it I'd say it most closely resembles (from an outward design standpoint anyway) a GG engine. One of the nicest things about the bike is how well thought out the design is in terms of servicing. Linkage is easily accessible, airbox/fender section removes with a few bolts (ala GasGas), you can adjust the steering head bearings without having to remove the bars to tighten the top nut, etc. Reliability, I have no idea... apparently a bunch finished the SSDT without issue, which is generally a good sign. But since no one has owned one for terribly long yet I don't think a real answer is possible.

Yes (edit: in essence... although there is never no damping even when they're wound all the way out, otherwise you'd have a pogo stick)

There's a kicker you can't see behind the log... you can see him roll up and then back down it 2-3 seconds into the video.

I have no keihin problems, so I can't really empathize. But I think what you're reading into this is a self selecting group. Nobody posts about how fine their keihin is, and almost nobody posts about OKO because there are hardly any of them. It makes no sense to me that a poorly cast copy of a keihin is inherently any better.

Isn't an OKO a cheap Keihin knock off?

Make sure the clutch lever is adjusted correctly. When it's all the way to the grip there should be no drag, then you should start to feel the bike want to creep forward just as it comes off the grip. No idea on the ATF, but try http://www.trialscentral.com/forums/topic/42006-best-oil-for-gas-gas-pro/

premix, 80:1 tire pressure, in the region of 6-7psi front and 3.5-4 in the back I run 75W gear oil, in the GG, but a lot of people run ATF and you'll get a million opinions. If you use ATF, change it often. I do every 10 hours.

I think he's just saying 'set the idle speed with the bike in first gear and the clutch pulled in (i.e. not moving)' which is pretty typical. Otherwise if you set it in neutral, when you drop the bike into first, depending on how bad your clutch drags, the idle will fall quite a bit.

Good to know. I guess I'm safe after 100 hours

If it's a later model bike, the chain side faces out, the brake side faces in, as mentioned a few times above. At a minimum, the chain side one cannot face in, otherwise it would hit the sprocket. The brake side one you could get to face out, but you'd quickly realize it was in the wrong way because it wouldn't be set the same was as the other side.

Wheel stickers are useless. I've never had any last more than a few months before they start to peel, at which point I just take them off because it's rather have none than a peeling dirty mess

Whatever it was, I loved it. Admittedly it was getting a bit old, but certain episodes set the bar so high as to make the others seem lesser, when in fact they are quite good when taken on their own. But the format is only a part of the whole, and for me, without the original the presenters, it's pretty awful. As evidenced by the various regional spin. offs.