lemur

Totally depends on how good your brake, clutch and throttle control is. At only 150 pounds and covered largely in plastic a modern trials bike is a very good beginner motorcycle, just as long as you stay in control of it and all of them have the potential to get out of hand if you don't retain control over the brakes, clutch and throttle at all times.

Same companies that manufacture and sell bearings, prime example being SKF and resellers of SKF products. I always source bearings and seals from the nearest bearing supply specialty store rather than order the same item via a motorcycle part number. It saves money and time. Many of the seals and bearings commonly used in motorcycles are also found in marine engines, farm equipment and industrial material handling like conveyor belts. Take the worn parts into a bearing supply store and they can usually offer replacements on spec.

No, separate areas within the engine; a 2-stroke engine crankcase is used for moving fuel and air into the combustion chamber from the carburetor or throttle body via a process referred to as scavenging. If raw fuel accumulates in the crankcase you can remove the spark plug and let it evaporate or in lets say the worst case scenario that you dropped your bike in the lake, then you would remove the spark plug and turn the motorcycle completely upside down to make the water come out of the crankcase.

In Canada there is no such thing as an FIM or a CMA official so the rules are up to the event organizer to enforce, which doesn't happen because we never have the support to do enforcement, what we do have is the 'I'm not your mommy waiver form' Half helmet would likely draw considerable peer pressure in the form of other riders asking 'what's that thing on your head, are you nuts?'

My 360VA was an air cooled iron liner engine not unlike the Bultaco in most ways except it didn't have a chain primary drive. MC-1 was one of the first full synthetic oils, it's too thick to even run in 2-stroke oil injector systems, at 50:1 you are going to have a blue contrail and black mung oozing out the lowest part of that Alpina muffler, then you will know there is too much oil in the premix because it won't all be getting burned up inside the combustion chamber.

It's a 1970's 2-stroke Spanish bike and in the 1970's when I rode my Montesa Cappra 360VA the oil I used was Belray MC-1 at 80:1 mixed with the highest octane pump fuel I could buy at the time which was the equivalent of todays leaded race fuel. Cappra was fitted with a single dykes ring piston and I never had a piston or ring problem for the entire life of the bike. MC-1 was rated for up to 80:1 and provided the closest thing to a no smoke 2-stroke as you could get. The product did have a shelf life and when it turned from blue to brown in colour that meant you should discard it or risk gumming up your piston and ring. Found that out by trying to use up some old fuel/oil mix in a chainsaw which was a bad idea. I go by the leanest recommendation written on the product packaging, although I see more and more they don't even print the recommendations on full synthetic oils.

I am very fortunate to have the opportunity to minder and catch for a lot of riders at all levels on a regular basis and that experience has helped my own riding. Riding ice trails for most of the winter months on studded tires has also helped immensely, a dab on ice is equal to a crash so it's a strong incentive to keep your feet on the pegs.

Page 40 of the service manual that you can download free from betausa 2.7mm for the inside 4 plates, 3mm for the 2 cork plates on the outside of the clutch pack as per the parts diagram (corks install order is -> fat, thin, thin, thin, thin, fat)

Showcases some of my trials riding areas nicely 😎. event is sold out, course is now set and closed until race day.

Stock gearing, I too would be happy if my 300RR had only 3rd gear, I only use 4th to keep up to the enduro bikes better or to save fuel on the faster trails.

Photos of things like the points might help somebody spot an issue. I always meter and scope trouble shoot starting with the source of power and work down stream until you find the missing link. Alternator first, fuse next, rectifier and regulator if so equipped, Are you setting your points using a meter to make sure it has a good make and break? That will confirm if you have the points wired correctly. Condenser is the hardest thing to meter test but a new one is just as good. Ignition coil needs to be meter tested on both sides as per the service manual, resistance will be very low on the one side in the range of an ohm or three and exponentially greater on the other, no continuity or incorrect ohm reading on either side is a problem. Does your spark lead wire, plug cap and spark plug all have the correct resistance or did you change something there?

My riding partner has gone through so many Beta fenders it's obscene. We stitch them up with zip ties until it's no longer possible and then he eventually replaces them at significant cost regularly. Zip ties hold stronger then any other repair and is easy to do on the spot if you carry zip ties and a Swiss army knife to drill a bunch of holes, which I regularly do carry for that exact purpose.

I jack up the idle slightly and ring the snot out of it in whatever gear it will still pull strong going up the big stuff but I only weigh 130 pounds so a 125 hauls me fairly easy ymmv. If you have great throttle and clutch control a 300 is actually easier to ride for a senior citizen like me. Best way to advance is to ride lots and to ride with better riders.

Short springs are usually for top out 👍 so it doesn't go 'thunk' when you pop a wheelie.

For a spell they liked naming motorcycle models after animals with horns: Impala, Cappra (Capra is a mountain goat or Ibex). I always thought Cota was a coined name for a mountain sheep or lamb. Maybe it's just a cool name that stuck.

It's a very common and popular model and all trials bikes are constant maintenance if you ride them lots, fortunately they are easy to work on if you can replace parts. I buy bearings and seals in the city and specialty items from motorcycle dealers that I ride with, lots of the items come from Jitsie. If the forks are trashed that's where I would end up buying them from, things like brake assemblies are very interchangeable, engine parts not so much, then you need that dealer contact.

Jitsie is a good start if you don't have gasgas dealers to ride with. Trials bike dealers ride regional events, seek out others to ride with and you will have no problem sourcing parts and expertise.

By watching you ride and listening to your engine. ... riding here today if you get bored

Glaciers were kind to us, terrain here is severe, steep hills, exposed granite and calcite with thick peat topsoil and moss covering, no natural sand or gravel, trees, beaver swamps, small lakes and endless trials sections. When it's wet which is often your errors and fails increase exponentially. Easier to show you 😎

Pennsylvania is close, if you are looking for a place to ride and somebody to ride with in Central Frontenac Ontario I can hook you up. If you hurry I have a 2021 TRS 300 electric start for sale right now, you can start that for sure 😎

You just bought the best exercise machine ever 👍

I had a 2001, model was 315R Cota, beautiful sturdy bike. They had nowhere near the compression of the current model 300's. 315 rear fender in black was the most break resistant ever.

At 120something pounds the only way I could start my 300 when the electric starter went out was to lean it against a tree, it's hard on the grips but it's the only way. Fortunately it starts easy once I get on it with all my might and now the electric start is fixed again. Bikes that are hard to start when you are exhausted takes all the fun out of it. btw: If your Montesa 250 was a 4-stroke it had a decompressor built into the camshaft. Decompressor is easy to add if the cylinder head came with an extra plug hole, which your bike does not have. Cylinder heads are often available in either high or low compression versions with lower compression theoretically being easier to start as well as better suited to lower octane fuels.

OMG there is your problem right there, 1st. gear is near useless for a light weight rider, gear up and keep the idle set on the high side. Embrace the power that engine has down low and set the carb lean enough to run at low speed and not rich out.

You running in second gear? Cog it up to third, steady the throttle and abuse the clutch, that will calm down the power delivery.