zippy

For me the best bike for 2018 is my current 2003 GasGas 300 Pro. The Old BAGG is more capable than I am, and as long as I throw $$ at parts she just keeps trucking along. (I have had good experience with her being a 15 yr old bike and the abuse I have given her) Yes, I am whining about not being able to buy a new bike. Personally I would go GasGas, but that is just my opinion. I tried a 2017 Scorpa 250 and the riding stance just felt "odd" to me

OH good point on the clutch cover, I forgot that bit. I do normally leave the cover and clutch line hanging on the bike when I pull the engine. Best to buy a new gasket here too, even though I have had success re-using the old one, but it is a real gamble. And what peterb said about the oil hole. (can be seen in the first pic of my post)

Short answer: Yes I believe so. Long answer below: You will want to have the engine removed from the frame for this. You will also need a new center gasket, it is really thin and not reusable. If you want to leave the radiator in the frame (can be done, but really is easier to just pull it with the engine) remove water pump and disconnect the hoses on the cylinder. remove anything else holding the engine in place, place engine on bench. Pull cylinder, you can leave the head attached. pull reed block. (May get lucky and reuse gaskets, but not likely) Pull sprocket off pull flywheel/stator and Allen bolts for case half and voila! case half should pop apart. Be watchful for various thrust washers/collars on gear shafts Next is to determine which crank bearings you have, I am not sure what the 2006 has. I found this at trialsandtribulations.com (stated for credit, not necessarily advertising. I have no connection) This states for 2005 onwards, the crankshaft bearings/seal/O-rings are all integrated as one unit. Which may explain why the seal was too small to pull with a screw Older versions like mine have on the ignition side: going from outside in, Seal -18, bearing-19, washer-20 and another seal-21 The crank also has a collar with an O-ring between the collar and the crankshaft. Numbers 1 and 2 in bottom photo. I believe the single unit above replaces all of those bits. (images below found at Lewisportusa.com again just for credit no other reason.)

Wavy disc looks cool.

The scorch marks were on the inside of the case below the bearings, they could be seen with the bearings installed. If I remember correctly they cleaned right off with some brake cleaner. (has been a few years since I owned that bike) Main bearings were so bad at time of rebuild, if I tapped the end of the handlebars with the engine off, you could hear the crankshaft wobble and clunk. Also the bike used more fuel after the rebuild, almost like it was recycling it

As a fellow "fat kid" (well north of 200 Lbs) I also have a 2003 GasGas, the forks are original in springs spacers etc. I run 5 wt. fork oil. and they seem to perform just fine. My forks are the 38mm GasGas produced forks, no manufacturer markings just a part number cast into the lower fork tube. I suggest riding it as is for a while to see if you will need stiffer springs and then decide from there.

I did try to run the 2000 Sherco 2.9 I had under water........... did not stay running after sucking in water. Long story short, pumped water out spark plug hole and finished the event. 2 yrs later the crankshaft bearings were HORRIBLE (creek had a ton of silt crap in it). Tear down bike, It had what looked like scorch marks on the cases under the crank bearing locations - rings leaking by? and there was silt/dirt caked into the corners of the intake path of the cases. She was still running................ although she ran much better after the rebuild.

Yep, just throw some $$$$$ at it.

We removed the pump on ours when I was a kid, I am pretty sure my dad removed the pump on his brand new TY250 way back in the late 70's before taking it out for a spin.

I even have it linked to my PayPal (paranoia runs deep within me ) There is always room for more beer in the house, good idea

I considered ordering the GasGas shift lever, it's about $12 US. I use a prepaid credit cart for web purchase, so most they will get if they steal info is about $50

I am enjoying the trip this has been, your enthusiasm for this build is great.

Sherco rider at an event I was working could not get his bike to start for the event. He was at his wits end. I started asking him questions to help jog his memory/diagnose the problem. - when was the last time it was running: Yesterday - how long did it run: A few hours (he was practicing for the event) - did it run ok: Ran perfect - did you change a plug or something after getting done riding: nope, just washed the bike - you got a bad ground mate, Sure enough, disconnect ignition ground from frame, clean, reattach and VROOOM event was enjoyed. (And people wonder why I don't wash my bike very often, all it does is make me notice the problems she is having) (yes, that is sarcasm)

Don't forget to check the condition of the hose, I have been arguing with my front brake for mushy feel for quite some time. I finally got very mad at it and pulled the entire system off the bike, that is when I noticed the pinched spot in my hose. I theorize this flat spot will cause inconsistent pressure due to the flat spot trying to go round again when the brake lever is pulled in. I am awaiting a new hose to replace it. Hopefully this fixes my problem

Not exactly. HAHAHA She was an outside cat that lived for 14yrs. She would look both ways before crossing the street, but sadly the last two years she would not leave the garage in the winter (heated) and stopped moving for cars pulling into the driveway. She didn't move one day and is no longer with us.

You need to get yourself a "garage cat" that is not allowed in the house. (I had one for 14yrs) Use the excuse that you want to keep the rodent population down. Once you have said cat, then you need to explain to the significant other that it would be inhumane to not have a warm area for the cat during the cold months. Now you need to install a furnace in the garage, just to keep it at a steady 40 degrees(F) for the cat. Upside is when you go to the garage you will then be able to kick the heat up to 60F or so to keep you warm while out in the garage. (this worked for me )

My suggestion: 1, check pads make sure they are good or replace to make sure 2. Make sure the push rod has just a little play before it hits the master cylinder piston. this allows the piston to fully return in the master cylinder. 3. for some reason air gets trapped at/near the top of the master cylinder and it just does not go anywhere. The following method works for me to get rid of the air. Raise the front tire, on a truck tail gate, work bench or whatever. Using the brake pedal pump up/get pressure on the brake system. Loosen the banjo bolt for the hose on the master cylinder. You should hear the air escaping. The banjo bolt is a little odd to get to and is easiest accessed using an offset box end wrench. I think it is 14mm but I may be wrong on the size.

My 2003 has some up and down play in the rear linkage when on the stand. Not sure how much play, just that I can lift the rear tire and it is noticeable. The play is still there even after replacing all of the linkage bearings.

Excellent, thank you sir

Has a good look to it, but in the "unread" listing I cannot see the titles of the threads. When I hover the mouse over where the title is the pointer indicates there is a link there. I am assuming it is a display setting (font color) that I should be able to change, just haven't located it yet.

@biffsgasgas made up some spare magnets for us to use, they are called "Nancy's"

My club has a very small property, about 10 acres. We usually run 8 sections with 5 loops. About half of the venues are able to run 10 sections with 4 loops. We don't run into too many lines longer than 5 or 6 riders. MOTA does the same as @dan williams stated, we can start at any section as long as the sections are ridden sequentially from that point. This does help spread the riders out. I typically don't mind waiting for one or two riders ahead of me, gives me a bit of a break. Also line sizes vary through out the event due to people stopping for a drink, rest, fuel, after each loop.

Within MOTA, if a rider wants to compete for the end of season trophy they must be a "member in good standing". This requires two things 1. be a member of a MOTA sanctioned club (We have 6 clubs) 2. work a minimum of 2 events (each club hosts 2 events, you work your club's events and then have 10 events to ride for the season) This system works out pretty good, majority of those that ride the events are members and work their fare share of events. There are only a few that just ride events. The "just riders" do pay the entry fee so that does support the sport in a small way.

I quite like taking a nap with my trials bike.

Injuries always hurt in more than one way.