Collected over many, many years! We should be putting some moola aside for doing up the house a bit... its small and 1971 built, pretty original. We keep spending the money on motorcycles... hahahahahaha! Might have to go to one of those addiction groups? Hi! Our name is Mr and Mrs Mags and we are addicts! Hehehehe
Whats your addiction Mr and Mrs Mags....Heroin, Meth, Alcohol, Cocaine, Ice??? Nah... Motorcycles, and riding them!
I have 11 motorcycles, 8 with speedos and 3 with hour meters.... And a LOG BOOK to keep track of them.
Now is that the 4th ride on the WR? No hang on... that was the XT.... Oh **** it could have been the TT... No I'm sure it was the Cota... Ah thats right it was the 5th ride on the Wife's Beta for her???? Sweetheart how many rides have you done since last oil change on your Beta...
I have hour meters mounted on both bikes (pic below of Montesa) Beta is mounted near top of rear shock.
Ours are 4 stroke so a little different to 2 stroke.
I change the motor oil every 10 hrs in the Montesa and the motor filter every 20 hrs. I'm using semi-synth so is very cheap to do the motor compared to full synth.
The gearbox oil in full synth I drop out every 20 hrs. The clutch characteristic doesnt seem to change from hour 1 to hour 20 so I'm happy with that interval.
The Beta not having a separate gearbox oil and filter I changed every 15 hrs. I use Panolin 10w-50 as recommended in the Manual.
Because acid build up is a byproduct of combustion and can etch metals I never let an oil go past 6 months if the hours are not done on the engine. I will do a filter as well with the 6 month service.
On new engines be it motorcycle or car I bed rings in and drop oil and filter or at around 150 kilometres. Next change is the first scheduled change by manufacturer... if over 1 ,000 kilometres I'll split that again.
I have the best outcome for the event that has occurred... a blood clot in my Left Anterior Descending heart artery. This gave me 5 heart attacks over about 10 days with the first happening whilst riding my road bike with my wife as pillion and was quite severe.... subsequent ones were further between and falling intensity as the clot resorbed.
After an angiogram... I'm on mild blood thinning and on an ace inhibitor and beta blocker and a statin for internal vessel lining friction reduction. With my efforts to date with lifestyle change... resting heart rate 51, cholesterol at 3.1 and BP 105/70 the cardio is looking to cease beta and ace and just leave the blood thin and statin for vessels. Yay.... off heart meds!!!
I won't do a trials comp until we gather some data from ceasing the heart meds. This will be sometime after March visit with Cardiologist. He is very happy with me dropping 35 lbs and getting much fitter and should see me live another 20 yrs if I continue my current lifestyle. I did have a stress test and it showed good flow and minimal heart muscle damage. 3 arteries are 100% clear and one at 40% blocked will reduce markedly so no stents or bypass needed... far from it with those stats.
I'm just very happy I can still ride trials with my lovely wife! Even if we only do a few comps a year... our main fun is practice days at Gap Creek!
Thank you for your advice I will be heeding it thats for sure!
Mags
i underwent cardio surgery last year [valve surgery] so can offer some advice etc in this matter or there are other members who have undergone various types of heart surgery bypass etc.who can put your mind at ease also advice on drugs like blood thining drugs warfarin etc and what to avoid in regards to the type trailing you do an example would be rocks jumping on off stuff i would be very carefull as heavy contact between your body rocks etc could lead to internal bleeding. as you have not been more specific in regards i can only guess and assume its linked to your heart in some form. anyways happy riding and dont let it hold you back. when i spoke to my cardiologist after surgery he was very supportive and said do what your body capable of but be carefull.and take your time.
Its like saying whats better for you a green apple or a red apple?
Here's my humble opinion as a Novice at Trials. I think the Beta is a slightly easier bike to ride as a beginner and steers quicker, not better, just quicker. You get used to the Montesa very quick though and they even up.
The build quality in the Montesa is better than the Beta as I've said before. As one example the Beta threads fasteners directly into the frame material the Montesa uses Nutcerts and brackets with captive nuts. It saves weight directly into frame but if you damage a thread in frame its drill and tap larger or insert a nutcert anyway.
The price difference here in Australia was only $200.
Once you get into the higher grades they may separate more but you'll need opinions from riders in those classes. I dont think you can go wrong with either as we have both and they are both giving great service.
Mags
Hello Mags!
It happens that you have the two bikes that I am currently wondering whih one should I buy.
I dont find it rude at all and yes I have dropped a bit of weight! Lifestyle change... diet was good but made it even better and more aerobic exercise had seen me drop from my heaviest at 95 kg to now 79-80 kg in 4.5 months. No mid-week tipples now either.
Having to buy some new clothes... hehehehehehehehe!
My 20 yr old loves her TT125 enduro (still a beginner on bikes) and now wants to ride trials but her time is limited as she is in final year Engineering at University of Queensland. Same Uni her mum attended 32 yrs ago! When she has more time ( she is working for Engineering company as undergraduate as well) she wants ON the motorbikes! She is determined like yourself!
More practice now for us and get back into a few trial comps... easy does it!
Mags
Good for you and your family Mags! And I hope your daughter takes it up when she has time, we need more women in the sport.
Hope you don't find this rude, but you look like you've lost some weight since you've posted pics of you on the bike before, are you ok?
Set up some novice/ sportsman type sections if you can, maybe try to source some flags from somewhere. That is what has improved my riding the most, that and doing things I'm not very good at. And just step off the bike if you get into trouble, no point going down with the ship!
As some know I've been unable to ride too hard because of medical issues the last 2 months or so. Have a tentative approval from Doctor to ease back into some trials (and off-road on WR) but easy is the word until more assessment from cardiologist.
I cant say how much I've missed my practice days at Gap Creek as did my wife. I offered to run up there with her bike only but she refused unless I could ride as well... for better for worse huh?
We have been riding on the roadbikes but we missed sheer joy of the Aussie scub and creek bed on trials bike.
We had a fantastic day last Sunday! Tested out the new trailer for the first time, 3 bikes aboard! Beautiful blue sky day and just right temp.
My daughter had her first go on her mum's Beta 4T. We walked along beside her holding the bike until she was able to ride unassisted. Had a grin like a cheshire cat!!! She might just be hooked but has little time with her current studies, maybe in time.
I've voided warranty on 4 motorcycles (all made in Japan) in the last 2 years alone... not counting the trials bikes. I still own the 4 voided and they get used regularly.
Modern bikes in the main are super reliable and I work on them exclusively myself except for boring and/or honing. I would never trust a dealer to work on a motorcycle.
There is one exception... I'm super worried about my wife's KTM blowing an engine so I got the first service stamp to cover any engine issues. It runs to 10,500 rpm and has 49 hp with Akra pipe from 373cc. Trouble is... its made in India not Austria! Its being flicked as soon as she gets her unrestricted licence and then its over to Ducati. Stator failed on first ride home from dealer.
Just as an example.... one qualified technician here was just sacked for belting a rear axle with a hammer and peening the thread.... he is now employed at a bigger motorcycle dealership with bikes in the $30,000 - $40,000 category. Same hammer in his toolbox! Does he do warranty work?
Old saying.... if something on a motorcycle (or anything mechanical for that matter) is giving you a problem removing and refitting you are usually doing something wrong! And I'm talking about "Hammer Harry" here!
Best setup is a 4x4 and a fully enclosed trailer IMHO. Took mine through a creek Sunday.... 3 motorcycles onboard. A 2 wheel drive might not have made it up the bank with trailer weight.
I have pipe 1 on mine and noise was the same as I have the big outlet on the muffler. They are super light compared to standard pipe on the standard 4RT.
The stock stand was to long and the bike can walk off the stand when left idling on a smooth surface. I cut 12mm out of it and rewelded much better lean angle.
Be careful when doing up the plate its only ally and will deform if overtightened. Take it up to the torque spec a bit at a time and keep an eye on it bending. They all seem to have an ally plate so be careful on all brands.
We have a racetrack here called Lakeside (opened 1961) and they built a golf course next to it and houses crept reasonably close to it as well.
The track stayed open!!!! In fact you drive to the track from main road through the golf course greens !! Ahahahahahahahahaha Take that you little white ball killers!
A win for the racers both motorcycle and car! You can see how close the golf course comes to the track (bottom right). Imagine T'ing off as race car comes around corner under full noise!! Hehehehe
Fear Of The Observer!
in Trials Training And Technique
Posted
The old tried and tested way always works.... picture them naked! Ahahahahahahahahaha
I'm usually concentrating so hard I dont even see the "Handler of Dabs". Go up a class you'll not see them then... (wink)
Mags