Dougie Lampkin features in ADB

In the latest edition of ADB (issue#356) there is a short interview with Dougie Lampkin talking about his recent successful Enduro debut, Also an article which caught my eye about the environmental impact 2 stroke Vs 4 stroke.

EASTER SAT TRIAL VENUE CHANGE

Summer Series 4 Easter Sat trial due to be held in Ferguson Valley near Bunbury has had to be changed to due to fire risk.

The trial will now be held at Josh Austin’s boss property, 2783 South Western Hwy Serpentine. The property is about 2-3km south of Serpentine on South Western Hwy, the entry to the property is at an overtaking lane.

EquipRent Natural Terrain Motocross

T

he EquipRent Natural Terrain Motocross event turned out to be a great success for the promoters and Moto Dynamics. This year the Price and Nolan brothers plus a stray from Victoria Alex Coleman put on Moto Trials displays over the weekend. Also for the first time Paul Price competed in his first motocross race aboard his Beta 450 Racing 4T.

It was a hectic build up to the weekend with Neil working flat out to alter and prepare the obstacles for the show. Thankfully we had an incident free show, thanks to the added grip tape which prevented a repeat of Lewis's crash in Northam. Alex Nolan wasn't feeling the best because of a shoulder injury which he sustained on his BMX bike a few days before, also Alex Coleman had an eventful weekend and could only ride two shows after suffering an allergic reaction to something at the venue. It still turned out to be a great weekend and Simon was just happy to hear his voice over the loadspeaker again!

Paul who is starting his second season in Enduro this year had his first taste of motocross and judging by his reaction after each race he had an awesome time. Paul was competing in the headlight class which consisted of two races of 3 laps and a four lap final. His first race didn't start the way he planned because of some unexpected grip on the start line. He nearly flipped it but somehow held on, but got away almost last. He battled through and finished about mid pack. " I actually was really surprised, somehow i thought holding it wide and dropping the clutch would work! but i was wrong" commented Paul.

His last race proved he is a quick learner after almost cruising to the holeshot, he was running second into the first corner. He stayed with the top group for two laps before he started to fade a little. Unfortunately a silly error caused him to crash ending his chance of a top ten finish. "After learning from race 1 and 2 I gave it about half throttle and feathered the clutch a lot more. Once I got traction in the rear wheel I snapped third and launched to the front of the pack, well second at least!" The weekend was great learning curve for Paul and is great preparation for the first enduro state round coming up soon.

A big thanks to everyone that helped out on the weekend, especially to Ben Dumitro for Taking some great photos.

EquipRent Natural Terrain Motocross

The annual Natural Terrain Motocross will be returning to Tumblegum Farm Byford this weekend of the 28th and 29th of March. There will be plenty of action over the whole weekend including Moto Trials displays from the Price and Nolan brothers. This is the sixth year the event has been running which attacted over 6000 fans last year.

Apart from all the motocross action there will be plently of other attractions for the whole family including:

* Bmx Bandits - Freestyle display
* Freestyle Motocross
* RC Nitro Cars
* Helicopter Rides $55/10 minutes
* KTM display - featuring the latest offroad bikes from KTM
* Trade display & merchandise stand
* Side Show Alley
* 4WD display & Gymkanna
* 800 Hp Hummer (win a lap of the track)

Racing starts at 10AM Saturday and Sunday

ADMISSION (GENERAL ADMISSION PAY AT GATE)
ADULTS (16 years and over) $25
CHILDREN (5-15 years) $10
FAMILY $60

For more information visit www.williethomson.com/tumbulgum/

The Grunter

We recently got an email from ex multiple W.A. state champion Grant Morris. Grant has been working and riding in the U.K. for the last couple of years, and is currently working for Apico who are one of the biggest motorcycle parts distributors in the U.K.

"I'm still riding each week, big month this month with 4 nationals in 4 weekends, all on the mighty Beta 4 stroke!! I love it, grips like s..t to a blanket" said Grunter.

Nolan Brothers Backflip!

We've always thought Lewis and Alex have a screw loose in their heads, but this just proves it. They're always looking for new and bigger things to do on their bikes, and doing a backflip is something they've wanted to do for a long time. The crazy thing about it is the fact they don't have a foam pit to practice in, so they just rounded up some foam from the latest council verge clean up and headed to the skate park. The foam sheets certainly helped cushion the boys from the concrete, but someone should of told Lewis it actually helps to land on the foam! Alex had no problems and landed nearly every jump perfect.

Practice Day

LEWIS NOLAN                                                                                   PAULS NEW BIKE

The Pathfinders practice day turned out to be a great day, a lot of people braved the heat to come for a practice, and to see how much they've let themselves go over the summer break. The day also gave riders a chance to ride the new Beta Evo's which gave us some great feedback. Paul also brought his new Beta 450RR Racing for people to have a look at, but wisely left it locked up on the back of his ute.

ALEX 5!                                                                                                 ALEX GETTING ADVICE FROM SUE

It was the first time we've used this property which is owned by Josh Austins boss, I hope Josh keeps his job because there is some great stuff to ride on. For me it was the first time i've been able to give my new bike a decent ride. Even though there is some great scope on the property i spent nearly the whole time on the logs in the car park, unfortunatly there slowly getting cut up for firewood.

TIM PRICE                                                                                            MATHO

It was good to see Matho out for a ride, I think he was riding the new 09 Montesa, I cant believe they've gone back to twin shock! Only joking, it's good to see a few of the old twin shocks still getting around. Lewis Kitney also wiped the dust off his bike and came out for a ride. It looks like his brain cells have regenerated since his last stint on the sidecar, it can do some serious damage just look at Leo. 

LEO+MIKE                                                                                           LEO ON A SCORPA?













A big thanks to everyone that helped make the day possible and i hope to see you all at the next trial.

Pathfinders Practice And Beta Test Day

This weekend on Sunday 15th Feb Pathfinders club are running a practice session. At the practice session we will have all the new Beta Evo models available for test ride, and also have the new Beta 450 Enduro RR Racing on display. There will also be the opportunity for juniors to get their log books signed. 9:00 am start at a new property, 2783 South Western Hwy Serpentine. The property is 2-3km south of Serpentine on South Western Hwy, the entry to the property is at an overtaking lane. Pathfinders signs will be on South Western Hwy. NOTE COMPETITION LICENSE REQUIRED

Dougie Lampkin 4th World Indoor Enduro

Dougie Lampkin recently competed in the 2nd round of the world indoor enduro championship in Genoa, and finished an amazing 4th place. The event was always going to be difficult having a full entry list of top riders with the likes of Taddy Blazusiak(KTM) and Ivan Cervantes(KTM). Despite having almost no experience in enduro and riding a production based BETA RR450 Dougie scraped into the final by winning the last chance qualifier.

 The main event was split into three finals. The first final dougie finished 3rd, one spot ahead of KTM mounted Taddy Blazusiak. The second final wasn't so easy, a crash while sitting in second place pushed him to the back of the pack. He managed to salvage fifth place but unfortunatly even a third place in the final race didn't quite get him to the podium.

“It almost feels as good as a win, as I was not expecting to shine at all, especially after such a tough start to the day. It was very much a case of learning on the job and by the last race I was getting somewhere near the quicker riders. My starts were really bad and left me with a lot of work to do in each race. It’s definitely something I need to practice, as being a trials rider for so long it is not something I have ever thought about before. Overall it’s been a very positive first attempt. “ Dougie concluded.

Overall Results

1: Ivan Cervantes – (SPA-KTM) 38
2: Taddy Blazusiak (POL-KTM) 33
3: Fabio Mossini (ITA-HM) 28
4: Dougie Lampkin (GBR-Beta) 26
5: Xavi Galindo (SPA-KTM) 1

Beta Evo Lands in Western Australia

It's been a long wait but finally the 2009 Beta Evo and the Beta Enduro race model  have landed in Western Australia. I've only been able to take my Evo 290 out for one quick ride so far and I'm extremely impressed. Lewis and Alex also received their 125 and 250, and have probably worn out their  tyres already!  Paul has also updated his enduro bike to the new Beta 450 RR 4T Racing, the racing model comes with a whole stack of parts specifically for riding flat out. keep posted for a full ride review.

Australian Motorcycle News, Alex steals the lime light

Moto Trials featured strongly in the Vol 58 No13 7-20 Jan 2009 addition of the Australian Motorcycle News coverage of the Northam bike festival.  Alex featured in the opening statements along with a photo of him stirring up Lewis for being injured, and one of him riding.  I don’t know how Alex got so much coverage, it can’t be his good looks because he is as ugly as sin, and I don’t think he has enough money to have paid for it.  Neil and Tim were lucky to get a mention considering Alex’s coverage but it was great to see trials featuring in main stream motorcycle news.  Clearly the crowd loved the trials demos as there was never much spectator room around the area when the boys fired up.  With the new demo trailer I suspect the boys will be featuring in a lot more shows this year.

Moto Dynamics Service Check, Water pump housing

Rev3 models 2003 to 2008 have a magnesium clutch/water pump housing. Magnesium is more prone to corrosion then aluminium. It is recommended to check your water pump to ensure there is not excessive corrosion. No need to drain the coolant unless you wish to change it. Simply lay your bike on its right hand side. Leave the radiator hoses connected. Remove the water pump cover and inspect the water pump area for corrosion. See photos.




















The water pump cover has an O ring that seals it to the housing so it can be re-fitted without the need to replace gaskets etc. Just a smear of water proof grease on the O ring is all that is needed. You will loose a small amount of coolant so remember to top up your coolant. Fill the radiator so that the coolant is level with the bottom of the filler neck where it connects with the top of the radiator. The filler tube needs to be empty to allow for heat expansion. A handy tip for easy fitting of the radiator cap is to shorten the overflow tube so that it is only as long as the diameter of the radiator cap. See photos.










Another handy tip is if you have kids on bikes, connect a hose to the overflow and direct the hose so that it drains on to the exhaust pipe. The idea of this is that if the bike over heats the coolant will drop on the exhaust creating heaps of steam and the kids will notice it, you hope!! It might even be handy for yourself.

Recommended Coolant:
The Beta manual specifies Bardahl Permanent. Beta Australia recommends the use of Motul Factory Line Coolant. Team Beta WA uses Belray No Tox Coolant. Silkolene also produces a coolant recommended for magnesium housings.

Coolant Changes:
The Beta manual specifies changes every 120 hours of operation.

Team Beta WA rider injuries

Both Alex and Lewis have been nursing injuries during Dec.  Maybe they thought Santa would feel sorry for them and give them more presents, I don’t think it worked.  Lewis had a bad crash at the Northam Bike Festival injuring his wrist whilst Alex has had a sore shoulder.  He can’t remember anything particular that would have caused the injury but I’m sure it's not from carrying all his school books home to study.  Anyway they are both back on their bikes practising and riding push bike jumps. 

LEFT- Lewis Nolan

Jeroni Fajardo 4th Spanish Indoor Corunna

Factory Beta rider Jeroni Fajardo finished the 2009 season with a strong result at the Spanish Indoor Championship held in Corunna.  The Spanish Indoor Championship is one of the hardest competitions in trials which has 5 of the top 7 riders in the world Competing. Jeroni finished the round in 4th position only one point behind third place Albert Cabestany. Unfortunately an error in section 4 cost him a ride in the final but a strong ride here will give him a confidence boost for the World Indoor Championship starting at Sheffield on the 3rd of January.

Shaun Morris joins Top Trial Team

Shaun Morris has signed up with Top Trial Team for 2009. Shaun has an impressive list of achievements in his career so far, World Junior Champion 2003, European Champion 2005 and also on our home front Australian Champion 2005. Shaun will be riding the all new Beta Evo in the British championships and other major events in the UK and Italy. Shaun had a serious eye injury around a year ago and he is now back to almost full fitness and ready for the 2009 season.

Northam Motorcycle Festival Photos

NEIL















ALEX















NEIL















ALEX















TIM















NEIL















TIM















Photography- Ben Dumitro

Team Beta WA, Northam Motorcycle Festival

Team Beta WA, Northam Motorcycle Festival

Team Beta WA were at the Northam Motorcycle festival weekend of 29-30th
November show casing Moto Trials, after a frantic week building a new modular
trials demo trailer. If you had seen the old caravan they use to ride
over you would know that it needed some much needed attention. The
caravan was levelled some time ago to just a flat trailer, then things
were at a stand still whilst Neil & Simon were in Europe and the team
contested events over East and the Nationals Championship. Neil designed
the concept on the computer and with every man and his dog on deck work
began on Monday and was finished 10pm Friday night just in time to be
towed the next day to the show.

This was the 3rd Northam Motorcycle festival and the biggest so far with
a round of the Australian Supermotard Championships being run in
conjunction with the festival.

Tim, Neil Lewis and Alex all rode at the demo. Tim was a little nervous
riding the event as work commitments have seen him only ride about four
trials this season and he hadn't been on the bike since the Nats. But
his nervousness was unfounded as he had a brilliant ride. Neil has had
a heap of hours on his bike this year but like Tim hasn't been on his
bike since the Nats due to renovating a house he has bought and building
the trials demo trailer. Lewis and Alex, well we all know they even
sleep on their bikes and Sue serves them breakfast, lunch and tea there
as well.

The demo trailer worked out perfect and saves so much time on set up.
Lewis unfortunately was its first victim (with injury that is). Actually
Neil was the first to crash off it but Lewis copped a wrist injury from
his fall. The main problem was traction. The boxes are covered with ply
and we painted some non slip paint on it, but due to the tight time frame
we weren't able to allow the different coats to dry, so it wasn't long before
the tyres removed the traction grit then things became fun. The only other
injury was Alex when all the girls were fighting over him.

The trials demo was a great success, it promoted the sport, gain some
interest in potential new riders and entertained the crowd. The boys
were fantastic ambassadors for the sport spending lots of time talking
with people, which after riding the demo in the heat is bloody hard
work. We had heaps of trials people past and present popping in saying
hello, too many to name but it was great to see them all. Many thanks
to Leo who was the main co-ordinator looking after the arena and the
riders. Also many thanks to Tayla, Rachael, Shannon Sue, Pete D and
Ben(team photographer) for their support in setting up and packing up.

Simon.

Beta EVO 4T

The much anticipated Beta EVO 4T was finally released at the Milan Motorcycle Show earlier this month. The eagerly awaited 4T comes in a 250 and 300cc configurations. Watch this space for the price and availability.

TECHNICAL INNOVATIONS
Cycle Parts
• Brand new ø 38mm Paioli front fork: more progressive, slide more freely
• New aluminium fork yoke with single-fixing pivoting handlebar risers
• New radiator with greater cooling efficiency
• Lightened wheels with aluminium spoke-nipples
• New wheel bearings, lighter and more compact
• New design for air filter box, provides greater breathing efficiency
• Swing-arm with hydroformed extruded rails: reduced weight with greater rigidity
• Aluminium-bodied shockabsorber with adjustment for preload and rebound damping
• Dedicated rear brake system: less bulk, reduced weight and greater effectiveness
• New engine protection plate with greater rigidity
• New electrical system
• New bodywork design: high ergonomic efficiency, reduced overall dimensions

Engine
• New programmable digital ignition with dual mapping switch (soft and racing)
• New forged conrod and piston: 30% less weight to reduce reciprocating masses
• Innovative exhaust system with a three-chamber mechanical silencer
• New ignition casing

Simon's Beta Evo first look

2009 Beta released.

Beta unvieled their 2009 Beta Evo at the Spainish World Round on Sat 20th Sept. Jeroni Farjardo and Dougie Lampkin did the honours by removing the covers off the bike. Neil and I were lucky to there and were very impressed. Check out the photo's I took at the unvieling.

The 2009 Beta is completely different, new frame and progressive link suspension. Beta have been pioneering the linkless suspension since 2000 with its Rev3 range. Whilst Beta made many modifications to the rear shock throughout the Rev3 range it obviously decided the progressive link system can provide the best performance. From a maintenance point of view it is a shame but if it provides better suspension then thats what it is all about.


Along with the suspension change comes a new frame. Beta have stayed with aluminum using a single box spar from the head stock which is the fuel tank. Then it spreads out to take in the suspension, air box and exhaust. Like all Beta frames this one is a piece art. Neil didn't like the look of the first part of the frame at the head stock, ie the box section but he's sure it will grow on him.

The exhaust system is completely different. The header pipe looks like a power pipe and the muffler is much shorter than the Rev3 which should be less likely to get damaged. The exhaust system is solidly mounted not relying on those rubber mounts of the Rev3.
The radiator top mount is changed not using the rubber mount. It has a pin arrangement that the holds the top of the radiator in place, whilst the two bottom mounts are the same as before. The radiator filler cap is a lot easier to access but it looks like its too long and easy to be damaged in a fall. Also there isn't any top and bottom radiator hoses, both hoses feed from the bottom of the radiator and the thermo switch is different which is hopefully an improvement on the olds one as there were a few that failed. Interesting though the thermo switch is held in place by a C clip not threaded in like the old ones.



















The motor appears to be similar to the Rev3 however the electrics are new with two mapping options. The right hand side crank casing is a bit different which appears to be due to the new electrics. All the electric components are easy to access. The big bore is now 290cc. The front mudguard doesn't have a separate support bracket, it is part of the mudguard.




































The chain tensioner arm is now cast aluminumin. The rear brake disc is now fixed not floating like the Rev3's and a different disc guard. The rear brake master cylinder is mounted at the back of the frame which a vast improvement on the Rev3 for easy access.



















The handle bar clamps are different having a hinge arrangement with only one clamp down bolt.

All in all a tidy looking package, looking forward to getting them. The first bikes should be here in WA by late December. We will have a 125, 250 and a 290 available for test riding. Don't hesitate to give us a call for a test ride, go excuse to go for a practice.

Simon Price.

Northam Motorcycle Festival 29-30th

WA’s most exciting outdoor motorcycle event, the Northam Motorcycle Festival is

back and pleased to announce the latest additions for 2008, bringing even more 

action to Bernard Park this November 29 – 30th. The action over two days includes

-Moto Trials, featuring Australian TDN team member Neil Price

-Supermoto racing, with Italy's #1 and World #2 

-Freestyle Motocross, with Yamaha Showtime Team

-Stunt Riding, featuring Matt Mingay and Movieworld stuntman Cameron Ambridge

There will also be plenty of displays from most of the major manufactures featuring

 there latest releases and accessories. This year the annual Make A Difference 

(MAD) will run in conjunction with the festival, all proceeds going to spinal injury

 research and rehabilitation. For more information on how to get involved with the

 MAD ride, which will take place on the 30th November, visit www.madride.org for

 more information. The ride to Northam will leave from Mundaring at 10am with 

breakfast from 7am. For more information on the Northam Motorcycle Festival 

visit www.northammotorcyclefestival.com.au