First ride of 2017 on '15 250RR

[HRRacing]

Finally had gotten out on the trails since November 2016. This past winter and the current spring weather has been brutal to the riding areas in Oregon. Still don't have many choices yet. Had a nice 70° sunny day so rather than do yard work, I went riding. It was a good choice.
I did some maintenance and mods over the winter, so I was looking forward to the results. I cleaned my PV and inspected the top end. Cylinder, piston and rings all in great shape. PV wasn't too bad, but needed cleaning. Of course, threw in a new plug as well. I added a Xtrainer PV cover spacer as well. I'm a former GasGas rider and the larger PV cover was popular for those bikes, so I thought I'd give it a try on my Beta. I also sent off my suspension to Kreft Suspension for a revalve and service. Lastly, I installed the 350 slave cylinder kit for a lighter clutch pull.
The way the bike ran was extremely noticeable. Much more crisp and clean and even more linear. I'm sure the crisp and clean feel was due to the clean PV, but the power delivery was definitely different due to the PV spacer, in a good way for me. It pulled more from down low in RPM range and I was able to ride a gear higher and "lug". It feels as though I have an auto clutch now. But it still rips at higher rpm. Good cheap mod.
I did feel a difference with the clutch as well. I feather my clutch a lot, so it was a better feel. Not butter soft, but definitely lighter than stock. I did have some problems bleeding after installing and found some interesting facts about the slave cylinder kit. First, I found that the reason I was having problems was that the piston seal had a very small hole in it. I couldn't find any information for a replacement for the "upgraded" piston. That's because it isn't a different piston. Beta bores the slave cylinder housing to a larger diameter, uses the same piston but makes up the difference with a larger o-ring on the piston. So, I was able to use my other piston with seal and swap o-rings. I'm a little nervous about this set-up. I would feel more confident if Beta supplied a larger diameter piston to match the housing. Time will tell I guess. I just don't want to be stranded out on the trails 30 miles from my truck without a clutch.
Suspension service and revalve was unbelievable. This is the first time I've done this to any of my bikes. Worth every penny. Superbly balanced and almost zero deflection on the front and no "bucking" in the rear. I can ride with so much more confidence now. I will be doing this to every bike I own from now on.

Pray for sun!