goudrons

It should seal and be air tight if you do it right. First job is to clean the inside of the rim. Check it for corrosion as they can rot and bubble up. If it's like this, you'll probably not get it to seal. Make sure all the spokes are tight and the wheel is properly trued. Loose spokes will make the rim flex and lift the band Fit a new band, best ones I've found have the valve moulded to the band. Make sure is seats in the groove properly, like a big U. Soapy water helps getting it to fit. Sounds obvious, but check the tyre that it's a tubeless tyre and has no defects in the beading. Plenty of soapy water again aids fitting. Some way of holding the tyre to the rim is usually needed to inflate. There are tyre beaders (Which between Yoo and Mee I can't mention) that hold the tyre over and pop out when inflated (soap again) or sometimes I've managed to use a ratchet strap right around the tyre to hold it on. Inflate it until the bead pops out all the way around both sides then spray around with soapy water, check the rim/tyre seal and the spokes for leaks. If it's leaking you'll see from where. When you want to take the tyre off, you need to push the bead over a bump in the rim. As mentioned a small, blunt spades works well. Deflate the tyre (remove valve core) lay the wheel flat on grass, place the spade down the side of the rim on the tyre. Then just push the bead down, it'll pop off after a bit of huffing and puffing!

Good shout about the Doblo. Again, looking for the "car" version and removing the seats might result in a better vehicle than an old builders van that's been ragged. Engine wise it's either 1.9D, 1.9Jtd/multijet or 1.3 multijet (the last two I think are common rail and both can suffer turbo wastegate's seizing up) or if you hunt around a bit you might find one with Fiat's petrol 1.2 FIRE, a little slower, but a good engine, later ones came with the 1.4 petrol, not had the pleasure of that engine yet.

I've had one and I agree with Ducman, they are terrible. The rad is tucked up under the tank along the length of the top tube and they had a habit of over heating, when they boiled over it burnt your balls! They are also not that pleasant to ride, they were pretty tall and unwieldy. Parts are almost impossible to find, they did share some with other bikes and models, but generally it's a right headache to find anything. Yes, the Section was a better bike and about the most powerful you could buy at the time thanks to the power valve, but again parts are very thin of the ground. Early '90s and Beta was starting to get it's act together with water cooled engines. The Zero/Gara was a much better bike, I ran one of these side by side to the K-roo, the Zero is close to what you'd buy new today and probably the bike that everyone else copied at the time. 1994 saw the Techno and for a budget bike, you won't go far wrong if you can find a nice one.

You can get one bike in, but a C15 wouldn't be my first choice. They are very prone to rot and these days rust has usually taken hold, everywhere! They also have rear brake issues, there's a valve in the system and it is meant to balance the brakes when loaded, most have usually failed by now causing brake balance issues. (rears locking when unloaded) They aren't very well built or built out of what nowadays we'd consider quality materials. Steel is paper thin you'll feel pretty exposed driving one. For a Citroen, the Berlingo is a better bet and cheaper in the long run. You can remove the rear seats from the "car" version and this would be slightly cheaper to insure (vans, even for private use tend to carry higher premiums) Most will be in better condition than an old buiders van as well. The 1.4 petrol will also attrach a low road tax band than the diesel versions. The 1.9D is a pretty hardy motor, but the coolant system can be a bit fussy, the expansion bottle is mounted too low and they often air lock if they haven't been refilled properly. Vauxhalls Combo isn't a bad choice, they are extremely cheap to buy, run and repair. The older ones, based on the Corsa B tend to be a bit past it these days, but you can get two bikes in at a push. Next up was the one based on the Corsa C, the 1.7 motor is an Isuzu and in Di or DTi it is very robust (and will happily run Veg at 40-50%) Both are direct injection and not common rail, so are easy to maintain, both are turbo'd, just the DTi has an intercooler. Later CDTi's are common rail (both 1.3's and 1.7s) and I would give them a miss as they'll often need a diesel specialist if they go wrong. I ran one for a while (C with 1.7Di engine on 50% waste veg oil) and it wasn't that bad a drive and a bike fitted perfectly diagonally. Parts are laughably cheap and the only issue it had was the steering was a bit numb, but this is true on anything with EPAS.

I've had a pair of S3 Alloy Hardrock Footrest with the little adjustable grub screw teeth for a few years. They seem to find their way on whatever I'm riding! But I agree, there's more important things to buy before footrests. First aid kit springs to mind!

Two strokes don't like being unused for too long due to how they lubricate themselves. Engine bearings, particularly the mains can dry out as do their seals, something I discovered on a long stored Rev3 once, so don't be too shocked if it gives air leak trouble or starts to rumble soon after you recommision it. Along with what's already been written. The clutch plates would have more than likely jammed themselves together in one solid lump, so it's worth pulling them out, cleaning them up and refitting if they appear ok, if not replace them. (also, see Clutch Mod post at top of forum, Beta clutches are prone to sticking) Check the water pump impeller and casing within the waterpump. The plastic impellers can look like they've been chewed, eaten and poo'ed by your pooch. The casing can get affected by the coolant/water, it can start breaking down the casing leading to coolant leaking in the gearbox. Keep an eye on some of the hydraulic seals in clutch and brake systems, if they are starting to rot, they'll start breaking up and leaking when you start using it. 70:1 is about right with good quality synthetic oil. Too much oil will actually lean the engine out ever so slightly as there's less petrol in the mix. Betas like the higher octane petrol, 98 or 99. Anything lower and they tend to crack and bang due to a bit of predentonation. Perhaps strip, clean and regrease all the frame/suspension breaings, check all the bearings, spacers and seals Marine grease tends to work well as it doesn't wash out as easily as normal automotive grease. Repack the silencer, they should sound fairly mellow and torquey with a bark when reved, once the packing is burnt or soaked in carbon and oil they tend to sound a bit harsh.

Sure you'll need to run a tube with one or two extra pounds of pressure in it, if it's dry that won't be too much of a problem. But it gets you out on your bike with a bit of reliability until you can sort the problem properly. There's nothing worse than dragging your bike miles out to an event, stumping up the entry fee, then packing up and going home after 5 minutes because a bodge hasn't worked. I've done it too often to mention! (feckin' old Gasgas!) A new Morad rim methinks is around £150, may be less if you shop around. Getting it laced and trued (if you don't fancy the job yourself) won't break the bank either, there's usually someone in your club that can do it for a bit of beer money. That's the way I look at it as £150 to me is the cost of travel and entry to two, maybe three events. Other than that, keep an eye out and see if you can pick up a decent used wheel, fitting a tube will buy you the time.

You are suffering what many owners have suffered with in the past and it can drive you mad. I struggled with an '05 Gasgas rim for months, tried everything from bead sealer, slime, tyre weld, chemical metal, new bands, you name it, I tried it! In the end, if I started with a new rim, it would have cost me half the price! If it's only a small scabby section, you might be able to clean it up and bodge it for a while, but to sort it properly a new/better rim is needed. Most of the time these rims leak because the spokes need attention, a couple of loose spokes cause the rim to flex and disturb the rim bands seal or the spokes/nipples stand too proud and lift the band. You notice the air will escape from the spokes with a quick spray of soapy water. The trick Beta came up with was to clean the rim off and make sure the sprokes are tight. Fit a new band (try one with the valve moulded in) Then run two beads of Sikaflex around each edge of the band. It's important you let it go off fully for a couple of days before fitting the tyre. You can get away with running a tube, it's not ideal though as you are always wondering if it will nip or slip. If you do try it, don't go for a baggy one, these tend to nip them between the rim easily. Most tubes usually cover different widths, so try one that has a max size of 400 (like a 350/400) rather than 400 or 400+. It'll keep it's shape better at lower pressures rather than go baggy. I run a heavy duty 350 in my MAR and it's never given me a minutes trouble.

http://trialstribulations.net/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=39&products_id=902

Beta's only like the higher octane fuels, what's sold as Super Unleaded, 99 or 100 octane. On normal unleaded they tend to knock and bang a bit, particularly on the over run when they can produce a worrying "Bang" every now and then. Run on synthetic oil at the ratio mentioned above. There are "Stickies" at the top of the forum regarding clutch and carb. I found the Mikuni a bit rough, a Dellorto VHST is a big improvement, though do need to be kept spotlessly clean or a Keihin off an '08 will work better. (tip is to spin the carb to airbox rubber the other way around, makes getting the carb on and off easier) The clutch does tend to stick, plenty of new owners have been through a hedge or rammed someone car unaware of it sticking, but you soon learn to free it off before hand, same for checking the throttle cable isn't jammed! Gear oil is down to the individual, thinner oils and ATF tend to be grabby and gives a quick action so hard to ride smooth at first. The thicker the gear oil, the draggier it becomes. When starting out you don't really want either of the above. Something like Putoline Nano Trans is a good place to start. Also worth considering the engine warms up far quicker than the gearbox, clutch and gear oil, so and good ride around to warm everything up before you dive into sections is a good idea. You can go to the Beta site and download the manuals and parts book. The manual is worth checking for things like setting up master cylinder "play" properly. Apart from normal maintenance, they do respond well to a silencer repack. When the wadding starts to go they can sound a bit harsh, strip out the silencer, clean the holes in the pipe then loosely repack it, they should sound mellow with a bark at the top end. Check the water pump impeller, they can look like a dog has chewed it after a bit of use. Worth keeping a few spares when starting out. Pick up some spare clutch and front brake levers (leave the master cylinder clamps loose-ish, so grip the bars but will also move if you drop it, can save a broken clamp) Also, don't leave the brake pads to wear all the way down, this causes the pistons to come out too far so they twist and jam. If you are anywhere muddy (UK), space the front mudguard up. A couple of washers or you can buy some spacers (around 5mm) and longer M6 bolts to lift the mudguard higher, this saves the front wheel from clogging and jamming with mud.

The airbox might have a drain, but you still don't want to fill it with water! The airbox and filter can get a bit mucky, seems water and mud splashes up under the mudgaurd/seat. There is a cheap aftermarket airbox cover that keeps the crud out from the rear. Reticulated foam (course open cell foam) stuffed around the top mount of the shock will stop it splashing up the front.

I've put in some Jitise Race Pads and they do feel a lot sharper than my usual choice (Galfer). I'll certainly use them again, which I'm guessing will be sooner rather than later as they do seem very soft and grippy.

What's been said already, the 4 pots don't like too much piston hanging out of the caliper body, otherwise the pistons twist and jam. Also, make sure you've the required "play" at the master cylinders. Back the adjusters off so the levers have at least 2mm of free play before they push on the cylinders, again without this they'll jam on.

The talk is a lighter flywheel allows the motor to spin up quicker as there's less mass for the motor to move and in theory it's correct. F1 cars have very little weight on the engine so they spin up their rpm very quickly. But the mass of the flywheel keeps the engine spinning at low rpm and will store some of the engines energy. (which is why you can shut the throttle off before you reach the top of a climb and still make the top or rev up and dump the clutch for a hop) Again, little weight causes F1 cars not to idle very well so they sit in pit stops with screaming rpms as they won't idle very slowly. So lightening what you have will cause the motor to spin up slightly quicker, not store the same amount of energy for off throttle maneuvers and will stall at slower rpms a lot easier. If you are going to experiment, pick up another flywheel and take small amounts at a time.

Like I said, clean out the cooling system well and fix the impeller. Fill the cooling system with clean water, gearbox with oil (ATF). Then run it up for a while, let it cool overnight. Repeat a few times. Then drain it out and see if the ATF is mixing with the coolant, you should be able to spot anything in the clean water. Now drain the gearbox and check for water (you might get a drop or two of condensation)

As written, you also need a tool to remove the primary side's "Cush Drive". The primary sprocket isn't a direct fit to the crank, there's a funny sleeve/spring arrangement on the left hand crank known as the Cust Drive and it needs drawing off the taper. You'll never split the cases otherwise and I wouldn't recommend the hammer for this! http://www.ossaplanet.com/partspage.html I believe there are a few in the US that can help you, like above.

The kick starter gear obviously spins freely on the starter shaft when not in use, but when you start to move the lever back, it engages small, castilated teeth connected to the shaft with small castilated teeth in the centre of the gear. It could be one or both sets of castilated teeth have stripped or worn down smooth. You can clearly see the teeth here. The smaller part is splined to the starter shaft and the gear spins on the same shaft, pull it up (the smaller part slides up the splines on the inner end of the shaft) and the castilated teeth (should) lock up. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/KICK-START-SHAFT-GEARS-1973-OSSA-MAR-MICK-ANDREWS-REPLICA-250-TRIALS-72-73-74-/171554449626#ht_839wt_1161

Are you sure it's ATF in the rad? Some coolants look very similar in colour, particularly some OAT stuff, maybe you or the previous owner has got confused. If the gearbox was overfilled I'm pretty sure it would find it's way out of the breather on top of the 'box. If the seal was gone, it's more than likely the hot, expanding coolant would find it's way in, rather than the oil out. It's not uncommon for the standard plastic impeller to break up after a while, it's a pretty cheap and crumby part. Jitsie do a larger, metal impeller kit for the EVO, but I think it fits the Rev3 as well, think the waterpumps are the same part. You're probably best sorting the impeller, replacing all the fluids, starting again and see what happens. If you flush out the cooling system and fill it with clean water to start with, run it up a while and then drain, see if it oiled up.

It's usual for metric pistons to be stamped in mm, so .25 .50 .75 1.00 and so on. It's more than likely it's a 68.5mm piston. I'm not certain as I've never done one, but the 270cc might not be striaght forward rebore. All the past bikes I've tried to take out like this needed the mouth of the crankcase opening up, but I could be wrong!

I've had my MAR running on quite a few different carbs. The Amals I find a bit soft, whatever they are made of seems to wear and go out of shape after a few years, so an old one will more than likely be unservicable in my opinion. The Mikuni VM26 isn't a bad carb, it's cheap and easy to tune. It seems they are fairly robust and don't tend to have some issues associated with other carbs. The drawback is they do meter out fuel a bit rougher and aren't as smooth as some. The settings and jets required are out on this forum somewhere, so you could save a few quid over the one mentioned. One (used) off a Rev3 pretty much runs right. I've also tried a couple of Dellorto VHST's. (flatslides) Both 24mm and 26mm. These are a little more fussy to tune and considerably more expensive (though can be snapped up on scooter sites reasonable). But once sorted are far smoother and responsive, so much my bike feels totally different. They do seem to suffer from the slightest spec of dirt and can suffer blocking of the pilot circuit very easily. With the 24mm, the air speed through it is increased, so feels tighter and zippier. The 26mm tends to give it more of a wallop. Again, the settings and jetting are pretty close the the Rev3 (for the 26mm) and are on this forum somewhere. Not tried the OKO yet, though I here they are very similar to other flatsides but easier to tune than most.

My '14 300 came without a flywheel weight and after riding a '07 Rev3 250 for so long is was like trying to tame a lion at first, particularly that mid throttle hit. Seems the transition off the pilot circuit to main jet can be pretty brutal. While soucing a weight I stuck on a slow action throttle and it did smooth out that hit and make the power delivery smoother, but I didn't like all the travel I had to put into the grip when I did need to wind it on. (I'm lazy). The weight, back to the fast action and some practise (often overlooked) and it soon started to feel right. After all those mods and you're still finding it a bit too firey, you could try retarding the timing slightly. Carefully mark the postion on the stator as it is now, then rotate it back a mm and try it, it should flatten the power curve off in the higher rpm range. Or perhaps consider a thicker (or two) cylinder base gasket, this will increase the squish gap slightly at a fraction of the cost of an insert. If you remove the barrel and head together, you shouldn't need to replace the head gasket either. (Also grease the base gaskets both sides, that way when it comes to splitting the barrel next time, you should be able to reuse them as they'll not stick and tear)

And it's still a handful?

There are easier and cheaper ways of softening the power delivery than messing with the head. Beta dealers in the US have been offering SS models (Super Smooth). Apart from a few other alterations, they fit a flywheel weight (standard on UK bikes before 2015??), replace the fast action throttle (white tube) with slow action (black tube) and replace the 11t gearbox sprocket with a 10T.

They all need looking after, they all break (or get broken) and they all wear, no matter which. Sure some, as mentioned like Scorpa and Beta Rev3's have no shock linkage as such, so take some of the problems away. Some come with an aura of quaility (deversed or not). Some think EFi is more reliable, that is until it does goes wrong and you can't fix it yourself, so it's all swings and roundabouts! What you are probably best doing, is looking at how easy it is (dealer/importer) to get hold of your spares(if I break it on Sunday, I want it fixed by the next Sunday!) and will be in future to actually find the parts it'll likely need. Seeing though most are just a collection of parts made by other companies, there's only really plastics and the odd and sod to worry about. Then consider if you'll do the jobs yourself or take it to a dealer for work. (a carb'd 2 stoke might need more maintenance, but they are really simple machines to DIY) Then go and buy the best you can.

I had a blabber go on me on an '07 250. You'll know when it's gone as it'll "suck and slurp" when bounced. I rang around but couldn't find anyone that serviced them in the UK, lots of heard they did or try them, but no luck anywhere. I ended up replacing it with one made by Ollie, once set up correct it worked well.