1oldbanjo

Do not use scotchbright - it will leave ugly scratches. On my Sherco - the stainless header pipe cleans up very well with 0000 or 000 steel wool and metal polish like Mothers, Autosol, Flitz, etc. The aluminum is a bit tougher as it was probably not a high polish originally - and anything you do beyond just a cleaning product will make the piece shinier than it was originally. I would try degreaser products first and a gentle cloth or brush. If that does not do it you can use products for polishing aluminum - but once you start using them it will make them shiny and you will have to polish the whole exhaust once you start. It will take a long time the first time you do it - but it should be easier to polish from then on.

Spend some time (hour/days/weeks/months/years) riding and get some experience. As you get better...then try new things. Don't expect to be able to do everything from the start, and just go out and have fun. As your balance and timing improves - new things will be much easier to pick up.

I don't like the "wax" or sticky type of lubes. I pull of the chain when it is dirty and throw it in an ultrasonic cleaner and it gets all the junk off. Then blow it off with compressed air and let it dry for a day. Then I have a long piece of cardboard that I lay the chain on and I apply Maxima Chain Guard and run a brush over it to work the oil in.....then let it sit and overnight. Then I wipe the chain with an old rag to get the excess oil off and install it on the bike. It sounds like a lot of work over a 2-3 day period - but it is only a couple of minutes each day and I do it between other projects like feeding the dog or putting wood in the furnace. Sometimes I will lube the chain on the bike with the Chain Guard if it just looks dry and is not dirty.....but I do wipe off any excess before I ride or it can get messy.

What he said.......just place one of the O-rings from your selection into some of the brake fluid and see if it gets soft and spongy.....and grows in size.

I have tried all the fancy and expensive plugs once in my life - platinum electrodes, 2, 3 & 4 electrodes, surface gap.....v shaped electrodes.....anything with a wonderful claim I once tried when I was young an foolish. Turns out.......it really doesn't make much noticeable difference in the standard low stressed production motorcycle engine. A good old standard Champion, Bosch or NGK seem to work just fine as long as they are the correct heat range and proper reach. I do believe that the newer spark plugs with the small platinum or other fancy tips last longer as they don't round off over time like the standard plugs - but those newer plugs are expensive and the standard plugs can be replaced often as they are very cheap.

I also use Tygon tubing - but it does not have a great ability to withstand heat - so you have to keep it away from the exhaust. I believe I put an insulating sleeve over the Tygon tubing where it gets close to the exhaust. Below is a description of Tygon: Tygon® Fuel and Lubricant Tubing F-4040-A Designed for safe and efficient handling of most petroleum-based products, Tygon® Fuel and Lubricant Tubing resists embrittlement, cracking and swelling. A consistent performer lot after lot, Tygon® Fuel and Lubricant Tubing is the most requested fuel and lubricant tubing for a variety of applications -- from small engine fuel lines to coolant transfer. Specifically designed to handle most fuels and industrial lubricants, Tygon® Fuel and Lubricant Tubing resists the swelling and hardening caused by hydrocarbon-based fluids. This significantly reduces the risk of failure due to cracking and leakage. Its minimum extractability safeguards the liquid or vapor being transferred against adulteration. Extremely flexible (Shore A, 57), tubing simplifies installation, even in tight places. It is translucent yellow for positive identification and to allow easy flow monitoring. It is routinely used to handle gasoline, kerosene, heating oils, cutting compounds and glycol-based coolants. Max working temp 165°F. UV and ozone resistant. Silicone fuel tubing has a temperature range of -80° F to +450° F, and is better for use near exhaust systems. Neoprene tubing is capable of -20° F to 212° F. I use the smallest inline filter I can find as space is a premium on my Sherco. I got the ones I use from a small engine/chainsaw store, and it flows enough fuel to keep the Sherco satisfied.

I am not sure why you can hear an electrical "crack".....that tells me you are getting some sort of arcing that occurs outside of the engine and spark plug. Perhaps you have a broken high tension wire, problem with the coil....or some fault that allows a spark to jump a gap that you can hear. I am not sure why this sound would go away when warm.

I tried a similar experiment with several different kind of fuels in plastic bottles with a 1/16" hole drilled in the cap for a vent. I had Avgas 100LL, Ethanol fuel, no ethanol fuel, high test and regular, and they all held up well. Somehow the bottle test does not simulate the real world environment very well. In my test the fact that my garage is insulate and heated and the temperature and humidity swings are very small may have been a factor. Throw the bottles in a tin storage shed - and add some aluminum and steel and brass in the bottles to simulate the materials the fuel will come into contact with and it may change things. I know that in the real world with equipment stored outdoors or in unheated garages - the problems really do show up frequently......and mostly in equipment that is only used periodically. If you run a tank of fuel through every couple of months most of the problems with fuel don't occur.

Not only are you lowering the Octane rating - the resulting fuel will have absorbed water and become saturated with as much water as it can hold in suspension. When the fuel sits in a tank and some it evaporates or the temperature drops - the water in suspension can drop out and become liguid water.

I would suggest taking the rear suspension linkage and rear brake pedal apart to clean and grease them. They need maintenance periodically and without knowin when it was last done - I would do the job before I rode it much.

I live in the Cincinnati area and if you are up this way you are welcome to come and ride my Sherco. My bike suits me very well and the Sherco is easy for me to get parts - I telephone Ryan Young and I usually have the parts the next day.

Although the clutch sticking is common on a Sherco......it can get extreme and you do not have to live with it. When working properly the clutch should only stick for a little bit - My own procedure is to start the bike, push off with my foot while I put the bike in 1st gear and ride off, then I pull in the clutch and apply the rear brake and blip the throttle a couple of times and the clutch releases. When my bike was getting bad it took several minutes to get the clutch to release.....and this can be corrected. You need to work on the clutch plates to reduce the severity of the problem. They do wear and warp and get polished......and a bit of maintenance can make the problem much less severe. Here is a link to a discussion on the Ryan Young Website: http://www.rypusa.com/forum/index.cfm?page=topic&topicID=71 On my 2004 290 I did not have any warped plates - but the plates were polished from use. What this does is cause a "suction", "stiction" or "vacuum" that makes it difficult for the plates to release the first time. The plates fit together so well that when the spring tension is released - the plates and oil hold the plates tightly together. The plates can be lightly sanded or lightly bead blasted to remove the shine and provide a surface that will prevent the seal from locking the plates together. Anyone that is having trouble with their clutch sticking should really spend an hour on the clutch plates - it will be time well spent and your clutch will work much better.

I had this problem with my 2004 290. The clutch would get stuck overnight and did not want to release. The problem was that the plates were polished and would create a seal that would not allow the plates to come apart. I took the clutch apart and washed the plates. I taped some fine emery cloth sandpaper to a sheet of glass and I rubbed the fiber plates across the sandpaper just enough to get rid of the glaze and shine. For the metal plates I just sanded them lightly - just enough to put a little bit of a scratchy pattern on them. I then washed the plates and assembled them with a little oil rubbed onto them while I was putting everything back together. The clutch worked great after that treatment.

The local club in the Kentucky/Ohio/Indiana area allows tire trimming as follows: TIRES In order to receive any awards, championship points or to compete as a member of a team, even though otherwise eligible, all class riders except Novice must have trials pattern tires fitted to the front and rear wheels of the motorcycle used in competition. Aids to traction such as spikes, chains, etc. may not be used. Tires may be trimmed to remove rounded edges but the original tread pattern must not be altered. I am not sure that I would buy the Knobby Knife as the local dirt is not hard on tires and the rubber compound may be getting hard by the time the edges get rounded.

I added one to my bike as I was getting junk in my idle circuit way too often. It is somewhat hard to find the really small filters that used to be common - most of the newer filters for lawn equipment have gotten to be too big for a trials bike. I did find some small filters and bought several to stock up....and they seem to help as I have not had any problems since adding it.