old trials fanatic

Suppose it's like with road racing when people say things like yeah but he doesn't ride the TT so he's not really a Champion. Different events really so not totally valid however I would have liked to see Bou ride the SSDT just to reinforce how brilliant a rider he is. Nobody can ever detract from his achievements and like he or his masters at Honda give a toss what anybody says or thinks but from a trials enthusiasts point of view it would have been nice to see him rise to a different Trials challenge and see how he fared. Never gonna happen though is it? Far too much emphasis on TC and in the press on the WTC. Like how many riders REALLY follow it or could name all the riders, locations, past winners etc ?? Has no relevance to what 99.9% of us that support the sport week in week out do on any Sunday does it?

?? don't get you as on a 3 wheeler the front wheel and the two rear wheels all follow parallel lines. When a motor cycle has one wheel offset from the other for them both to track parallel lines the frame joining the two wheels would have to follow a diagonal line between the two parallel tracks of the wheels. If not and the frame followed a parallel or even same track as one of the wheels then one of said wheels must travel at an angle to the direction of travel and as such must scrub and skid. Just draw it out if you don't get it then you don't get it. Offseting the rear wheel would and could allow it to track parallel to the front wheel but it would have to be at an angle at the sprockets would then not be in line the rear would be at an angle to the gearbox sprocket and at the least would wear prematurely and at worst the chain could easily derail. Again sorry if you don't get it but try drawing it out and think it through.

Back to the point of the original thread. I'm NOT commenting about the Midland Centre as I don't ride there but more of a comment based on feedback I have had from riders in my own centre. You would think with the depression sorry double dip recession we are living through that people who are strapped for cash but still want to ride would ride more of their local club events as they are cheaper with less travel costs etc ? However as with a lot of things when things get tight but you are still determined to partake you go for quality against quantity and quite a few of our local riders are now choosing to spend a lot more to ride farther afield doing the National series like Sammy Miller, NBBR etc as they perceive them to be better quality events and to be honest how can a multi lap club trial on a pocket hankerchief course compete with 30 mile lap in fabulous countryside with rocky stream beds and long hill climbs etc. So we are all finding a drop off in entries. Yes we lay out easier courses to attract new blood and folks who want an easy bimble around but this end of the market is perhaps not as commited to trialing every weekend and is far more likely to be persuaded to go shopping or ferry the kids to endless sports, decorate, see relatives, take she who should be gagged etc to the garden centre or factory outlet etc etc. I'm sure you get my drift. I think it's just something you have to accept as part of modern "life". As others have said the days when the whole family packed into the van for a full and I mean 2 hours a lunch break then another 2 hours of hard trialing have gone. Most seem to want to get round as fast as possible and get off home in fear of getting nagged to death if they dare to overstay their allotted imposed time limit. Enjoy your local Club trial while you can because there will soon come a point where the financial loss incurred by the club can no longer be sustained and it will fold due to lack of support. Perhaps then those that say there are too many events and too many clubs, of course their Club or it's events are never one of the ones there are too many of, will feel they have finally won. But have they because we will all suffer in the long run from lack of choice and inability to afford to travel long distances to the Clubs and events that are left.

Agreed I suppose once him or his minders/hangers on stop argueing with observers then it's the sign he's not bothered and looking for a new challenge. Would that challenge be a proper trial like the SSDT ? who knows.

Interresting answer and contrary to everything I had been led to believe. I would hwve thought with the wheels out of line that the rear tyre would by definition be skidding to some extent instead of tracking in a straight line and I have enough problems making the tyre grip as it is without starting with a skid. Oh well you live and learn and the laws of physics obviously don't apply. Thanks Duncan

Too many helmets in that picture. Put me off my bangers and mash.

with you on that I thought it was a wind up too.

Hmmm with that kind of rhetoric I think his future is assured as an MP.

if you have access to a lathe it's simple enough to turn down to size.

touché horses for courses we all like to ride what we feel comfy with plus I hate having to clean the bike when it looks like it's been dragged backwards through a swamp. At least we are all riding our bikes.

Duncan so are you saying that keeping the wheels in alignment is not important?

Reflex is the very poor relation to the TLR. Basically Reflex is a cost cutting exercise. Forks are much smaller diameter and flex, steel instead of alloy rims, different hubs and brakes, too high gearing, over restrictive exhaust different seat and panels etc etc. OK a Reflex is probably a leap up from a TL but not a patch on a TLR and most of the ones I've seen over here are 200's not 250's. Get a proper TLR 200 or 250 if you possibly can because they are so much better to start with and worth the extra money.

Hmmm does look like the carb itself has something not right about it and the settings on the carb you tried are not a million miles from mine. Daft question now but bear with me. With the carb off your bike look down it and does the slide fully open i.e when you turn the twistgrip fully make sure there is no part of the slide in the venture. Reason I say this is I have had slides in the past that though they fit the carb body they are different lengths and came up against the carb top so didn't fully open. I know it's a long shot but worth checking.

Think you'll find the first part of the number denotes the model i.e. 198 or 199 ok then you need to find out what size that model was. Woody or Big John will know for sure

Interresting as Mick also helped jet my OSSA 28mm Mikuni and James 27mm Amal mk 1 1/2 and they both run fine too. If the 24mm bore size of the carb was a problem I would have thought it would only affect the performance right at the full throttle stage. Are you sure there isn't a mechanical fault with the carb itself as if the motor runs fine on somebody elses carb but just needs fine tuning then it points that way. When I last rode the Scottish I noticed the James running a bit rough but it still ran and after a couple of sections it was only then I noticed that the carb had fell off the intake rubber on the manifold and was just leaning against it because of the hose to the airbox keeping it in place. Which just goes to prove how they can still run even if they have a bloody great air leak. I think you have got to strip the carb and make sure all the passages are clear, use an air line, and check all the jets etc. Oh yes as Andy said earlier check correct 2 stroke needle and that the emulsifier tube is correct for a 2 stroke. Amals have been known not to have the passages drilled correctly and even to still have bits of flash blocking some from the casting process. Oh one last thing make sure there is enough fuel flowing to and through the carb to fuel the engine at high revs when it needs the fuel most. Will it rev if you run the carb without an air cleaner? just a thought that the element might be strangling i.e. not flowing enough air at full throttle? same with exhaust is it flowing properly or does too much back pressure build up as revs rise? if all these are fine then the only other answer I can think of is to contact cliff and as him to lend you another ignition system as the advance curve might have a fault or be breaking down as revs rise? At the end of the day if the motor has a spark at the right time and the correct amount of fuel and air in the correct ratio then there is no reason why it shouldn't rev out.

Must admit when I read Andys post , who I know well incidentally, I was surprised as I have enjoyed many trials down in the west country with the West of England Club, Mortonhampstead and Otter Vale Clubs and have always loved the terrain and felt quite jealous of the riders down there having such lovely venues to enjoy. In fact it sounded more like a trial at Teversal than what I would have expected from riding down there. I agree with Woody you should go back next year as hopefully things will be back to normal. Agree with B40rt rocks rock sorry jonV8 but I hate mud with a vengeance as anybody who rides the trials I lay out will have noticed. I normally lay sections to avoid the damn stuff. I think we are all suffering with the weather at the moment and I cant remember such a long spell of totally crap weather for ages knackering up the trials calendar. Just keep your fingers crossed for a long hot dry Summer.

Ah it's amazing how sometimes it's the blindingly obvious things we all miss. Glad you're on the way to getting it sorted.

As I said earlier !

plus you will soon make some good friends and learn a LOT by watching and observers are always welcome.

Wont make any difference to the handling but as others have stated the weight is there to help tame the motor and make it more fit for purpose i.e. as used in a trials bike. Removal will just make the motor much more snappy and likely to stall when negotiating tight turns and will break traction which is quite important to maintain in trials. Up to you but the Beta is one of the best bikes IMHO for traction and as most bikes perform way way way beyond the capabilities of the rider I would leave well alone.

One other thought. You said you didn't want to get a trailer so I assume you have access to a car? Why not get a bike rack?

like the smell of R cos it invokes memories of Vincents, Velos and my old T120R which is how I learnt that it gums up yer motor unless it's getting as hot as a racing bike would. R as a lubricant was ok in it's day which lets not forget was back when multigrades weren't common but is now an anachronism, bit like meself before anybody chips in, and apart from the smell cant see why anyone would want to use it. So what smell do you mean Ross ? LOL.

No prob where you from?

Apart from the fact that there are loads of much much better oils out there it gums up your motor.

Plus the tyres will be ruined in no time and you will need a haversack to carry your pump fuel can and other bits. Possible but not really practical and more hassle than it's worth IMHO.