jon v8

Oh dear..... You wouldnt like a 1969 MK1 247 Cota to keep it company would you ?

Have you managed to find out anything yet ? A mate has one and ages ago he told me all about it,cant remember any of it - i can ask him again if you like.

Any of them will do the trick,but despite what anyone says a standard TY250 is a reliable and easy bike to use in twinshock trials.The few parts needed to keep them going are easy and mostly cheap to buy.They steer well and dont need any special mods to win.You only have to watch someone like Barry Barthorpe on his bog standard TY to realise how well they work.

I use SAE 40 from Morris oils in mine,same as in the engine.Works really well,very nice gearbox to use.

Any pics ? ( Just to make me jealous cos I couldnt make it....) See you all at the Dartmoor two day.

Its still quite clear that fuel is too cheap there.

Thanks Charlie, I think it is worth playing around with it a bit,I'll make some extensions for the shocks to make them up to 340mm for a start.That way I can see what the effect will be without spending any serious dosh.I've no idea what the exact spec of the forks is,except that they are Norton - with a large crack on the LH side where the pinch bolt on the splindle has been overtightened..... The RH leg is leaking too,and they behave a bit like pogo sticks,trouble is the rest of it is going so well I'm loath to take it to bits as I'm a bit slow in getting things back together.

I managed to spend 1/2 a day in the workshop today sorting my bikes out.(A bit anyway) Now I seem to be getting my HT sorted out a bit I'm getting more fussy about what I need to do to it.A mate of mine had a ride on it and said how something was wrong with the steering/frame geometry.(He is a high level rider,but I never admit it to him.)He mentioned that the front wheel tends to steer the first bit from straight ahead,then just flop toward full lock.I'd noticed it,not so much when riding it,but more when its on its side stand -touch the bars and they flop right around.When I'm riding it I dont really notice it as a problem,but after a trial my arms are about 2 foot longer the next day.(I just thought it was the after effect of riding a big bike rather than the girly TY250....) It doesnt tuck in or show any nasty habits when riding,but does seem to need alot of steering input when riding,now I'm paying attention to it.So today I was looking at it to see what was what,its an Alan Brown frame about 15yrs old,with Norton forks.Looking at the rear shocks they appear quite short so I measured them,300mm centres.Then I thought about what would happen if I fitted longer units so I sat the rear wheel on a piece of 40mm thick wood.This seemed to lessen the floppy steering effect,so my question is - would it be better with longer shocks ? Sorry to dribble on,but its been a long week at work and a curry/booze have gotten the better of me.

No worries - glad to help.Shame it packed up,it was a good trial in a really nice place.Dabber in the Bath club has just had his 240 stator done by West country windings,they seem to be the favourite place for them.

Thats an easy one, try ; http://www.tytrials.co.uk/ Or http://www.jkhirst.com/store/ Both are very good,and very helpful.Ty trials site has a dating bit for 175's/250's - I thought it was for 80's aswell but it seems to be missing.Might help if I hadnt drunk a bottle of wine with supper.... Either of the above will sort out any parts you need though,I did work out the date of all the Ty's I have,but its irrelevent really,they just need to be kept going and enjoyed for what they are.

I think you both have something wrong,my kids TY80 pulls rather too well,I have even thought about calming it down a bit.But the engine is pretty much as new with all genuine bits,so starts,runs and sounds like new. Most Ty80's I see around are tired old dogs that people dont want to spend any money on.Totally agree about the carb though,they can be a pain to get fully clean.

I had exactly the same with my kids Ty80,it was down to one of the internal passages for the cold start circuit being blocked,had a hell of a job to clear it - but now it starts first kick even when left for long periods.Try stripping the carb down again,and look where the cold start jet draws fuel from.

Exactly - I've always really enjoyed watching rigids gripping on a muddy climb where young riders on mono's lose traction by gunning it,very satisfying.

I have recently fitted a new Concentric to my HT5,supplied by Surrey Cycles. It has a competetion brass slide with no air slide in it.But I think I ruined it by fitting Domino levers.......

I dunno what you are worried about - I chose the date to run a trial.As usual totally unaware what else the day meant... This year I have also managed to run a trial on my wifes birthday,and ride in another clubs trial on my own birthday.I did get shot at for asking if it was OK to ride in the SWCTA trial on my sons birthday tho.

There are still "proper" Enfields being ridden - I borrowed one last year for a Golden valley trial,basically a 55 works rep with very few non 55 bits.(Tyres,petrol tank etc.) If you really want to know about a specific bike send me a pm and I'll find out what you need to know. What I would say is that if you are prepared to take on a pre unit bike that isnt a Gas Gas in disguise,then you will have a real treat.I'm just starting to get used to my HT5,which really isnt very trick.All I can say is I'm really enjoying the experience,it steers well,grips like nothing else,but the engine is a real peach.it will run down till you think it has stopped,then a whiff of throttle and its away again.No need for clutch or brakes,its all about throttle control....

Are you riding at Emborough ponds on sunday ?

Best to remove the pump and blank it off,I made my own plate cos I wanted to get it running quickly,(Plus I may be a bit tight.) not hard to make,but available from the usual sources if you just want to buy one. I hope you enjoy riding it,they are a good tool.

Good choice - theres not much wrong with them,and best of all they are reliable.I rode mine at the Somerton ACU trial yesterday,just fill it with fuel and oil the chain.Didnt miss a beat,the only thing I keep a look out for is water in the carb.I think it was getting down the throttle cable when I waa pressure washing it,(Carefully)the gaiter had gone soft and not gripping the cable. Other than that if its in reasonable nick they are ideal for abuse !

This was one of the problems I had with my Rev3,all I did was Tig weld a patch over it to let that take the wear.I just accepted that it was a bit flimsy and very close to the wheel.

About 2 years ago my son was videoing a 3 month old Gas Gas which had lost grip in a section.The rider nailed it and was struggling to keep it moving forwards.After about 5 seconds it stopped absolutely dead - seized solid. Was the second time it had seized.....

Back when my TLR250 was new,one of its best features was the fact that the brakes worked and lost little effect when soaked.Friends who had 200's had no problems either so something is wrong. Villiers services offer a reline service for drum shoes with a special woven lining for trials use - worth a try ?

I was going to go this route with my TY250,but it runs so well on points I couldnt see the point..... After 2 1/2 perfect laps on my Ariel today,I have to say I would have killed for a spark as good as my Yam has on points when the Lucas racing mag started playing up. I think the Yamaha ignition is absolutely fine,maybe the built in advance of the electronic systems might give a bit more top end if you need it,but reliability is probably top priority - which the original setup has.

Pay the money,I've just forked out for a set for my Ariel - not got round to fittting them yet.Have them on all my other bikes,wouldnt have anything else.