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POGO STICK!!!! make that puppy bounce!! ok maybe not that extreme but some rebound is good for unweighting etc...

OTF I have tried to watch recent videos of the SSDT and quite honestly I find them rather boring and have a difficult time watching more than a minute or two. They seem quite a bit like watching enduro but not as fast and exciting. I think the SSDT has such a large entry is due to the tradition and history of the event and to be able to say "I rode that event". I don't think it has anything to do with whether it is No stop or Stop allowed. Trials ultimately is about control of the machine. That is why I believe that stop and balance is part of trials. Also choosing a line and sticking with it is part of trials. Choosing exactly where you hop the rear tire to the right or left and then doing it is a part of trials. I still believe the following is the best compromise to merge the two sets together. Stop and balance = 0 Footing while moving = 1 (additional footing adding up to 3) Stop with foot down = 5 (those that want no stop will see that a type of stop will be penalized, those that want stop allowed will see that at least the stop determination will be less often and only matters if a foot is down) Can we all agree that stop with foot down makes you a human kickstand, you're bike already has one of those and can do it without your help. Therefore you have lost control. Bikes progress in design and abilities, rules should also evolve to incorporate the changes to the equipment. Trials is unique and we should keep it that way, instead of comparing it to other sports or trying to make it like other motor sports (or try to reclaim the "good old days"). We need to get spectators and riders to understand and appreciate what makes trials different and then we will see an increase in participation. Yes, if other organizations adopt the no stop rules I will ride to no stop rules and still have fun, not sure how hard I will try to win, but as a member of Team WGASA the focus is FUN!! But if we don't express our opinions on the topic the governing bodies will never know what their "customers" think of the service provided. Personally I don't care if the sections are set up differently to accomodate the no stop rules, I just don't like no stop, it eliminates an entire set of skills from being used.

Camera man adhered to both rules #5 and #6. Also followed trials rule #21 "If there are no injuries, KEEP FILMING!!" Rider was victim to rule #13 "Trials Bike will make it to the top, with or without the rider"

j13me, Now that is what we like to see. Progress "Had the kickstart part welded (it was an actual bike garage so they knew about the seals etc)" which part was welded? and have the seals you mention melted now? For tension on the chain what I normally do is put the bike on a stand so that both wheels are off the ground and adjust the snail cams until I can fit 1 or 1.5 fingers between the top of the rub block tensioner and the swing arm. It seems to work good for me. There are probably other methods with more technical reasons behind them. oh and usually people wish for good weather so they can ride. Sounds like with your job you will get good riding wet rainy, muddy events.

Yes the swing arm needs to come off to change the rubber "swing arm protector chain rub thingy" I have looked at my 2003 Gas Gas and them rivets look huge, If I ever need to change mine I may try threading the holes for the rivets and switching over to screws.

I think I bought my turds from a discount tool store or it was the "bargain bin" at the local hardware store. I am a bit of a cheap consumer and thought I would just have some "just in case" I needed to finish an event or something. I have been extremely lucky and not had any punctures on my tubeless rear tires on the trials bike. That is probably the extent of my "Extreme Sports" experience.

Thanks Duffers, The extra O's are to provide emphasis on the importance of the sound. Yes the standard spelling is with only 5 O's but the number of O's increases proportionally to the emphatic importance of the emotion that the writer is trying to get across. Very much similiar to the use of profane expletives. I will provide examples. 1st loop - "Wow that is a hard 90 degree turn then over the 4 foot log" 2nd loop - " I am beginning to hate that sharp turn and log combo" 3rd loop - " That D*** Turn and Log got me 5 points again" 4th loop - " I just 5ed that !@#$%^&*^%$#$%^&*&^%$%^& Turn and Log AGAIN!!" "#$$%^&^^ IT I QUIT RIDING!" (translation: I must really not like the sound of wind and would prefer music or sound off instead of wind on videos )

The Great Dane ones are rather large, only good for bid holes. Jack Russel Terrier ones are pretty small so probably only good for little kids bikes................. I would go under the assumption that as long as they have an adequate amount of glue on them any brand should work. I have bought some ultra cheap ones, I put one on a road bike I had just so the rear tire would hold air and I could move it around easier until I bought a new tire. Held air pretty good for quite some time.

OK you all seem to be saying I should take covers off and look at stuff.........I am scared I would have to do something about what I found..... Also what is this activity known as "washing the bike"? It's almost like you are saying I should be nice to my bike!???

Having someone else film you would be helpful and a bit humbling, I know this from experience. I swear I felt like a superstar when I went over tbat big rock! But on video I looked like an Emu that just couldn't get it's legs in thd right spot. As for your musical choices, make your videos for what YOU like. They are YOUR videos after all. Don't let a bunch of us old codgers change your mind. (I personally prefer to hear the sound of the motor. But sometimes there is too much wind and all one hears is the wwwhhhooooooossshhh of wind) Above all else have fun, stick with it. And you will get much enjoyment from the sport. Non-trials riders will wonder why you are screaming excited and jumping up and down happy when you mastered that hard 90 degree turn and over the 4 foot log immediately after....... but we don't ride for them.

I had a Fantic Section for a couple years. can't remember if it was the 97 or not. Mine was Black and a little bit of orange with the Cro-Mo frame. It did the job quite well for me as an upgrade from a Honda TLR200 Reflex. I did not really have any mechanical issues with it. Did have to have the frame welded at the swing arm pivot area, both sides. was cracked when I got it. Hydraulic clutch line was a plastic line with compression fittings at the master cylinder. It worked but just didn't seem really robust. I smashed the clutch cover on a rock and lost the majority of my transmission fluid in an event, finished that loop and topped off the transmission and went out for another loop. Transmission and clutch survived just fine. All in all it was a good bike, just be careful of the forward kick..............don't slip, hurts like the dickens.

Looks like you are having fun. Stick with it and enjoy. One quick piece of advice: you should try to "cover the front brake" when you ride. You are doing good with keeping a finger on your clutch lever as you ride but you should try doing the same thing with the front brake. This makes it easier to use the front brake immediately after an obstacle or when an unexpected need for the front brake comes up. one of the reasons I watch trials vids with the sound off now..............(I am 40 and according to my wife and kids "A grumpy old man" HAHA)

Does anyone know if the flywheel puller from a 2000 Sherco 290 will fit a 2003 Gas Gas TXT Pro 300?? It is basically the same engine as the 2004 pro

First off I would like to commend you and your young rider on the commitment you have made for the sport, it would be a giant boost for the USA if we do have riders compete internationally and I sincerly wish you luck and many clean rides. Keeping all my emotions out of this and just using logic. NATC serves many skill levels of riders, not just the Pros and aspiring Pros. NATC should not adopt a rule that only a few competitors will "benefit" from. You state "and learn how to compete within whatever rules are put in place." which is true of any rider that chooses to compete in other events/venues/series other than their "home" events. So it is up to the competitor to find out the rules for those events and prepare themselves for it. It is not the resposibility of another organization to do that for them. For example: MOTA and TI are "local" club level organizations, both have similiar rules but there are differences which will cause a rider to obtain a 5 if they are unaware. If I choose to ride both series I am responsible to know the rules and practice the skills necessary to ride the 2 different series. MOTA and NATC have a different set of rules, it is not the resposibility of MOTA to make sure that I am prepared for riding nationals, that is my responsibility. We could even expand on this and bring into it AHRMA and ITSA. I would love to have the time and money to ride all these series, but it would be my responsibilty to be ready for each different series. Yes, it would be ideal if we had in the USA a "Great Grand Unified Trials Rule Theory" and we all ran events to the same rules............ but let's face it that ain't gonna happen. Just my opinion.

All the controls are in the same places, but are used completely differently. Also body positioning may be different as well. Just take your time, don't expect to ride trials as well as you ride MotoX as soon as you jump on the bike. And above all else, HAVE FUN!!!

Today's bikes have moved way forward in design and abilities they provide. Stop and Hop is a progression of the sport. Stop and Hop is a Skill, so is riding No-Stop. Both have their place in trials, usually within the same section. That is why a time limit was instituted to eliminate the standing still for 10 mins in a section. Whether you stopped or not 90 seconds is what you had to work with. You could keep moving forward at a snails pace, get a 2 and still time out at 92 seconds for a 5, or stop and hop and make it out with your 2 at 88 seconds. And yes any rider that chooses to ride No-Stop can continue to do so, the difference is you may want to "drop down a class" to be able to ride that style. Yes it is a bit of a hit to the ego to be riding Intermediate or Sportsman instead of Advanced and Expert or Champ. But as the machines, equipment and riders get better the sections will progress to be harder. I don't think the clubs would like to add another class to accommodate the progression of skill/ability when there is so much complaining about having too many classes now.

What a bunch of crap that video is! No-Stop failed years ago and will fail again. My wife really has no interest in the sport and just puts up with my silly obsession, but those are the people that going to No Stop is supposed to get interested in the sport. She watched the section with Albert Cabestany doing the rear wheel hops. She said that there is such a minute difference between the stopped and the no stop that it will be difficult to decide. So for the average Joe that decides "hey let's check out this trials thing I have heard about" they go to a world round to see the BEST of the world and the rider has a flawless, awesome looking ride and gets a 5 because of a "hesitation" (translation "stop"). Average Joe will be wondering "what happened, why did the rider get a 5? It looked awesome to me" They will be confused all day. Also, all this talk about designing sections to suit No Stop riding that's all fine and dandy, but am I the only one watching this video that thought "those obstacles look like something I could ride or at least attempt, I thought these were the best riders in the world? Shouldn't they be able to ride stuff that looks impossible?" Sure the FIM may be trying to make the average rider in other motorcycle sports interested in trials and "easier" sections make the spectator believe they could do that. But in the USA anyways it may have the opposite effect. Look at the popularity of FMX the spectators know they can't ride like that but they love to watch it and then go ride their MotoX bikes really fast and dream that they are flying through the air like the FMX guys. But of course this is all just my opinion, and I know we all will not agree. Also the FIM governs, makes rules for World Events but I just don't see how this No-Stop nonsense would help the Club level and National level events. Might as well go ride Enduro and EnduroCross on the "big" bikes and get some respect for "riding the tough stuff". Notice there are no longer trials bikes allowed to compete withe the "big" bikes in EnduroCross in the USA, they got booted to their own class.

If you do set fire to it. Take video of it so that we all may enjoy the experience with you. That is what this forum is for, to share the trials experience with all of us!

in addition to previous post. Be sure to grease/lube the suspension linkage bearings (including shock top/bottom) at a minimum once a year. keep an eye on the fork seals, can never lube the chain too much

I started riding as a youngen back in the late 70's on Yamaha TYs (80 and 175). Basic idea was first gear and never touch the clutch. But the idle could also be set to fire once every 30 mins or so. Then I was out for a few years after graduation etc.... Then I get back into it about 8-10 yrs ago and the bikes are AWESOME. Hydraulic clutch so smooth to use, engines rev to the moon, brakes that actually work, and real suspension. Balance, stop and hop are just parts of progression of the sport. I know nobody cares about how I ride but here goes. I try to be smooth when I ride, this does not mean riding no stop. Some turns I will try to "ride through" smooth like the old days, if I am unable then I will try to hop the rear or the front. Sometimes I will stop, balance and collect myself before attempting what is a "large" obstacle or hill climb for me. Point to all this is I try to incorporate both styles in my riding. Both sets of skills have a place in Trials, and usually it is in the same section. I don't want a heavier bike, a twin shock bike or a bike with a seat. I have no problem if the manufacturers decide to produce them again as another option, but please don't stop making the Trials specific machines that we now have, that would be a step backwards.

Really enjoyed watching this earlier today. Thanks!

First off, I HATE wiring. And I will assume you now do as well. Looking at the pic, the yellow wire in the middle of your left palm, going from big white connector at the bottom of the pic to the little black connector in your palm looks like it may be broken/frayed at the little black connector in your palm. May want to look at that and decide if that needs a better connection.

You are partially accurate Copey.............. we don't have much snow here right now.

Yep, some of the older riders may have to ride "down a class" and no longer be labeled "Expert". The sport has progressed and evolved past their current abilities. Hopefully I live and can ride long enough for that to happen to me. It is a bit of a hit to the ego, but it happens to all of us. I ride Advanced but there are gentlemen in the MOTA Senior class that I would be unable to beat riding the same Senior line as them. They are just so damn good and smooth after so many years riding. But they would not be able to beat me riding Advanced lines because it is a different set of skills. Why should we limit everyone to using only one set of skills for the sport? "Lower" class sections typically can be ridden No stop. "higher" class sections Usually lend themselves to Stop and Hop. Stop and balance = 0 Stop with foot down = 5 Make all riders understand the observer has final say = DO NOT argue with the observer. Make all observers understand the need for consistency = NO special stop counts for certain riders, all riders get same 1 sec or 20 second count. Just be consistent and then all the riders are scored the same for that section. preferably entire event. Problem solved

Ya gotta watch out for those ninja dogs. very sneaky they are I have the All Balls bearing kit, it has the seals separate from the bearings..........It came with the bike when I bought it. So not really out any extra $$ How does your wife like the static shock that builds up from scootin' across the carpet. Does the kiss go a little like this. Scoot Scoot "Hey Honey, Love you" smooch ZZZZZAAAAAAPPPPPP! followed by a loving slap to your face?