Anybody else snap a steering stem on a Gasgas TXT280?

Attempted to zap over a giant log and instead of placing the front tire just above center line it landed just under and rolled under then CRACK!  Knocked the wind out of me.  Will try and get some pics up later today.

Thinking real hard about giving this up and going back to a trail bike.  I never seemed to break as much stuff on the trail bikes I used to have as I do with the trials moto.  But I love the light weight and percision handing of the trials bike in stupid tight and steep terrain.  Guess I cant have it all.

Heres a pic.  If Im feeling frisky Ill tear it appart tonight and get some more photos of the breakage.

Most trials riders that have been riding since your bike was new, have allready seen it, multiple times.
There are more durable Trials bikes available.

This type of failure is relatively uncommon on your bike. However, The front end can take some brutal hits and if there is any slop in the head set, the force leverage on the stem is high and can lead to fatigue and possible breakage over time. Keep the headset tight and watch the hard Zap fails!

FWIW: Your bike is one of the most reliable Trials bikes made and have long held a solid reputation as great starter bikes - but if ANY bike is neglected, you will see failures when stressed. (even MotoVita's beloved Honda 4rt )

A failed ZAP like the one you described is not an every day thing. Not much different than running head on into a concrete wall at 15 MPH

Never had it happen on any of my 7 Gas Gas Bikes..  In the 2004 Duluth World Round, I saw Dougie Lampkin center punch that 16 foot wall in third gear wide open and broke his steering stem too!  Almost broke his body too.. He just totally failed the jump start  and hit that wall at about 10 feet up head on and level !!!  They swapped front ends with his minder's bike and continued..

Which has had me wondering...  If they mark up the bikes with paint before the event so riders can't change parts, I would think an entire front end would be something you could not legally replace in a World Event..??

Edited by 2PLY, 09 April 2012 - 09:33 PM.

It is totally legal to change forks in the World Championship. Only the exhaust is marked with paint after the bike passes the sound test. The organizer can mark other parts but the riders need to be informed ahead of time in the supplementary regs.

I was there in Duluth. it was a big crash by Lampkin and I remember all the "talk" about illegal parts changes by the uninformed. Same thing happened when Fuji changed his muffler.

Edited by otpi1, 10 April 2012 - 11:24 AM.

 otpi1, on 09 April 2012 - 01:28 PM, said:

One thing different if I remember correctly is that Dougie's stem broke at the bottom of the frame tube where this one broke at the top clamp..  I wonder if that indicates a loose steering head as Laser mentioned?

In the 2005 Duluth round, Dougie again took a really serious crash in falling off the top of that wall in....  was it section 13? I was there taking video for
Ian Smith and was at the top left so I was out of position for the first part of the ride and was ready to catch him at the end when i saw him in trouble at the top of that first climb and saw him take the fall but saw that it was covered...   I thought about shooting while he was on the ground but decided people didn't really need to see that. I thought for sure he was headed for the Hospital.  i guess he did go after the event.

What really blew me away, was that he finished that loop and rode the second loop and if I remember correctly, with that injured wrist, AND posted the best loop score of the event while nursing a swollen wrist with the minders applying ice along the way...   Incredible!!

Edited by 2PLY, 09 April 2012 - 09:46 PM.

Dougie in his prime was a very determined and talented man. He is also very down to earth, a great guy.


I din't mean to imply 2ply that you were among the uninformed "talkers" at Duluth. That was someone else.

Edited by otpi1, 10 April 2012 - 11:22 AM.

I didnt think it was THAT hard of a hit which is why I asked if this was common.  I mean I didnt fall over or drop the bike so to me it wasnt that hard of an impact.  Also I remember hitting trees with my supermoto and old trail bikes and going completly over the bars and not having any damage other than a brused ego.  

I will keep a closer eye on steering slop.  I was playing in the yard a few days prior to riding Sunday and checking everything out on the bike and it didnt feel loose.  Just another thing to double check before going out.  

So anybody know where I could find a set of good used triples?  I really dont want to spend $400+ on the bike right now.  

Thanks!

Are you sure you cant just replace the stem and bearings? Any good machine shop would be able to perform this work.

Heres a video to give you an idea of what the job would require. (although these guys are a bit heavy handed IMO)

Thanks for the video Laser!

After cleaning everything and a double check I think the triples are ok.  I dont see any cracking or bending.  Next step is to try and get the steering axle pressed out.  Lucky I have a band saw at work and a press in my basement.  Gotta cut the steering axle close to the bearing cause the bend in the shaft will cause problems trying to press it out of the lower triple.  Parts arent nearly as bad as I thought they were going to be especially if I dont have to buy the triple clamps.

Anybody have a service manual for a 2001 TxT 280 with torque specs for the fork pinch bolts and top triple tree nut?

Another pic

Hopefully it will come apart with out too much fuss and I can be riding away with out TOO much of a dent in my wallet

From the GG tech page:


I'm assuming that you are familiar with the general proceedures for takingapart/assembling the fork and steering stem assembly. After disassemblingthe steering head assembly, the lower bearing will usually need to bepressed off the steering stem with a shop press. This often requires aspecial plate (all machine shops have these) that grips the lower part of the bearing so the stem can be pressed through. The new bearing can beinstalled by chilling the stem in the freezer, warming the new bearing (boiling water works, with the bearing in a sealed plastic bag) and using a little anti-seize on the stem area where the bearing goes. It will usually just drop on or a length of thick (schedule 40) PVC tubing with the end cut square can be used to seat it. Be sure to inspect the o-rings that seal the bearings and replace them if necessary. Pack the new bearings throughly and just not just the outside of the rollers. A popsicle stick will work well to push the grease into the bearing from the edges while slowly turning it. I keep a bunch of popsicle sticks handy as they are useful for mixing epoxy, wrapped with sandpaper will get in tight spots to sand small parts and pack bearings without fear of scratching, etc. I like to use a mixture of 70% waterproof grease and 30% anti-seize compound, the same mixture I use on my suspension bearings and bushings. I like to use anti-seize on all fasteners that I don't use Locktite on, especially those of dissimiliar metals, which will normally form a type of corrosion.
This is a good time to clean the inside clamping areas on the tripleclamps to reduce fork flex. When spinning on the top preload nut for the stemassembly (the one under the top tripleclamp), just make it finger tight.When you install and tighten the top nut (the one with the setscrew) it willtighten the bearing assembly a little more. You may need to adjust the nutunder the top tripleclamp a little to get the right preload. When fullytightened, the forks should swing easily and smoothly from side-to-side andthe bearings should have no slack in them whatsoever. This is checked bygrabbing the lower fork sliders and pulling them forward and backward,looking for and listening for, looseness in the stem bearings. Be sure tocarefully inspect the handlebar clamps for any cracks caused byovertorqueing or uneven tightening.
A couple times a year, take off the top tripleclamp, loosen the preload nutto the top of the threads and spread some grease on the bearings afterinspecting the o-rings. This way the bearings should probably last the life of your bike as they will have fresh grease and adjusted preload.
Let me know if you run into any problems.
Jon

 otpi1, on 09 April 2012 - 01:28 PM, said:

I love my little 315R but would no way put up with the BS rules to ride in competition. I'll start with you lose points for putting a foot down. Please ...No wonder they can't sell more than 100 bikes a year in the US. Funnest bike comes from the stupidest sport. How did they get away from 6 days trials?

 Stumpalump, on 13 April 2012 - 08:07 AM, said:

Interesting opinion.......in the Scottish Six Day Trials you still get points for footing. its been that way for about 75 years.

Yea but at least they rode miles instead of feet.

They still do.....  about 75 to 100 miles per day. ...... you should try it.

Edited by otpi1, 13 April 2012 - 08:48 PM.

 otpi1, on 13 April 2012 - 08:48 PM, said:

My gas tank isnt big enough to ride that far in one day....  And Im not talking about the 100 octane and premix the bike needs


Pressed out the broken steering stem from the lower triple and the triples are fine, got pricing for everything else I need from Lewisport.  Calling them Monday to place my order.  Figured $150 isnt too bad to reconnect the front end to the rest of the bike