mrskywalker Posted November 1, 2023 Report Share Posted November 1, 2023 (edited) Hey guys, Ive always wanted to give trials a try but with my location the bikes very rarely pop up(in Mississippi and grew up in Louisiana). That said I competed in the Redbull TKO on an electric bike(surron light bee) and finished the race. I sold that bike and planned on getting another more capable electric bike but it sold before I could get it so it got me thinking since I have the money looking into a nice trials bike to really hone in my hard enduro skills. Ive been doing some practice based on IRC tire guy on YT on my beta xtrainer as that is my main bike with the electric sold and want to try TKO again either on bigger electric(Electric motion or Ultra bee) or the beta xtrainer so learning trials would be huge help. Low and behold 2018 GasGas 300 txt factory popped up about 20min from and looks very nice but Im pretty sure its way too much bike for me but it seems its at a fair price and im sure I could probably get in for $4800 range. The debate is there is also a 2019 beta 200 evo about 4hrs away but the guy wont budge on price and hes asking $5800 which seems to be about $1k over market(already talked to him as I have ridden that exact model and it felt perfect for learning). Do you guys think I should just get the 300 with the intention of taming it down as its a reasonable price or just wait until the 200 comes around on price as he seemed very adamant he was gonna hold out and possibly loose months of possible practice? About me I am 5'8 and 130lbs and upper C class in hare scrambles/mx but technical riding is my strong suit so figure trials is gonna be the best way to step up my skills. I have started a small trials skills in the backyard so noise might be a consideration so 4 stroke or electric for that would be fine too. There is a beta evo 300 4t in price range but 10hrs away. Edited November 1, 2023 by mrskywalker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stpauls Posted November 2, 2023 Report Share Posted November 2, 2023 (edited) Forget the price. A 300cc trials bike is much more difficult to control than a smaller bike. 250cc is more than enough for a novice. 200 even better. 125 would also be fine to learn basic trials riding skills. The last thing you need as a novice is too much power. Edited November 2, 2023 by stpauls 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrskywalker Posted November 2, 2023 Author Report Share Posted November 2, 2023 That's what I figured, also I assume my weight amplifies that issue in addition to what I've read the gasgas is one of the more aggressive 300s vs say the betas. I'll hold out for a 125 or 200. Is a 300 4 stroke the same? There are a few at decent prices and I know part of it is bc 2 strokes are generally preferred but haven't really seen much if the 300 is very aggressive vs the 250 4 stroke. Of course in my background 4 strokes typically would be 250fs being compatible to 150cc two stroke but these are completely different engines so maybe the gap is much smaller. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrskywalker Posted November 3, 2023 Author Report Share Posted November 3, 2023 Well found an 03 gasgas txt 125 that needs a little work from sitting, gonna be getting that next week. I know its typically not advised to get one that needs work as a first bike but from what I can tell all the parts needed are still easily available(throttle cable, grips, air filter, and maybe clutch pack) and the bike runs fine and Im very experienced mechanic so not worried as long as parts are available. Plus it was only $1250 so plenty of margin to stay within market value and not have to worry as much if for some reason I dont take to the sport. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sectionone Posted November 6, 2023 Report Share Posted November 6, 2023 Early gasgas pro bikes are problematic and you will spend a lot of time an money keeping it running. I bought a low hour 2007 250 in 2007 and had to split the cases to replace shift shaft, replace the ignition and replace idler and kickstart gears. A friends 2013 gasgas had to have the cases split twice for gears and seals failing. I owned my gasgas for 12 years and was glad to get rid of it. Very unreliable gearbox and ignition. I spent a lot of money replacing Ducati parts and had to replace it with Kokusan. Don't buy a gasgas with a Ducati ignition, it will leave you stranded! My 2007 Sherco 250 has been very reliable with plenty of manageable power. I would get bored easily with a 125 trials bike. A 250 and up makes hillclimbs fun but if you don't have big hills a 125 would be fine. The most reliable are Montesa 2 or 4 stroke. My 2005 4RT has been flawless. A late model 300cc 4RT can be one of the loudest bikes when revved up. Mine is quiet at low rpms and not so bad at higher rpms. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrskywalker Posted November 6, 2023 Author Report Share Posted November 6, 2023 (edited) Understand some have issues but like I said trials isn't a thing here and just trying to get into it on the cheap as it will be hard to sell any bike around here so might as well be one i might loose a few hundred where a newer bike id loose alot more if i had to resell it. I've had alot of bikes in the past that were known to be problematic and work fine as well as known reliable bikes be nothing but problems(I've owned over 75 bikes) so it's always a risk, this is obviously higher risk but parts do seem to be available If this bike turns out to be a lemon I but I do like the time I get on it I'll look into getting another bike but Ive never seen the recommended ones within 8-12hrs of driving distance unfortunately. The best Ive seen that was supposed to be realiable and easy to ride was a scorpa sy250 that sold before I had the cash a few years ago, still hate I missed it. As for the montesa Ive seen one new at dealer but was WAY out of my price range by 3x, I think it was over $9k. As for hills, its only going to be used in my backyard with zero hills, my beta xtrainer is really the only bike that will see any significant hills. Edited November 6, 2023 by mrskywalker 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemur Posted November 6, 2023 Report Share Posted November 6, 2023 @mrskywalkerI don't read this as you being a novice rider, it's all about how good you are with throttle, brake and clutch control, that is what makes the most difference between your ability to pilot a small vs large displacement trials bike. You say you will be riding this in a yard that is relatively flat? <- then sound volume would not be a problem if you are riding a Montesa 4-stroke, they only bark when you rev them up to blast up a big hill, the rest of the time they sound like a Honda generator. Lots of ways to make a Montesa 4RT even more quite too, they come restricted for road use and you have to modify them to make them race ready as per the instructions that came with the bike originally. 1250$ even in US$ does not buy you much of a modern trials bike, that's about the price of a new set of front forks. To get the most out of learning to ride Trials you need the bike to be operating perfect, anything less than that will detract from your learning experience. Beta Evolution 4T is not an easy bike to start and keep running nice compared to the fuel injected Montesa, particularly once it falls over Beta 4T are harder to start and will have you messing with choke settings, Montesa has a tilt switch to kill the engine if it is upside-down because they just don't want to stop running in any aspect. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrskywalker Posted November 6, 2023 Author Report Share Posted November 6, 2023 3 minutes ago, lemur said: @mrskywalkerI don't read this as you being a novice rider, it's all about how good you are with throttle, brake and clutch control, that is what makes the most difference between your ability to pilot a small vs large displacement trials bike. You say you will be riding this in a yard that is relatively flat? <- then sound volume would not be a problem if you are riding a Montesa 4-stroke, they only bark when you rev them up to blast up a big hill, the rest of the time they sound like a Honda generator. Lots of ways to make a Montesa 4RT even more quite too, they come restricted for road use and you have to modify them to make them race ready as per the instructions that came with the bike originally. 1250$ even in US$ does not buy you much of a modern trials bike, that's about the price of a new set of front forks. To get the most out of learning to ride Trials you need the bike to be operating perfect, anything less than that will detract from your learning experience. Beta Evolution 4T is not an easy bike to start and keep running nice compared to the fuel injected Montesa, particularly once it falls over Beta 4T are harder to start and will have you messing with choke settings, Montesa has a tilt switch to kill the engine if it is upside-down because they just don't want to stop running in any aspect. Yea, Im not new to technical riding, its just new to focusing on trials specifically. I love the idea of nicer bike but its just not in the budget, the $4500 bikes were already a huge stretch given I dont know how much I will actually use it. I find it hard to believe even an older bike that has been gone thru(I plan to refresh bearing, fluids, and fix any mechanical stuff, etc) wont be beneficial to learning balance and clutch control, especially since I will get way more ride time as I only get to ride the beta 2-3hrs a week on Saturdays where this I can ride in afternoons after work. Thats the plan at least. It really seems like the Montesa is the bike I should look for as next bike if that comes around. Again the only reasons for the looking at the beta 4t was availability and reviews said they were quiet, but I do love my honda fuel injected bike(honda grom with 38k miles on it) so know how nice efi can be for a just plain reliable bike. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sectionone Posted November 6, 2023 Report Share Posted November 6, 2023 Every hard enduro rider I know who rides SEER and TKO and owns a trials bike for cross training has a 300 and doesn't compete in trials. They might try STRA Intermediate class and find it boring and not interested in tight technical turning and more into Expert level steps, big climbs and not concerned about dabbing. Virtually all the STRA riders are not interested in hard enduro. Trials dealers are very honest and trustworthy so you could get one shipped to you without a problem. They would even take in a bike from a private seller, make sure it is mechanically sound, then ship it to you at a good price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrskywalker Posted November 6, 2023 Author Report Share Posted November 6, 2023 Yea I could see where hard enduro riders might use trials bike as trainer but find trials competition boring as its not like and enduro where is head to head, I might fall into that category. I just think a 300 would be way too much for me, I can hardly manage to ride full size enduro properly bc of size so thats why Im on the xtrainer and used the surron light bee as they are manageable in hard enduro for someone my size, but thats also why I think the 300s are just too much bike for me, the 125-200 enduro bikes were the only ones I got along with before the xtrainer but the xtrainer is very mellow for a 300 and if there was a 200 xtrainer thats what id own. As for getting one from a dealer Ive looked on cycle trader for dealers and there just wasnt anything really in my price range, only one that was close in price was a 2020 beta 125 for $3250 but literally no info or pics and other side of the country so shipping would probably be $6-700. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemur Posted November 6, 2023 Report Share Posted November 6, 2023 I have a Montesa for sale, 3300 US$ is about 4500$ Canadian you could buy a lot more motorcycle for your $ in Canada, too bad for you it's so far away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrskywalker Posted November 7, 2023 Author Report Share Posted November 7, 2023 Yea pretty much anywhere other than US, especially where I am in the muddy south, trials bikes are abundant and far cheaper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sectionone Posted November 7, 2023 Report Share Posted November 7, 2023 300 is by far the most popular size in the US with the best resale value. Riders below expert class will add a flywheel weight and low comp head. I think there is a thread on ADV rider where a KTM 300 enduro rider bought a 300 trials bike and was complaining it had no power and was doing crazy porting mods. All trials bikes don't have much high end power compared to enduro. If you are coming from a Japanese enduro bike, you can't start or shift an older gas gas pro engine the same way or else you will break it. Single deliberate kicks and gentle shifts are required. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrskywalker Posted November 7, 2023 Author Report Share Posted November 7, 2023 Yea Ive always been a rider that does more with less so 125/200 bikes have always been what I knew I wanted. An example is I have ridden the same trails everyone was on enduro race bikes and I did it all on my dr200 and kept up with all except the fastest 2-3 guys. There was once on an optional hill called cry baby that one guy used the excuse that he needed 200 more ccs(was on wr250f) to do it after I had just done the same hill on my dr200 with 60/40 dual sport tires lol. Ill keep that in mind about the shifting and starting. The one short ride I did on a trials bike I dont see myself being hard on it with starting and shifting as its more of set and forget until you finish the obstacle. With the shifter being farther away its not like like when racing and ripping thru gears and its just casual practice, not starting for dead engine start hare scramble. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemur Posted November 7, 2023 Report Share Posted November 7, 2023 (edited) Trials boots, you need them. Don't try to make due with your enduro/MX leg casts. Going super cheap on boots and the bike investment will give you a good reason to dislike trials riding. Get a good trials bike, learn how to ride it and then you can make lots of hill climbs the enduro guys will struggle or crash on, it's great fun. Edited November 7, 2023 by lemur Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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