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mtnmanseth

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Posts posted by mtnmanseth

  1. Posted

    So we hopped our way to the US which was a long, long way with such a load and injury.

    They convinced me that I a glad I made a good effort to get back to the US vs trying to get local treatment down there.

    I'm confused; didn't the Mexican border guys stop you from "hopping" into the US via pedestrian entrance? So then how did you get through? What do you mean by "...a long, long way with such a load and injury"? More details, if you get a moment, please.

    Following this thread with great interest (for the same reason as everyone else who has been/will be in Baja)... but, mainly, SO VERY THANKFUL that you were able to get your son back to US medical care, nice work Dad!

  3. Posted

    You knew who else were there? ISDE rider and go fast SoCal guy Chilly White who was photographing Graham Jarvis. I thought it was Robert until I saw him wheelie up the entire slab and then stoppie the whole way down. Also, and this didn't seem possible, he slowed in the middle of the slab, turned around and went back up. Must be nice.

    No way!!! Ugh, I had friends in town from Montana en route to Cabo with their toyhauler full of bikes that I had to help with provisions (surfboards, Costco run, etc) so I couldn't make it out... and I missed Graham Jarvis?? Or, are you kidding and I'll just imagine Mr. Jarvis jibbing on McCain rock faces in my mind's eye? I did ride out there yesterday with my Montucky friends in the 40 degree wind, though... AWESOME

  8. Posted

    Case solved! I got a call from Ron at RB Designs today (2-stroke motor mod machinist in Portland) who said the head I sent him has already been machined... that the squish has been reduced BUT the combustion chamber and volume was NOT modified proportional to the reduced squish/increased compression! I had no idea, but a previous owner must have either done it himself or sent it away to a machinist (not RB) who did a half ass job. He said he's 99% sure that the shoddy head work is to blame for my jetting woes and deformed piston due to mismatched combustion chamber volume and VERY high compression. Additional details on the topic are above my level of knowledge so feel free to further explain things, but it's nice to know the story of the mangled 300 piston!


    RB said they'll do their very best to calculate the ideal combustion chamber dimensions and complete the machining job per their successful specifications. Looking forward to reassembly and takin' er out for a rip!


    Surprisingly, I measured the bore with Spaugh's help and fancy bore gauge AND Skeeter's matched the "A" piston to my cylinder in their shop. Both Spaugh and the GG dealer said that either I started with a slightly smaller cylinder and piston (even though both are stamped "A") or despite all the dome and skirt damage shown on the piston the cylinder has sustained a nearly immeasurable amount of wear. Odd, I know, but Skeeter's adamantly recommended installation of another "A" piston because a "B" had the potential to cold seize. So... "A" it is...

  9. Posted

    I got the $150 rebate email too. Because I'm a loyal customer. It looks attractive.....but.....there are some negative reviews. Number one is customer service sucks, well I know that. Number two is the covers over the emergency help and sos buttons don't stay closed. The motion activated feature didn't seem to be an issue, even with motorcycle use, and these were street riders. I would think there is enough movement / vibration in dirt riding to keep it alive.

    Can any existing users here comment on the negatives of the spot 3?

    I have used the Gen3 unit for about 6 months. The Spot website definitely needs work. It was upgraded about 2 months ago, and is a bit better, but isn't quite there. Customer Service I have no experience with.

    The actual layout and performance of the hardware has been just fine, though. The button covers seem more than adequate and I can honestly say that 100% of my sent messages (whether the customized "Okay/Check-in" message or the other customized message that only goes to my girlfriend) from the unit have gone through. There is an indicator light that blinks indicating that the message was received by the system, and, so far, it has never failed me. I bet I've sent 30 messages from it and it's record is 30 for 30. The tracking option has worked flawlessly, too, and I've never noticed it shut-off or disable tracking after putting it down for a while to eat lunch or check in at the truck.

  10. Posted

    What did the GasGas specialist say about # of hours on the piston? I know it's a 2 stroke but I thought 300s lasted much longer than a 125 and even a mx ridden 250?

    Well, the GG forum folks say to pull it down and check on conditions/ring gap every ~70 hours. Of course, while you're in there one should replace rings (in addition to base gasket) to refresh things. Overall piston life for 300 2-strokes varies widely, between 150-200 hours for us trail riders to maybe 30-40 hours for racers and guys on the pipe ALL THE TIME. Yes, 300 guts will definitely last significantly longer than smaller bores, you're right. I have no way of knowing how many total hours are on the bike... the previous owner may have had 200 hours on it just putting around with family. Don't know.

    Most on the GG forum concur that the heat damage most likely due to extreme lean condition is old news... may have even happened before I bought the bike. However, it sounds like my jetting is one single step too lean for the occasional trips to sea level (Anza Borrego, Superstition, Ocotillo Wells) and I should rejet to sea level while acknowledging it will be just a little rich at the top of Pine Valley/Corral Canyon. Apparently the biggest tell tale is the few times it did the "hanging idle" after flogging it around sand dunes and through deep sand washes at WFO throttle. Now I know what to listen for.

    In the end, the fact that she ran as strong as she did despite the damaged piston is clear testament to how resilient and tough newer generation 2-stroke motors are. I probably got quite lucky riding it for as long and hard as I have without catastrophic engine damage, though. I loved the ridiculous tractable, electric-motor-smoothness and "lugability" before these upgrades, can hardly wait to try it out all freshed up. We'll see!

  11. Posted

    Lean pilot will give you the "hanging idle" that you are referring to. I doubt it will cause that much heat but a lean needle or main jet setting will. You may be right in that the initial damage may have been done by the PO. What oil and ratio are you running? Remember that a richer oil ratio will result in a leaner mixture. I haven't had a two stroke for some time but raced them for many years. I'm sure there are many others on here that are more current than myself. These are just the basics.

    Throwing in a 42 or 45 pilot jet is easy, so that will happen prior to desert outings to potentially fix the hanging idle. I concur that a lean idle probably wouldn't cause this kind of heat. Thanks. So.... needle or main.

    I am running Motul 710 at 40:1 ratio. GasGas recommends running 50:1 of any synthetic oil, so you're right, that is a touch leaner with the richer oil ratio. I really like Motul 710 as it's a low flashpoint oil that spooges MUCH LESS than other "racing" oils with twice or three times the heat/rpms needed to burn/lubricate.

    And, yeah, it's definitely confusing not knowing if this damage was done before I even owned the thing or if I did the damage. I rode Rob's brand new Husky 300 2T this summer and it definitely boosted the front wheel easier than my bike. I'm starting to consider it was suffering from a damaged piston and, therefore, lower compression from the second I bought it. Oh, geez, I can hardly wait to get it put back together and take 'er out!

  12. Posted

    I've definitely done some plug checks over the last year since I've owned it, and they were always black and wet looking... sign of rich condition. However, the Iridium plug when I pulled it on Saturday was a nice dry chocolate brown color - I was happy with it. Plug has never been white or ashy to indicate super lean condition. Weird.

    My gut is that I need to up the jetting (main jet at least) for sea level/desert conditions and leave it. It might be a touch rich at 4,000 feet - and will require rejetting if ridden above that. If the pilot jet is too small, will it cause the funky idle after WOT and cause this much heat? Or is this certainly too much heat from an undersized main jet?

  13. Posted

    Mission: Install my first/bike's first top end in a 2005 GasGas EC300

    New parts purchased: Vertex "A" piston kit, wrist bearing, gaskets (A piston purchased because cylinder showed little/no wear and Skeeter's - GasGas dealer - thought a "B" would potentially cold seize)

    Current carb setup: JD jet kit installed per instructions at 3,000' elevation: blue needle 3rd clip, 178 main, 40 pilot, air screw ~3/4 turn out

    Riding conditions: Between sea level and 4,000 feet, 65-85 degrees F, mostly technical singletrack trail riding but occasional high speed blasts through desert dunes and sand washes

    Result: My jaw dropped to the floor when I pulled the jug off my bike for the first time. I'm the 3rd owner, but the former owners barely rode the bike, so I ESTIMATE the bike/top end has 120-150 hours on it (no hour meter on it until recently). What I found was a badly warped piston with a chunk of the sidewall missing between the rings. Fortunately, the chunk was missing on the exhaust side, and due to complete lack of dents/scratches in piston surface or cylinder walls, can only assume the chunk of metal was perfectly spat out the exhaust hole. Right? Before you guys scold me about how I went WAAAAY too long before refreshing the top end... trust me, I know! This is my first dirt bike, first 2T at all, so I'm learning here. And, really, I have no idea whether this damage was done by a previous owner (with stock jetting) and I've been riding it with this damage. Regardless, I will be checking piston condition from now on and plan to replace again at ~70 hours, now that I have an hour meter installed on the bike. It would be great if you guys will help me learn from the experience. Was the damage to this piston likely done during WOT events i.e. too small main jet? Or could it be a needle issue? As written above, I rarely am at WOT but have brought the bike to the desert a few times (at sea level) and have had her wide open through sand washes and up and over sand dunes. I do recall that the idle tended to hover high and undulate high/low/high/low for several seconds after some time at WOT in the sand. Again, being new to jetting/bike setup maybe this was a major sign I was doing damage and didn't know it. Pure sand and WOT riding was definitely rare as I prefer to tackle steep technical singletrack climbs and riding areas.

    I showed all this to Skeeter's Motorsports (SoCal's only GasGas dealer) and they really didn't seem too concerned, which was suprising. They said 2 stroke motors are bulletproof, and the condition of the piston and the fact that it still ran fine is certainly proof of this. They sold me a new top end kit and gasket set, and it all went in just fine.

    Anyhow, here are pictures of what I pulled out of the bike:

    IMAG0144_zpse79215ec.jpg

    Put a main jet in the depression to show scale

    IMAG0147_zpse92844d0.jpg

    Close up of missing chunk on exhaust side

    IMAG0137_zps87779c3b.jpg

    Obvious blow by and significant skirt wear

    IMAG0134_zpse3ba879c.jpg

    IMAG0132_zps3ef49af1.jpg

    Jug still in excellent condition (WHEW!) and Skeeter's (GasGas dealer) agrees

    IMAG0127_zps423ffd11.jpg

    New piston ready to go

    IMAG0123_zps1563cc4d.jpg

    For those who haven't seen the bike (the day I bought it, hardly a scratch)

    00V0V_g4D46vLztMD_600x450_zps545d1178.jp

    The head is being machined by RB Designs in Portland, OR (specialize in GasGas engine mods) as I type this to reduce squish band/increase compression, and hope to have it back by this weekend - So I have not started the bike after new top end yet. In anticipation of the these major upgrades, I want to make sure I don't melt another piston. Please review the jetting setup provided above and let me know if this is a good start. I have done a lot of homework and see that most guys find that they need to lean their jetting after getting their head mods/reduce squish/increase compression... so maybe my current setup is actually perfect? Any advice would be much appreciated.

    Big THANK YOU to Spaugh for helping me to assess cylinder wear and measure the bore over the weekend... I'll get this thing running again and we'll go for a rip!

    Sending a virtual cold beer to you all...

  16. Posted

    Cheah, I wish it were that easy for my Type A personality... just put in the same stuff and go. But there are so many variables to research and decide on for technerds like myself... different base gasket thicknesses, different piston materials (i.e. forged vs cast), different piston sizes (that vary by only 0.0005"), custom head machining options for more low end torque, do I use Iridium plug or regular... yada yada yada. Actually, though, I love this stuff. I do find zen in the art of motorcycle maintenance...

    Thanks again for all the support, SDAR.

  18. Posted

    Perfect, many thanks Spaugh. If you'll PM me your address and phone number, I'll let you know when I can come by with cylinder jug in hand. The cylinder has an "A" stamped on the back, and most guys on the GG forum say that a "B" size works great after first piston, but let's measure and see...

    I sure appreciate all the friendly, generous, helpful folks I've met on this site! And RiggerDan.

  19. Posted

    Ladies, Gentlemen, RiggerDan:

    It ain't the ideal time of year to do this, I know, but my beloved and trusty steed, the mighty Spanish senorita aka GasGas, has decided it's time I freshen up the ol' top end.... the original 9 yr old base gasket failed last weekend. To the best of my knowledge, the bike has about 150 hours on the original top end (100 of those hours by yours truly) so it's time anyhow. I've never done a top end before, and am kind of excited to get it going and completed (I'll be sending the head off for some machining work, too). First, I need help measuring the cylinder bore so I can order the best fit Wossner piston kit. I will have her torn apart by tomorrow afternoon, and can travel to you if you'll help me measure the bore. The beer I shall bring shall be cold and delish. Anyone available to assist tomorrow afternoon/evening?

    Muchas gracias y saludos, amigos!

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