goudrons

It seems those screws are correct. The parts list describes 31.38010.000 x 3. M6x25 Screw t.c.c.e. and 007.11.031.00.00 x 1. M6x20 Screw (and shows it top left out of the four) For 125-250-300 Apart from the different heads, one is 5mm shorter?? The 200 just gets 4 x 31.38010.000.

Changing crank seals is a pretty major job and as already written, if you don't needed to, don't. Also, if you've never done them before, find out what's actually involved, the process sounds simple enough until you realise the crank is stuck on a main bearing or the crank isn't centred after you've rebuilt it! If you're going to go to the effort of splitting the engine, it's probably wise to do a complete engine overhaul. The obvious signs the seals are leaking is when it's a pig to start and won't idle properly when/if it does start (but they are signs of a lot of other issues as well) I don't know the history of your bike, but I've bought, ran and rebuilt lots of similar stuff, (a couple of these too) and I find it's always a good idea to know what state everything you already have is in and to start collecting parts for when things do give up, sooner rather than later as some parts get harder to find as the years roll on. In the meantime, enjoy it.

Yes, a large syringe, say 100ml and a short piece of pipe to fit the nipple.

It's difficult to price one, but you wouldn't want to pay big money for one, perhaps around a £1200 or so, plus or minus a couple of hundred depending on condition. They made the Rev3 from 2000 to 2008 with a few tweeks and updates over the years and they sold a lot, but even the last one's are getting a bit old now, though if it's cheap enough and well sorted, it could still give a lot of fun and you shouldn't have too many issues finding parts. I've had a couple myself and there isn't too much specific to worry about, perhaps the rear shock. You used to be able to get them serviced and rebuild, but I don't think that's viable any more, if it needs one it's an aftermarket one. Check it doesn't leak or squelch, which is a sign the bladder in it has split. The case inside the water pump have been known to rot out allowing coolant into the gearbox, not all do it, but there was a spate of them at one time. You really need to check it out, a used bike can easily need a hefty lump of money spent on it. Start with a visual check and add up what you think it may need. Check the tyres, not just for wear but they can rot and crack with age, the wheels spin free and true, chain and sprockets look good, plenty of meat on the brake pads (2mm min), steering and swinging arm bearing are smooth and tight, leaks from suspension, engine, carb, tank/tap etc, broken plastics and so on. This list should give you an idea if it's been cared for or not. Then move on to how it starts, runs and rides. The Mikuni VM round slide carb was never the most sophisticated, so they never run ultra crisp as a more modern bike might, if it's not set up properly it can bog down and leak up and down hills. (2008 came with a keihin flatslide, much better). It should start from cold on choke with a couple of keen kicks (not dozens) and come off the choke within a minute and idle fairly smoothly. It should rev up fairly cleanly and evenly without undue noises and settle quickly back to and even idle. Check the fan kicks in when fully warmed up. You really need to ride it and load the engine up and listen for knocks, bangs and rattles, though they can pink (ping? pre detonate) a bit if ran on normal 95 unleaded, they need a minimum of 98 octane. Clutches are known to a bit of a problem, they can drag fairly badly. There is a good guide in the Beta section to help, do it's not always a complete fix. It can feel like you just can't pull the clutch in far enough to disengage it. This can also cause a poor feel to the gear shifter or a very stubborn action when shifting (particularly into neutral) as the gearbox can always have some load on it because of the dragging plates, this and the drag can spoil the experience of an otherwise good bike.

This may be the problem. There needs to be around 2mm free play between the lever and master cylinder piston. As everything heats up, the fluid expands and because the master cylinder is adjusted right up, the fluid can't flow back into the ressie. So the clutch becomes disengaged all the time. The master cylinders piston needs to be able to return fully back. Check the adjustable pin on the clutch lever that pushes again the master cylinder piston. Back it off until there is 2mm of movement before the pin actuates the piston. Check all the other master cylinders also have this 2mm free play.

Clicky linky above! (I though it would quote the compete thread)

I suffer from this and it always happens when I change bikes. Until I get the bar height right, my left hand and wrist almost cripple me. It's often due to the bars being just too low and that throws my weight too much forward and down my arms/wrists. Throw in the all the clutch action and my left hand and wrist soon start to complain. It usually doesn't take much of a rise of the bars to sort it out, 4 or 5mm rise usually works for me. There are some easy things you can do to strengthen your wrists. Those grip things won't work much on the wrists, though they do work the fingers. You need one of those rubber bands (that physio's use), available in sports and fitness shops, start with a low resistance band first. Hold your hand/wrist flat on a desk/table, wrap the band around your fingers and hold the ends of the band in your other hand. Work your hand/fingers side to side (not up and down), keeping your arm still while you pull against the resistance of the band. You can swap it around, turn the band and work the wrist the other way, though it's best to tie up the ends on something this way. Do around three sets of ten a day, or until it just starts to ache a little (not a lot) you'll feel it pull and work the part of the wrist that causes your issue. It'll work and strengthen those tendons and muscles right in the lower forearm/wrist, my physio taught me this and he rides downhill mountain bikes, works a treat!

It's common for a blocked pilot jet if they'll start and run on choke, but stall without choke. Though small air leaks can cause the same sort of symptoms but you usually have difficulty starting and a bouncing or screaming idle when they do start. Unscrew the pilot (smallest jet), hold it up to the light and peer through it, you should see if it's blocked. Modern fuel goes stale very quickly and can leave a green gunk in the float bowl which tends to gum everything up, particularly the pilot jet and the float bowls inlet valve and seat. (when the inlet valve gums up they can stick open and pour fuel out of the carb everywhere if you're lucky, if you're not, raw fuel will pour right through the carb and into the crankcase) Best to always drain the float bowl if leaving the bike for more than a week. (drain means undo the bottom of the float bowl, not turn off the fuel and run until it runs dry!)

Check the carb again, sounds like the pilot jet is blocked.

It's already been mentioned, but car derived vans are excellent trials bike transport that double up as family hacks. The vans they are based on usually attract high insurance premiums, even though you're using them for SDP. It's probably due to the break in risk. Some of these small vans can also carry a higher VED than the car versions. Check the logbook to see if it's classed as a car. (M1 methinks) With a van derived car, you're more likely to find petrol versions if you don't want to get clobbered with whatever the Govenment has up their sleeve for diesel owners in the near future. You can find the odd petrol Doblo (1.4 not the 1.2, it's dog slow), Berlingo and Partner MPV's dotted about for reasonable money and they've usually had an easier life than an ex Royal Mail or BT van version.

When they were originally released, Vertigo advise was 40ml to 5 litres of petrol. It seems that got altered to 25ml to 5 litres of petrol not long after. That means some early owners got printouts advising 40ml and later owners got them stating 25ml. I have a club mate with a bike a little older than mine came with the 40ml recommendation, mine 25ml. I've ran mine since new in July 2016 with the 25ml mix and it's fine. Though I've not used the free bottle of Strawberry scented oil that came with it, don't want to spend all day with my belly rumbling! I've only ever used one brand of 2 stroke and always bought their synthetic offering, It's never given me any issues and I don't plan on that changing. BTW, some of the newer owners may discover that the plug soots up (even on 25ml) after a few hours. The BPMR6A is a little too cool for them, a BPMR4A has a little more of the tip protruding, runs a little hot and so far seems to work better.

Does pulling the clutch in make a difference to the noise? It's not uncommon for clutches to chatter or rattle.

There's no easy answer to your questions as what might work on one bike doesn't mean it'll work on another. Carb tuning can be a little tricky and it's tempting to keep at it, chasing something better when perhaps you're already there! Warm the engine up and turn the idle speed up ever so slightly. Start with your mixture screw at 1 and 1/2 turns out as your base setting and adjust in 1/4 turns. As you alter it too rich the engine will sound dull and fluffy, too lean and the revs will "hunt" ie, the idle will rise and fall unevenly. Once you have it idling smoothly (as possible), reset the idle back to normal. The needle setting effects the way the fueling acts as the throttle opens and the fueling changes from pilot circuit to main jet. Start on the middle groove. You'll need to ride the bike around and see how it acts on slow and sudden throttle openings. Lifting the needle up (low clip) with cause a little more fuel to pass = richer, lower the needle (high clip) less = leaner. (It's been a while, but I seem to remember mine had the needle lifted quite high to over come a stutter on sudden throttle opens). Float height can also cause rich and lean running, too low and it can lean out, too high and it can flood up as can the angle the carb is fitted, particularly up and down hills. But like I wrote, it all depends on the bike and what parts are fitted, air filters and exhausts can effect setting as can altitude . Then there's Cubs that are fitted with R cams, they just don't tend to idle too well to start with!

I've never found my 300 Combat Camo to be anything other than torquey. It's never felt too OTT or some sort of missile that scares or is difficult to control, but mine is a 2016. It just seems to me the engine is "weighted" perfectly with a feeling the power delivery is solid rather than peaky. I came from a 2014 Evo 300 and that certainly did need a flywheel weight to calm the mid throttle "hit" it seemed to suffer from. Although two different weight flywheel weights are available from Vertigo, I just never felt the need for one. There's a good chance the 300 Camo wasn't quite stock if it was a customers bike you tried. I know of one customer who turned up at a test day with their own bike late last year and they had already altered the sprockets and fitted a slow action throttle, though for the life of me I don't know why!

Without doubt the Fantic 200. The forward kick "Pro's" are getting hard to come by, but the rear kick Minarelli engined "Trial" ones are still quite plentyful. Sweet engine and a decent handling frame that worked well straight from the off. You also won't loose a penny on one, they only seem to go up in price!

I bought one of these years ago, it was just a few boxes of parts. Same thing happened, someone took it apart due to water and oil mixing in the gearbox. All I could find was a rough, photocopied exploded parts diagram from John Lampkins to help me, it was enough, but it was hard to read! Turned out there's a couple of small seals (and bearings) on the waterpump shaft that are prone to leaking. I seem to remember the shaft runs right through the gearbox, it's driven from the left side, but the pump is on the right with the seals/bearings between the cases. I also seem to think the head seals with two rubber O rings, worth checking these are ok along with the grooves they sit in if there's a chance it's over heated. Not a bad bike for it's time, but the alloy frame isn't great, they were prone to the swinging arm cracking, just around the voids where the bearings/bushes fit.

Just to add to b40rt's post, you can also get British Army Goretex Boot Liners from the same sort of sellers for very little outlay. Just pop 'em on over your normal socks before putting your boots, you'll never have wet again.`

If you live in the EU, it worth ploughing through the consultation document. The ramifcations don't just effect the users of the types of vehicles outlined, (and yes, bumper cars are in scope) but in fact impacts on all motor insurance policies and their costs. Buy any motor insurance and you pay into a pot that the Motor Insurers Bureau uses to settle certain claims (untracable or uninsured types). I'm certain other EU countries have similar schemes as they all follow the same EU directives. This pot will need to be considerable enlarged to encompass all the same types of claims from the "newly to scope" vehicle list. It'll increase every motor premium for every type of vehicle. Also, don't pin your hopes on Brexit, the UK still has to comply until it's out of the EU and then some. The hope is they put a review date (sunset) on legislation so it can be backtracked in future, but you can't see it being on the top of anyones list to unwrap once the UK has left!

It's been a while since I had a Rev3 but I seem to rememeber the mount for the chain tensioner mount did stick out awkwardly. Though I don't remember it catching the tyre, it did end up looking like it did by all the scuffs and wear on the pivot head. I guess it's possible the rim isn't as true as it once was or your tyre isn't sitting on the rim properly. There's no need to seal the spokes using silicone sealer or the likes of, it can cause the rim to rot as there's something in the sealers hardener that reacts with alloy. Beta UK wrote an SSDT guide about using a sealer (Sikaflex) around the band to rim edges, but there's just no real need if it's done properly. Remove the rim band and valve, clean up the flakey inner rim, including the grooves the edges of the band fit in. Then tighten the spokes up. There are guides around the internet that will help you true it up. I manage it with just a vice to trap the spindle in and a pointer against the rim as a gauge or you could ask at you local bike/cycle shop. Once you're happy with it, fit a new band/valve. Jitsie do a band with the valve moulded to it where the standard Beta one the valve is bolted through. I found the best way to fit these is to lube up the rim and band well, then it just snaps into place in a U position very easily. They just won't sit straight if they cannot slip and slide into place and you end up with parts of the band gripping and bunching, if the band sits humped up in the middle anywhere, it just won't seal properly. As I wrote before, tubeless tyre removal and refitting can be pain if you don't have the right tools and knowhow. First you need to break the old tyre bead off the rim. It's possible to do this with a spade in the garden. Lay out the wheel on the soft grass and (carefully) push the spade down the edge of the rim against the tyre to push the tyre off the bead inwards. Once a small part pushes off, the rest follows quite easily. Decent tyre levers will now get the tyre off the rim and new one back on with plenty of soap or talcum powder. Without the abilty to apply a lot of air pressure very quickly like they do in a tyre shop, you'll not get the tyre to inflate and "pop" out on the rim. (it seems I'm not allowed to name certain companies on here, but Yoo & Mee know better!) make a stretchy foam ring that you lude up and squeeze in down one side of the tyre/rim. This pushes the tyre over the valve and seals the other side while you pump it up. It will gradually squeeze out (if you've lubed it enough) as you pump. Some have managed the same job by fitting a racket strap around the tyre, I've never tried it myself. Once on and the ring has squeezed out, keep pumping! They require quite a lot of pressure before the bead "pops" on the rim properly, so check it's "popped" out all the way around otherwise you end up with a twist in part of the tyre. It's not uncommon for it to take 40+ psi before is seats properly. A quick spray of soapy water around the rim and spoke nipples will show how good a job you've done (or haven't)

I wouldn't read too much into what plastics are fitted. 2001 to 2004, they have silver forks stantions. 2005 onwards they were black. 2000 they were upside down. I think they also had a red rear shock in 2004. 2003 and 2005 they were grey/silver (ish). Then again, those might have been swapped at some point too!

As you can probably guess, everyone has an opinion on which tyres to run and some others don't get much of a choice as only Michelin seem to fit later Morad flange type rims properly without deflating on impact. (Flange rims have spokes through a flange machined on the rim not through the rim it's self). If your Rev3 is still on the standard rim, (Morad with the spokes through the rim) you need a tubeless tyre on the rear (fronts are all with tube) and are not really limited to which brand as all seem to fit well. Michelins and IRC TR-11's seem to be the most popular along with the 803gp's. I would take my pick out of these and as already written, shop around. There are, or was a couple of budget trials tyres that are best avoided and Pirelli make the MT43's, these are more road bias tyres and I've never got one to work properly in the mud! If you haven't fitted a tubeless rear before you might be best considering having the shop fit it for you (or ask on here how it's done) You also might want to get the spokes nipped up and fit a new rubber band/valve at the same time as slack spokes can cause these rims to leak.

I've yo-yoed between the two for years like I think a lot of club riders do or have. It's usually a bit of boredom that causes the switch, maybe some odd Twinshock or Pre 65 will catch my eye for a while. I tend to find a good technique helps get a twinshock or Pre 65 around, but with a modern they can tend to flatter a newer rider. You don't find yourself steaming down a steep, slippy hill with useless wet, cable operated drum brakes on a modern, but knowing how to scrub off that speed can also work for you on a modern bike. Again a modern will climb stuff and all you are really doing is hanging on, with a twinshock a lot more planning, thought and effort is usually needed before you even think about pointing the bike in that direction. I'm not saying a modern bike will do it all for a new rider, but they can compensate a little for a lack effort, planning and thought. Whichever you choose, concentrate on technique and it'll serve you well in both worlds.