muddytires

Found this on youtube today from the pegg and frost show :undefined

This is a good point ! The worse the bike is , the more the rider has to compensate and use their skills. I have been riding my tlr200 a lot lately, and each time i go out i find myself improving. I hope to get a modern bike soon , and i know that riding an older bike will help being a better rider as you have to learn to ride using all that you've got, instead of relying on great suspension, motor and disc brakes.

I have noticed similar fuel problems with my Tlr200. I rebuilt the motor last summer with probably a little too much compression , so i use higher octane fuel to solve the problem of pinging. But the motor seems very sensitive to the quality of the fuel, two or three weeks after buying fresh stuff it will go back to pinging again. I am about to pull the motor apart again to fix the compression issue with thicker base gaskets and hopefully not worry about this anymore.

The honda 200cc trials engines have a different head with smaller valves and ports, heavier flywheels and lower gearing. The cylinder has the same bore and stroke though and the casings and some of the internals are the same. A 22mm carburetor is what normally comes on these . I am using a 24mm with a 100 main jet ( bored out 22mm) with good results on my Tlr200. If you cant find an original carb, i think you can use one from a xl125 or cb125.

Nice write up, Thanks. Sounds like you are ready to trade in the tl125 for a proper twinshock.

Thanks, I think that is a good idea. It probably make the learning process easier by being more fun riding with other kids.

I,ve thought of doing this as i mostly ride for fun, but to ride in twinshock trials events you can't modify to disc brakes to keep competition fair. Probably the easiest way to convert it would be to find a pair of forks ,with wheel ,caliper and lever from a more modern bike. Maybe a early disc brake Beta, Fantic or Honda rtl with similar head tube diameter and length. The rear would be more complicated as you would have to weld up a tab on the swingarm for the caliper and modify for the brake pedal. I,ve seen pics of conversions, but don't know what they have used.

That's awesome ! Looked like a great day for everyone. I can just picture all the kids running home to their parents, to beg them for a trials bike. My son is 9 , and although he enjoys riding once he's on his xr70, he's not overly enthusiastic about going riding when i suggest it. I suspect that one day i won't be able to keep him off it; i just don't want to push him into it. And although he had no trouble learning to ride and seemed like a natural, i think he is lacking in self confidence, even with positive reinforcement. Any tips on teaching kids to ride?

I have just posted some of my mods i did to my tlr200 at the end of "restoration projects" in the classic trials forum and also in the lastest ''honda reflex'' post in the the Twinshock forum. These Hondas are alot of fun to build and lots you can do to improve on them.

I couldn't find a skid plate so made it myself. With your footpeg change, do your feet now hit the mounting bracket when slid all of the way in? That was my concern when I made the pegs so I kept the standard configuration. Do the alloy pegs hold up? With the pegs i have they still sit a little higher than the brackets. I was a bit worried on how long the alloy peg would last ,as they where very light and not very beefy, but so far they have held up well and survived several hard landings from 4' drop offs.

Where did you get the skid plate or was it fabricated ? I don't know what differece the wiseco piston made, as the bike was a non runner when i got it. I suppose i should get a adjustable cam sprocket and play around with different settings. As is, the bike has plenty of snap to get me over large logs and rocks ,it just pings a bit when the motor heats up. Heres a tip that someone gave me who has also been building a tlr. If you cut off the lower dowel part on the footpegs and place the dowel or another spacer on the top side of the peg inside the bracket , it will lower and set the pegs back about 1/2''. You have to switch the springs from the opposite sides also. I did this and just that 1/2 '' made a huge difference in balancing the bike. I used some cheap wide alloy pegs i got on Ebay that are for an xr/crf 50. Something else i did was make an extension for the clutch arm for a easier pulling clutch lever.

Wow, all amazingly beautiful bikes ! Nice collection.

I did the carburetor bore mod , which i read on an old post you must have wrote. Also opened up the manifold and port and polished the intake. Thanks for that tip ! , very pleased with it. I will try the adjustable sprocket and see if that solves the problems of pinging probably due to preignition with the higher compression piston i used. I,ve had alot of fun building my bike , making improvements for better trials riding. Still on my list to do is a alloy wes exhaust or similar, a stonger alloy skid plate and to lace up the wheels with some good alloy rims. The only thing i don't like about the bike are the drum brakes, which will stop me ok, but almost imposible to get the rear tire up in the air like on a modern bike.

Mcman, Did the cam timing advance make a good difference to the motor? I rebuilt my motor with a wiseco piston which has a little more compression , bored the carb to about a 24mm and port and polished the head and intake. I have to use a higher octane gas so it doesn't ping. Sometimes it will knock a little when hot and under load. I was wondering if doing a cam sprocket advance might help with this. And also how you did it ?

I love mine ! A Reflex in stock form for trials is not ideal but with a few modifications it is probably one of the most competetive twinshocks out there. Removing all the electrical road gear lightens the bike alot. I added a fiberglass tank/seat unit, reworked the shocks and forks to get a little more bounce: replaced the front sprocket with a 10 tooth ; added some good tires, added and lowered some wider footpegs for better balancing. I also port and polished the head and opened up the carb for a lot more snappy motor. The bike will climb almost anything. I posted some pics in the classic trials forum a couple of days ago. Very glad i started this project as it turned out to be a very fun bike.

To the question on paint , i used rustoleum professional grade high performance enamel which come in the tall aerosol cans at Home depot here in the states. Someone told me they used it on their tank so i thought i would give it a try. The paint is super tough and haven't managed to scatch it yet. I think i might strip the frame again and use this paint as other paints i've tried scratch easyly. If you are relining the montesa tank i recommend some good epoxy resin. I will post a pic of the tank plug which i used to make the mold. I used some scrap pieces of wood which i cut to a rough shape i wanted for the tank and glued them together, then carved out a more detailed shape and made sure it fit properly over the frame and cleared the motor and forks when they were turned. For the seat section i layed cardboard over the frame and then layed fiberlass over the shape of the seat and fender/mudguard and overlapped the wooden tank shape. When set i used body repair putty for get a very smooth shape. I made a partition to divide the top of the piece down the middle as you have to make the top part of the mold in two pieces so it can be removed from the plug. For the mold i layed several sheets of fiberglass cloth using polyester resin ( should have used epoxy as the mold broke when trying to remove the final part) to bond on one side of the tank, when dry i removed the partition which has formed a flange down the middle. You have to use a release agent before laying fiberglass so it doesn't stick. I then did the other side of the tank the same way. When cured you can remove the two halves carefully and then bolt them together to make the top side mold. I'm probably not making much sence , i knew i should have taken pics of the process. I made the bottom tunnel mold in one piece . Then just put a release agent down inside the mold, then a coat of resin or gel coat and layed several layers of fiberglass cloth with epoxy resin ( the less resin used the more stronger the part, just enough to wet it). When the top and bottom pieces are cured i put them together and used thin stips of cloth and resin to bond them together and sanded the seam. The petcock piece was cut out of the old rusty metal tank and bonded and the filler cap and flange were actually taken from an old lawn mower tank. When done i coated the inside with another layer of epoxy resin by swirling it around to make sure there would be no leaks. I almost gave up a couple of times trying to make it but glad i didn't. I'm the sort of person that challenges myself to make or fix something myself before spending a lot of money for someone else to do it. Amazing how much you can learn from the web. There is a write up on one of the sport bike sites in the forums with pics on how to make a carbon fiber racing tank, which helped a lot. I might make a couple more when i get some more free time . I am very happy with the end product being lightweight, strong and leak proof.

Many hours in the basement. Carved and sanded out the shape i wanted out of wood and fiberglass. covered it in fiberglass to make a mold , then made the tank in two pieces , top and the bottom tunnel. Used a good quality epoxy resin for the final tank/seat, which is very strong ,lightweight and chemical resistant. It holds about 3 litres. Surprised myself on how well it turned out especially being my first one i,ve made. Most of the time was spent trying to get the shape right and to fit properly on the mock up piece.

Heres my tlr200 project for the past year. From a rusty non running piece of junk to great riding bike. Even made my own one off fiberglass tank/seat unit . Turned out better than expected. Lots of mods to get the most out of it.

Other suggestions would be check the fuel line/filter for blockage. make sure the carb to intake is snug and no air is leaking through . And also check for a weak spark, and make sure the plug wire ,coil connectors and ground are making good contact. Or even dirty air filter could be the culprit. If the carb has been cleaned well and adjustments dont seem to work ,you might want to check these other things.

Great stuff! Imagine riding an event today wearing a cap with cigarette hanging from your mouth. My grandfather was riding scrambles back around this time. Its interesting to see the motorcycle world of my dad's dad 50 years ago. He apparently also rode sidecar scrambles with my grandmother as co pilot. Wouldn't mind betting they were in one of those videos.

Not sure what part you are talking about, but alot of honda motors require a 4 prong socket tool to remove the oil slinger and clutch. They are quite cheap and worth having in your tool box. Most motorcycle dealers should be able to get you one if they don't already have them in stock.

I just saw this video on youtube. Amazing save from getting seriously hurt.

Gordon, i have been searching online and looking at every fuel tank on ebay to replace the big Reflex metal tank on mine without much luck. Here in the states the fiberglass tank/seat are even more expensive; so i ended up making my own ,for a challenge and to save money. I am almost done with it, after many hours sculpting the shape i wanted , then making a mold for the fiberglass. I had a hard time finding any alternatives ,as the back bone of the honda frame is quite short before it widens and splits . Alot of other bike tanks have a long, narrow tunnel and wont fit. The best thing to do would be take the bike or frame to a bike salvage yard and try some different tanks and see if you are lucky enough to find one that may fit. Take into consideration to leave enough room for the forks to swing without hitting and leaving clearance for the motor. You probably have to search for the smallest tank you can find ,as there isn't much room.

If you want it for trials riding it can be converted to the same machine as the tlr200 trials bike simply by stripping it of all the electrical lighting parts, and a few modifications. I did this by removing and selling all the unneccesary parts, put a smaller sprocket on the front, put a lightweight fiberglass tank/seat unit and a few other small mods and ended up with an awesome trials machine. It is heavy compared to a modern bike, but it is one off the best twinshock bikes for competing in its class. I recommend getting it, like most tlr owners you will love this bike. The best place for parts is on Ebay ,as Honda factory parts can be expensive. There are also performance aftermarket parts such as the tanks, exhaust systems ,etc.

I hate watching kids on bmx or skateboards crashing! Its usually the head hitting the ground first. If you're going to do a daring stunt wear a helmet at least.