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Hi Mike. Anytime a bike is "dusted off" for a ride, it's a good idea to do some basic maintenance first and this will avoid a lot of problems. I would imagine that a lot of bikes are "put away wet", so they are usually in need of some attention when stored. Minimally, I would: drain the fuel completely, flush the tank and mix a fresh batch clean the carb completely, especially the floatbowl and jets and the fuel filters (petcock screens also) walk around the bike and tighten (and inspect) all the various nuts, bolts etc. which will allow an overall close inspection and spend a few minutes spraying a little lube on all the normal pivot points (levers, kickstart, chain tensioner etc.) change the trans oil to eliminate water/condensation contamination clean and inspect the airbox and clean the air filter put in a fresh plug so if it runs poorly, you've eliminated that as a problem and will be able to get an idea of any jetting problems as you've got a good baseline for a plug reading This way, you will probably have eliminated problems before they start and can have a guilt-free ride. An hour's worth of time at the start will often save multiple hours later in diagnosis and repair. Cheers Jon

Just to add to Max's idea, you can also use a short piece of threaded rod through the sockets with nuts on either end and tightening the nuts will slowly push the bearings in and out (it's a little less cumbersome than trying to coordinate the swingarm position and keep track of both sockets in a vice). It's a lot less damaging on the bearings (if you don't have a press and must use a hammer) and as it is slow and controlled, it's easy to seat bearings to just the right depth if theres not a shoulder for the bearing to seat against. Jon Forgot to add: Usually the Heim Joints (the self-aligning bearings in the shock) are a press fit, but sometimes theres a very thin wire circlip on either side to hold them, so you might want to look for that. Cheers.

BB, The airscrew only fine tunes the off-idle circuit, so if you're worried about a lean condition on a hillclimb, you'll probably need to change the needle setting and/or the main jet (depending under what conditions the plug reading is taken). If you're tackling a big, long hill involving sustained upper/WFO throttle, you might think about checking the static timing (I think you mentioned it had been retarded) as this sometimes causes problems under these conditions. Cheers. Jon Oops, forgot to answer the question...Doh! The color (o.k....colour) will depend on, in part, the type of fuel you are using (some race fuels will give a grey cast to the insulator when the jetting is correct) but generally you'll look for a milk chocolate tint on the insulator and don't forget to look down inside the plug cavity as that's a little more accurate.

Gary, My experience is that if you treat them with the mechanical respect they deserve (they, after all, are serious, full-on, purpose-built competition motorcycles) and do the recommended maintenance, you'll have little problem. I have an 2002 280 Pro, the first built and supposedly a "bad" bike, and I've had no problems with it, but then again, I take good care of it and don't wait till something breaks to address the issue. I'm on the list for the new four-stroke when it comes to our shores, and although my friends gasp in horror at the thought of a first-year bike, I'm not really worried. The GG people here are great about backing up their products, as are all the other importers here in the U.S., and although I expect a few teething problems (as with any completely new design), it's not anything that can't be worked through. If you want a bike for trail riding that can be run hard and put away wet, you might want to look at some of the other, more "dual purpose" type of bikes, but if you opt for the 09', just do what the factory expects as far as maintenance, and you'll be fine. Actually, that goes for any of the Trials bikes. Cheers. Jon

Nice work, Mark! I've been up a few times in the 150 and like you say, it's the Volksflugzeug of planes. Sturdy and simple, and I'm guessing that more pilots have flown in them than any other aircraft. Are you running a Continential or Lycoming? Jon

Steve, the 01' usually takes 650-700cc's (it's also known as the "Edition" engine, after the last models produced). Make sure the master cylinder plunger is correctly adjusted (some slack where the lever screw meets the M/C plunger that goes through the boot) and the lever is adjusted far enough out to get some distance in the M/C piston travel. I'd first take the clutch apart (fairly easy from the outside) to check the plate condition. If the clutch is good, I'd look at a problem with the master cylinder not giving enough volume to the servo cylinder to fully release the pressure plate. If the rubber boot on the M/C is messed up at all, I'd suspect grit getting into the M/C bore and the piston seal not working till it's traveled a little down the bore. Check the lever screw adjustment first as that's the most common problem with hydraulic clutches. Jon

It's cheaper and easier to change the front sprocket (and it generally is the same as adding 3+ teeth to the back). I don't like to run a small front sprocket as the chain wraps around the sprocket more (smaller diameter) and there is a heavier shock load in the engagement/disengagement of the teeth to rollers. If you have a smaller front sprocket already (it's probably a 10T), I'd say give it a try and see how you like it. Just spend a little time taking care of your chain as it will stress it a little more, but I don't see a big problem. Jon

Merry Christmas! Like I told your Dad, Ryan can see talent and you deserve it! Cheers. Jon

I can probably give a few reasons without going into the geeky chemical analysis area. 1. Evaporation, as the "lighter" chemicals in it (so called high-end aromatics) evaporate, which can also lead to hard starting and poor engine performance due to problems with vaporization. 2. Oxidation, as some of the chemicals react with Oxygen to produce new compounds (which produces that sour odor we all are familiar with and the "gums" that turn the fuel the dark color). 3. Contamination, as temperature flucuations promote condensation and water. 4. Light can also be a problem as gas is photo-reactive and most plastic fuel cans are translucent. There's a few guesses. Jon

I also ride a 280, with a few modifications to suit my lack of riding talent, and I find it fun to ride and easy to get along with. The 280 is perhaps the one that is little more hyper of the trio (250/280/300) but easily modified to suit the rider. Some of the bikes came with a 41T rear sprocket, which tends to make them a little "fast" for a lot of riders, but a 44T off the 200 Pro fixes that and does not contribute to accelerated chain wear. A black tube Domino throttle works wonders for rider control and a "stepped" Woodruff key to retard the static ignition advance will really smooth out the snap at off-idle throttle. All of these are reversable and can be changed if wanted. Jon

Hey Charlie! Merry Christmas. I figure you don't ride so much because your guitar won't let you get too far away.... Jon

From what I can find, it takes 450cc's. You can't tell by the inspection window when first filling it up, as the oil needs to "settle in" and fill all the cavities in the case. I like to assume that filling the window viewing area means that it is up to capacity as it would seem intuitive to design it that way, but it's not always the case. Jon

I haven't seen the actual mapping sequence, but I understand it diverts after about 2500 RPM, so just putting around will not give you a sense of the difference. Jon

The switch itself is a simple on/off switch that connects to the CDI via two wires under the front of the fuel tank. The switch can be easily checked for operation with a voltmeter that has a buzzer setting that indicates an open or closed circuit. Jon

The 200 is a nice size for a lot of riders. Several bike models are available in that range and if you are starting out, should serve you well as long as you practice regular maintenance. If you are new to Trials, the bigger bikes are a little intimidating at first, but after some experience, I would imagine that you will come to the conclusion that they are not as "lively" as you first thought. Cheers. Jon

Probably best to drain the oil out and flush with a solvent, let dry and then add the 300cc's of oil. Just drop the upper tube down aboyt 4" and dribble the oil in between the spring coils. The 01's seem to work well with the rebound all the way in and the compression all the way out. Jon

300cc's of 5-weight fork oil per leg. If you need a little more damping, use Dexron ATF, which is about 7.5-weight. As the compression and rebound cartridges are split (each to one fork assembly), you can adjust the settings separately by the viscosity. Cheers. Jon

Adds a new definition to the term, "Flying W"..... Jon

I thought the same thing too, but I checked just to make sure he mentioned "coolant". I think new owners may often not know that the water pump can just be pulled out and ziptyed to the exhaust pipe to keep it out of the way. Just be careful to "index" the pins on the W/P shaft to the slots on the crank primary gear when installing. There is a very thin o-ring that seals the W/P housing to the bore in the sidecover, so be sure to add a little grease to it and try to slide the pump housing in straight or the edge of the sidecase bore will catch the thin o-ring and damage it (the hoses exert a slight pull to the right, which will tend to cock it to the side if not forced in straight). Not a big thing, but you'll see trans fluid weeping around the W/P if the o-ring gets sliced. If it's trans fluid the question involved, Dexron ATF seems to work well in the 04's as it's a light viscosity and has good shear strength and anti-foaming properties (it's designed for a "wet clutch"/gear-tooth environment). It's inexpensive, so change it often as the Pro gearbox has a lot of extra things that the trans fluid lubes, like the crank main bearings and the internal roller in the main transmission shaft. There are several other trans fluids, like 5W/10W-30 auto oil and motorcycle trans fluids (I've tried Maxima "clutch saver" 75W with good results) that also work well and try to use a fairly light oil. I use GM AutoTrak transfer case fluid in my 02' Pro and really like it but I'm not sure how available it is to a lot of riders (o.k., I also like the pretty blue color too.....). Jon

Hi! Sounds like the "base bolt" has dropped out. It's the capscrew that threads up into the bottom of the lower fork leg and into the lower part of the damping cartridge. It holds the cartridge to the bottom, inside of the lower fork leg and also keeps oil in, as you've found out. Hopefully, you may not have caused any damage and replacing the capscrew (it also takes a copper washer) will fix it. The right side is rebound and left is compression. Both are "high-speed" tuning damper adjusters, and (if they are not mal-adjusted and set up correctly) usually affect the fork damping when they take a fairly big hit. The adjusters should turn more than one turn, however. Jon

A 50/50 mix of automotive anti-freeze and distilled water seems to work well in most cases. Jon

Cool! Thanks for the feedback. I think you said the fork was not losing oil, just that the oil was dirty, but the "base bolt" (the capscrew with the copper washer on the bottom of the lower leg that threads into the cartridge) being loose would allow oil to drain out slowly from the bottom of the fork leg, but you wouldn't probably ever notice it. The fork would act just like a big pump and force oil out at a fairly rapid rate even if the base bolt were only slightly loose. Glad you got it taken care of. Cheers. Jon

The CDI controls the spark advance (plug firing so many degrees before Top Dead Center, or "TDC" as it usually is known) and on a typical CDI equipped two-stroke, the spark advances to a certain point and then retards at high RPM (for reasons too complicated to explain here). What the "fast" curve does is, after a certain RPM (reportedly 2500) the advance is more "steep" than the "slow" setting, and gives a little more torque/power due to the fact that the combustion pressures are higher (since the flame front was started earlier) when the piston reaches TDC. In real-life terms, the upper RPM power delivery usually feels a little "softer" with the slow setting, which makes it easier to dial-in the appropriate power when faced with marginal traction conditions, like a muddy hill and slick rocks. The "fast" setting is supposed to allow the engine to produce better power on surfaces where the traction is good and the power can be used easily. I don't know if that makes sense, but that's a somewhat oversimplifed answer. Jon

No problem, it's listed as: "Extractor Pi

Ya know, I'm not sure if the 125's have it. It will be a dark housing in most cases, with a red buttoned rocker type switch with a symbol for a sun and a raincloud in most cases. Sun=fast curve, cloud=slower curve. Jon