Checkpoint PV Cover and other newbie ???

R

rpduc

New member
More ignorant newbie ???

I have two new to me GasGas 250s (well three :o) but only two of them have these Checkpoint Covers on them. Any reports on their effectiveness? I tried searching here and also Googled and didn't come up with much.

They appear to be just covers that can be easily switched? But before I go yanking it off to switch to a different bike... is there other internal stuff associated with the cover? I assume I'll at the least need a new gasket...

The PO has managed to strip out the allen heads on ALL SIX of the oil plugs :rolleyes: They're functioning o.k. since driving an appropriately sized Torx bit in there to "cut" a new socket, but I'm wondering... are those plugs notoriously soft or was the PO just careless. IS there a better alternative than the stock plugs?

These bikes also all have FMF Fatty pipes with Turbine Core Silencers. Where does the Turbine Core fit on the Quiet scale? I'd like these things as quiet as possible.

Last one for now. I can imagine weasling some tools into the Fatty pipe to try and bang out a few dents, but is there an "accepted" or efficient way to approach this. The pipe on one of the bikes is pretty hammered...
 
rpduc said:
Last one for now. I can imagine weasling some tools into the Fatty pipe to try and bang out a few dents, but is there an "accepted" or efficient way to approach this. The pipe on one of the bikes is pretty hammered...
Click to expand...


If you're in the Minneapolis area, you can try Jeff Olson aka "The Pipe Doctor" at 763-755-6351. He's in Andover.

Jon
 
The power valve covers are made by Matt Stavish's Dad Bill @ "Checkpoint Machine" they add to the low end power, more on a 200 less on a 300.
They are only a cover with more volume and yes you will need a new gasket.
As far as the oil plugs go DO NOT over tighten them!
The Pipe Dr. will fix your pipe up.
Go see Jack at Road Track & Trail in Anoka, Mn for GasGas parts and info.
Good Luck! They are great bikes!
 
First, It's good to see a GasGas contingent represented here and that GasGas has a good MN connection with Hyde, RT&T, GoFasters, etc.

Thanks for the "pipe doctor" info.

I'm still trying to get ahold of Jack at RT&T, he is apparently "traveling." I hope he returns pretty soon or I'm going to have to go elsewhere.

The Checkpoint covers are LTR knock offs.
Click to expand...
:-( Not something I would normally endorse, but they're on there so...

I thought one good solution to the oil plug thing would be to drill and tap the socket head for an appropriately sized bolt and red loctite the thing in there.
Probably a good thing to have a soft plug. Hopefully it's softer than the case to reduce risk of wrecking the threads on the case...
 
Don't drill it!:eek: The plug is aluminum, with a magnet pressed in. If you drill up you will push the maget out, and it will stick to a trasmission part. Then you will have to split the cases to retreive it. Happened to someone here recently. Lay the bike down and try carefully tapping a larger Torx bit in the stripped hex, so it cuts its own teeth. That should do it.

If you use the correct o-ring on the drain plug and just snug it a little past the contact point you will never have a problem. It will not come loose yet you can remove it one handed with a long hex key. I never stripped one in 100s of oil changes on three bikes. My older GGs came with o-rings, my '07 with a copper washer. I use o-rings on both the drain and fill plugs.
 
Don't drill it! The plug is aluminum, with a magnet pressed in.
Click to expand...

Ha-ha, that would have been good... but I wonder if the perpetrator could have fished that magnet out of there with rare earth magnet a little bigger than the one in the plug. I sure would have tried that before splitting cases.

I wasn't planning on doing it on the bike. I meant on a drill press once the plug was out.

.... tapping a larger Torx bit in the stripped hex, so it cuts its own teeth. That should do it.
Click to expand...

That's what I did. You maybe missed that in my first post.

I noticed in the parts list that the drain plug got an o-ring and the filler got a copper washer and I could not figure any rationale for that arrangement. Kinda backwards from other bikes I've had. I was wondering if it was a misprint... O-rings on both sounds good to me. Thanks.
 
A large volume power valve cover was available before Les started making them. Any competent machinist can make one based on the stock power valve cover.
 
The Tafta covers, I had one of those. They were cast, as an aluminum foundry was the Tafta's main business I beleive.
 
Tafta wasn't making his cast aluminum PV covers when Les started making them. And Les at LTR actually talked with Tafta to make sure that him making his would be okay with him, prior to designing and selling his own design. Tafta said he had no intention of making them any longer and it was fine with him for Les to proceed.

It did take Les a good amount of time to design, make engineering drawings, pay for setup (CNC programming), a proto run and then pay for production runs... It would be nice if it were as trivial as some would say; That said, copying someone elses part very directly, as some have done, does take alot of the work out of it.


jeff
 
This cover controversy is interesting reading but how about those FMF Turbine Core 2 Silencers? :D :D

Is there a comprehensive silencer comparison somewhere online anyone knows about? TIA
 
The TC2 isn't "quiet" but it isn't obnoxiously loud either. That being said, I did pass a sound test at one event to run on u.s.f.s. land - 96 db.

jeff
 
I just started my bike tonight with a brand new TC2. Not bad, comparable to the OEM GG silencer. The thing with TC2s is the silencer section is short, and when the packing gets spooged up they get loud.
 
rpduc said:
First, It's good to see a GasGas contingent represented here and that GasGas has a good MN connection with Hyde, RT&T, GoFasters, etc.
Click to expand...

You'll find Minnesota a very friendly place to own a Gas Gas. Somehow we've become one of the central concentrations of Gas Gas presence in the United States. One of the few places in the country you can go to an event and count just as many Gassers as KTM's. This summer, you'll find a pretty tight, friendly group of Gas Gas owners at the D23 events. There's even a batch of crazy Gassers from Manitoba that come to a lot of the D23 events. I was a dealer from 2000-2006 up near Fargo (I am thinking of getting back in with the current awesome importer/distributor situation).

Makes a guy happy and proud.:)

If you're in MN, I'd just contact GoFasters. While I respect, and don't want to appear to knock Jack or RT&T (who has been selling the bikes in the state for a long, long time and has ooodles of experience) GoFasters, as the official factory parts connection, probably have the all the answers you're looking for and are well staffed.

On the powervalve cover, I've noticed the 200 and 250 get the most low end boost from them (LTR or Checkpoint). I have a TC2 and have never been booted for noise. I'm seriously overdue for a repack too.
 
Judging from the state of maintenance on the rest of these machines, I'd guess these things have never been repacked.

I'd obviously like to pass any sound checks I may encounter should I decide to "race" but 96 dB is still too loud for my tastes. My real objective is to be AQAP. (as quiet as possible) I just think it's responsible and THE issue for all the motorized rec opponents. I was happy to discover when I started lurking on the off-road boards that there was a contingent pushing quiet.

I saw the post about the FMF "Stealth" and have seen mention of the Q but haven't checked specs and availability. It appears the "Stealth" is new and not available for GasGas? I presume the difference is in the mounts? I'm not averse to doing some cuttin and weldin to make one work if it can get me to AQAP.
 
Back in Jan @ a local D-36 CC race I had my 99 EC 200 sound checked. The packing was about a year old, I passed no problems with a 93 or 94. I was informed, that the smaller the cc the bike is, the lower horsepower is, the lower the rpm's is to check the bike for sound. I don't think that you'll have any problems with the FMF TCII S/A. As GasGas ownes we have limited choices when it come to S/A.
 
FWIW, at District 23 events, my G300 with TC2 silencer has tested at 89-93, with 92 being the most common reading. That's a -long- way from 96 db and I'm not fanatical about repacking the silencer. Repack them and see what you find. Should be legal for sure.

I know someone who bought a Q silencer for a KX250 and he thought it was a waste of money since it wasn't any quieter than his TC2. I'd wait to see what happens with the "Stealth" or look into the db snorkel add-on.

Jon
 
Yes- check out what others say about the "dB Snorkle"
on the KtmTalk Website. It is supposed to be really quiet.

I have hose clamped a 8-10 inch piece of inner tube to the end of the silencer for a hokey-looking additional silencer,
seems to help a little.
 
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