JonM

Thanks for the help. Yes, I think if he's said No once he will take the opinion that I'm chancing my arm/badgering etc... and is inclined to say No again. The journey is 14miles and I'm sure those of you who ride in South East England will know where I'm riding. It won't be the most pleasant 30mins but I HATE the agg of loading my car. The thought of being able to ride there is much more appealing but the only trials bike I'd trust is a Mont. Breaking down 14miles from home isn't an option...

Thanks, Jonny. I don't want to name the area but the owner of the land is very much 'my way or feck orf'. I'm sure that if I asked again it'd be a flat No, but if put one of those velcro Jitsie seats on my Sherco it wouldn't be an issue... I want a 4Ride as I'm a casual wobbler who doesn't have a van and lives on a busy estate with limited parking. Loading my bike onto the Dave Cooper rack is a ball ache which requires shifting cars around and inevitably blocking my cul-de-sac. It's 16miles to where I ride and it'd be so much easier to ride there & back, rather than the PIA of loading my car.

4ride owners, do you ever have issues with your bike being considered an enduro, trail bike or other? I'm considering getting one but where I ride strictly forbids enduro bikes. If the owner/operator considers it an enduro (or believes other might think it is) then it's a non-starter. I asked about a KTM Freeride last year and he said no... and he's not the most patient of men.

Thanks to everybody. I know this is incredibly subjective and what started out as 200 v 300 for a trials novice (albeit familiar with other bike sport) has evolved! Sounds like a 200 is forgiving, great on tricky stuff in the mud but can be frustrating compared to more forgiving larger capacity bikes (especially when grip is there). I understand a bike's behaviour is affected by many variables & gearing, timing, throttle tubes, flywheel weights, low comp heads, thick base gaskets etc can all be used to 'tune' but arguably if this was the solution then we'd all ride 300's- just with bolt on parts. That's not the case and I don't want to force a square peg in a round hole. I would love to experiment and try different bikes, but every change of bike costs money and inevitably whatever you buy needs money invested. I've decided the Beta Evo 200 isn't for me (thanks to help in this thread) and I've fitted new Michelins which are certainly softer, just from squeezing the knobs with my fingers. If I still don't get on with the 300 I'll try a 250, probably TRS from what I'm reading. Tractable power for the muddy South of England!

Great feedback, thank you. I've wondered why there are so few but put it down to fashion. I know the local trials coach advocates 300s and his daughter rides a 300, too. I was close to getting the 200 last week but came to the conclusion that when it's slimy & I'm tired I'd love it, but might miss the instant 'pop' of a 300. Back to the drawing board. I'm reticent to ask about bike brands, models or recommendations but locally TRS and Montesa seem to be the most popular models, often ridden by riders at a level o aspire to. (Good clubman, but not Expert).

Really useful advice, thank you. I'll try new rubber and see if there's an improvement.

Alas my budget doesn't extend to a bike that new, but I'm really interested to hear your thoughts. The Vertigo has FI and I guess you're a fan of the bike and its displacement?

On Sunday I was 7psi front, 4.5psi rear. The tyres were old, however, and until then I'd never looked at the date codes. Mid 2012 front and early 2013 rear. I'll be the first to say that I'm very inexperienced and trials is just a hobby. I'm a keen sportsman in other pursuits and haven't put enough seat time in- I get by more on my experience of MTB racing, cyclo trials and motocross. I've got new Michelins to go on now but I was absolutely awful. God awful. So bad. I'm willing to take drastic measures as my performance on Sunday is enough to make me a summer only rider.

Thanks for the input. Everything I've read about the 200 (from clubmen) is positive and based what conditions are like in the UK, plus the typically tight nature of sections, I thought it might be a winner. I did suspect somebody would suggest the 250 as middle ground...

First, some back story- are you sitting comfortably? Nov '20 I try my first trials bike, a 1971 Bultaco Sherpa 250. It feels really natural, tractable and I decide to get my own bike. Lockdown happens (again) so I don't really start riding until April, but I get a 2001 Gasgas TXT. Love it, but it's tired & needs TLC, so I go newer. Next up is a '13 Sherco ST300. It has a few mechanical niggles but when it works, it's good. I ride through the summer and autumn of this year. But now it's winter and OMG this is a different game. I'm struggling so much I'm failing to even complete easy sections. The 300 made carrying the front wheel over rocks or popping off small ledges easy, but now with my skill level that same character means wheel spin & no confidence. I'm honestly thinking of getting a Beta Evo 200; it'll be a better bike for me in the muddy south east on easy & inter sections, BUT, will I regret in the summer when the plentiful power of the 300 was an asset in the dry?

Thank you. I'll replace these over winter as a preventative measure.

Totty, you've saved me stripping the bike back to pieces again. Throttle cable wasn't quite seated correctly; wasn't out by much but I guess the choke/enrichment plus a little bit of slide height caused BIG revs. Than you. If I can edit the thread title I will do in case it helps anybody else.

Let's start by all pointing and laughing at me- never has one motorbike caused me so much stress and made me so mechanically inept* My 2013 ST 300 Sherco (yes, it's me again) was getting a stuck carb float every single ride. Free it with a tap, then carry on for an hour. Deciding to try and cure this issue I did some research, I spoke to Splatshop and this was the agreed plan: Change the inline fuel filter, disassemble the fuel pump to clean it, clean out the tank, clean out the carb, replace the float valve, check the bore where the float valve sits and ensure the floats aren't catching. So tank checked. No dirt. Fiddly fuel pump checked and reassembled (badly). No dirt. Float valve seems fine, no signs of gummyness or crud, but replaced with new one. Floats appear to move freely, float height not knowingly changed/buggered up. Try to start it, plenty of kicks and nothing. Only thing I notice is I think it sounds different when I kick it, like more induction noise. Decide it must be the fuel pump and it's not getting petrol, but check the plug and it's wet (and a little oily). Clean the plug, put it back, kick some more. On about kick 10 it suddenly fires and REVS TO THE MOON. I hit the kill button and go indoors to get clean pants. So what have I buggered up this time? Carb is sitting sweetly in the inlet manifold, throttle is returning nicely and the slide looked fine. *I don't pretend to be a good or experienced mechanic but I've half an idea. I managed to remove the engine from my R1, take it for a rebuild and put it back myself so surely removing a carb to replace a float valve shouldn't be too much for me? Based on how it's going with this Sherco I don't think I'm fit to build a Lego set...

It was already on the bike? A new clutch and hose were fitted, not the master cylinder.

That's what I've gone with, we'll see if it's the right choice.