spenser

I am unsure if you are looking for a Beta Zero, or brake parts for one? Our local importer has tons of Zero parts if you are in need. Spencer

Never been a big fan of the Ohlins, the one good thing about them is that they are rebuildable, and therfore tunable, where the Sachs is not. The difference in the shocks will be apparent year to year as well as the settings are adjusted to reflect the "feel of the day". We have three Evos, and they all have Sachs shocks, but you said that your friends had an Ohlins; was it stock? Spencer

Just a note to those needing a riding fix this weekend; we at the CPTA are hosting our first competition of the year this weekend (Feb 21st) at the Ioco club property. The weather is promising to be perfect with three loops laid out for beginners, junior/intermediate, and advanced/experts. All riders are welcome, with sign-up at 9:30 am, riders meeting at 10:00 am, riding shortly after. Thanks to Paul Brodie and Ted McDowell for the hard work getting the event ready. Spencer Fitschen

The Gassers can grip, but not nearly as easily as a Beta; the 2007 has a fairly strong hit compared to 2008, 2009 so calming it down would be a start, using all of the previously mentioned hints. The other thing that can help is slowing the rebound on the rear shock; turn it all the way in and then back the adjuster out 1/2 to 1 turn, that has helped some riders in my area. The flywheel weight works wonders, I have used it on my 300 and on my 280's during the winter months (and then I bought a Beta EVO; I am not above buying a little talent). Spencer

Chewy, although it looks all roses, there are "centres" in Canada not running under the CMA rules. We also don't have standardized route colours in sections or standard levels of difficulty for each class. We in Canada are undergoing a bit of a shake-up it terms of competition sanctioning; CMA is recognized by the FIM and some clubs run under their banner, WEC (World Enduro Canada) has, as of last year, held their own National series with events both East and West (about 4000 or more km apart), something that the CMA hasn't been able to do for a while, and some clubs are self insured, and therfore, self sanctioned, running under rules of their choosing. Although Canada has fielded a TDN team for the last few years, the lack of a sanctioned series recognized by the FIM, and attended by the best riders in Canada, many would argue that we have not been fielding our best team; (two of the most active clubs in Canada don't run under the CMA banner, and are incidentally in the West, where the CMA has not had a National in years). We also have the problem of being the second largest country in the world but with a population of about 30 million people spread across 5-6000 km; travel is a problem. So quibbling over route colours would at this point be a blessing to us here. Spencer

2006 Montesa in Squamish, rarely ridden...$5300.00 Canadian, pm me if you want the info for the seller. Spencer

The Beta is the quietest bike around and has support in the States, and in Vancouver, B.C. on the other hand the Montesa importer for Canada is in Mission B.C., just across our border. Both are great bikes, but I have always found that dealer support is very important in your choice of machine. Check for used bikes in southern B.C., I know that you can find a good example of each in the lower mainland/Squamish area. Spencer

Actually, from what I can remember from reading about it, only one rider travelled from the East to the Western rounds, although several travelled from the West to the Eastern rounds. This again proves that our country is just too big for an annual cross-country (5000-6000 km) national series; 5+ days of travel in each direction by vehicle is just too limiting for almost all riders. As a side note Krash, the dinasours went extinct (as will ours). Spencer

For the reasons outlined in Ishy's post, I am in favor of trying gate trials/open free at the club level; the only other reason that I could add to his list is that a rider moving up a class is able to do so gradually by picking off pieces of the next level as he/she gets more comfortable. The current generation of kids have been brought up in a world of Play Stations, Nintendo units etc. and crave instant gratification, being able to move up a class without getting beaten up fulfills this need and may even attract more riders. Yes the open free scoring is more complex, but could probably be changed, but the sport may not be able to stay the same as it was over the past decades and still remain relevant; things change, get used to it. Spencer

Check spark plug gap (0.5-0.6mm), sounds like it may be a bit rich on the bottom end, try closing the pilot mixture adjustment screw in a bit (1/4 turn at a time). The 300 is almost 25cc biggger in displacement than the 2.9 Sherco and can be a bit of a bear to start, especially later in the day when you are tired from hanging on to the beast, with the Gassers, a fast kick is most important, almost like a stabbing action of the leg. Spencer

We've had the Gasgas 200 (175), the 225 (kitted 125) and have settled on the Beta Evo 200. It's a true 200 and an all around fantastic bike. The other thing about the 200 Gasser is that they were putting cheap forks and shocks in them (haven't seen the 2010 yet) the Beta has the fully adjustable Paioli front end with a Sachs (adjustable rebound) rear shock, both quality units. Have fun Spencer

I have brought up the idea of another World round, since our last one was about 1990, not a big appetite for that yet, partly to do with the "success" of the last couple of USA rounds, apparently they lost money. I haven't dropped the idea completely but will have to do more research on sponsorship, venue, etc. Spencer

Hi Steve, More long term thinking than set in stone plans, we have yet to officially support a national sanctioning body, but are keen to help get Canadian trials on track with a fully supported National series. I have been toying with the idea of trying to host a NATC national in Canada (maybe far fetched), in conjunction with a Canadian national, but have been told that the AMA wouldn't support such a move as it would infringe on the CMA territory. The Americans are facing the same problem as us in terms of travel costs and distances, the option of a western and eastern series with a runnoff is not too far fetched, if the runnoff rotates between the east and west. I have never attended a NATC National but after going through their event packages on the web-site, and talking to many people that have, it would appear to be a very well thought out series; the two countries may be able to gain economies of scale by co-hosting a couple of events a year, for us it could bring the best North America has to offer to Canada, likely resulting in positive exposure and growth in our sport. More just shooting from the hip Steve, and my appologies to all for hi-jacking the thread (Blame Canada). Spencer Fitschen

Would it be inconceivable to allow us in the Great White North to host an event in a west coast series, possibly around Vancouver, maybe in conjunction with a Canadian National?, or am I just hoping for too much? Spencer Fitschen

We have found a few bikes where the float height was to blame, easy place to start. Spencer

For the older GasGas parts, try Mountain Motorcycles in Vancouver (actually Coquitlam) British Columbia, they have a ton of stock parts. You can find them through trialscanada.com (advertisement). There are a few riders from Washington (Bill Thompson) who regularly compete in Vancouver and could maybe bring what you need back with them. Spencer Fitschen

Hi Ishy, The Bcorma trail pass sticker is not required when riding CPTA events at Ioco. Spencer Fitschen President CPTA

Chances are that you will never get a Rev3 to rebound like a Gasser, thats not a bad thing, only different. Spencer

I am 44 years old, and over the last several years have gone from the 280 to the 300 back to the 280, and now the 250; all GasGas Pro. I ride at the advanced level in the CPTA events in Vancouver and have found that I can ride the 250 better than all of the other bikes, main reason is that the power delivery is smooth and not as deep as the bigger bore bikes. After three hours, the 280 and 300 start to get tiring, the 250 I can ride all day long; even though the power delivery on the new EVO 290 is smooth, it's relentless. I believe that you will enjoy riding the 250 over the 290 for just that reason; a friend of mine changed from a 2008 4rt to the 250 EVO and will never look back. Spencer

No I don't, I think that the 280 and 300 Raga hit too hard for the clubman rider (myself included); but to clarify, I like the feel of the 250 Gas Gas engine better than the Beta 250. This is not to say that the Gasser is better, all of the bikes are excellent machines, it's a matter of preference.

Hello Nigel Dabster, Yes I have ridden the new EVO 290, two of them, I have also ridden the 250 EVO and we bought the 200 EVO (probably one of the nicest bikes on the market). I have also ridden the 280 and 300 Gasgas Raga model, the 300 was a 2008 and the 280 was a 2009 model. My personal taste is for a 250, as I am finished with having my arms yarded out of their sockets, I can last all day riding and with a slight adjustment in technique, I can still get up any climb that I want to. The only time that I suffer for power is above 4500 feet. Remembering that this is all subjective, I personnally like the feel of a GasGas engine/transmission; buit the Paioli/Sachs Beta chassis is golden....I have already got a Paioli front end for my Gasser, now I am working on the rear shock and linkage to try to get the "Beta" plush. Spencer

Hey Chad, glad to hear that your hands are better, a quick note on the proposed main jet changes though. Changing the main will do little for the bottom end of the power curve; the bottom is controlled by the pilot jet and to a degree, the needle. Keihin carbs can be fussy about temperature and barometric pressure so I would caution you about changing jetting from what is already an all-around good running bike. As for your question Dabster; Chad rode a 2009 Raga and liked the lower power delivery, with fall and winter on the way, he may hold off on that modification. I personnally can't think of a better combination that the Beta chassis with Gasser power. Spencer

One quick note; rather than grabbing the red ring on the rebound leg with a vise grip, lower the stantion tube in the triple clamp so that the black tube is visible but the red ring is still in the triple. Toghten the triple clamp onto the red ring and you should be able to unscrew the black stantion with your hands, useing the triple as a vise; this stops the ring from getting marked up with pliers. Laser pointed out the need to pull the plastic spring spacer to expose the backing nut that locks the cap nut on. One other thing; if you turn the pre-load adjustment nut (inside red ring on rebould leg) too far, you can damage preload internals so be carefull not to force the nut. Spencer

Hey Chad, Chessy's fan cycles on and off on her EVO; does your fan come on as soon as the bike is started, or does it warm up, come on and stay on? Spencer p.s. how is it going with your engine pep-up?

Very little could stop me from coming to this event, in fact the traditional trails practiced in the British Isles is something that I would like to bring to Canada. I am currently working on a single loop, one day, 30 section, mountain trial (400ft-3500ft-1500ft-5500ft-500ft elevation change) to be unveiled to the brave of heart and strong of body within the next 12 months. Visit this site to see pictures of the venue http://www3.telus.net/andrewdb/ look for pictures of Britannia Beach and the Goat (mountain ridge) Spencer