phiggs

Has it got any cold starting device..? They used to have a second slide, either operated by cable or just a plunger on the top. My Ossa MAR is very reluctant to start when cold, I have to hold the tickler down for 10-15 seconds after the fuel starts leaking out of the float bowl, so that some goes directly into the crankcase to richen the start. Once the engine is warm, it fires up first kick. .

Hi, the C15 T would have differed from the road version by only a few ways. The gear ratios would have been wider, with something like 4:1 for the 1st gear. The compression could be lower, and the carb would be a 7/8 inch Amal. The camshaft would most likely have a shorter period than the road or scrambles version. I think they had a high level exhaust, the downswept exhaust was used on the road bikes. .

The rubber O ring on the base of the needle jet is the most important part of that expensive kit. The float bowl should be a tight push fit onto it, and should not just fall off. Unfortunately the O ring is not a standard size, but something like 4.6 x 2.0 mm ( If you have a kit of O Rings from Halfords, it will not have this unique size.) .

Remember TFR is a De-Greaser, and there are not many places on your bike that get greased up. I have been brushing diesel to soften greasy areas around the chain, then a squirt of TFR (wait 30 seconds.) then pressure wash the area. Some TFRs have wax in them, as do some shampoos, which should leave a shiney surface. .

I think you need to keep your head up.. Going along those balance beams, you seem to be more concerned where the bottom of the engine is, rather than keeping your inner ear semi-circular canals lined up with the horizon.

Instead of trying to get around the figure of 8 in the shortest possible time, with high angles of bank, try stopping every couple of feet and balancing whilst stationary. If you are on loose sand you will learn that the front wheel will try to plough straight on. You will need to pull the front end around the corner, with a movement of body weight.

I have had four UK Petrol related problems in my motorcycles... A fibreglass seat/tank unit for a ty175 had the pet-cock fall off after about 4 months of use. The paint surface on the tanks of a Bultaco and a Greeves bubbled after just a week each. The Bing Carburettor on the Bultaco had it's cold start plunger rubber perish into a gooey mess. The Mikuni Carbs on my ty175s all seem to be Ok, but I should check their plungers soon.

If you live near to any small airfield, you could ask them to fill a couple of Jerry-Cans with Avgas. The usual is 100LL (Low-Lead.), and some airfields stock 97UL (Unleaded.), Both of which contain no ethanol. The price is only about 10p more, but they may charge a further 10p as you are a visitor.

Quote... Also, i generally ride everything in 2nd or 3rd gear. What would i gain by going one tooth down on the front sprocket that i couldnt achieve by just riding in 1st or 2nd ? Well exactly, if you went for 1 tooth smaller , 4th gear might become useable. So you would have 4 useable gears..

A bit of even better news from the Isle of Man, as of 12:00 today Wednesday 3 June, there are Zero cases of Covid-19 there. Travel ban is still in place, until GB has the same sort of result. .

I wouldn't go too much on where the snail-cams finish, they can be out by a couple of notches, as one side takes the weight of the chain and the other doesn't. You could try two long straight-edges against each side of the rear tyre, to see if it is in line with the front wheel.

I have only ever taken a BSA C15 crank apart, to install a new bearing. I entrusted the work to a local heavy engineering company. I got the flywheels back, installed them in the crankcases, and they were as stiff as ever. Took it all apart again and had the engineering company re-true them, as they said they were 5 thou out. They need to be way under 1/2 thou, only possible with precision measurements. .

Good news from the Isle of Man, they now only have six cases of Covid 19, with just two of them in hospital. They are getting ready to start the junior schools next week. So maybe that is what our trials clubs could do.. Put on an event for the juniors only, with obviously their parents as helpers, and just two riders at a section at any one time. .

Haven't really looked at the ACU Rules since they stopped issuing ACU Handbooks, but I seem to remember that you are not allowed to 'Practice on known trials sections'. So that is going to make it hard for Clubs to put on a practice event. If they organise a scored event, then they would have to pay the ACU fees, and get a date organised first. Also they would need to wait until 'Gatherings' are allowed.

Looks like a standard half-moon Woodruff Key. Unless it's been metricated, it could be a standard 1/8 inch width. I have known some people that could make their own, out of mild steel bar. Try to clean up the gaulled shaft taper, and flywheel... At least you now know why it was backfiring.. .

Hi, if you are in a country where there are no trials, why do you want a 'Trials Bike'... You do realise they have no seat, so you would find riding them for any long distance will be very uncomfortable. If you just want to get around the countryside, then an Enduro bike with a seat and large petrol tank would be the best way to go. Of course you could always start up a trials club and if you got sufficient volunteers, you could put on some events yourself... Best of Luck..

Even if we stay 5 metres apart, it seems like trials as we knew them are a thing of the past. Maybe it time to register the bikes and all go 'Green Laneing'... one at a time. This Virus spread throughout the world so quickly, and apart from the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, and a some other South Sea Islands, has infected all countries. I have been listening to Manx Radio, and they now have just 0 or 1 deaths per day, with just 32 known infected persons still in hospital. All travel into the Island has been stopped, apart from re-patriation of Manxmen, who need to quarantine for 14 days in a specially sanitised Hotel. There is also a special testing procedure on trial in the Isle of Wight, but I don't know if ferry travel there has been stopped. .

Hi All, It's good to see that the ACU has made some plans for the resumption of our Trials, initially as Practice events. These could be un-observed trials, which would cater for a much reduced entry list... Maybe just all White Route Riders, with many sections set out for Practice and Training only. ( with maybe a harder route in the afternoon.) My local clubs have many very senior members who willingly turn up to observe, but I think that they will need to be protected and stay at home for now. Lots of these seniors I have known for several decades, when they where at the top of their game, and I know how much they enjoy the sport. .

The Head angle thing is only half the problem. If you intend to use longer rear shocks, there is a whole new can of worms to deal with. Even just lengthening them by half an inch is likely to create 2 inches more chain slack. I tried lengthening the swinging arm, and laying the shocks down on one bike I had, to increase the amount of rear wheel travel, but the results were a bit disapointing as the suspension seemed to collapse on big jumps. .

Hi Sam, it's a bit of a black art setting the head-angle, as you have to achieve so many inches of trail. The triple clamps can also be either parallel, or with a slight angle, depending upon which make you go for. Then again the wheel clamps can be either co-axial, or offset towards the front. I seem to remember figures such as 68/69 degrees for road and racing bikes, 70/71 for trials bikes and 75ish for grasstrack and speedway bikes. The trials bikes require about 3 inches of trail, which is measured from the axis of the steering head to the contact patch of the tyre (directly under the axle.) Best of luck with cutting and re-welding the frame, to alter the angle. I would just leave it as standard, and hope that it is still rideable, after your mods. .

That looks like it'll be so much fun! Until he drops it, tank first on his shins...

There is the first problem to overcome... How does the Club Committee organise the event, if all the Pubs are shut..? .

So what is likely to be the problem if we restart trails too soon... Queues of riders waiting to sign on at the secretaries van, using the same pen and clip-board as that chap with the rough cough. Queues of riders waiting to enter a complicated section, where everyone is getting stuck, and needs towing out... The largest queue I have ever been in was over half the entry, 40 riders all waiting for their turn. Also in the sections, everyone grabbing hold of the same branch, as they walk the section... We would need to buy disinfectant by the gallon.. A new take on 'Cleaning a Section'. .

The further back in time you go, you realise that 'Trials' as we know them were something completely different. So in the early 1900's riders would challenge each other to a 'Reliability Trial' where you took what you had.. Scott, Rudge, Douglas, Raleigh etc for a run in the country. Petroleum was a scarce product, and the Tar that was produced from crude oil was in short supply. So the roads were all rough tracks without any tarmac until about 1950s. The IoM TT started out with rough roads, so you could say that could have been called a 'Trial' as well. I think you need to be thinking more along the lines of London to Brighton Trial, rather than the circus-act trials we have nowadays, where riders want to jump on one wheel from rock to rock. Enduro Events first started in the 1970s.

If you have ever ridden a bike down some of the mountain passes in France, that take 30 minutes to descend through all the hairpins, you would realise just how important it is to have independent brakes. Going into a corner the front brake is used, as the rear wheel is so light. However half way round the corner if you see the Armco getting closer, then the back brake is a must, as it tightens the turn radius... If you were to use the front brake, it would cause a slight front wheel slip, and a widening of the turn radius... Usually ends up with you over the Armco... Best of luck with that.