Show us your trail bike

[firko]

 

Let me know when you wanr the Jags rear calipers overhauled-I'll be out of town that week   

Already done Vaughn, when I got the car it'd been sitting on chassis stands for 12 years and the brakes were locked solid. My old Mechanic showed me the "easy" way to do them....remove the whole rear end from the car. There's only 6 bolts and a cable or two and only takes 20 minutes. Funny you mention brakes, I've only this week got a NOS pair of front calipers from the US so will soon be into that relatively simple job. Despite all of its British foibles it's truly magnificent car to drive, especially at speed. It'll be even better once I (eventually) fit the 5 speed Gertrag trans.

[evo550]

So why would you build a 2 stroke with a plug you can't change trackside??? WTF were they thinking?

They were thinking "This is the year of our lord 1995! Two-strokes don't foul plugs every five minutes! Why don't we give the bike a decent fuel range and good ergos, rather than pandering for muppets who don't jet their bikes right?!".



Seriously, I can't recall the last time I changed a plug on a modern. My WR200/YZ125 hybrid is a nightmare to swap plugs on, thanks to the PV controller being in the way - it worried me at first, but over seven or eight rides it's still on the original plug.

You're going to start thinking all I want to do is argue with you but.... about two days ago I was thinking of starting a thread "Why are modern two strokes so F%^&ing difficult to jet"
Years ago I never changed plugs, jets, needle clip settings, slides ect as much as I do today. DT's, elsinores, TS's would all run forever on a tin of BP zoom on whatever plug you had laying around, auto lube, pre-mix whatever.
Over the last few years (since the kids started racing) I have had nothing but issues with plugs.
I was at the point of selling my sons yz85 after about 6 months because it simply defied jetting logic, which finally was fixed with a slide/needle combo change, until a few days ago, when the temp rose by 15 degrees and the humidity hit the roof, guess what, fouled plug in two laps, new plug, fouled in another two laps.
Makes these new fuel injected fourstrokes very tempting.

[Nathan S]

New bikes make more, better power - we expect a lot more from them. Almost everything is easy to jet to the limits of a Mikuni VM...

Mikuni TMXes are also rubbish. Sensitive to temperature and altitude changes, hardly anyone stocks bits for them, and there's not a lot of collective knowledge about needles.
The TMXX is a fair bit better, but I'd still fit a PWK to any modern that gave a moment's grief with a Mikuni.

[evo550]

I haven't had a mikuni fitted bike since a 1992 YZ250 all Keihins either PJ or PWK.
Modern carbs seem to be far more sensitive to enviromental changes, temp, humidity, distance above sea level.
Plugs also "foul" differently now, years ago carbon and gunk would build up and eventually bridge the gap, this could be fixed trailside with a bit of whatever by cleaning the gap and off you go again. All the plugs I foul nowdays are due to a buildup across the insulator, can't fix that at the track....unless you've got a new plug.

[EML]

Yep, the carbon builds up and shorts out the insulator, and it comes from the additives in the fuel, not from oil or other build up. And yes, a new plug is the only answer, no point in cleaning it.

The new EFI two strokes will be the go. 

[evo550]

So how do you stop it  ......and why don't 4t's get it

[Nathan S]

I haven't had a mikuni fitted bike since a 1992 YZ250 all Keihins either PJ or PWK.
Modern carbs seem to be far more sensitive to enviromental changes, temp, humidity, distance above sea level.
Plugs also "foul" differently now, years ago carbon and gunk would build up and eventually bridge the gap, this could be fixed trailside with a bit of whatever by cleaning the gap and off you go again. All the plugs I foul nowdays are due to a buildup across the insulator, can't fix that at the track....unless you've got a new plug.

Serious?
You may have noticed that the hand grip on the right can rotate on the handlebars. Rotating this grip occasionally will greatly reduce the number of fouled plugs you experience.


PJs are rubbish and should have never been fitted to an MX or enduro bike, BTW.

You're not using Shell fuel are you?

[evo550]

This is what plugs used to look like when fouled years ago, but easily cleaned trail side.

This is what a new fouled plugs look like after 3 laps, throttle setting got nothing to do with it.

[frostype400]

I have been running iridiums and fouling heaps of them the standard plugs seem to be doing the same always using 98 from shell??

[EML]

BP or Caltex---Shell has threatened to sue if we keep complaining--so we just don't use it. Note: the local 7/11 is a Shell outlet in disguise.

[frostype400]

I have just been getting it because it is closer to me than the bp I never had the problem come to think of it when I was on BP, thanks Michael.

[oldskool]

7/11 have bought out mobil all the old mobil garages have become 7/11 in queensland ,we used to have mobil cards for our trucks at work and they were swapped for 7/11 and even before the 7/11 take over a mobil tanker used to deliver fuel to the 7/11 down from my house.Don't know if shell used to own mobil or not.

[eric318]

The twin sisters. One is stock, the other has quite a few unusual bits, those who know will know...

[firko]

7/11 have bought out mobil all the old mobil garages have become 7/11 in queensland

I think you'll find that 7/11 took over the Mobil stations Australia wide. I'm pretty friendly with the Pakistani boys who own my local 7/11 and they told me they've been using Mobil for at least two years. 7/11 took over Krispy Kreme donuts too for what it's worth .

[evo550]

I was just about to buy a cr500af, when one of these fell into my lap