any machinists, shops read this

[mountain thumper]

could anyone out there reproduce foreign parts? some of the parts i saw at the trialendurodirect.com look like i could machine copies with my tiny milling machine, if someone had access to a 3 axis machine a bunch of us could get together, order some super sexy euro parts, and start kicking out more cost effective knockoffs, different enough not to break any laws. at an exchange rate of 1.99/1.00 sterling to usd plus international shipping, and with the risk of recieving damaged goods, and not having time to ship them back before th 2 weeks return period...
things like the reservoir covers, levers, shifters, brake pedals and the ltr like cover could be made easily( i guess cover is kinda un-needed), things like the adj pv cover would obviously be harder.
anyone from ltr interested in reproducing some of these parts? id love to buy an ltr adjustable pv cover to replace my "classic" ltr cover

[Rick]

Some of that Euro after market stuff looks good..... but what after market stuff do you REALLY need for a GasGas? Skid Plate... IMO, the reason I bought a GasGas was because it did not need a ton of after market parts, the bike had all the good stuff from the factory...I am not a "bling" type of guy, however I do like a good looking bike....I'd rather spend my hard earned cash on tires and on parts that are going to wear out, like chain, sprockets, wheel bearings.

[mountain thumper]

well, i guess thats true, they are just about perfect out of the crate. the parts i want would serve a function though. the adjustable pv would help with tuning, the stubby rear brake lever would definately help me and my circus feet stop braking when im trying to shift my weight, the rear brake res cooler would help with the fading issues some, although the only braking problem ive had is that at high rates of speeds, i dont always grab when braking, sometimes just slide.
im a big fan of the stubby bar levers too, i only use a couple fingers to pull with, i dont need a lever that is twice the length of my fist, that curls out at the end, away from the shortest fingers on my hand, and id feel bad if i molested the factory parts!
i dont go throuh that many parts, ive owned 3 dirt bikes thus far, ive only had to replace levers, shifters and brake pedals. my gg has a tad over 30 hours now, and is still on factory everything(wear wise) other that fluids.

on the subject of wheel bearings, hom often should you replace them, can they be repacked like my truck? i changed the oil yesterday, and washed up my clutch fluid mess i made(see fubar-ed post) and took her for a spin on the road. i was wot in 4th and when i shifted up, and got into the powerband in 5th the whole bike started wigging out. i know the back rim has a little runout from riding on it with a missing spoke, but the front tire was yanking back and forth too, could that be a bearing issue, or possibly just knobbies at high speed on pavement?

[ramcclure200]

you mentioned missing spoke from rear so I would suggest check and tighten your spokes front and rear.
My bike when I got it shortly after breakin period I noticed it didnt track as true as when I first got it and after inspecting spokes and tightening it was like new again.
Good luck
Ron McClure



2004 EC/DE200

[stay_upright]

Replace the wheel bearings when they become loose i.e. you can feel any movement in the side to side of the wheel when giving it a strong push/pull / wiggle if you know what i mean. Once worn they can't be packed but also I've never heard or worn bearings failing catastrophially.

Lots of people re-grease the bearings when they are new and claim this extends their life a lot but you need time and skill not to damage the delicate seals. Keeping the outer lip seals in good condition helps a lot stopping jet wash water getting into the bearings but this involves replacing them regularly (every set of wheel bearings?) and the alloy spacer quite often as it gets a groove worn ito it or buy aftermarket hardened alloy parts which do not wear as much (if at all).

If you wanted to grease yours I'm not sure if you would damage a new (good condition) bearing if you remove it from the wheel since you have to hammer the inner race to get it out....