mspenz

Over to the Sherco page Missing the old Techno already and the 290 Sherco is a different beastie altogether, sooo light!

I thought that by replacing the water pump shaft / seals etc on my Techno all the water in oil issues would disappear for a while. When I got the bike the oil was pretty horrible so I duly changed everything and after 5 flushes all was good...until yesterday. Up until now I've been out in pretty dry weather or just damp ground but yesterday I rode through some half wheel depth puddles a few times and when I checked the oil later it was grey again! The crankcase breather pipe looks like it's been cut for some reason (5" long) and was lying in a mostly horizontal position pointing towards the rear wheel and slightly to the side of the small mudguard / water & crud deflector, a perfect position to catch all the water & crap getting thrown forward. I've replaced and extended the tube but is it just supposed to hang there or can it maybe be connected back into the airbox to avoid water getting in? I'm also presuming that this is the only other way that water can get into the crankcase? Time to start flushing again. Mike.

Lovely work Margus Mike.

Give it a good flush out in there, my bike came with a knackered seal and it's only running clear now...5 flushes later! Maybe worth doing a few flushes first with cheap thinner oil before using the good stuff? Mike.

That's the one! Take the casing off and fit a new seal with the sealing lip towards the water side, also check the shaft to make sure that it isn't grooved and check the 2 small bearings while your in there. Good luck.

Ian at Trials & Tribulations has both parts in stock and usually can get parts to me in north Scotland in a couple of days! http://trialstribulations.net/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=29_64&products_id=1623 http://trialstribulations.net/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=29_64&products_id=1622 I have been in a similar situation to you recently and started to get bogged down with trying to renew everything that wasn't quite right...almost everything! I've now got the bike running really well but there's still plenty work to do if I want to get it to a restored / reliable condition. What I've done so far: Rear suspension bushes/bearings. Steering head bearings. Fork seals. Front/rear brake pads. Rear brake master cylinder & calliper seal kit. Clutch basket bush/bearing/release bearing & washers. Flush front brake & clutch fluid. Water pump seal/shaft & bearings. Piston rings/small end bearing etc etc. What I'd like to do: Replace clutch hub drive gear & primary drive (chipped tooth on hub drive). Probably re-plate cylinder & new piston. Replace con rod (worn small end) = also main bearings/seals and probably gearbox bearings while it's apart. And so on! The list is almost endless and impossible unless you have an unlimited budget, and is it really worth it? My bike starts first kick, runs perfectly (lovely coloured spark plug) and doesn't really make unpleasant engine noises, it could be quieter and smoother but it gets me out there and I've been having a helluva lot of fun on it. Get your bike to a usable state and then decide later whether or not it's going to be worth the extra spend or consider an upgrade. I feel that the Techno is way more capable of anything that I could ever do so forking out on a newer bike would not help to improve my skill level any so I'll stick with it meantime and just maintain what I have within reason, they are built pretty solid & designed to take some punishment so do last! And there's some really good advice from other more experienced members on this forum.

Take out the thermo switch and check it with a multimeter, if there is continuity between the terminals then that will be the problem, in fact just leave it in place but disconnect the wires then check across the terminals (on a cold engine)!

Interesting stuff! A quick Google shows that there's an enormous conflict of opinions on this and everyone has an opinion.. I was also advised to do this by someone in the industry who runs a large business and is involved in building/repairing and competing in trials, if it was a modern state of the art machine then fair enough but on a 16 year old Techno!! These guys are offering a straight replate, piston kit and top end gasket set for around £180 for a 250cc...not so bad. http://firefoxracing.co.uk/engine-servicing/

You should always scratch in a glazed bore when fitting new rings regardless whether or not it is nikasil, a 'light' hone means exactly that and it's something that you can more or less do with maybe 300 grade wet and dry by hand. This isn't removing any material it is only providing a key in the bore for oil to catch on so that the new rings can bed in properly without the risk of nipping up on an already glazed bore. I'll keep playing meantime but also keep an eye on the used market, my feeling is that if I recon the bottom end myself then at least I know what I have, I could buy something used and still end up with problems as not everyone looks after their toys and I am pretty fussy when it comes to doing things right!

Plenty of good advice there, I'll continue to run it for a while and see how things go

I have a 99' Techno which I'm really getting to like and so am slowly replacing various seals / bearings etc to get it and then keep everything in good order. I've taken the top end apart to do a proper decoke, replace small end bearing and have also splashed out on a set of rings. The barrel and piston seem to be in good order with no scoring or scrapes so I have just given the bore a light hone to help the rings bed in, my only concern is that there a couple of small pitting marks in the con rod bearing face. I realise that this will have to get replaced soon but I'm going to run it for a while first before doing a bottom end rebuild and I was wondering if there are any alternatives to the £200 conrod kit from Trials & Tribs Main bearings / gearbox bearings are readily available but is there anyone who can re-condition the conrod / crank for less? This was a cheap bike that has cost around £250 so far but I do like it and they just feel quite solid and planted...so I will spend more over time and get it to a standard that will make it easier to maintain, it's frustrating though that some parts for these older Betas' can cost silly money!

Well done! If you are having problems bleeding the back brake make sure that the master cylinder piston and seals are in decent condition, also worth rotating the M/C piston through 180 degrees as they seem to wear more on one side due to them being pressed at a slight angle by the pedal. Take the brake pads out and clamp the pistons fully home, this stops any sneaky bubbles getting trapped behind and makes bleeding easier. Bleed them as best as you can (gravity feed for 20mins first) and then leave overnight with the brake pedal / lever cable strapped at the position when pressure is coming on (not fully down), this can help squeeze out any air still in the system.

It does sound like your master cylinder is letting the fluid escape back past the seals under pressure but seal kits are relatively cheap and easily obtainable. Meantime you have nothing to lose by dismantling / re-assembling the master cylinder to examine the condition of the seals and then flush / bleed the system with fresh fluid...something that should be done annually anyway! Good luck, brake problems can be a total pain and I should know, I've just had 3 bikes with master cylinder / calliper seal problems in the space of a few weeks. Mike.

Fuel and beer of course I was out today for a couple of hours and all seems well so I'll just continue to use it but keep an eye on things anyway. Cheers.

I've decided to just run it in the thinking that the damage has already been done, possibly due to the clutch basket and drive having been replaced at some point and the gears not being a perfect matched pair...perhaps?? The main meat of the tooth is still there with only the top inner edge knocked off so there is probably still around 80% in contact, I've flushed the engine 3 times now and have filled her up with some Putoline synthetic 75w and am hoping that this will help to preserve and protect all the important stuff in there including the drive gears. The idler gear is perfect but there are some marks on the primary drive although nothing too serious, unfortunately I put everything back together before thinking about taking a photo but I'll run it for a while then take the casing off again at a later date (providing nothing fails before then) so I will post up a picture at some point to resurrect an old thread. As I said, the engine runs pretty quiet without any untoward noise and there is plenty of compression (starts first kick), a wee bit of a rattle from the small end bearing when cold but that totally disappears when it's up to temperature so there isn't really much to get stressed about apart from the aforementioned. Main bearings and the like are all relatively cheap so it's just the time involved to change them and I'm pretty used to getting my hands dirty. I'm sort of tempted to go and throw £100 at it but I might just not have to, well not yet anyway Thank's for the suggestions, appreciated. Cheers, Mike.

Hi guys, when replacing a water pump shaft on my recently acquired 99' 250 Techno I noticed that part of a tooth on the clutch basket drive is missing and I've no idea how long it has been like that but there were a few small flakes of metal on the magnetic sump plug! This was a cheap bike so I didn't expect too much however it does run pretty well without any knocks or grumbles and I'd rather not throw too much cash at it meantime until I decided whether or not this is definitely for me. Question is, I can get a complete clutch 2nd hand and just replace the roller bearings or does it really make that much difference replacing the primary drive as well seeing that they are supposed to be a matched pair? Again, I can get a new basket complete with gear attached and a matching primary drive for £100 then use my existing clutch or do I go for the used good condition option of a complete clutch for around the same price but without the primary drive? And just how much play is 'normal' in the rubber silent block drive between the basket and gear as my existing probably has around 3mm back/fore? I'm thinking that it should be the new matched pair and original plates...maybe? Mike.

A great way to get fit if it's running but all I have done so far is wield spanners!! Bushes, bearings, pins, seals etc but it's the brakes that are causing most problems. Front master was virtually seized and I'm waiting for a rear M/C kit and also a calliper seal kit, once the brakes are sorted I'll move onto the cooling system and then the carb. It's not as bad as it seems but it is taking time and money, also once I get one part fixed the next bit shows up so it is very much a case of just waiting for parts to arrive. I'll get there though. Cheers, Mike.

I've just got hold of a spare rear brake lever & I'm hanging onto it as they appear to be as rare as rocking horse ****! Reason I wanted a spare is because I want to try to straighten my original as it has been bent and is against the chain, anyone had any success in doing this without breaking the lever?

Good link, thanks.

Ok, nice one, thanks for that. I just filled it up using a big syringe and although it seemed such a crazy way it was the simplest method I could think of at the time! Not really something you want to do in the middle of a moor or forest somewhere.. I'm embarrassed now, I was p****d of about being asked for additional carriage as couriers are just having a proper laugh with IV postcodes and that's not the first time I've refused to pay extra. My partner regularly send stuff all over the UK & Europe and the charges are very reasonable but if someone wants to send something north they get surcharged...unfairly! Rant aside, I could be interested but it's probably best to contact privately. emailmike.spence@gmail.com

Thanks for the info, I removed the shock and everything was in good order so I assumed rightly enough that there must be some sort of valid reason for that amount of pre-load. I've replaced the knackered needle bearings but the main problem was actually the tensile steel pins that they run on, someone had been replacing the bearings on occasion but to save cash hadn't bothered to do the pins so they were totally worn and grooved, I only had to replace the upper and lower wishbone bearings / pins and 99% of the play has disappeared so I'm more than happy. The brake master cylinder seals were gone so I replaced the piston with a spare I had for the front brake master on my CCM and it's exactly the same and the brakes are now as good as they should be, except that the adjusting rod is almost as far out as it can go to compensate for the elongated hole at the rear of the lever...something else to get sorted out! De-coke now done and I'll change the fork oil so it's almost ready to use proper. Have now downloaded a manual which is reasonably useful but I could still do with some info regarding the lack of expansion tank on the cooling system...any other 99' Techno owners out there able to shed some light?? Cheers, Mike.

Hello, I made my brief introduction the other day so thought that I'd start annoying everyone now! I got hold of a decent looking 99' Techno last week and am currently just going over it and replacing a few bits before I start using it proper. There was water showing in the gearbox so I've replaced the seal (the old one didn't want to come out!) and impeller, also took the opportunity to take the clutch plates out but someone had already done the tedious filing so I just had to tidy things up a little and the clutch is as good as can be expected...perfect after a rock back and fore in gear and good to go as soon as the choke is off. The biggest issue is that the lower rear linkage bearings are shot as there's a good amount of up/down play so they are on order, I also noticed that the rear spring preload has been screwed way up so there must have been a proper fatty riding it previously! The rear brake is working but rubbish and won't lock the wheel so that needs looked at and it looks like new pads front and back. I'm a little confused about how the cooling system works though, there isn't an expansion tank and after looking at a parts PDF that seems right, how does this work? Re-filling the system was a pain and I get a constant drip of coolant from the breather hole on the stem under the filler cap when the bike is hot. There's probably an easy way but I ended up filling the system by injecting coolant through the small breather at the top of the radiator . Can someone please enlighten me on this ? The bike starts 1st kick and once warm with the choke off it runs crisp and revs well with no major noise (no bottom end noise thankfully) but a slight top end bearing rattle that's pretty normal from my experience with 2 strokes. Someone has fitted the rear subframe bars and mudguard from a 96' model (purple?) so I need to change that at some point and the radiator guard is missing but there are a few on Ebay, just a few things to tidy up really. So, any advice and information would be appreciated and also an explanation of the cooling system if possible And I'd love to get hold of an owners manual if possible.... Cheers, Mike.

Hello, Just about to get my 2nd trials bike at almost 52, my first was a Bultaco Sherpa 325 about 25 years ago so the 99' Beta Techno 250 will be like starting from zero! I currently run a CCM644DS and also a BMW R1150GSA and the Beta will be solely for fun and pleasure as well as for fitness and coordination improvements. Cheers, Mike.