roester

Gary, I got it from info@caswelleurope.co.uk the product code is GTS1750. As I said, I haven't tried it yet so I don't know how good it is. I hope it works - it was expensive but there is enough to do two trials sized tanks so I've split the cost. A friend of mine bought a metal tank from one of the earlier TY monos which is probably an easier way than all of this! Best wishes - Alan

Hi, I got the Pinkie stickers made by MXM and put the post on here originally. I sent MXM templates of the shape of the tank as well as some original stickers, so that most of the tank is covered up by the perforated, super thick and sticky stickers that they made me. They look great and after a year of a fair bit of use they are still stuck on - no lifting at all and no bubbles. In that respect I'm very pleased with them. Unfortunately, the fuel vapour is steadily staining the sticker in the same way that it stains the tank. The bright white is now a dirty cream in places! I've just bought some sealant specifically for plastic petrol tanks with this sort of problem. It is made by Caswell I think - I don't know if it is any good yet and it was not cheap. A scruffy looking tank really bothers me though so hopefully it will be worth it. I've got pictures of the sticker fitted to my bike but can't work out how to upload them onto this site. I could email them if anyone wants (ar@challoners.com). Best wishes - Alan

Hi, Yes, I got them made by MXM and fitted them about a year ago to my TY mono. They are still stuck on perfectly after a year of use - they are thick - motocross quality and perforated so there have been no bubbles, marks or tears. In that respect the quality is excellent. However, whilst they started off as bright white, they are now fairly badly stained from the fuel - just like the tanks go. I've just got Caswell's plastic tank liner/sealant which evidently stops the vapour from the fuel coming through the plastic, so I am going to try that and then put another set of the MXM stickers on. They are also quite expensive I think - they did them cheaply for me because I sent them the originals. If you email me I could send you pictures of the stickers on my bike (ar@challoners.com) - I can't work out how to upload pictures onto this site. Best wishes - Alan

I agree with much of what Dan Thorpe wrote but am also concerned with another angle. I think most of us would like to see the sport of trials grow and thrive, or at the very least avoid dwindling. To do this it needs to attract some new blood from outside the staunch, loyal trials families. I believe that no-stop trials is more appealing to the majority of 'outsiders' based on numerous discussions with friends and family over the years. I've never once seen a non-trials fan so impressed by watching a rider bouncing up and down and then rocketing up a step that they wanted to try the sport. They might marvel at it, but they do at circus acrobats but don't consider leaving their 9-5 to join the circus! Try to explain stop-allowed rules to a road-biking mate and they glaze over well before the end! Some even think the sport looks a bit silly with all that pogoing on the spot. Major sports like football and even smaller ones like motocross, have the majority of rules so that they are intuitive and easy to understand, and much of the beauty of those sports is when the movement flows and is dynamic. Trials will never be mainstream, but the points I'm making are that no-stop traditional rules are much easier to understand, and flowing trials is not only more graceful and pleasing to the eye for most outsiders but comes across as much more accessible to the uninitiated.

I snapped the head off a sump bolt a couple of years ago when trying to undo it and was gutted! However, I actually managed to get it out quite easily. I bought an Easy Out set which are spiral shaped bolt extractors - probably loads available on eBay. I then centre punched right in the middle of the bolt stub and carefully drilled in about a centimeter. I then screwed in the Easy Out anti-clockwise and it threaded the sheared off bolt out almost as easily as if I was using a spanner. I was worried about getting metal swarf into the bottom of the engine so I bought a replacement sump bolt first, measured it and made sure that I didn't drill all of the way through - the bolt for my bike, a Yamaha, was solid right the way through - if there is a magnet in the Gas Gas one it might be different. You could get a replacement bolt from any Gas Gas dealer, straight from the importers or probably from eBay. Good luck - Alan

There have been a few previous threads on this before and the pinking issue seems quite common. I don't remember there being anything like the problems back in the day - although newish Yams would pink a little bit, most ran very well when new in the 1980s/early '90s - at one point half the entry was on a Yam and most only ran badly when worn. The earlier models struggled to breathe slightly and they were refined a bit as the years went on in terms of the airbox and carb. Having said all that, and before forum members regale me with tales of woe, I'm sure there are some bikes which were a nightmare to sort! My opinion is that with most Yams, the key is to get them back to near new. In my experience one of the first jobs is to clean out and repack the whole exhaust system, including the middle box. To do this properly takes quite a lot of time and needs a good welder. The holes in the core need to be fully unblocked and the mid-box chambers repacked and rebuilt. The bike will be transformed and will run far cleaner, smoother and will be easier to carburate. Obviously use a decent clean air filter and check that the carb and air filter rubbers are sealing and the carb is clean. I use the higher octane unleaded at 50:1 with Silkolene pre-mix although I used Motul in the 1980s and it worked just as well. The engines are usually bullet proof for years, but on a well worn bike the crank seals and main bearings can start going. These bikes will rattle like mad without blowing, and freshening up the top end is also often needed. I've always used original Yamaha pistons and rings in the standard engines with stock porting, standard gaskets and stock carb and jets. I've probably had half a dozen of these bikes over the last 20 something years and think they are a cracking machine. Good luck with yours - Alan

Repacking your silencer or putting a new one on is well worth doing. The WES silencers have a good reputation and are fairly quiet. Repacking the middle box also makes a huge difference - it not only quietens it but also makes the power much smoother and 'waffley'. If it hasn't been done for years, if ever, it will be in a real state with most of the packing wrecked and the holes in the core blocked. It is a fiddly job to cut it open as there are several chambers, and the metal is thin so you need a decent and patient welder to put it back together. It is quite a lot of effort but I think it is one of the jobs that makes the most difference to an old mono Yam. I cut a section off the back of the mid box (with a thin blade) and then cut into the chamber inside of that - if you are feeling keen you can also cut the front face off as well whilst still retaining the shape and main structure. If it still sounds like a Greeves is it worth checking the main bearings and piston as well? The Yams came with rubber blocks in the finning and you can pick these up on eBay or from a breakers pretty cheaply if you need them. If the tank doesn't fit well it is probably because you've got an earlier Yam that came with a steel tank, or perhaps the rubber mounts are missing. Great bikes the TY250 mono. Good luck.

No problem Tim. I didn't realise the lower bushes are not available separately. One of mine has got a bit of wear on it although is fine for now. If you ever find that bush available separately, perhaps for another bike I would be grateful of the part number/supplier. I've been buying quite a lot for my TY mono in recent weeks and have found Birkett Motosport good on prices. Nigel not only helped develop the bike and knows everything about them, but also has some cheaper parts. For example the swinging arm chain slider is listed at nearly

Try this link: http://www.tytrials.co.uk/ They have got a parts diagram, although not with parts numbers. They sell the upper bushes you need (which are the ones that normally wear). Hope this helps, Alan

When I got the frame and swinging arm painted on my TY250 mono the paintshop said that they used 'Diamond White'. I don't know what the code was but it was a good match. Alan

If you are having trouble getting these spokes, Hagon make spokes for almost anything. They also rebuild wheels and the ones they have done for me are amazing - I've never needed to adjust the spokes since! Cheers - Alan

Top quality tank stickers for the Pinky Yams are finally ready at a company called MXM!! There have been various delays along the way. Unfortunately the original bloke I was dealing with, Frank Thornton, retired, setting the whole process back another few months! I only stuck with them because I know that they are top quality and actually stay on the tanks for years - I've used several over the years for old motocross bikes. The only differences from stock are that the silver is actually a pale silver/grey and they have perforated mine with small holes so they don't bubble (this is optional). They are also significantly thicker. I supplied a pattern of the sides and top of the tank so that the stickers can cover up a fair bit of the tank if yours is looking scruffy, or they can be cut to the same size as the original stickers. The ones that cover up a lot of the tank are the TY original design but surrounded by bright white to the shape of the tank Their number is 0191 2860744. I don't know the cost as they supplied mine at cost price as a thank you for making the templates etc. Alan

I know that the latest bikes are unbelievably light and the suspension is incredible, but I still haven't ridden a bike that grips any better on slimy, greasy sections than the good old aircooled mono Yam! I know technology left them behind nearly 20 years ago, but on really snotty sections I think they still turn and grip as well as a modern bike. Is it just me...?

I've got both types of hub - one as a spare. The same sprockets fit both - I use Renthal. The Talon wheel uses the same spacers and backing plate and I've found mine to be a bit more waterproof than the standard one. The spokes are different as explained previously in this thread. The kickstarts were alloy for a while but certainly by the late '80s onwards in the UK they were steel. Nigel Birkett can supply you with an alloy kickstart that will fit, although it requires a little bit of filing and is a bit shorter than the steel one so needs a bigger kick! Cheers - Alan

I'm getting some Yam TY250 'Pinky' stickers made by Frank Thornton at MXM. They will be to motocross quality - thick, tough, very close replicas to the originals and with small perforated holes to allow the vapour to escape without bubbling the sticker. He has taken ages to make them and I still haven't got them. Quality will be superb - I've used the same spec stickers on my motocross bikes for years and they last and last. I thought I would get about 10 made and hen sell some on eBay. Let me know if you are interested and I'll let you know how much - probably about

Back in the late '80s or early '90s a small quantity of alloy swingarms and rear disc brake conversions were imported to the UK from Japan for the TY mono. I don't know what company made them but remember Mick Andrews saying about them. If anyone knows of where a kit is I would be interested in buying it (alan.roe@challoners.com) Having said that the stock drum brake is great - pretty powerful, plenty of feel and fairly waterproof - especially with a Talon hub.

What a great weekend! The Berko club pulled out all of the stops and celebrated the club's centenary in style. People like Pete Weight, Ted North and many others are real unsung heroes for putting in an unbelievable amount of work, and many thanks to the Haslam family for hosting it on their land. There are some great pictures on the club's website of lots of the riders, including some stunning shots of Sam Haslam, James Dabill etc. Go to http://berkotrials.com/photographs.htm

Berkhamsted MCC have been going for 100 years. To celebrate we are holding a weekend of trialling at Sam Haslam's spectacular practise ground in Buckinghamshire on 12th and 13th July. Riders from all centres are welcome. To spice things up a bit on the Saturday (12th July) we are organising a club team trial. Teams of three on the hard route. Come down and take on the South Midland centre club teams. Represent your club with pride. One of the Berkhamsted Teams has already started making their team shirts... Sections for the team event will range from normal club hard route to a few of reasonable Novogar severity. No sketchy frame bending steps but plenty of good honest challenge - logs, rocks, roots and steep banks. Aimed at Experts and decent Youth As and Intermediates. Too easy for British Championship pros. Trophies for the top three club teams and the pride of knowing that you kicked everyone else's arses! We would love to have teams from other centres and can guarantee a warm welcome. There will also be easier routes for other classes not competing in the team trial, trade stands, classic vehicle displays, camping, electronic score board updated each lap etc etc. On the Sunday we will again have routes for all abilities but this time there will also be a 'Super Expert' route for British Championship level riders. Stuart Robinson and Ray Haslam are setting out the sections for this and we already have riders including Sam Haslam and Alexz Wigg signed up. For more info. contact Alan Roe on alan.roe@challoners.com