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Neat bike! Please post photos, preferably before trying the 5 foot drop offs...... Jon

I absolutely agree with Ron. The Paioli is a special shock and has progressive damping circuits built in (thats why no linkage is necessary) and I've been in shocks like these and, unless you're a suspension expert and have the appropriate tools that are specific to this shock, you probably just want to exchange it. Jon

I had a 96' JTR370 and as I remember, taking off the rear fender allowed access to the filter from the top of the box. Later airboxes will fit but would be expensive and the air filter is not a problem to get to. Good, solid bike, wish I still had it. Jon

Check out http://www.ajpamerica.com/rebuild-kits-and-parts.html and I'm pretty sure the pads they list for the 07' are standard on the 08's as well. Lots of cool stuff on that site. They are TrialsPartsUSA, which is the parts importer for the GasGas in the U.S. Cheers. Jon

Ben, How do you set your fuel screw? Jon

Hey, I heard that! Didn't your mother ever teach you it's not nice to make fun of old people...........Although, it can be entertaining at times. Jon

Mark's from Texas, so we give him a lot of leeway as to his opinions....... Ampliflower is the album name and Charlie's picture on the inside is worth the price of the CD, he almost looks like he's smiling................ Jon

Too bad. Bear was a nice place to have a Trial and I rode there several times. I hope Frank Raines Park is still kicking, I remember when the prison camp was first given over by the County for a riding area and we had a pile of old prisoner bunk bed frames we had to watch out for when riding around. Jon

Sometimes, if a shock has lost pressure (and supposedly is not rebuildable) the upper body can be drilled and tapped for a Schrader valve, the oil changed and the shock re-filled with fresh Nitrogen. The seals rely on pressure to work and if the seal failure is not due to a nicked shaft, it will be good again, for a while anyway. If the shock has been run without adequate oil, the internals will be worn due to lack of lubrication and the shock is essentially junk. Jon

You're in Grass Valley? Jeez, I hope you don't mean they finally closed down Mammoth Bar (old geezers like me knew it as Murderer's Gulch-up out of Auburn- in the old days). I knew for years the rafters wanted to kick out the bikers so they could have lunch on the sand bar there, I guess they just found another excuse. Part of the reason I moved out here to Oklahoma, we're opening up places to ride every year, rather than closing them like in NorCal. I still keep up on the CARB (California Air Resources Review Board) regulations, if you want to see something interesting, look at the several pages devoted to the specifications for a gas can...... Jon

Sounds like the crank is o.k. The side-to-side movement is necessary for the rod to align correctly and have lubrication. No up/down movement in the rod would indicate lower end is fine, providing it is smooth in rotation. Usually pressing a crank is best left to somebody with experience and tools. If you've ever seen a pro align a crank, it looks like they're beating the thing to death, but it's actually very precise. Jon

I always store my spare tires with an appropriate size inflated tube in it to spread out the bead. This makes installation a lot easier, both front and rear. I also always have a tube available for my TY if I need it. As I remember, one of my old Trials Comp articles on tire changing is on the GasGasUSA website under "Tech" and that may or may not help. Jon

If the small "punch marks" (sometimes looks like sandblasting) are around the outside of the top of the piston crown, this, coupled with the ring land collapse, is usually a symptom of detonation and could be the source of the main bearing problem. As I remember, the Bul uses a Dykes type top ring (shaped like an "L") so look at the ring land with the ring off. Inspect the head at the outermost part of the squish band, around the outside (you'll sometimes need a magniyfing glass to make sure) to look for small depressions or small ravines where the aluminum has been lost. If the "punch marks" are in the center of the piston crown, it's probably pre-ignition, which is still nasty but not nearly as destructive as detonation (they have different causal factors). If you find any signs of detonation you also need to be suspicious of both rod bearings. The blowby marks on the piston are undoubtedly the result of the rings being trapped in the lands and unable to expand outwards at the top of the bore and seal the chamber area. Jon

My guess is that you don't need to add anything to the SuperCool as it's a complete compound (I haven't got a bottle yet to review the makeup of the product). We usually use a mixture of 50% automotive antifreeze and 50% distilled water in our bikes and the antifreeze is mainly for the anti-corrosive properties, although it does also contain W/P seal lubrication and enhanced cooling additives in some cases. Unless you ride or store your bike in consistant sub-freezing conditions, you don't need the "anti-freeze" properties. Jon

Neat! Thanks for the tip, I'll pick up some of it, I've always had good luck with the Redline products in the race bikes and I've got a Mag engine in my bike so I need to pay attention to coolant issues also. Jon

I'm guessing that if it's a crank seal, you'd see transmission fluid level dropping as, unlike a "normal" two-stroke, the Pro inner crank area seals have tranny fluid on both sides, not only the clutch side, but that would explain the smoke. The "donut" is on the pre-metering side of the carb, so grit getting into the carb bell is the big worry, not making the engine run weak from what I can figure. I'm also assuming that you've put fresh premix into the tank to eliminate that as a variable. Jetting appears to be in the ballpark and premix ratio/type shouldn't be a problem so you might also want to look at carbon obstruction in the front of the headpipe. Check the exhaust mid muffler to make sure the perforated core hasn't shifted (I've seen it one time) and the exhaust has a clear shot in and out. Electrical malfunction can mimic carb problems so you may want to do a "tune-up" by re-securing grounds, check plug gap (.024"), closely inspecting the sparkplug cap (it gets pulled on a lot) and connections, pulling off the sidecover to see what condition the stator area is in etc. Well, that's a start.... Jon

I haven't used the SuperCool but have used the WaterWetter in all my bikes (personal and race) for some time. It breaks the surface tension allowing better heat transfer between the metal and coolant. I should also add that any water used in an alloy engine should be distilled, never tap water. Jon

Copey's got the right idea. One thing to remember is you really need to remove all the jets/tubes you can from the carb and always blow the compressed air in the OPPOSITE direction that it flows in the carb body. I've seen riders just blow air into the bell intake ports, which usually further lodges the offending particles deep inside. Jets should be very carefully checked with a very fine wire (brass if possible, like from a wire brush) that is much smaller than the jet opening so it does not ream out the hole. Sometimes a transparent piece of grit (quartz, for example) will fool the observer into thinking the jet hole is clear and a lot of pilot jets are only .014" in diameter. Jon

Just so your dealer knows, the parts manual for the 06' lists the spring under part #MT280232015, which is the same part number for, say, the 03' engine clutch spring. The 07' part # for the spring is MT280632015, which should be the lighter spring. Jon

Most riders run in the 80:1 ratio neighborhood. I run 70:1 in my bike with no problem. Jon

Charlie, I've been traveling 185 miles round trip per day the last few days to help set up a big two-day Trial we're putting on next weekend to benefit the Scott Carter Foundation (funds research on childhood cancer) and my Glenside Allstars CD had arrived in the mail yesterday so I had a WONDERFUL drive this morning to the Trials ground with some of the best travelin' music I've ever heard! Jon

Thanks! My philosophy is that experienced knowledge is most valuable when it's given away. Cheers. Jon

That is cool. Looks like it's coming along well. Jon

The process of centering it is a little tricky at first, so expect to make several attempts to get it right. If someone who knows how to do it shows you, it's a lot easier than describing it. Lay the bike on it's side to take the sidecover off and you won't have to change the oil and the rear wheel will be free. Loosen the 4mm capscrew up a little but not loose. Put the shift lever down into first but do not release it (you may have to rotate the rear wheel a little to get it to go into gear). SLOWLY allow the shift lever to come back to center and just before it hits center you should hear a light "click". If you don't, adjust the eccentric bushing (10mm open-end wrench) a very small amount either way and try it again (it only takes a very small amount of turning). Repeat this if necessary till you get the click. Then try the same process with shifting up into second gear, slowly allowing the lever to return to center to make sure you get the click. If you hear the click in first (downshift) and second (upshift) the shift shaft mechanism is centered, tighten the capscrew down (7-8 ft lbs, 10-12 Nm). It will usually take a few attempts to get it right, like adjusting four-stroke valves, but once you get the hang of it, it should be a lot easier. Usually I find that once I get it centered (hear click) on the downshift, it usually is centered on the upshift, but not always. Cheers. Jon