01 GG 280 TXT First Timer Bike Questions

[yostfmx]

I just bought an 01 Gas Gas 280 TXT, Im a first timer to trials but long time MXer, now Ive have questions.

#1: Where do I find parts in the USA? I have a cracked carb to engine rubber boot and old cracked air filter, one leaking fork seal.

#2: What color wire(s) and how many for the kill switch? and are they a special switch (I mean i just want a push bottom off, like an MX bike, not a lanyard)? the guy took it off. All I see is one FREE white (i think) wire under the tank.

#3: How do i know if my fan works or not? I rode it 3 times slow around and it hasnt come on yet (90 degree F outdoor temperature). Should I make sure it has water in it ride it till the fan comes on or the radiator overflows?

#4: Should the chain slack be like an MX bike when you pull the chain tensioner off it?

Thats it for now but Im sure ill have more...

Edited May 21, 2017 by yostfmx

[yostfmx]

Update, it overheats water out the radiator, fan doesnt work :-( :-( what do i do?

[kxrob]

6 hours ago, yostfmx said:

Update, it overheats water out the radiator, fan doesnt work :-( :-( what do i do?

might be a dodgy thermo switch

if you going to ride trials in a club i think you need the lanyard magnet type switch

[slowmoto]

Try connecting the leads to the thermostat. That sets the fan to on. If it doesn't come on it will be something else like the fan motor or other electrical part.

All your parts are here:

http://trialspartsusa.com/

[Doc_d]

I'm not that familiar with the '01 bikes because I believe that was before they were redesigned.  

For parts and help call Lewisport (www.lewisportusa.com) or Jack's Cycle's (www.jackscycles.com) or maybe even the Trials Training Center (trialstrainingcenter.com).  Those are all authorized dealers.  They get most of their parts from Jim Snell (trialspartsusa.com).  Jim is very knowledgeable about the bikes.  He was the US parts distributor until he was pushed out during the Gas Gas acquisition by another company.  He's no longer the official parts distributor but still has a lot of inventory especially for older bikes.  He may also have a wiring diagram for your bike.  Lewisport ai believe is in California.  Perhaps if they were close to you, you could have them sort your bike out.

 

Here in Michigan lanyard kill switches aren't required at local events but they may be for the Nationals.  Either way they are a good idea.  It's not uncommon to have a get off where you are seperate from your bike and it lands in such a way that the throttle is pinned wide open.  I've only been doing this for a year and have seen it happen a number of times.  It would probably happen more if 75% of the guys here were't already running a lanyard.  If you do get a lanyard get an extra magnet and stick it to your frame.  I (and everyone else) has had the lanyard shoot off my wrist during a get off.  I've always managed to find mine but some have had them fly into rocks or the stream they were riding never to be found again.  If you have an extra magnet stuck to the frame you can continue the event.  It's not super common that the lanyard flies off your wrist, but it does happen.  It happened to me once last season and once this season and I ride quite a bit.

 

The rule I was taught is that you should be able to fit your thumb between the swing arm and the chain tensioner.  If you can't do that, tighten the chain up until you can.  Or if the gap is significantly larger than your thumb loosed it up a bit.

 

There could be a few reasons your fan isn't working.  It could be the fan, the voltage regulator, the wiring or the stator.  Again I'm not familiar with the '01s so hopefully one of the dealers can give you some troubleshooting steps to isolate it to one those components.

 

My last thought is this.... Find a local club and join it.  The people are super friendly and have decades of experience.  They'll help you through all this stuff.  They'll also get you riding well 10x faster than you'll ever learn it on your own.

 

Good luck and have fun.  Fun is what trials is all about.

Doc

Edited May 24, 2017 by Doc_d

[Bron-Yr-Aur]

Stu at Jacks Cycles will hook you up. Nice guy.

[rrefugee]

There is an Ebay seller by name of hosscartright that has GG parts.

[Bron-Yr-Aur]

There is an Ebay seller by name of hosscartright that has GG parts.

Yep, that's Rising Sun Imports'/Jim Snell's eBay presence.

[yostfmx]

I sold it 24 hrs after i bought it, didnt want to deal with stuff i have no clue about. Going to build my own trials bike now (handmade frame and swingarm)

[Doc_d]

2 minutes ago, yostfmx said:

I sold it 24 hrs after i bought it, didnt want to deal with stuff i have no clue about. Going to build my own trials bike now (handmade frame and swingarm)

I rewrote this reply 3 times trying not to sound like a jerk, so I apologize if it comes off that way.  But designing and building your own trials bike seems like a pretty big step if you were daunted by troubleshooting what seemed like some fairly minor issues with the bike you purchased.  I hope you prove me wrong and design and build an awesome American made trials bike.  Hopefully I'll have to choke down my skepticism as I write you a check for one some day.

Good luck!

Doc

 

[rrefugee]

3 minutes ago, Doc_d said:

I rewrote this reply 3 times trying not to sound like a jerk, so I apologize if it comes off that way.  But designing and building your own trials bike seems like a pretty big step if you were daunted by troubleshooting what seemed like some fairly minor issues with the bike you purchased.  I hope you prove me wrong and design and build an awesome American made trials bike.  Hopefully I'll have to choke down my skepticism as I write you a check for one some day.

Good luck!

Doc

 

I have to agree with Doc but I hope you can pull it off.

[yostfmx]

7 minutes ago, Doc_d said:

I rewrote this reply 3 times trying not to sound like a jerk, so I apologize if it comes off that way.  But designing and building your own trials bike seems like a pretty big step if you were daunted by troubleshooting what seemed like some fairly minor issues with the bike you purchased.  I hope you prove me wrong and design and build an awesome American made trials bike.  Hopefully I'll have to choke down my skepticism as I write you a check for one some day.

Good luck!

Doc

 

And thank you guys for the help. Yea it sounds that way, but trying to find the parts, dumb electrical and not being able to find out much online i was just over it all. So ill stick to what i know. Ive already build a halfway trials bike with engine swap and major frame changes. Time for a full on one.

Edited June 20, 2017 by yostfmx

[yostfmx]

The plan. 85 Two stroke donor bike. Drawn to 03 GG Pro specs.

[Bron-Yr-Aur]

Like others, I don't want to be a Debbie Downer, but why would you go through so much work to make an 85 cc trials bike? The thrill of these bikes is the heavy flywheel/fierce launch/practically unstoppable bottom end. An 85 is a child's bike.

 

Actually none of this makes sense to me, considering a used trials bike is so affordable?

 

Edit: the bike in your other thread is nearly 50 lbs heavier than a modern 300. And this 85 will be over 10 lbs heavier than a 250/290/300, according to your estimates (scratch head)

 

[rrefugee]

On 6/22/2017 at 9:28 PM, Bron-Yr-Aur said:

Actually none of this makes sense to me, considering a used trials bike is so affordable?

I have a good used 03 GG TXT 280 Pro for sale, runs good, needs no repair.

I decided to upgrade to a newer bike because parts are for the 03 are getting tough to find and expensive when you can find them. Getting a water pump seal took an act of Congress! A friend has an 03 GG 300, when the coil went out, there were none to be found on the market. He had to pay top dollar for a used one. Fortunately my 03 is in good running order so I hope it will sell quickly.

Parts should be easier to find when needed for a newer bike, in theory. I've only ridden the Beta a few minutes, but it's quite a change. It has so much smoother clutch & brake action. Power delivery is crisp and strong but not ferocious. On the down side, it is a little heavier than the GG. The Beta will take a little getting used to but so far, I like it.

[Bron-Yr-Aur]

I have a good used 03 GG TXT 280 Pro for sale, runs good, needs no repair.
I decided to upgrade to a newer bike because parts are for the 03 are getting tough to find and expensive when you can find them. Getting a water pump seal took an act of Congress! A friend has an 03 GG 300, when the coil went out, there were none to be found on the market. He had to pay top dollar for a used one. Fortunately my 03 is in good running order so I hope it will sell quickly.
Parts should be easier to find when needed for a newer bike, in theory. I've only ridden the Beta a few minutes, but it's quite a change. It has so much smoother clutch & brake action. Power delivery is crisp and strong but not ferocious. On the down side, it is a little heavier than the GG. The Beta will take a little getting used to but so far, I like it.

I think I'm going to sell mine too. For the same reasons. I can't even find a matching fender for mine. I worry, though, because I don't want to drop another grand for a newer model. From what I hear, they're worth it, though. The suspension and weight distribution of the 2010+ models are supposed to be noticeably improved. I told my wife the buying and selling is over for a while, until my boy outgrows his 100, probably after this season. So explaining more expense will be a little tough. She's extremely patient, but I fear testing the waters ?

[rrefugee]

27 minutes ago, Bron-Yr-Aur said:

I think I'm going to sell mine too. For the same reasons. I can't even find a matching fender for mine. I worry, though, because I don't want to drop another grand for a newer model. From what I hear, they're worth it, though. The suspension and weight distribution of the 2010+ models are supposed to be noticeably improved. I told my wife the buying and selling is over for a while, until my boy outgrows his 100, probably after this season. So explaining more expense will be a little tough. She's extremely patient, but I fear testing the waters

I'm in a little hot water for buying the Beta, but it had to be done. Its a one time expense that is better done now than sometime in the future, newer bikes will be more expensive and the GG will lose more value with time. A year ago I gave 2K for the GG, which was 13 years old in very good condition, the Beta I just bought cost 4K, is 4 years old in like new condition. Finding the right deal took months but I think I did ok. The Beta has a different feel to it, makes the GG seem kinda rough. Not to put the GG down, it is still a very capable bike. The wife isn't so mad that I bought a newer trials bike, she is upset that there are now five bikes in the garage for two riders. Since grandson and I don't ride the TTRs anymore, they are going up for sale. I'm going to wait a while to list the GG, right now there are two other 03 GGs for sale in my area.  I told my wife that selling the "extra" bikes would be the end, no more buying or selling till grandson outgrows his bike.

[Bron-Yr-Aur]

I'm in a little hot water for buying the Beta, but it had to be done. Its a one time expense that is better done now than sometime in the future, newer bikes will be more expensive and the GG will lose more value with time. A year ago I gave 2K for the GG, which was 13 years old in very good condition, the Beta I just bought cost 4K, is 4 years old in like new condition. Finding the right deal took months but I think I did ok. The Beta has a different feel to it, makes the GG seem kinda rough. Not to put the GG down, it is still a very capable bike. The wife isn't so mad that I bought a newer trials bike, she is upset that there are now five bikes in the garage for two riders. Since grandson and I don't ride the TTRs anymore, they are going up for sale. I'm going to wait a while to list the GG, right now there are two other 03 GGs for sale in my area.  I told my wife that selling the "extra" bikes would be the end, no more buying or selling till grandson outgrows his bike.

I would've jumped on that too. The Beta sounds like a fantastic deal!

 

To throw another wrench in the plans, I just came across a 2002 KTM 200 EXC that I have my eye on for my boy. I can't imagine needing to buy him another after that. It's cheap enough, too, that his KX100 sale will pretty much offset it. At least I have that leverage for my wife [emoji4]