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I too swear by the Hebo bearing bar-ends. I never used the regular ones as I didn't like the junk that ended up in my throttle tube (I take dirt samples a lot....) and my outer palm on my glove rubbed on the non-rotating bar end. I'll have them on all my bikes now. Jon

I usually use the direct heat method, but that "dip cup" technique is neat, I'll try that next time. If you need to make cables for brakes/clutch, I like to use "aircraft control cable" which I was able to pick up at a good hardware store. It's woven (like throttle cables), not spiral wrapped, and quite flexible and strong and comes in several diameters. Jon

I agree Ron, my brother has two Beta's, one he uses for search and rescue. They are good bikes in my opinion. Jon

Try: http://www.trialspartsusa.com/diagrams/GAS...IS%20NUMBER.doc which should answer your question. Cheers. Jon

This might help also: http://www.trialspartsusa.com/diagrams/GAS...IS%20NUMBER.doc Jon

If you've ever seen a rider start an older Harley, they will engage the racheting mechanism, push the lever lightly a couple of times to get it started at the top of the throw, raise up slightly and use body weight-not leg muscle-to get the engine mass rotating. In terms of proportional rotating mass, Trials engines are fairly similar. My old JTR370 (high compression 338cc's) taught me that and was an easy engine to light off once I learned. Jon

The Pro is the most popular bike where I ride and I've only seen it happen once, but after seeing it on the forum, it's certainly something to keep an eye on. The combination of fairly high compression/heavy flywheel/high repeat use puts a high strain on Trials kickstart mechanisms. I always tell riders to start their bikes (any brand) like it was a Harley and they'll be o.k. Jon

Jza, This is only hearsay, but I've been assured that the "hot setup" for the 4RT on this side of the pond is to use the 44T rear sprocket from the 200 GasGas Pro. Like I say, I don't know this from personal observation but from friends with the RT so you might want to ask around. Jon

Jack, If you're really in a bind and can't find one in time, you can probably make one. Just grind a piece of metal to fit in the slot fairly tight and make sure it doesnt stick up too high so it fits into the flywheel hub. The Woodriff key does not keep the flywheel from spinning on the crank hub, it is only used for aligning the flywheel to the crank properly. The two tapers on the crank end and inside the hub are not an exact match. One taper is machined with a one degree difference in angle so they "stick" when put together (it's called a "Morse Taper"), and that's why the flywheel usually needs a puller to pop it off. Jon

Doogzie, Can you describe what is the bike is actually doing after you start it up and what, besides the "melting exhaust" are the symptoms that lead you to believe it's running too hot? Jon

Now, THAT bike is way too pretty to ride! Nice work! Jon

Cool. That is one way to fix the problem Kinda like a buddy told me when I was flat tracking: "If you don't fall down once in a while, you're not going fast enough!". My problem was, I was going "fast enough" waaaaay too many times......... Jon

That's my first guess too. As yet, I havent heard of a Keihin slide rattling, other than in an engine that's sucked a lot of grit and then, you wouldn't notice the slide over all the other noise the engine will make under those conditions (you might want to check the bell of the carb for accumulated dirt just to be sure). The Keihin hangs lower than Dellorto (and is longer, end-to-end, which is why I think the airbox boot, made to fit the large mouth Keihin and 03' VHST Dellorto, is a little too short for the standard PHBL Dellorto that has to use the rubber donut to adapt) and it's a tight fit. You might try a small thin piece of rubber or other insulating material between the carb body and the top of the case. I had to do the same thing when I put a Keihin on my old JTR370. Jon

Good description of the process. I would add that if Weeble is going to braze the end cap to the the spring bushing that it needs to be very closely aligned to the original position in order to keep the shift lever at it's original, but then again, the lever could be re-positioned. The only concern with a repair is that a "fail-safe" mechanism is lost. From what I can deduce, the end cap is, on purpose, lightly furnace-brazed on in order to seperate before damage is done to the internals, kinda like the older model, riveted shiftdrum claw arm where the rivet would snap if the lever took a big hit and just replacing the rivet would fix the problem. Jon

Take your time and remember to pull the cartridge all the way up to the top of it's stroke (slowly or it can get messy) to bleed it of air. You'll "feel" when the cartridge is air-free, I can't really describe it, but you'll know what I mean when you do it. The rod will have resistance and then, all of a sudden, pull to the top without drag if air is still in the cartridge. It should have full, consistant resistance all the way to the top of the stroke. Good luck. Cheers. Jon

The front disc is a "floater" and should be a little "loose" as that's how it aligns itself with the pads in the caliper. You didn't specify if your bike was a "TXT Edition" or "TXXI Pro" so I looked at the parts list for the Edition model and then at my own bike, which is an 02' Pro and they both use the floating disc (as expected, as they both use the same forks). Not to worry. Cheers. Jon

Russell, Probably yes on both counts. Some riders use the aftermarket snail adjusters as they give a wider range of axle pull-back and, depending on chain/sprocket condition, can compensate for the smaller countershaft sprocket. I think you'll find the 10T sprocket will help you a lot. Jon

First thing to check is the shift centering spring/carrier at the end of the shift shaft, under the clutch basket. If that is in good shape, your son may have damaged the shift shaft internally. There are two spring-loaded rollers that engage inside the shift drum and if damaged, you will need to split the cases to replace it. Jon

Is the bike still under warranty? Cases are sold as matched sets, so you'll need a set machined to provide the appropriate measurements between left/right bearing ends. The Raga is Magnesium (same as my 02' Pro) but the "regular" Pro, 03' on up, is Aluminum. Jon

O.k., now for the fun part! You'll want the top cap off and the spring out to start with. Put about 100cc's of 7.5 weight oil in the tube to start with and with the top tube collapsed, reach inside and get hold of the damper rod (I use a special tool made for this but you can use a long neck pair of pliers-never quite sure why it is called a "pair" anyway) and slowly pull up to get the oil circulating in the cartridge. After you've done that a few times, add another 100cc's of oil and bleed the cartridge of air some more. Make sure you pull the rod all the way to the top of it's stroke and you'll start to feel consistancy in the resistance as the air comes out of the cartridge. As they usually take about 290cc's total, add another, say 70cc's so it will be close to the required level and make sure there is no trapped air by stroking the cartridge some more just to be positive. You can make a tool to set the oil level using a turkey baster, thin straight metal tubing and some fuel line but you'll probably rarely use it, so the "quick and dirty way" is to take some thin rod, like welding rod, and put a zyptie on it 180mm from one end to use as a "dipstick" (the zyptie rests on the top of the tube). Then, by adding or subtracting oil from the fork and checking it with the rod to get 180mm's from the top of the tube, you can set the oil level (of course, cleaning the rod each time to get a good reading). adding 270cc's would probably work well for you as a start as it's a little easier to add oil than take it out. Remember, top tube collapsed and spring out to set oil level. The oil level setting tool I would use is set for 180mm on the thin metal tube, the fork slightly overfilled, and the tube put inside the tube (dropping down to 180mm's from the top) and the syringe used to suck out the excess oil. Jon

My guess is that the "normal" clutch noise may be the fingers rattling a little, which is why it goes away when the servo cylinder presses on them (lever pulled in) and may be more noticible on clutches that have a lower finger height as the spring inside exerts less pressure. Kinda difficult to diagnose the after/weight "noise" on a forum but it may, if it really is related to the flywheel weight, be a result of how the extra weight affects the normal speed-up/slow-down cycle of the crank during each revolution and the noise may be, in part, the interaction of the straight-cut gears (crank gear to clutch hub gear). Just a guess at a possibility but I'm sure someone on the forum that has mounted a weight may have a more exact (and accurate) answer. Jon

Sometimes, if you pour a little boiling water over the seal area, it will break the bond the seal has in the lower leg and it will come out a lot easier. Jon

Good idea, I'd forgot about that possibility. The damage to the kickstart and idler gear usually is a result of not locking the racheting mechanism before applying pressure on the kickstart lever. Otherwise, the gears get slammed together and as many times as we start our bikes a day, chipping a tooth can happen (goes for any Trials bike). If you need to replace the racheting mechanism, the new replacements have a more pronounced spiral on the shaft which engages the mechanism at a sooner point in the arc, which gives a better spin to the engine. Jon

Marcus, When oiling the filter, take some paper towels and "blot" the filter to soak up excess oil before re-installing it. Oil will collect at the bottom of the filter (it is an "open celled" foam, kinda like a bunch of little caves connected together), which incidently is where the intake holes for the imulsion tube and low-speed circuits are. Start with whatever you did different last, before the symptoms occured. And, Copey's right, you want to clean and adjust the carb to eliminate that as a possibility. ___Marcus, I can't quite remember, does your bike have the Rotax engine? Jon

There should be no straight vertical play for the large or small end bearings. What was the clearance between the piston skirt and the cylinder about 20mm down from top of cylinder? You really can't tell what shape the piston and cylinder is by just looking at them. If you can see the problem, it's too late to fix. Check the air boot and the inside of the carb bell for signs of grit, if you find a fair amount, it is a good bet you may have damaged the bearings and piston (and possibly the cylinder) by silt passing through the filter. A good mechanic with a dial bore indicator will be able to tell you in a few seconds if the cylinder is damaged. Jon