caddabs

What about one of these?

Thanks all while i have the shock off - is there aything i should do with it apart from clean it up - i guess they are maintenance free and if it aint broke, dont fix it?

Can anyone please tell me whether the bearings come out with a little gentle persuasion or do you need a special tool to remove them? dont like to force it too much just yet. They are rusty and well past it. Hopefully it will cure the "sound of a pogo stick" thanks

These look a bit cheaper Trousers my advice would be buy a size larger than you take in trousers as they are "snug".

Thanks all - i recon i'll get another season out of it, but wasnt sure if that was good or not. from the above, sounds ok as long as my snail cams last out cheers caddabs

Just wondered how long you would expect a reasonably well maintained chain to last? had mine a year and its starting to stretch. It's a Regina which i guess is the cheaper end of the market. any recommendations for a reasonably priced chain that wont stretch too quickly? cheers Caddabs

Bet you a fiver you wont notice the difference. Havnt a clue whether mine is full or semi, but it smells of strawberries and thats a beautiful thing.

Good idea I saw a DR350 converted to trial trim the other day - interesting !

Yes, your right, its just the SM Ariel has always been a favourite bike of mine. this is nice too,C15 always had a soft spot for pre65's. bit early today - few too many of these last night back to bed with CDB and a cup of tea:thumbup:

Its Friday afternoon and time to think about bikes ! This might suit - but looks pricey Enfield 350 I once had an Indian Enfield and often wondered whether it could have been made into a GOV 132 copy. (highly unlikley) also rode one of the Indian Enfield "trail" bikes - most scary thing i ever rode. felt like it had a hinge in the middle. Happy days - more dreaming................

Love the Yam and the Bultos

On bike footage orth watching over a sandwich, particularly if your a fan of On any Sunday. Shame about the tear off being in the way, but once the beans are given it disappears - and does he give it some beans ! Impressive.

Thanks Chris ( and for supplying the Seals ! ) - both my fork legs are identical with a spring in each. They have a blue air cap on top which screws into the top of the 22mm Allen key hex stopper. i wasnt sure if i needed to compress the forks and try to get the air out or not.(Wayne doesnt mention it - so i guess not) They seem to be settling down now and have stopped leaking from the drain plug, so fingers crossed. good to see you on board with the sponsorship and thanks for the great service on your own stuff - all good. Cheers Caddabs

Thanks all - definately got the oil lever right - used my wife's kitchen jug. Dont think she's noticed yet - hope the dishwasher gets the smell out!!

I have black nipples - mine were rusty too, but just treated them with Trustan 2000 rust killer. your a braver man than me if you want to change them 1 by 1. Think carefully before heading off down that road. My advice would be ; Treat them, paint them or wire wool them. dont worry about them unless they are loose, then you can cut the offender out (cos the thread will be knackered)and replace it.

Ok - 2 hours of swearing later and ive done the complete Waynes world fork seal change. A few tips for anyone else who wants to try. 1 - cut the end off of a no more nails / or bathroom sealant tube - it makes a good seal basher. 2 - put the air cap back in the top after you have taken the springs out - it stops the forks exploding over the floor when you try and split them. 3 - make sure the internal copper coloured spacers sit as far down as they will go, (best leave them in) or you wont get the seal down far enough. dont hit them with a hammer - they are really soft. 4 - ignore the tape up the fork bit. the seal doesnt fit over the tape. managed to get the whole leg assembled and realised i had a spare spacer. had to take the whole lot apart again and re-assemble. took the other leg apart and realised the spacer i'd just put in the other leg and assembled for the 2nd time was upside down i'm afraid its going to have to live that way. seals are in, good and tight and seem to be working. got a whole lot of black sludge out which wasnt nice. only thing is, it now sounds like a plunger down a sink. do i need to bleed the air out? also i cant get one of the bottom drain plugs tight enough and its dripping. seems to keep turning but its not threaded ( i dont think) - may have to put a felt washer in. happy days and thanks Wayne !!

I'm afraid i cant take any credit for it - took the "kick back and relax" option and took it to the garage - it was back in a week and smiles all round (apart from Mrs Caddabs if she ever sees the bill ) You guys are absolutely right about getting to know the bike by doing it yourself, but it'd still be on the kitchen table by the summer if i had a go, and sometimes you have to know your limits. Also my "garage" is a very loose description for "blooming cold timber shed filled with kids stuff that you have to climb over to get to your bike" - not ideal

Fair point Thanks for the advice - new mains are running well by the way Caddabs

Sorry to jump on the end of an old post, but i have a similar problem to the original post (and the same bike) I'm favouring the Shercoman2k8 response rather than the Waynes Manual method. Does anyone else have any thoughts? Any recommendations on something to seat the new seals in? I'm wondering if a 40mm piece of plastic pipe might do it - i think the forks are 38mm so it should slide over. my forks are now "bubbling" oil out of the top of the dust cap on compression so i'm guessing the seals are well past their sell by. Many thanks Caddabs

Hi Drake - i ride a 290 and have been competing for about just over a year, so i'm still a newbie too. Trials is obviously a different technique to MotoX or Enduro and in most sections you wont need to change gear. The bikes have tons of torque and will get you through pretty much anything. The big thing is clutch control which i would imagine would be very different to MX or Enduro, as you need to "slip" the clutch to feed in power, find grip etc. The 290 will want to "go" and you will need to control it on the clutch. Having said that, i expected to have a wheel in my face all the time, but as long as your smooth with the power and control the clutch you'll be fine. I've not ridden the 250, but i would be suprised if they didnt want to "go" too. Try and get a test ride if you can, stick it in 2nd and have a little potter about, you'll soon get the hang of it. Mine was very retarded until very recently and for me it was a perfect way to learn new techniques and get to feel at home on it. It was a bit too retarded to be honest, but it does show that you can down tune them if its a bit much. a slow throttle (the black one) is a must too. if its a decent bike at a good price you havnt got much to lose. if it turns out to be too much of a beast, you have the option of down tuning it, or trade it on for a 250. Others may disagree, but i'd say give it a go. Power is relative to the twistgrip after all. Hope that helps Caddabs

Thanks all - much appreciated advice. Still pondering best way forward. Thanks again...........

Thanks for the faint glimmer of hope Copemech. i'm afraid i dont have access to that sort of measuring equipment, but i wondered if you wouldnt mind a quick look at this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKrg2V8XpyQ the knocking sound leads me to think the worst. Thanks again - Caddabs

Thanks all - sounds good advice. Wasnt sure if it was standard Sherco wobbles, but sounds like it needs sorting. Thanks

Re-timed my Sherco over the weekend and noted that the there was some play in the main bearing whilst taking off the flywheel. The engine doesnt knock or rattle - can i safely ignore it until it does or does it need an urgent fix? Part of the cause for concern is that we discovered the bike was massively retarded as the woodruff key had become dislodged and lost in a crevice in the flywheel. this was the cause of some very soft performance. With the extra horses released, will it destroy the bearing ? The bike was so retarded, i wonder if it was actually almost advanced for the next stroke !! its a wonder it ran at all. Now at -4mm/-5mm and seems a very nice comprimise. Note to others who may be doing the same - make sure the rubber gasket doesnt come off of the flywheel cover and wrap itself round the flywheel. it makes an awful mess! Big thanks to Wherry for helping with the spanners

Thanks guys - cant find one anywhere so will have to use a drill bit or allen key. I am looking to advance it - fingers crossed!