No Rear Grip

[danvipond]

Basically im new to trials got myself a 270 beta rev 3 02 and started practising in some wooded areas now with the rain recently ive lost all rear grip in any sort of mud.

Thought the tyre was quite worn so have no replaced that (brand new dunlop d803).

still getting poor rear grip, i know my technique wont be perfect but have tried exactly the same things on my brother 07 gas gas and have no problem, can ride up banks on one wheel where as i would be stuck at the bottom.

as i say im new to this but anything that could be causing a massive loss in rear grip?

oh and rear tyre pressures ive tried anything between 3-5.5PSi

Thanks Dan

[grahamjayzee]

Hello Dan and welcome.

Many things affect the ability to find and maintain grip. You've covered one of the main ones; a good sharp driving edge on the rear tyre. You can go softer; 2.5 - 3psi is good.

A 270 Rev 3 can be a bit snappy. Check the colour of the throttle tube. You need a slow action one if possible. I can't remember for sure, but I think white tube is slow, black is fast. Someone will put me right on this. Less than a score to change and it makes the bike much tamer off the bottom of the power. This is often where grip is broken.

A flywheel weight willl help. If you take the generator cover off, the flywheel weight will be bolted to the, er, flywheel if there is one. If you can get one, fit it. It's easy to take off when you have developed the deft throttle control we all seek. This again slows down the take up and dampens any throttle inputs helping you to stay in grip.

Try rotating the bars back a touch to put your weaight a little further back.

The rest is down to technique. Keep your weight back, and less obviously, low. This loads the rear tyre. The more you practice the better. If you can generate that essential feel where you are driving but keeping the front wheel on the ground, you are pretty much there. The good news is, once you crack this, you'll have mastered about the most important skill required!

Good Luck

Graham

[danvipond]

already have a fly wheel weight fitted, will get the throttle cable and get back.

the thing that is annoying is with my brother 250 gas gas, with an older slightly worn tyre i can jump on and find grip no problems doing nothing different.

which is making my believe its something mechanical rather than technique but i just cant think what would cause something like this.

[canada280i]

black tube is slow-action, white is fast-action

[grahamjayzee]

Knew someone would put me right!

Dan, may be the riding position. I had a 2001 Rev3 and loved it. I also have a 2002 280 gasser in my garage that belongs to a mate. I find the front very high on that and would change the bars if it were my bike. That does put your weight firther back though, so makes grip easier to find. I found the steering too vague as it was, whci is the trade off. Try playing around with the bar position; it's easy to do and makes a surprisingly big difference. Betas are quite long so you can rock the bars back a way without them feeling too cramped.

I got the Rev3 after 13 years out of the sport and deliberately set the bars a long way back. This was to counter the tendendcy I had as a begenner to 'climb the front' and loose grip. Don't know if it worked, but it's a thought!

If all else fails, buy a gasser; it may be that it simply suits you better! However, there are often trade offs...

[danvipond]

will try swinging the bars back see how it goes.

i do like the beta and truth be told it is rediculasly muddy and slippy now maybe its just too muddy.

unfortunately only training ground i have at the moment need a trailer now!

and i have checked it is a black tube from the throttle and definitely has a weighted fly wheel.

however i am considering taking the weights of as the bike just seem really soft.

i do like the gasser for whatever reason just seems a better balanced bike.

Cheers for the help

will let you know how it is after moving the bars

[nzralphy]

Hi Dan

Errr negative on rolling the bars backwards mate. While it can help, mostly it cramps the bike up and you hands come too close to your hips. Keep them vertical.

I'll put money on your rear shock needing a rebuild. A high quality shock gives amazing feel/feedback/and traction to a motorcycle. Lucky beta fitted a high quality shock to your bike - but they do need a service every 3-4 years. Get it to a motorcross or trials shop for at least an oil change and Beta do a rebuild kit for the shock. Grease the swing arm pivot. Change the fork oil while checking the bike over.

Also check your bike is properly setup. Get a friend to help, with riding gear on measure the sag the bike has when you stand on it. Front and back. Adjust the spring for 1/3 sag. Be mm accurate and measure it a few times.

Front and back have rebound damping adjusters. These should be set to take all the fast bouncy rebound action out of the spring. Try a few different settings for what you preefr. Also - important point - slightly slower rebound damping will tend to give better traction. If the rear shock damping adjuster makes no change when it is adjusted then the shock definitely needs a rebuild.

Ralphy

[pindie]

If you shock is dying/dead speak to Andy Dawson 07973 628270. He charged £80 including postage to sort mine.

You may find the lack of grip is too much torque for the wrist at the moment. Try using a higher gear than you think you need. i.e. use third instead of second.

You also need to be super gentle on the initial crack of the throttle. A slight whiff too much and it will spin. If spin happens apply a touch of rear brake. This works like traction control! I use it on gravel climbs as it means you go forward without spinning.

[rogerroger]

One more thing to check is that the swingarm is freely pivoting on its bearings. I had a 2001 250 Rev3 that was awful until I found the swingarm was nipping up when the swingarm spindle was tightened up - I think it had been assembled incorrectly. Friction dampers suck!