Update 6/1/14 - Jotagas diary

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.

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