alan bechard

Doug used "slime" tire sealant as the lubricant to reinstall the strip and has had no leaks since.

There are several variations on how to avoid / correct this. On mine, and yes they all stick, or have stuck at one point or another, I usually start my bike, while allowing it to warm I pull the clutch in and let it out several times, then when I go to start, I put the bike in 2nd gear with the clutch in and it usually disengages right then. I always, always, always try and point the bike towards a clear spot when doing this (any bike) just in case it decides not to release smoothly. Two of my favorite campfire stories involve Dad on a Frontera, one he had just changed his pipe, and could not get it to "clear" came on the powerband and cleared all at the same time, ran over the guys brand new painted and reupholstered Alpina while the guy was fueling it, and I do mean ran over. Different Frontera, big motorhome with steel bike rack on the back with generator, revs it up, clears it out, drops it into gear with a stuck clutch, I believe he still has the scars from that one!

8 Jan 04 Hmmmm, Dear Diary, it is so darn hard to tell where my life ends and the Trials begins, seems that so much that I do revolve around it. Much of the past week spent buying a Tractor and Trailer and getting the financing and the accessories worked out. That is truly for the wifes business, but, it will also be used, probably first by the way, in mowing the parking area, and setting some of the log sections in the Trials. It will also be there on hand in case needed for bad weather as a tow vehicle. Spent last night looking at chains, shackles and pins, then I got out of the adult novelty shop! No, really, spent my evening at Rural King and TSC the local farm stores looking and learning the different ways of hooking stuff up, they had some very neat things that would help with dragging logs, uh, I mean, removing unwanted plantings from customers landscapes. Got the daughters Sherco back together, and mine serviced in preperation for the upcoming year end banquet this weekend and first ride of the season. Have been working with the folks preparing the online signup and computerized scoring system that will be used at the event next year. Trying to get the details worked out as to how different clubs do things, and why sometimes, can be a challenge. So here is my question to you guys out there. I am considering doing a "Hay Ride" where we would take my tractor, and a 6 X 12 Trailer lined with haybales and ride the people around the field. This would provide the "trolly" type thing that I have promoted for others, and my past experience is that it would give the kids something great to do. The question that comes up is Liability and Manning. Is it worth the liability? Would the AMA insurance cover it should something unfortunate happen? Would a seperate waiver be needed even though everyone would have signed one at the gate? Would I be better off to put 2 people on this as a task? One driving and one being a safety guy on the trailer? Would this be worth the loss of an additional person or two? It would also give me someone out there in the parking lot keeping the "driving lanes" open. So what do you folks think? It is truly a small area, and the "trolly" would be neat, but certainly not required.

Thanks Tim, They are subjects that I can learn a lot from, and folks like Ron and Dan taking the time to sit down and write it out make it happen. I think there is a wealth of experience and knowledge at our fingertips that all too often we fail to tap into. I doubt anyone will ever do things exactly the same as someone else, but learning from their mistakes and triumphs has got to be better than stumbling about blind and guessing. Thanks to those that are writing here, and to those that will come and add their 2 cents.

Well, at least the topic did not start out GREASED !

Heyyyyyy, what about the introduction????

Well, first you introduce me to the lady in your Avatar! Well, maybe not. A lot depends on what you have available to do it with. (lathe, Parts etc) P4T3 if you have been around where I have for a bit. Just my guess from your past posts but I doubt you have a full machine shop etc in the garage. (neither do I) What I do have is fairly easy machine access through a couple of different ways. Enough babbling, If I was going to do it at your house, we would start with a trip to the automotive parts house that was known to have "everything" Often Napa over here, I have heard Wurth mentioned over there, but not sure if they are a tool maker or a supply house. Go in and find that old crusty guy that sold Jesus new laces for his sandles, ask him for a needle type grease fitting and the needle to service them with. Get the absolute smallest you can find. I would go with threaded but they often have push in as well. I would not go with the thread cutting if given a choice. If you have Rev'er and Wonder Boy behind the counter (sorry guys, had to pick on you some!) Then wander around in till you find the grease guns and look for the attatchment that looks like a hypodermic needle size jumbo, then take that too the counter and ask for the grease fitting that fits. Ok, now that you have the fittings and the needle, pickup if you do not have a cobalt (spend the money) 3mm (1/8") bit. An approrpriate bit for the tap, and the tap to thread for the fittings. Now go home and spend some time staring at the underside of your bike. Figure out which side of the bolt you can get that needle too. Mark the bolts to show where you want the fittings. I would stongly reccomend that you do this part in a lathe! It can be done by hand, but then again, I have seen a vice that an ANZAC aircraft mechanic made entirely with a hacksaw and hand file, not saying it cannot be done, just that the odds are not good. Pull the bolt, drill through from the end that you want the fitting in till you are roughly as deep into the shank of the bolt of the center of the bolt, or at least past the o-ring seal on the bearing with the bolt in the installed position. Mark your depth and make a mark on the shank of the bolt and drill through one side to hit your center hole. Debur thouroughly. Now bore the hole to a depth of just a red hair deeper than the grease fitting threads and tap it to accept the grease fitting, Tap the hole and then insert your grease fitting. Reassemble your bike after you have done this a number of times. Some bolts you may choose to do from both sides, like the swingarm (Hmmm) You may need to nick the o-rings on a sealed bearing to allow the grease to escape, I bet there is enough room without doing it, but you usually cannot apply the same amount of pressure with the needle as you do with the lock on type fitting. Before you start, make sure you can do All the bearings, otherwise, you never will do that odd one till it comes apart. The center on a Sherco would be tough I think. I would have to check if you strapped down the back to make the delta link flex low if you could get at all three points. Just for reference, I would not do this. Taking the stuff apart and holding it in your hands and inspecting it twice a year, or probably once a year, just does not take that long, and gives you a chance to really give it a good going over. But that is my opinion. I hope that makes sense too you. Somewhere, I thought there were pictures of a Mont that someone had done fittings on?????? Was that you D?

I think that what D is referring too is a button head or a needle type grease fitting. http://www.lincolnindustrial.com/html/lube_fittings.asp Here are some pictures. It has been a while since I looked at a TY but I thought it was lubed through the center of the bolt as opposed to going through the sleeve of the bearing. If I was going to add this, feature, I would go through the bolts. I would think a fairly small hole would suffice quite nicely. It certainly does not take much grease in there. My 2 cents. Probably another topic that I have killed.

The guys that do the Baraboo (I think) trials use this system, and use a group of boy scouts to observe it. Citytrials I hope can come on and answer this one, I think he rides with that group some????? My opinion it is a great idea that removes all the crud judgement calls out of it. I like it.

29 December 2003 This is a diary to share what goes on with the hosting of an event. It may be silly to some, stupid to some, and interesting, entertaining or comical to others. Probably a little bit of each to most readers. My thoughts with doing this are that it should provide some insights for others that are potentially looking at being promoters. I also hope that it will let some of the more seasoned promoters see the mistakes I am about to make, and hopefully lend a kind bit of advice. The third goal would be that hopefully some of the folks that just ride, and never are the promoter, will read along and appreciate what the folks putting these things on go through to make it happen. And maybe they will give the promoter the benefit of the doubt when it is all said and done. The background segment I am sure I will miss pertinent details here, but will cover them later if asked. My name is Alan Bechard. I live in Clarksville, TN, which is about one hour north of Nashville, TN. I am 37 years old with 2 children and a very understanding wife. I have been riding Trials since I was 5 or 6 but only very recently started getting into the promoting end of the sport. I believe in the saying that goes, how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. In this instance, it means that I wanted to gradually progress in my learning. To that end we ran a fun trial in 01, and STRA sanctioned event in 02 and we are planning a large regional event this year. In 01 and 02 I was also the Youth Director for the Southeastern Trials Riders Association (STRA) Where are we at this point? We have received a sanction from Trials Inc (TI), the club to our north and a date for a two day event. I routinely speak with other members of STRA and we have this same date blocked in tentatively on the STRA calendar. The scheduled date is May first and second. This was not my first, second, nor third choice but came about after much shuffling to avoid longer established events. I went to Nashville, Indiana to propose to hold the event here in Clarksville, and the Kentucky Trial Riders group of TI agreed to go in with me on it. We have a 40-acre site that we are allowed to ride on that is privately owned. It is located one mile from the interstate on a major road so it is excellent for access and you are in the

OK, this is aimed at the older guys who formed a club, or participated in the formation of a club, and developed it until it is now an "established" well organized self sustaining club. I have seen many groups (outside Trials) get going with one dynamic individual, but when that "spark plug" leaves, the clubs tend to die down and quit. What is the difference between them and the clubs that keep on going like NETA, STRA, ATA etc. etc.???? And anyones input is appreciated, but I am really looking for that first hand experience. And honestly, I am not sure that it matters if it is a "Trials" club. I think there are many correlations between clubs of all sorts that can be used as lessons.

Shameless plug I guess, but here is a very nice way to do it. The others work fine as well. https://secure.rypusa.com/prodpage.cfm?Cat_...ct_Selected=258 Smooth, no muss, no fuss no damaged bearings. Oh, and forgot to add, that while you may be able to get the bearings from a bearing house, I doubt you will be able to get the "inner Race" or hat bushing, which if you have toasted the bearing the odds are good that it needs to be replaced as well. Support your local shop, and they will support you when you are in a bind.

Well, as things are so exciting here where I am I was wandering around a bit, and read Ron Milam's excellent suspension set up articles on the front page. For those of you that know me a bit, you know that Doug has decided that I cannot measure (maybe he thinks I exagerate a touch) worth a flip so we came up with the "Dwight" system of measurement. Dwight is one of our good natured riding buddies by the way, and I now must use Dwight as the standard of measuring heights of obstacles, and on occasion we use Dean my 7 year old, so now hills are described as being "one Dwight high" or maybe "one Dwight and a Dean" Well, I thought this was rather hilarious and funny till I was reading through one of Rons articles written quite a while ago and noticed that he used "Crawford Units" which I judge to be the same kind of thing. So, Steve, if you are out there, I sympathize with you man! and hey, lets get together and do some 15' banks that lets see would be two Dwights or 23 CU high?????? OK so thinks are a bit slow, but I found it funny!

Sure would like to see that one Wayne, not sure how I missed it, but yes, I would like to see it. I have to ask Shan about some other stuff as well, so I will ask about that at the same time. I will e-mail my polini thoughts off line.

Hi Eric, hoping you and the family are having great holiday's as well. That was kind of the plan. I set the shock up with some preload on it when I changed the spring over, then stuck it in, and had her come out and do some "baseline" readings. I was going to take her out and let her ride for a while with it the way it is, then change it dramaticly and let her try it again. All the while watching and seeing what I can see from the side. I think after a bit of "tuning" and a little aggravation and time, I will be able to get it "dialed" for her. But then again, I am not sure her or I could honestly tell the difference that much. It will be a fun excercise at the least, and another project, just what I need! You need to come out this way and ride with us some. It will be fun. Wet slimy, slip and slide this weekend I bet!

Has anyone gone through and set up their suspension for their kids on either a 50 or the 125? The 50 has 3 preload setting's is anyone else out there using them? I have just put the light (100 lb of so) RYP spring on Christina's 125, set it for about 3" of race sag. Anybody have any insights or suggestions?

The hardest bike to work on is the one that broke on the back part of the trail and you decided that you did not need the fanny pack with tools in it to do this final lap Thank goodness trials riders are such a friendly bunch! I think everyone that passed us stopped and offered to help or go get us something or whatever they could do to get us out of a bind. I have been extremely pleased working on my Sherco's that everything has been accessible with relative ease.

I do not remember who said it, but the guy who brings his own helmet and boots is the guy that will stick. The others are along for the free ride. Sometimes I hate to think of what I have spent for others to ride, then sometimes, it all pans out well. Really is the best though if you can get them out trying it in an informal manner. Of course we have taken one or two new guys out with the Rednecks and I think we scared them off!!!

I am sorry I am not picturing it well in my mind, but my first thought would be a very light pass with an adjustable reamer through the case that the kickstarter passes through. I do believe that bullfrog had a very valid suggestion though! Sounds like a little TIG time to me.

True story but no photographs to back it up. Moved to Germany in 88? Living on the top floor of the barracks which was essentially the attic, big open room, simply huge and it was the 4th floor above ground level. I had shipped my bike (85 TY 350) as "hold Baggage" which for single soldiers is usually your Sofa, TV, Stereo etc. I meet the German movers at the base of the stairs and they have this huge wooden moving crate that all my stuff ended up packed in. After damn near begging them to leave it there and I would unpack it (I think I had slightly misnamed my bike by posssibly refering to it as a "sofa" on the shipping paperwork) and being told that it was absoulutely not going to happen that way, they had to take it too my room and unpack it there. Well, these 4 German movers toted that whole thing up 4 flights of stairs, get up there, and start unpacking it, you should have seen the looks on their faces when the bike came out of the center and I rode it back down the stairway! I had a very understanding commander then who let me keep it in my room till I found a garage off post a couple of weeks later.

Latest copy of Cycle News with write up by City Trials (Craig) and the latest Trials Comp, safely turned over to the US postal service for delivery. I am not quite sure if that means you are in good hands, or if they stamped please throw this to the next guy to your right on it and are depending on that for delivery. Heck, if nothing else with US mail it may be a collectors item by the time you get it! Happy reading, hope you enjoy it.

There is a good explanation with pictures on how to do this on the RYP site, www.rypusa.com, Sherco then manuals I believe. If you lost bearings and 5 spokes, I would say your maintenance has been a bit lax to say the least. I have never had much luck replacing single spokes. If you are going to do that, back them all off and then bring the tension up on them all evenly as possible. When the spokes are carrying unequal amounts of the load is when they usually start snapping. Ron Milam also did an article about that with the imortal quote from Charlie Roberts, loose spokes don't break. It is located on the STRA website, www.setrialsriders.org When you put in your new bearings, pull the seals and fully pack them with grease, this will prevent water intrusion. (put the seals back on when you are done by the way) Be careful (read do not do it) when you are tempted to apply heat to your spokes because you cannot get them to break loose. Good penetrating oil, weasel p***, or whatever you care to call it, patience, and a bit of luck go a long way, or my technique usually involves bolt cutters and 32 new spokes. (maybe 36 depending on your bike) Have never been real successful at straightening large bends in the rims, or dents. (not out of true conditions, but actual bends) the aluminum the rims are made from seemed to be work hard with about one bend, and bending them back has always destroyed them for me. (I am not talking about correcting an out of true condition with the spokes, I am speaking of a "bend" such as you dropped off a 4' drop onto a sharp rock with the rear wheel and "Bent" one side of the rim) Anyway, I have seen some wheels with some pretty tremendous bends and dings in them hold tires and air just fine, so leave well enough alone when it comes to them, and as you are truing, just go to each side of the damaged area. I have probably thouroughly confused you at the moment, and if I have, just flush any thought of this post right away.

Same as Joe, it is just basicly pouring a bit of raw gas on into the engine to get it going. Learned that on my RMX when I could not get it going and had kicked till I was blue in the face. Old RMX guy comes over and says to lay the bike on its side and pick it back up and it will start, I got to say I looked at him rather stupid but I was pretty desperate to get to the starting line. Worked like a charm.

No, trials magazines (actually it is more of a newspaper) are not widely sold, Shan, are you watching? I believe almost all of Trials Comp is sold by subscription, but I really do not know that as a fact. I am sure there are some trials specialty shops that would have a couple of copies, but if you got one or two you would go ahead and subscribe. I think the closest thing we have to your T&MX news is a weekly publication called Cycle News (I will send the latest copy of this along) Primarily MX, road racing, flat track, enduro whatever, but the occasional Trials article, main features by Mario Candelone, and US national stuff by Shan (Trials Comp) Moore, local articles by Craig (City trials here) and occasionally myself but I have been slipping lately. The demand for all things trials related is relatively low in the US. Sherco Dude, don't worry about paying me back, pay it forward along the way somewhere.

Yep, got it, I assume the country would be UK???? Should go out tomorrow.