Fellow NMTA-ers, a small story for you containing good and bad news.
Recall this thread regarding my pro bono work on behalf of an old timer seeking to get back into trials after a decade-plus absence?
I got recently tapped for consultancy to check out a used 200 GasGas for a local fellow that desired after years to rejoin the trials fold. The bike was in unusually great shape for 17 years old and bought for a mere $2k. My summary: "This is a great bike. Anything wrong will just be chicken...
advbikes.com
Jeff Boggs showed up for my Les Falaises event and got re-excited about trials. He then sought a trials bike for himself and found a 200 GasGas for sale in Tijeras. Knowing nothing about the Pro model GasGas bikes he asked for help and I stepped up to became his technical consultant to go look it over on an early Sunday morning.
We wound our way into the hills of Tijeras to find a Harley Rider's house with a little yellow trials bike outside the garage, ready to show. The guy knew NOTHING about trials, and had tried to ride the weird thing on trails and decided that was enough for him and he put it up for sale. I found the bike in unusually good shape for the age with the motor and gearbox issues that can come up with these bike absent. The usual wear here and there like a totally roached fossil of a rear tire. The worst was a blown shock and leaking fork seals. Then I looked closely at the shock and was surprised to find an Ohlins shock there instead of the usual Sachs shock. The Sachs is actually a fine shock, but the specs were horrid, and for many years they were assembling the things with the piston in backwards (seriously). I told Jeff in private that he should buy this bike as it would be perfect for him as THE lightest trials bike ever and with ample but unintimidating power. He felt that too.
On the drive back to ABQ, yellow bike resting on a Bud-Cole-donated, monstrously heavy rear bumper rack, I determined to volunteer my expertise and the rest of the day to Jeff and his new bike.
Back in my garage I got carried away, and Jeff got to see me in my intense-mechanic mode, going through a bike I knew so well. We got it to this point by the end of that first day, as in clean and fully maintained, but needing some final steps to become 'like new':
Jeff go the usual center muffler crack TIG welded, and I rebuilt the shock adding the Long Travel Ohlins mod. I donated to the cause not only my time, but a new D803GP rear tire, new DID chain, new sprockets and even a new later-design kickstart lever because... what would I do with it? No longer a dealer, and I'd never own a GasGas again, right?
When stripping the bike down I saw an A. Moines sticker on the frame by the upper shock. Years earlier I had bought in Oklahoma a used 2005 GasGas 125 with a 225 top end kit with that exact same sticker! Neat bike! I later sold it to one of my trials schools students because he liked it so much.
I strongly suggested new green SKF fork seals as they are the best. Jeff got the front tire AND green SKF fork seals for the 40mm open cartridge Zokes. He got both from Carl. Amazing! what local dealer stocks green SKF fork seals for 40mm Zokes?? I ordered a seal head from my buddy Randy Lewis in CA. A trip to OKie and my machine shop, where I rebuilt the shock AND did the long-travel Ohlins mod.
Back in NM I completed the work. Looking up my notes from a 2005 GasGas I owned, 5W in the rebound side and 10W in the compression side was the hot ticket to modernizing the forks.
The test ride revealed a new feeling, perfect jetted motor, and suspension to match, and in the case of the rear end exceed, the 2023 bikes. I wasn't sure if the old suspension linkage ratio would work with the long-travel mod, but it did! No more foot hurting, short-feeling harsh rear suspension. I was very impressed with the bike, and at the following San Yo event Jeff got a lot of positive comments about how nice the bike looked and how well it was running and working.
I was very happy for him. The good news was adding a trials rider back into the fold! Jeff reported feeling somewhat hammered by his re-intro to trials. I told him that the same happened to me when I quit for six years and came back, and that it would get better. Hang in there!
Jeff then signed up for the training event at Lake Fork and having a great time. It was hammering him some but he was doing OK. Then right at the end when kick starting his bike, something happened to his right knee. He had to load up the bike and limp around.
Jeff expressed worry that he had dome some damage. I told him to hang in there!
It turns out he did do some damage and said he didn't think he could keep it up (the bad news) as it threatened other things he also wants to do. I told him to hang in there!
Then he reported his intention to sell the bike. He said he'd rather 'sell it to someone in the club', and given I had just been thinking about doing one-on-one training again, and wouldn't it be nice to have a spare trials bike in storage at BOTH the properties.... So I asked him what he wanted for Old Yaller and bought the bike. It was a no brainer.
The strange coincidence is in owning my second A. Moines GasGas. Does anyone know who A. Moines is, or was?