Cribbs74

Does anybody happen to know the spoke lengths for the rear wheel on a KT? I need some spokes, but I can only find part numbers and can’t translate that to length- Thank you! Ron

Thanks everyone, still haven’t heard from Tim, but at least I know that things are still available. If I do happen upon a liner I’ll be installing it myself as it’s really simple to do, apart from getting yelled at by my wife for using the oven for dirty parts. I realize it’s a bit of work to cut a 2 stroke sleeve and I know the demand is low. I was just under the impression that Bultaco is still popular enough to allow a strong parts supply. Some of the problem is I am cheap lol, I am 44 with 3 kids, one in college and have a mortgage and living expenses. My hobbies are a low priority so I have to play it smart. The fuel tank alone for this 151 cost me $450 and all told I have over 1K in this bike that cost me $200 to purchase. I really wanted a Bultaco Sherpa and the $200 to get a project looked appealing , but as usual it costs way more to restore than to buy a completed one. I’ll never learn! The other problem is I don’t like anything new and plentiful. I am always drawn to rare vintage cars and bikes It’s funny how different motorcycle cliques operate. Honda guys flooded me in parts when doing a CL77 restore. Hodaka crowd was silent and very unhelpful when I was attempting to do a Super Combat. So much so that I abandoned the project and sold the bike. Yamaha guys were the same as Honda Kawasaki guys were a tough nut to crack, but I got lucky and hooked into a guy that was very helpful. Triumph group is also hard to get into, once in though they are a good group. The jury is still out on Bultaco, but so far you guys have been very helpful and I do appreciate it. I have posted a want ad on here, so we will see how that goes. Again, thank you for the help everyone. I’ll start a thread to document the refurb/restore. Ron

Graham, I sent Tim Weaver a message today. I’ll enquire with the others if he comes up short. Thanks a lot for the info, I appreciate it. Ron

So basically I have a couple useless cylinders... LA sleeve does offer one for $500, which is ridiculous, can’t see any reason for that high of a pricetag. I’ll source one then. Thanks for all the replies and info. Ron

I brought it up in another post, but I thought it might be best to start a new thread in case anyone else wants to know. Anyway, does anyone re-sleeve Bultaco cylinders? Are new sleeves even available?

Did you pull the float out? It’s easy to do and like mentioned above it’s probably junk caught in needle and seat. A quick teardown should alleviate the problem. carb overflows are common to every manufacture of carb. Bing is no exception. Is there an inline fuel filter installed?

Thanks Woody, I contacted Tim Weaver this AM and he is going to swap out the brake plate for the later model. Looks like the 159 has a partially polished hub so I will go that route so it will look somewhat correct, or at least match the front hub. Any idea if the 151 wheel spacer work with that hub? Or is it a trial and error thing? not the best pictures, but the hub looks like this one.

The bike is a hot mess, to put it mildly. Basically at this point I am just sorting through the mud and figuring out what’s good and what’s not. I have a M125 that has a good swingarm so I will just use that. Woody, your timing was impeccable as I had just attempted to fit the brake plate I received from Bultaco Classics and realized it was way too large. So what wheel do I have? I would like to exchange the brake plate out for the one that fits. The hub is roughly 124mm and it has some Identification on the rim, but looks to be generic. Chrome lining is in great shape. Ron

As I go through this 151 Sherpa I am seeing some things that are unusual. Trying to sort out the wheat from chaff if you will. Pretty much have it all figured out except the swing arm. I can’t tell if it’s a stock piece or an aftermarket accessory or a factory modified unit. It has plates welded to it to allow you to change shock positions. It certainly appears to look professional.

Thanks for the info John and Woody, If the Haynes has an illustrated parts breakdown that would be great, but part numbers would be very helpful so I can cross reference. Both cylinders are in really good shape externally. A new sleeve would be the best course of action, but can’t seem to find any online. Nothing on the Bultaco Classic website or any of the other usual sources. Ron

Thanks for the parts manual info. Definitely cheaper, shipping will cost the same as the manual I am sure. Some of it looks useable, hoping nothing is too pitted. I’ll soak it and see. So, I removed the piston. I was able to save the piston, but the sleeve is cracked at the bottom. It was bored over .075 so it was pretty thin. Not sure if I broke it or it was already broken. My 125 Engine has no sleeve whatsoever, so I guess I need a new sleeve and piston. Any suggestions? Thank you for the help and replies. Ron

Finally was able to split the 151 cases today. What a horrible mess inside. I think this thing sat outside for quite some time. I sure hope the 125 internals from my other engine will swap into this case. piston is still stuck in the cylinder, so will have to remedy that. Anybody know where I can find a parts catalog for cheaper than the $100 they want on Ebay? A photo copy would work fine. I have a Haynes manual coming, but it’s not model specific. I am attaching a couple pictures of inside the cases for fun...

Popped the head off of my KT to lap the head and replace the gasket as I had a leak. While in there I grabbed hold of the piston and noticed what I think is excessive movement inside the cylinder. I realize that it’s an aluminum piston in an iron sleeve so some play is normal to compensate for expansion, but this seems more than it should be. That said what should it be? Thanks, Ron

Thanks FeetUp, I really appreciate the help and the time it took to write that up. Moving forward!

Guys, I am days away from riding my KT for the first time. Just buttoning up some odds and ends and having a little trouble with the clutch and throttle cable. I am using original cables and don’t see how they route. The frame has two plates welded onto the center tube and it looks like the cables could go through there, but not sure and no pictures anywhere in my shop manual or online that I can find. so my question is how do the brake and throttle cable route and what cable goes on what side of the downtube. Thanks! Ron

Thanks everyone, I really appreciate the outpouring of help. I was contacted by Tim Weaver so I am now headed in the right direction. While this is my first Bultaco engine build, I have rebuilt a Triumph T150 engine and a Honda CL77 and CB550 engine. The Bultaco unit appears to be much simpler than those so I should be ok. Thanks again for the posts and pictures,they will come in handy. Ron

Thank you, That does help some, I need nearly everything for the bike, maybe I should start small and work my way up. The engine matches the frame number so that’s easy. The first thing I want to do is rebuild it. At a glance I am missing the carb, shifter pedal and kicker. Frame wise I need a fuel tank, air box, rear brake pedal and rear brake hub. I appreciate your patience while I figure all this out. Ron

So, I have been racking my brain trying to figure out what parts from other models will fit and be correct on my M-151. I am hoping it’s not a one off model and that nothing besides that year will fit. I really don’t know how to date the frame either. I assume a part number list might help, but seeing as nobody lists parts for sale under the part number it doesn’t really help me. Long story short what year is my M151 and is there somewhere I can go to gather information that will provide me with parts interchangeably. Frame# JB-1510724 Thanks as always, Ron

Ask and ye shall receive, thanks guys. Any idea as to the O.D.? I know I could cut it off and measure, but if someone knew of the top of their head that would be easier Ron

Back to the frames again. I need to replace the cradle frame tubes that attach to the skidplate on the M-151. They have been bashed nearly flat. Does anyone have an idea as to the tubing thickness? What type of steel were used on these frames? Chromoly? Thanks, Ron

Ok, I guess I will be building up the 151 frame along with the matching engine case. I appreciate the comments guys and the leads on parts. I will have more questions along the way I am sure.

Yes, that’s why I was wanting to find used as building a whole bike out of NOS or repro parts would be way too expensive. a parts bike would be good, but I haven’t Run across any yet. can anybody comment on the frames?

First time poster and of course I have a few questions. I picked up 2 very rough Bultaco Sherpas. One is a Model 125 and is just a frame, the other is a Model 151 and is basically just a roller with engine. The Frames on these are quite different one has a cradle under the engine and bash plate, the other has just a bash plate and no cradle. Not sure if that is normal or not. Frame numbers are as follows: JB-12502105 JB-1500724 Engine Numbers: M-12502105 M-15100724 Lastly, where can I get parts? I have seen a couple US Bultaco suppliers as well as a couple overseas suppliers, but those are all new parts. Where do I go for used parts? Surely Ebay is not the only source. I need a lot of small parts, things that aren’t reproduced or NOS. I am attaching a couple photo’s of the frames so you guys can tell me what is wrong. Thanks for any help you can provide. Ron Cribbs