richardgg

Keep us updated on how this works out for you please. I have some plans for my TY175 and using needle rollers (like most "moderns") was one of the options I was considering. Obviously standard was also in the mix but these EZI Glide things worked really well on the Ossa Tr280. I have access to some thick wall 7075 T6 alloy tube and was thinking of making a replacement for the big bush and use threaded bolts from each end instead of the swing arm bolt.

Tony, I recall Johnny telling me it was Beta 80. YMMV 😀

Try a PM to "peterb" on here as he was half of the Ossa importers for NZ and I know they still have some bits. I have a Vertigo one here that I mullocked the head on - OD on the threads is 11.8 mm and the pitch is 1.25 mm so I'd say it's 12mm metric fine.

Hi there, 2020 Vertical 200 if possible please - wally.gumboot@gmail.com thanks in advance 😀

Try a PM to "peterb" on here... They don't have a website but do have lots of bits for modern Ossas You can find him here on the Ossa forum and also on the Vertigo one. BTW I like your paint job, I think it might have been the inspiration for when I painted my spare plastics "way back when". R

I don't think the rear brake on mine was ever particularly powerful so it may just be expectations? I suggest you try the old standby of getting the brake really hot by riding around on full throttle in 2nd or 3rd controlling your speed with the brake and throwing a bucket of cold water over it, if there isn't a decent cloud of steam it wasn't hot enough. Rinse and repeat 🙂 If that doesn't work back to the usual brake maintenance tricks - check the pads and pucks move freely in the caliper, change the fluid and do a really good of bleeding

Let's start with a disclaimer - I'm old, grey and a fairly (OK extremely) average rider ... I have had my 200 for a couple of months now and once a couple of minor tuning issues were sorted by the agent (thanks KP) I have been absolutely delighted. Power is more than adequate for everything I have wanted to do so far and the low end torque is great. Converted to a slow throttle immediately but it still needs a little care to not take too big a handful. Chassis is outstanding with excellent rideability and traction. I'm impressed with the construction and general layout although the packaging is awfully tight ... Backstory: I had an Ossa TR280i from new that I had a love / hate relationship with - loved the suspension and handling, loved the engine on the standard map (just like a big electric motor) with plenty of very controllable power, great importer backup. Hated getting the stupid thing started as it required far more exertion of energy than I generally had available (old and grey as above). I downsized to a '16 Beta 125 and had a bit of a love / hate thing going there too. Easy to start (yay), great handling with steering lock for Africa after the Ossa, traction and hill climbing was inferior but livable Power was great but unforgiving - quite feisty off the bottom end and good top end but ultimately limited torque. The biggest downside was that it it wasn't comfortable with "old style" riding, needed to be in exactly the right gear, required a lot of clutch input in tight going and preferred modern attack / coast. Back to the old and grey I found that I was needing too many balls in the air at once which was detracting from my scores and enjoyment. While I doubt any modern trials bike is totally comfortable with "select a gear and ride the whole section on throttle and brakes only" it comes pretty darn close. I still cover the clutch in really tight turns but none of this clutch as a throttle malarkey ... YMMV as the american's are wont to say ? Richard

Try this guy for terminals http://www.cycleterminal.com/090-connectors.html Don't know if Vertigo use them but the Ossa was covered in them ...

Send a PM to "peterb" on here... They don't have a website but do have some gearbox internals You can find him here on the Ossa forum and also the Vertigo one.

The Galfer catalogue quotes FD460 front and FD224 rear for the 300i Factory R Other bikes to use the FD460 are GG TXT Racing 14+, Honda 4RT etc 15+ and Vertigo 300 Camo and Ice Hell. cheers R

Just checked in the shed and Beta Evo doesn't ft ? If it helps Ossa thread diameter is 27mm give or take a little and Evo is 32. Both have a 3mm thread pitch. cheers, R

Not many replies ? I was trying to find the numbers for my TR280 recently without success either. I found some Beta numbers of 33 -38 NM (24 - 28 british pounds feet) and used those. I did my TY175 bolts to the same torque and seems OK too. NB All three bikes use 8mm bolts, if the MAR uses something different my advice is probably not that good. cheers R

That price for sticker sets from T and T seems pretty reasonable - I paid about that for my set via the local importer a few years back. I've actually still got most of the set as I decided to "paint" my spare plastics so I could have something a bit different. I was going to offer to sell them but I suspect it would cost a smallish fortune to get them to your side of the world Lucky it's not a Beta, the stickers on mine haven't lasted long, specially if they're around any fuel Suggested fuel ratio above seems a bit light to me at 125 to 1 - the 2011's were 90 to 1 and IIRC the later ones went to 110 to 1. I've been using that (110) in my '11 but I ride pretty conservatively. I do suffer from plug fouling occasionally but I think it's rich mixture rather than too much oil. I also put grease nipples through the linkage and swing arm and give them a squirt "most" rides - still no play after 200 hours. I also use a hotter plug BPR4ES ?? for competition but I do go back the 5 for trail riding. cheers R

Some of you may enjoy following the below linked thread on Grassroots Motorsport in the US by a guy doing vintage flat track on a Phantom. About page three he shows the port timings for the MAR and Phantom and also describes removing the cylinder sleeve to get back to a smaller piston. https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/build-projects-and-project-cars/cat-quick-and-tiger-tough-burrito-goes-wheel-to-wh/144587/page1/ cheers Richard

I'm with Peter on this one... stick with the electrical stuff a bit longer. Look for good contacts at the relay and that the thing is earthed correctly, from memory it has it's own connection to the chassis. Since you have managed to confirm that the fan will run when powered directly try one step back and check the relay will drive it. I have successful used the little "Christmas tree brushes" you can get from a dentist or chemist (for between your teeth instead of floss) to clean the connectors, fuel pump in my case, but they're all similar. Good Luck :-)

Hi, mine was cracked, same as yours ... I replaced it with a triangular brace with the top folded over and a lightening hole. No sign of any cracking in the couple of years since it was done. See pic below. cheers Richard

Hi Rinkedekinkel, these bushes look interesting and I'm looking forward to you reporting back ... FWIW I put 50 hours on the original bushes before I pulled them out and drilled and tapped all the pins etc for grease nipples (zerks to our US compatriots) and have since done another 150 or so hours on the replacements. I haven't had any issues and the linkages are all still tight - probably helped by greasing them prior to most events. Grease is some cheap Mobil General Purpose formulation although when that runs out I have some fancy stuff that goes in the linkages of Excavators to use. I'm told by a friend who uses several thousand of the original style on industrial machinery that they aren't as bad as you fear, even in a dirty factory environment. He does say damaged pins will destroy them pretty quickly though. cheers, Richard

Keep the forks and try to find the matching hub, wheel and brake. TY mono forks are a VERY good mod for both 175 and 250 TY's - I have been on the lookout for a while without success. A friend, who rides much better than I do, swears by them. I don't know what changes he had to make for enough lock (he had the SM style seat tank) but he is a big fan of the extra trail that comes from the leading axle.

Yep that's normal - the seal is keeping the water out rather than the oil in (if that makes sense) Being exposed to potentially corrosive coolant may be one of the reasons why the seals are hard to find by themselves and expensive if you do.

I have a 2011 ... I first pulled the linkages at about 20 hours for an inspection (mostly because I was curious)and cleaned / regreased. I changed the bushes at about 50 hours but to be fair they didn't really need it. The nice thing was that a full set of bushes was less than NZD30 which was a vast improvement on the price for the needle rollers used in my GG. As part of the replacement process I drilled and tapped for grease nipples, I used flush ones like these http://www.saeproducts.com/flush-grease-fittings.html#metricexcept for the big one in the middle of the rocker arm which has right angle fitting. Greasing takes less than 10 minutes, the slowest part is rethreading the chain as the LH swing arm fitting is in the plastic protector. I don't know what the bushes are like as I haven't looked for 100 hours but there is no play at all at the back wheel. FWIW the manufacturers of the bushes used claim they don't need lubrication, and in most industrial applications they don't get it, but they are relatively intolerant of scratches and roughness on the pins. cheers Richard

Hi Guru's, As I get older I am finding the effort involved starting my Ossa becoming a bit much for my knees, unless I can find a box or a bank to stand on I generally stand alongside and use my left leg and kick backwards like I did with old Bultacos... I have been considering investigating the current crop of 125's but since I really enjoy, make that love, the Ossa (once it's running) was wondering if anyone had ever shoved extra base gaskets in to reduce the compression making it easier to turn over. Note that I don't need it to start easier, it's not bad at that, but just to reduce the effort! I appreciate there will almost certainly be a loss of horsepower but since it generally has more than enough for me anyway I'm not perturbed. All suggestions gratefully accepted ... ta Richard

Drilling all the shafts for grease nipples is pretty straight forward and only took me an hour or so. With one exception, the main rocker shaft where I used a right angle fitting , all mine are little concave critters that you stick a needle into. Greasing with a cheapo compressed air grease gun is a 5 minute job, the longest part is rethreading the chain, and I do it after every trial. Maybe needles are better but I am currently plotting how to convert my son's GG to use bushes. I have yet to replace any shafts and a full set of bushes for the Ossa is only $30 compared to $200 or so to do the GG.

I have made a big washer out of thin plastic, held against the wheel with a cable tie, that stops the hose spraying direct on the bearing seal. It doesn't make them last forever but previously on GG, Beta and now the Ossa the exposed bearing used to last about half as long as the brake side one, now they are about the same. I presume you all pop one seal and completely fill the bearing pretty much full with waterproof grease when replacing them as well. cheers Richard

As per the title - is it possible to get two Trials Bikes into a Combo comfortably ? thanks in advance Richard