turbofurball

Can't help regarding an American source (assuming you've already checked with the importer), but I will say to be mindful that the geometry of modern trials bikes isn't made for high speed, so if you crank it way up it will be very twitchy. In a similar vein I tried my Gasgas EC250 geared way down for hard enduro type terrain, and found that it just didn't work well (also I discovered I'm crap at hard enduro, lol)

My Cota 349 has one, when I bought the bike I dutifully squeezed fresh grease in, then a bit later while the engine was out I figured it would be good to check what state the bushings were in ... my fresh grease had just made a thin path of least resistance, leaving about 90% of the old dry stuff in place. They work great if used regularly, though

If you can borrow an induction heater (a proper pro one) they work wonders on these. It's worth the effort, there will be old dry grease in there that won't take kindly to suddenly being asked to work for a living

I'm really surprised it's not more ergonomic ... like, even on a farm quad or something it doesn't look comfortable to use! The road bike I use for commuting at the moment has a sticky indicator switch and when I'm turning left I have to keep pressure on it (often while doing the clutch at the same time), and by the time I get to work my hands killing me if I don't Spanish it up a bit* - and that's closer to my thumb than this looks. *not use the indicators

Mike Edd Urts?

Please tell me your surnames "Urts"! (sorry, I don't have anything constructive to add)

Sorry, you'll have to elaborate because one could infer anything from introducing lightweight 2-stroke bikes through to some sort of axe to grind over indoor trials (that are held all over the world) from "the Spanish circus act"? My local trials are the cat's whiskers, it's just a shame they're only on once a year 😕

Nice bike! The spikes would be more for riding on ice, no? Trials bikes are very good fun on thin snow (up to 10cm or so), but I don't think there is space for the sort of larger and wider tyres which would help in deeper snow 😕

In my opinion, the biggest problem these days is the lack of quality conversation while queing for sections.

With the smaller potential temperature range the engine can be made to tighter tolerances, so you can up the power output and/or expect everything to last longer.

Fun Trials are excellent, because you can begin just getting from the start to the end but their locations are chosen with a view to being able to up your own difficulty as you see fit - some more advanced riders will get through the sections hopping, weaving, etc. And if you hang around you can get a lot of space all to yourself to keep trying stuff until you get it right, because lots of people go home for lunch

It happens, one "beginner / intermediate" trial I turned up to had been laid out by someone who doesn't ride trials, and it was pretty much all advanced / expert ... I got to the finish of one section, dumped my bike on three others, and the rest I skipped because I couldn't work out how to get a bike around them without breaking a leg. My hot tip for beginners in the Berks area would be Mortimer Fun Trials, excellent for gradually challenging yourself without risk of serious injury.

I would disagree about how stunters make trials riders look ... both are pushing the limits of what's possible on a motorbike, but in very different directions - stunters are often trying to loose traction

Thanks for clearing that part up

Well, there's not much you can put back wrong on a trials bike - either it fits and works or it doesn't, and there aren't many parts in them

I'd guess having to use a single digit rather than any part of the hand would make it tricky to control. Given many early bikes had that sort of lever for the throttle, but everyone settled on the current system eventually, is also something that comes to mind - there must have been reasons. I'm curious to know where a thumb throttle would be normal equipment, like on a farmer's snowmobile or something, or if it's for people who have problems with their hands like the double-levers for single-handed riders that stunt riders also use. Add me to the list of people curious as to how this pans out!

I'll be honest, I've never seen anything like that for a modern bike, the piston replacement guide you linked to would work for almost any early-modern 2T bike, lol. I guess you could try emailing Sherco USA and see if they have a copy they can send you. Is there any particular job you need that kind of manual for?

What I'd do is get a steel bushing and make sure it can't rotate in the frame (with Loctite red or something), and then use a bit of grease on the inside so that the bushing takes any abuse from the bolt rotating rather than the frame (though if you have new shock bushings it shouldn't once there's no play). Make sure the centre of your reaming is where the original location was or your bike will be lowered

They've changed the document locations a tad, try this: https://shercousa.com/docs/ The site doesn't have a link to the original service manual for the 2000 model, just the parts list. The 2001 manual (I don't think there's much different, I've been using it for my '99 ST250 and no problems yet!) can be found here: https://www.sherco.com/wp-content/uploads/2001ServiceManual.pdf

Like in Oregon Trail? No thanks, I'm not up for that sort of trial

For you to spend time with your son, trials makes the most sense. And it's a sport that electric power is ideally suited to. Trail riding with a 10 year old puts you in legally dubious territory. Enduro is fast, aggressive, noisy, and you don't exactly have opportunities to stop and chat. Also, if he takes to it, trials equips you with superior motorbike skills for enduro and safe trail riding at a later date

Most clubs have a place or area, but there's overlap and no hard borders. I think at one point I was in 5 clubs at the same time just to enter club-specific events, it didn't cost a huge amount and I was happy knowing I was supporting them ... plus it made things easy to be able to do something every weekend if I wanted to

And if you just fancy a go at trail riding check out the Trail Riders' Fellowship, if you're completely new to off road then that's not a bad way to dip your toes in.

Depends, at a normal trial, nothing I just leave my car keys on top of one of the tyres or something and just pop back to stuff my face with chocolate and milkshakes. If I'm on a trial that has road work then I have an Acerbis (I think) enduro bum bag that has space for essential tools, spare spark plug, etc. If I'm just riding from home out into the woods to muck about for a couple of hours then I take a mini backpack that was made for a camelback, it fits two half-litre bottles of water, a pack of tissues, my phone, and my house keys, but nothing else.

cést la vie 😕 the bikes and cars I had would be worth a mint now, even if I'd just left them in a barn ... and I used to have access to a barn, lol