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Minor Jotagas modifications

1/30/2014

The 2014 Jotagas JTG 300 Diary

On Sunday the 26th of January 2014 i rode the Bognor trial at Buriton , Hampshire. It rained all day and the chalky base at first was very very slippery. As the day went on though the rain made the mud to thing that the tyres seemed to drive through to a hard bade giving good grip. Id never had predicted that.
The Jotagas ran very well , however i noticed a few little improvements that could be made.

I have some trials coming up with road work and the Jotagas' top gear (5th) isnt the highest. With a 5psi tyre you might get 40 mph max , but it would be nice to have a little more. The standard sprocket is 40 teeth. I looked online and you cant see 38 Teeth rear sprockets anywhere. They are the same as GasGas , Montesa , Beta and Sherco , but they are not widely used . I telephoned Talon and they had a 38 in stock , so i ordered and fitted it. With the standard rear sprocket on , there are 4 rear teeth to everyone tooth on the front sprocket. So , in theory i was increasing the front sprocket by half a tooth, not that , that's really possible.
I have had a spin around the woods and it hasnt made a huge difference , which im glad of. Im sure it will give me a few extra MPH on the road and track though , which is what i was after.

The 2014 Jotagas JTG 300 Diary

before modification

In this photo you can see that the chain tensioner arm is very close to the rear tyre. If you are a muddy trial and are running perhaps 2psi , then the rear tyre rubs on the arm and will obviously sap power.

The 2014 Jotagas JTG 300 Diary

after modification

In the photo beneath you can see the problem is cured. The chain tensioner arm is a good distance away from the tyre and there will be no more rubbing. This was achieved using 2 mods

This is the first mod which takes 30 minutes
First remove the rear wheel and remove the chain tensioner from the swinging arm. The chain tensioner arm is 5mm thick. Reduce the thickness of the arm down to 2.5mm. It is still strong enough.When the tensioner was removed I filed down the washer that sits up against the spring. This gives another 1.2mm . So far we have gained 3.7mm extra.

The 2014 Jotagas JTG 300 Diary

The 2nd mod is as follows.

This is easy and takes 5 minutes - When you undo the rear wheel allen bolt, the swinging arm expands in width by 6mm. Enlarge the sprocket side wheel spacer , by fitting a 5mm thick alloy washer . This gives you another 5mm.

This gives an extra 8.7mm clearance between the swinging arm and the tyre , meaning there is no problem anymore.

One side issue from doing this 2nd mod is that the swinging arm spindle isn't perfectly long enough and pushed through half of the swinging arm and not all of it. Having looked at the situation , this is more than adequate. I will keep a close eye on it and make sure the rear wheel is kept tight at all times.

The 2014 Jotagas JTG 300 Diary

Another modification which i decided to complete was to raise the front mudguard by 6 mm. This was for two reasons. I have had Jotagas's for 2 years now and the front end does not clog up with mud , but i dont want a first time so this is a precaution.
Secondly i have fitted a light plastic mud flap on the front mudguard. despite it being light the rear of the front mudguard with the flap attached flaps a bit hitting the tyre. Its a tiny thing and was caused by me fitting the flap , but by raising the mudguard it will cure this -- hopefully :)

The 2014 Jotagas JTG 300 Diary

This is the same modification i completed on my 2013 Jotagas. The plastic radiator guards are held on with tiny plastic clips. With heavy mud sticking to the guard it has in the past caused it to fall off and i dont want this to happen again. In order to fix it discretely so it doesnt look naf i wired the guard on as in the below two photos.

The 2014 Jotagas JTG 300 Diary

One thing ill mention is that the carb is really easy to get off and back on again. Ok , its not as easy as an old Bultaco , but its not hard at all and can be taken off and placed back on in 5 minutes. Not bad for a modern bike. The key to success is to push the carb back to get it off. This pushes the filter back in the air box , but then you put your hand in the air box and push it all back onto the back of the carb.
Simple and easy once you get the hang of it.
I am awaiting a size 36 idle jet which im assure will cure the slight pinking i get when the bike is hot on medium throttle. Again , its not a problem and doesn't affect performance , but i just want it perfect.

The 2014 Jotagas JTG 300 Diary

On a side issue - Heres something of interest
Here is a photo of the first ever drawing of the Jotagas logo. Marc Arano the previous World wide sales manager drew this with Jordi Tarres and the JTG owner Josep Pibernat.

This is what Mark said about the logo
"About the sign, we just wanted to support the brand name using a shell like other well knows brands such as Ferrari, Porsche, Ducati And so on ... So the idea in Its terms came from us meanwhile the design came from the communication agency. The image inside is what we call in Spain a " halcón peregrino", a fast And smart kind of eagle... Emular inf the shape of a trial bike......"

The 2014 Jotagas JTG 300 Diary

This made me happy .

Kev won't mind me saying this. On Saturday we went out practising. He is Kevin Nolan ,a very very good rider. He's expert level and I've never seen anyone hang off a bike like Kev fighting and waiting for grip. A truly ace rider whose mostly know for winning the Normandale last year on the impressive modified SWM.

He is a much much better rider than me. He always has been.

Any way...... he took out a brand new demo sherco 300 and I was on my Jotagas 300 14 model. We set up a simple section consisting on going down a slippery steep hill . At the bottom there was a horseshoe and then straight back back up again.

The 2014 Jotagas JTG 300 Diary

It was first on loose leaves with loam underneath. The Jtg went straight up for a clean. 3rd gear riding on the bottom of the revs.
Kev tried no less than ten times on the sherco and couldn't touch it AT ALL.

He jumped on the Jtg and was straight up for a clean. He repeated it on the Sherco and again had a big five. He could get out and had to push the bike out with me pulling. Then I cleaned it again.

The sherco was absolutely crucified in this comparison test.

Tyres were the same along with pressures.

The 2014 Jotagas JTG 300 Diary

We worked out what was going on. The JTG power delivery is totally flat. The sherco is soft for the first 300 rpm them comes in with a rush and the exhaust barks. Nothing incredible. We're not talking mx bikes here , but the Sherco wanted to deliver to much power.

Kev was gutted. Everywhere he rode on it , it was spinning out.
It's no mystery. it's the power delivery. The Sherco had way more power. Great for Enduro or rocks in Spain but not mud in the uk.

Later we tried a different section requiring traction and again the Sherco didn't grip on the slippery base. Kev immediately said' Let's go' in disgust after cleaning it on the JTG. He packed up straight away and was straight on the phone to Steve Saunders for a new bike.....lol.

Remember ... he hadn't set up my JTG at all.

So from this direct comparison with no advertisers to keep happy... straight out of the crate the JTG is much much better at finding grip .
Kev came out to practise ready to buy the Sherco. He's desperate for a new bike , but after this the Sherco went straight back.

On this one day the JTG made me better than Kevin . Nice one :). Thats never happened before. In Kev's words " You made me look like a beginner".

The 2014 Jotagas JTG 300 Diary

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12/1/14 - A brilliant trial yesterday , but 2 little issues found on the 2014 Jotagas - tweaking will sort :)

1/12/2014

Yesterday the 12th of Jan 2014 i rode the Alton Mcc club trial at Butser Hill. This was the first time i had ridden a trial at this venue as previously i had been setting it out the trials here , so it was nice to have a good blast.
You can see what the bottom on the quarry looks like at Butser. This photo was taken in December 2013/

The Jotagas JTG 300 Diary

This photo was taken yesterday. This just hsows how much rain weve had here. the place is completely flooded .First thing in the morning the approach slope down to water was covered in. ice. If you havent been here recently , the far left of the photo was the location of the huge chalk step made famous and filmed at the 1988 World round , when Jotagas Steve Saunders won.

The Jotagas JTG 300 Diary

So it was cold and there was a fine mist in the air . The grey clouds over head got the more experienced and aged riders promising rain ( theyre not usually wrong)

So 5 laps of 8 sections it was , set out by long term Alton stalwart Mick Coles.

The Jotagas JTG 300 Diary

Only the stragglers at the end of the day had their photos taken :)

Here are a few pictures i took of the day. Alton club trials dont have expert routes , and i was a little worried that some of the expert riders might have been disappointed . I neednt have worried as the section and drizzle stiffened up the sections just right. All of the sections could have taken marked off good novice riders.
Reynard Norris was witnessed falling off for the first time this decade ripping his ridding trousers from knee to hip. It didnt bother him though and he climbed back on .

Here is a good photo of the very capable and experienced rider Peter Penton on a very tricky section indeed. Many riders on modern bikes didnt get through this at all. From the bottom you have to really hit this bank hard , and clear the furtherest blue marker in the air. It was so slippery , that if you failed to jump it far enough , you would just spin to a halt and slip back .

Peter is on good form here ...............but

The Jotagas JTG 300 Diary

he wasnt fast enough and span to a halt. To be fair he is on a 125cc GasGas and it just didnt seem to have the punch out of the bottom to make the jump.

It didnt stop here though , Pete lost traction and went backwards further. The pictures doesnt do it justice

The Jotagas JTG 300 Diary

Here Steve Sell bravely goes on his Ossa Mar where others on their Jotagas's and Gasgas' fail :).

The Jotagas JTG 300 Diary

Here is another view of the same section. You can here see Sam Rolls getting some air time on his 125cc GasGas. Sam rode really well as always , but this section caused him real problems. It looks like Sam is smoking a fag , but i can assure you he isnt ha ha , its just my rubbish shutter speed. .

The Jotagas JTG 300 Diary

Here is Sam's dad, 90's Hamilton Yamaha sponsored David Rolls showing him how its done. You can see David really charging hard at the bank on his Montesa 315. You needed to go this fast or you just weren't up it. This was technical trials this was balls out trials.

The Jotagas JTG 300 Diary

This was the one of sections that got riders talking and some of them a little worried.
First ou had to ride up Hampshire's version of Laggan lochs, then you have to ride over this greasy grassy camber onto the bank top. You then turned sharp left and went down a very very steep back to a chalky slimy path beneath. This is the 3rd lap and riders and still watching it , it was that nasty. The left lime down to the bottom would have you in the under growth. the right line down the bank would try and have you over the bars.

The Jotagas JTG 300 Diary

You then turned sharp left and went down a very very steep back to a chalky slimy path beneath. This is the 3rd lap and riders and still watching it , it was that nasty. The left lime down to the bottom would have you in the under growth. the right line down the bank would try and have you over the bars.

The Jotagas JTG 300 Diary

After turning on the greasy path you then turned left , up the path , then left again up the steep bank. You can tell the steep angle by Mick Marshalls body position.

The Jotagas JTG 300 Diary

David had a problem here on lap and couldnt quite get up the bank. It was time to clear the Mont out

The Jotagas JTG 300 Diary

Lets rev its some more. Im sure the old Yams used to grip best on full chat. Yes David , but they only revved to 3000 RPM , not like the Mont . The piston was knocking to come out :)

The Jotagas JTG 300 Diary

It wasnt all trouble. On this lap he flew up.

The Jotagas JTG 300 Diary

Here Craig Daffin looks like a man on a mission. This year Craig is tacking the nationals , with yours truly and Kevin Nolan. It should be a laugh. Craig's going to be my catcher on the steps :)

The Jotagas JTG 300 Diary

I dont know this rider's name and should do. He's a nice guy and weve ridden around twice now. Some of the climbs were 4th gear flat out with some nice air time at the top.

The Jotagas JTG 300 Diary

Why did i take such few photos? . Because i was riding the trial. The only photos were taken of the stragglers at the end of the trial , when most people had had the sense to get out of their wet clothes and go home.

Anyway .... back to where we started. The Jotagas performed brilliantly. I had stiffened up the front and rear suspension quite significantly and really though this helped in holding a better line. The 2014 Jotagas works brilliantly. Its the lightest bike out there. It is superb quality . it performs brilliantly and it looks darn pretty. This is my second Jotagas and im converted .......

However , they can always be improved. My bike pinks slightly when hot. It always has done and it did do today. Ive fitted a mud flat to the front mudguard to stop mud getting in the radiator. (THIS IS A MUST - DO IT OR REGRET IT). Make one from an old plastic Oil bottle. Despite this and the radiator being clear it still pinked. i will raise the needle on the carb to try and eliminate this.

Secondly , the old problem of the chain tensioner arm rubbing on the tyre (at low pressures) reared its ugly head again. On muddy day like this i was running 2 psi in the rear. Well , the Spaniards dont run the tyres so low so they wont know about this. The tyre side wall rubs on the chain tensioner side arm and wastes horsepower by a fairly significant degree.

The Jotagas JTG 300 Diary

The chain tensoner arm that rubs is about 4m thick . It neednt be. I took mine (on my previous model ) down to 2 mm with a flap wheel on an angle grinder . this really helps with the problem. The last thing you want is the drag sapping power.

In this picture you can see how close the arm is , ans this is with a fully inflated tyre.

The Jotagas JTG 300 Diary

Mud splattered but happy at the end of the day

The Jotagas JTG 300 Diary

These little things can be sorted out in the garage. If you are reading this Josep Pibernat and Paco Roldan from the Jotagas factory ( and i will make sure they see it ) , please correct these two things . Thank you :)

The Jotagas JTG 300 Diary

But , like us all , after a bath she is beautiful again.

Its hard to believe this is the same bike

The Jotagas JTG 300 Diary

The strangest thing about the day , was when i got home finally and opened the van , this is what i found

The Jotagas JTG 300 Diary

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Update 6/1/14 - Jotagas diary

1/5/2014

Since i purchased my 2014 Jotagas 300 in August 2013 i have ridden it about 6 times competitively in trials. Initially when i ride my first trial i was concerned about there being a little to much more right when you pull away. Now ... time has passed and ive got used to it . The bikes does have more power in comparison with the 2013 model and thats better for top riders , but not necessarily me.

I rode an excellent trial down at Shepton Mallet with the Blacmore vale motorcycle club. It was held in a scalpings quarry and was a real test , although to be fair i only dropped 24 on the route one down from the elite route. There was no way i could have ridden the harder route. A s a comparison national rider Kevin Nolan who i traveled down with dropped 8 marks on his fancy SWM.

So ive come home from the trial and checked the air filter which was spotless and didnt need cleaning. On a wet day there's no dust so there's very little contamination

After the trial i drained the gearbox oil for the first time. Now i know there have been gearbox modifications for this years bike. One of the reasons was that alloy parts in the 13 bikes could wear. This showed itself when swarf came out with the oil. I drained the oil out looking carefully for any swarf
Sooo i was looking very carefully.

One of the key areas to look is at the threads of the tiny allen drain bolt. Was this showing any signs of swarf --no , none , silch

No less than Jordi Tarres told me that when refilling the Jotagas you should put in 400ml of oil . 50ml less then the total quantity , due to there being oil in engine cavities etc. So i followed his advice (who wouldnt) and replenished the bike.

One problem the JTg is prone to is that the radiator gets the spray from the front wheel . This means it can quickly clog with mud. This showed itself at the Blackmore vale trial when my fadiator became clogged after 2 laps with sticky red mud.

So rememberind this i complete the same mod which i had completed to my 13 bike and fitted a mud flap the front mudguard. This is an absolute must .Ross Danby fits a huge wire mesh grill over his radiator to stop the mud and grass stopping the cooling and aiding quick cleaning.

One small thing that i noticed was the small crack which has appeared in the stand mounting bracket. Im sure you can see it. Ive asked for a replacement as its is under the 6 month warranty.

The final thing that i felt i needed to do was adjust my suspenson to make it harder. This was inspired by my KXF 450 which is a new bike to me. Id previously ridden a YZ 250 two stroke motocrosser converted slightly for enduro use. I had over time made the suspension softer and softer thinking that this might help. What it actally did was turn it into a pogo stick . I only know this now with the benefit of hind sight. At the time i was doping the right thing. You know how it is, were always learning :). When i exchanged this bike for my KXF 450 the new bike had firm suspension , completely different to the YZ. The KXF was head and shoulder better. yes i know thats enduro and this is trials , but the physics are still the same . Firmer suspensions enables to you hold your line better because your now wollowing on soft springs. So thats what im trying. Ive had the shock off and would the spring up to take the sag out. Ive would the compression adjuster on the left hadn fork leg to stiffen it up also.

We'll see how it goes.

Minor Jotagas modifications

before modification

after modification

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12/1/14 - A brilliant trial yesterday , but 2 little issues found on the 2014 Jotagas - tweaking will sort :)

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Update 6/1/14 - Jotagas diary

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