spenser

I have had the same experiences with the 4t bikes, Montesa, Sherco and Beta, and put it down to the type of power that the four stroke delivers. The four stroke generates stronger pulses of power half as often as a two stroke, which has a slightly softer pulse twice as often. Clutch out, or feathered coming out of a turn on marginal traction ground is much harder on the 4t than the 2t for this reason, The stronger pulse of the power stroke breaks the tire free at lower rpm, whereas double the number of softer power strokes makes for a more controllable rear wheel. Once this has been realized, and a different four stroke technique developed, i can be possible to ride a four stroke as easily as a two stroke.......but why bother, long live the two stroke! Spencer

Normally there is no need to replace a caliper. A rebuild kit with o-rings and pucks if you were to be thorough.

I really liked the oil that came in one of my new Betas, so I checked the full spec sheet as the factory oil was not available here in Canada, at least not anywhere near me I came up with: API SM/SL/SJ JASO MA-s ACEA A3, and Semi-synthetic 10W40 I hunted around the stores for an oil that met these specs and have been very happy with a Lucas product. It is designed for wet clutch operation as well. The full synthetics have too much drag in my experience. Be sure to do the clutch mod as per the Beta forum sticky lisitng, this will do more for your clutch than the perfect oil. Spencer

Not to wanting to challenge you, but are you sure that you have a Tech fork? Marzocchi have two springs and were in the earlier Raga replicas, whereas the Tech only has a single spring on the left side. Oil level is also measured with the spring removed as per GasGas manuals.

Yes these documents cover the TRS as well.

TRS for thoughtful, engineered simplicity.

There are two things that can affect the degree of effort needed to pull in the clutch lever: clutch pack total thickness (affects angle of the fingers and leverage ratio), and strength of the Belleville spring. GasGas used a heavier spring until about 2007 on their pro bikes, after which they feather light and very effective if the clutch pack was set to the recommended height (thickness). The adjustments needed to the clutch pack thickness affect clutch bite, ease of pull, and if really out, they may not completely disengage, or on the other end, may slip under load. I have ridden a few TRS bikes, and it would appear that the first run needed more effort, whereas later production runs were much lighter to pull with no apparent loss of function. For a factory to react this quickly to feedback from clients is, in my mind, commendable. I am sure that anyone with a TRS clutch that they feel requires too much effort to pull can make the necessary modifications to "fix" it. Spencer

As requested: 38 pilot, two turns out on the pilot mixture screw, 90:1, 0 - 6500 feet, -10 C to 38 C, Ipone Samurai oil. Starts right up with a quick stab, no lazy kicks allowed like a Beta.

These are the Tech fork oil change documents for all makes and models: Tech Fork Oil change LHS Trial-SX.pdf Tech Fork Oil change RHS Trial-DX.pdf

That is a bit difficult to answer, the the different years bikes had their own characteristics. I would attempt to describe engine power delivery as more similar to a Gasser and Sherco than to the Beta. I am spending 60% of my time in first gear compared to 20% on the Beta, so again, more like the Gasser for gearing. I rode the 300 TRS for a couple of hours, and found it very strong, not so different from a 2016 300 Sherco that I rode for an afternoon insofar as engine power is concerned, and I think that it is well understood that the 300 Sherco is very powerful. Spencer

I have owned and ridden 250, 280 and 300 Gassers, 250, 270, 290 and 300 Betas, 2.9 Sherco, 3.2 4t Sherco, and a 280 TRS One. The 250 is really all that most riders need. The 280 (272cc) is my preferred bike for the following reasons: We often ride to 6000 + feet, and with the thinner air,, the 280 suffers less than the 250 which will be a bit down on power. I am 210 lbs with a pack and ridding gear. The 300s, especially the Gasser, Sherco and TRS are tiring. Great fun first thing in the morning, but by mid afternoon, mistakes are more frequent, and with greater consequences. The 300s seem to burn more fuel on average than the 280. We are often packing extra fuel on our rides, and it just means more riding time. The 280 is easier to handle. The 300s can be savage when you are deep in the power, whether on purpose or not. If you are not quite prepared, they can be harder to recover than a 280. I hope that this helps Spencer

I have found that if there is damage to either of those gears, it can often be removed with a die grinder or Dremel tool as you just need to remove a high spot that is causing the knocking sound. I have found damage on all four of the gears that you mentioned, but have always managed to salvage the clutch basket gear with a bit of dressing. The primary drive and the idler are easy to replace, and can be a bit of a bear to repair if the damage is too great. Spencer

I put my new bike on a scale at the local dealer, and it was 143 lbs; about 7 pounds less than the Beta, Sherco, Vertigo (Camo), GasGas and 20 lbs less than a Montesa. The bike is engineered simplicity, a treat to ride and to maintain, and I quite honestly see a place where they have skimped on quality.

Not to drag this out too much, but at about 143 lbs, you can pay $15,000.00 for the ti Vertigo, or $9,000.00 for the TRS One. Add the Reiger to the TRS, tune the suspension and the gap is maybe $5,000.00. I am unsure of the value at that point. Yes there is all of the tuning options for the EFI but are those pieces of electronic wizardry worth it to me? Not yet, but I have been wrong in the past. If it is all about the handling, I can make the TRS feel like a Vertigo by tuning the front (supplied Tech fork) and aftermarket Reiger shock, so the added money has to be all about the engine. Spencer

I think that there are few people willing to spend the money on the titanium Vertigo, whereas he thinks that hundreds will be sold. There are certainly people willing to spend the money being asked for the Camo and Ice Hell, but the titanium one is another story as in Canada it will be $15,000.00 (local currency) after taxes. Spencer

So does anyone have any idea how people have ponied up for the top line titanium Vertigo? A friend of mine has ordered one which started the discussion as to whether he will be the 10th or 500th. Spencer

Just a some points from the great state of Canada: I have seen events turn away a lot of riders as they are often set too hard for most in the class. Coming away disheartened over your personal performance will mostly just kill your love of the sport. I have seen more people simply leave the sport because they got simply thrashed at an event, or taken on a ride that was much too hard for their abilities. We have seen the greatest number of new riders coming from the ranks of the mountain biking community. Once they turn over to the "dark" side, they spend all of their time either riding, or convincing their friends to buy a bike as it is the most fun ever had. The local mountaiun biking club that has over a thousand members has 2 or 3 trials riders on it's board of directors! In our area, mountain trials is the dominant sport, with trials competition being a distant second. The interest in using the trials machines, for whichever sport, has strengthened the import/dealer network which is a good thing. I would agree on the general state of trials information in North America, it is pretty weak when compared to other sports. Spencer

I have no experience with the 2016 200, but have ridden the 2014 and 2015 200 Betas, both were very strong. I even used one for a club trial on what we call the "advanced" line and had a very good result. The power level gives one more confidence so you always feel "on top" of the bike, never behind.

Rotary.....combustion chamber is not cylindrical in shape. More drift, 01.27 is a bit self evident (Starting devices are compulsory). 50.04.4, "Recovering energy generated by the kinetic energy of the vehicle is permitted". Normally a rule sets limitations, not permissions, but in this case it could be argued that hopping the bike is energy recovery, and therefore your are only allowed to hop an electric trials bike as this is not allowed by a rule for the gas engine machines.....this could go on for a while.

Could somebody please tell me how a titanium frame trials motorcycle would be allowed in FIM competition. From what I have read titanium frames, forks, handlebars and swingarms are not allowed. Spencer

Made under the Grimeca name.

It does not look worn to me. Was the bike overheating? Spencer

There is a very good chance that Bob at Mountain Motorcycle in Canada has some parts, email him at mtmotor@telus.net Spencer

Michael, One thing has become quite clear in this discussion, and that being the current environment in each of our provinces. In B.C., we have hikers, mountain bikers, trail runners, trials riders, rock climbers, commercial recreational companies (heli-access for example), and others all "competing" for access to the same landscape; out here there are three different types of users, non-mechanized, mechanized and motorized, and within these, there are various permutations that are acceptable to various degrees by other user groups. To give you a sense of scale, there are about 400 members on the 99 Trials Facebook page, and that covers the entire area from North Vancouver to Pemberton. In Squamish alone there are 4000 members of the Bike Squamish FB page, and this page is almost 99 percent dedicated to mountain biking, add in the Whistler mountain bikers, commercial operators and you can get an idea of the uphill battle that we often face. To generate interest from government in this province everyone does studies looking to demonstrate just how much of an economic driver the sport is; climbers do it, mountain bikers do it, dirt bikers do it, music festivals do it, cross country skiing does it, and the list goes on. Whether I like it or not, the economics of a sport are measures that a government can get behind when they make decisions on how to spend our tax dollars. For example in Squamish the municipal government provides $30,000 a year for trail maintenance with this money going mostly to the local mountain bike trails. In addition, they provide $25,000 per year to support rock climbing. They have also spent $250,000 on wind surfing and sail boarding infrastructure improvements. This money is provided based on studies that demonstrated the economic benefits of these sports to the overall community, Canadian Championships for the wind sports, and some of the biggest mountain biking events in Canada bring thousands of people into our community, and along with them comes the support of local business. I have only painted this picture to support my statement, and to show that the environments that we operate in would appear to be quite different, and would also need different models for regional development. Understanding these differences is the first step that needs to be taken for us to figure out a way to work together going forward. A good exercise for the various factions to undertake? It appears that different models will need to be implemented across this vast country to compensate for the range of issues that need to be addressed. What you have done out in the Maritimes will not likely work here in Sea to Sky country and vice versa, no cookie cutter solutions here, More later Spencer

Beta. Build quality, gear spacing, service, front/rear balance, turning, power delivery, and frequently looks fresh as it gets new fenders!