twinnshock

My Frontera's last MOT expired last May. As of last week it is officially 40 years old and now MOT exempt. I went on the DVLA on line site and payed the VED (Road tax) I had to pay but as from April I can change the taxation class to Historic when the tax becomes free. I keep all my bikes on a multi bike insurance policy even when out of use so this 40 year rolling MOT exemption is going to be a big bonus. I have 5 bultaco's and a vintage car in the garage and all are now MOT exempt and as from April all will be NIL rate VED So what did I do to my Bultaco today? Had a blast round the local area to celebrate. Interesting grip with the Enduro tyres on the cold and damp roads today. Got some interesting looks as I sat waiting for the lights to change at the pedestrian crossing in the high street. The tank is a recent replacement which I still need to paint. The original succumbed to the effect of ethanol in the fuel. I have also given up with the original no battery electrics as it used to blow brake light bulbs every time I used the bike. Now have a small battery under the seat and LED bulbs front and back. Battery keeps the lights going for several hours before needs charging. Stuart For benifit of Non uk readers. MOT is a compulsory annual test for safety and exhaust emissions of motor vehicles and Vehicle Excise Duty is annual taxed payed to the goverment Often still refered to in the UK as Road Fund Tax but in the UK this tax stopped being road fund in the 1930's and the money goes to goverment in the general tax pot for them to use as required. In the UK as of last May to use on public road vehicles over 40 years old are excempt from requiring an MOT. Still require annual VED and insurance. but the cost of the VED for vehicles over 40 years old which are classed as Historic is nothing.

Not if you buy one of the hybrid mismatch of parts often listed as completely original and excellent condition on ebay for about 5 grand. When you get it home and realise you have been sold a pup for near 3x the actual value, too ashamed to be seen with it in public you shove it in a shed lock the door then go down the pub to drown your sorrows. This must be the case because here in East Anglia I see so few actually out being ridden.

Bigusdickus, I am secretary of the meeting for the Braintree clubs next trial which is at Beazley End (Essex) on the 16th December. This venue is used by other clubs but I cannot see anything listed for November 17th (Saturday) at this venue. You will be more than welcome at out Trial. Regs will be in the December Eastern Centre Gazette. (available on line) We do results on the day for this event and I make all the class winners wear a silly hat and have their photo taken. We used to award a Turkey to each class winner and Christmas pud for 2nd however I have changed this the last couple of years to vouchers. Getting about 12 dressed Turkeys delivered on time proved an interesting task and I have a few tales to tell regarding this from over the years I have been secretary for this event. We also have a trial on the 29th December at Twinstead which is somewhere between Halstead and Sudbury. (Essex near the Suffolk border. No visa required) This is what we refer to as our get out of the house over Christmas event and seems to be getting more popular each year. Regs will be in the December Gazette but this is just for information, we run this event as enter on the day. If you want any more information please PM me. Stuart

When I bought my brand new M198 cut a bit off thesse stops to get a bit more lock was the very first mod I did, cut back so that the yokes on full lock was just clear of the tank. They are not old bolts welded on but a length of round rod as section swept has confirmed nylon end caps. I have bever bought these having simply made my own again sized to give as much lock as possible. Stuart

In Don Morleys Book Spanish Trials bike on page 40 is a picture of a high-Boy frame similar to the MK IV shown above but has no lugs for the 198/199 style side panels, No swinging arm in tube chain oiler feature. The rear loop is cut away and the pivoting foot peg design is different and looks moved rearward In fact the rear loop cut away and foot peg design matches that in the bike photo from poster beamish owners club at the top of this thread. I suspect that the frame in the book is later than the mk IV shown above because the removal of the rear loop was quite a late mod or fad and the foot peg position move rearward again was a later typical mod. The lack of side panel lugs has thrown my thinking but could be to suit the last air box design. This is my oppinion and not based on any known facts. To the original poster your bike in my oppinion based on the picture in the Don Morley book is a late Miller High-Boy frame. Who actualy made it I can not answer. Stuart

No. The seals are in seal holders that can be removed without a full engine strip and the engine still in the frame if preferred. You obviously have to remove the ignition flywheel on one side and the clutch/flywheel on the other to get at the holders so not a 5 minute job but should not take many hours but will require the right tools. I notice you are from Slough so a certain UK parts supplier is quite local to you. Give them a ring, what they do not know about Bultaco's is not worth knowing and will quite happily talk you through this and supply flywheel extractor and clutch holding tools that will make the job easy. In answer to another question in this thread. I own 3 Sherpa's which are a Model 10, a Model 80 and a Model 199. In my opinion the top 3 Sherpa models. Some might say a 199A tops the 199 but we can argue that all day long. I also have a model 188 Alpina and a Model 215 Frontera so have most off road bases covered. (I sold my M120 Pursang a few years back.) I would like to add a Metralla to the stable but these are quite rare in the UK and usually priced at more than I want to pay. Stuart

Old Man, You have stated that you will be looking at a putty resin to repair a fuel tank. Modern fuels contain a percentage of ethanol and this is going to increase. Ethanol attacks a lot of resins, rubbers etc. If you go down this route make sure the resin used is OK to use with ethanol. For my penny worth, I would not even try it. Stuart

Have you checked the Air vent in the fuel tank filler cap? If blocked can cause fuel starvation similar to what you describe. Stuart

Additional information. The weld joint between the seat and tank was weak and most broke and were repaired at this joint. Stuart

1974-75 Sherpa models M124/M125 & M132/M133 Homerlite UK Probably worth more in the UK Interesting that you are from the States. In the 1970’s the UK government banned Fibreglass tanks on new bikes for road use. This was based on some serious accidents that occurred with bikes fitted with fibreglass tanks. This ban existed until the UK laws were brought into line with EU law at a later date. My understanding is that bikes were imported into the UK without tanks and then the local produced tank was fitted by the importer. Other markets than the UK continued to be fitted with the Slimline tank and seat unit. Both were replace in 1976 by the alloy 1 piece tank. (Dates approx) Stuart

sirdabalot, I understand that sadly one of the Chuckle brothers passed away earlier this week. With jokes like that have you thought of applying to be his replacment? Stuart

Sorry to change thread slightly but just trying to increase my Knowledge. I understand these tanks were made by Hommerlite and I have always known them as called "the Hommerlite tank" Section swept refers to Mr Miller. At the time of these tanks were made the official imported would have been Commerfords and i would have thought it was them who had these made. Sammy Miller was just a dealer at that time albeit one with influence. I would hate Mr Miller getting credit for something he was not responsible for but if I am wrong I stand to be corrected. (read into that what you like!) Stuart

Back in the days of the Model 80 Sammy Miller was doing his best to cut weight. From slightly earlier than your bike I have seen published pictures of weigh bridge tickets done by Sammy Miller of a standard bike and his specially modified bike with a weight reduction. At that time where Sammy led the factory followed. Many books and magazines with pictures of works bikes from early 70’s show bikes covered with drilled holes to remove weight so weight was a known major issue. Your chap in the T shirt have been right as frames could have been beefed up to avoid breakage but I doubt it. I think your chain was thoroughly pulled..........was he laughing as you walked away? We must remember that in the early 1970’s Spain was still under the control of Franco with many import restrictions limiting steel tube supply. Don Morley in his book Spanish Trials Bikes refers to tales of works riders smuggling Reynold 531 tube into the factory to have special frames made. I guess if this is true this would have been in an effort to get both improved strength and weight reductions. I still think your frame is a standard production frame which somebody has added lugs to at some time. I think the G as far as anything special is concerned is a red herring. But this is just my opinion. Stuart

From my experiance of original Bultaco factory welding I would suggest if the weld are uniform and good it rules out original factory welding....... My M80 has a frame number 749 less than yours, it does not have any of the lugs pointed out. No G on the headstock But I have seen various letters on other Bultaco headstocks so would not read to much into this. In the first picture there is a bracket on the cente line foward of the main downtube. My M80 does not have this bracket. Later bikes had a head brace bolted to a bracket in this area (but more foward) to brace the frame. The downtube on the M80 is along way back so a brace back to this point so in my oppinion would not be very affective. Stuart

Can I quote myself from May 2005! Before reading quote, please be aware there is probabably as many different oppionions on this as Bultaco owners. If you want oppionions on correct oil to use, search the Bultaco forum then make you own mind up. As for modern plates probabably the best way to go as they grip better and let you get away with less spring pressure and therfore less lever effort. I have never tried it so not in a good position to advise. Quote 26th May 2005 I always run my clutches with one plate less than fitted originally (the last plate, the one just under the outer spring plate. Not sure if this makes a big difference but I tried it years ago and it seemed to improve things and have never fitted this last plate to a clutch since. All the previous advice about cable condition and arm operating levers is the place to start as if these are not in good condition or set up correctly you are wasting your time. Also new springs are a good idea with these matched for length as best as possible. I adjust the nuts so that the thread is protruding just beyond the nut and then pull in the clutch lever and hold in this position with a cable tie on the lever and handlebar. With the clutch held pulled in I then rotate the clutch via the kickstart and carfully adjust each spring adjuster until clutch plate wobble is either totally eliminated or at least reduced to the absolute minimum possible. The nuts should have about 1 to 1.5mm thread protruding. Don't forget to secure the nuts with some locking wire. Finally I replace the primary case cover and fill with 300cc of ATQF. This is what I used back in the 70's when the bikes were new. You can not teach an old dog new tricks! The older bikes do not have adjuster nuts but use a non adjustable pin and cup arrangement. My Model 80 (1971) with new springs and the one plate removed will slip the clutch with a sharp kick from the kickstater when cold but a smooth follow through kick will get her going and she never gives a problem when warmed up or actually slipping when riding. Twinnshock

I think the following will make me look like an anorack/quite pedantic but I am going to post it anyway. I agree the DVLA will accept dating letters from In-Motion/Bultaco UK provided that the bike in question is in the Commerfords ledgers. I have registered two Bultaco's in the past and used dating letters provided by In-Motion. In-Motion cannot provide dating letters for bikes not imported by Commerfords. I am going through this issue myself at the moment as I am trying to register a 1976 Alpina first sold in the USA and imported to the UK about 4 years ago. In-Motion can not provide me with a dating letter. I have dicussed this with Dave at length and have gone the VMCC route myself. I know that the VMCC use Dave as an marque expert. The original posters bike is a model 27 first registered on a F plate which dates the bike to 1967 which also agress with the model 27 production dates of 67/68. At this time the Bultaco Importers were the Rickman Brothers. The consession changed to Commerfords on October 1969. The bike in question will not exist in the ledgers held by In-Motion as imported pre Commerfords. I was aware of this when I gave my original advice. Stuart

Another Model 27. Quite a lot of this model seem to be surfacing these days! I am assuming both pictures in your post are of your bike. That alloy tank and the seat/side panels are not original M27 but this should not be an issue. Your original question regarding owners club. As you are aware no recognised owners club. In Motion are not approved by the DVLA despite being the experts on the marque. The VMCC is your best bet. They should be able to provide the necessary letters etc that the DVLA will accept. They will charge you for this. The frustrating thing about this is that the VMCC are not experts on Bultaco, they will contact In Motion get all the necessary information and put this on VMCC headed paper. As you have original tax disc's and the number plate you stand a good chance of getting the original number back.If you agree to this being non transferable it is a lot easier as if you wish it to be transferable they will do a lot more checks and require more evidence to prove this is not just a scam to get the original number. Good luck. Please let us know how you get on. Stuart

I have one in my points ignition (12v) vintage car from the company below. Works fine. I am planning to try one in one of my bikes but so far not got around to fitting it. http://www.brightsparkmagnetos.com/easycap/ I have no connection with this company and obviously other sources are available. Do not be put off all the Magneto stuff these work with points ignition systems Stuart

Clarkee, Good luck with the restoration. It looks in better condition than mine did when I bought it so do not be put off. Original IRZ carb fitted. Good carb when new but wear out easily and spare parts are like hens teeth. The fork top yoke is not original, not unusual as the original part was weak and easily broke. Several companies’s made these replacement parts. Original handlebars were steel with welded on levers. Back in the day owners had a habit of cutting away the left hand case to help clear mud from the chain rear sprocket area. Yours has not been done which is in my opinion is a result. What is your plan, show bike or to be ridden? These 4 speed bikes are fun to ride but have to be rev'd quite hard compared to the later bikes. I think from memory max power is quoted at 8500rpm for the M10 where as a 1971 model 80 is 5500. I have both these models and they are quite different to ride. I had a later model 10 a few years ago which I rode but sold to fund another project. I missed the bike so jumped at a chance to buy an early version project when it came up for sale. However I must confess that I was halfway through restoring this when I bought a car project so it has been relegated to under the bench for the last 4 years unfinished. I have just returned home from watching the SSDT where a M10 same as yours was displayed in a Fort William shop window for the duration of the Trial. Seeing this bike in the window has fired me up to get mine out and finished. The early model 10 (1965) and the later (1966) models are basically similar with the main unseen difference being a different length swinging arm changed to improve grip and the early bikes have a more rounded fuel tank and different steering lock arrangement. Stuart

It is the front wheel spindle in the UK as well. Stuart

Reading my comment again I come over as a bit negative. I did not mean this. Good luck to them. I was not going to donate to the cause as I currently support the Essex Air Ambulance but I guess I had better do so now. It just surprised me that it was a relay. You learn more about the event every year. I will be riding about in support of my son (Army team, Rider no 6) so if any one spots a Blue Bultaco Frontera (1978 S reg) parked up at sections/lunch stop please come and have a chat. Stuart

The just giving site has the following:- "We are lucky enough to be competing in this years Scottish Six Days Trial (the worlds longest motorcycle trials event) together as part of a relay charity team.This means we are riding as a relay team, only one rider can ride each day, and we are teaming up as brothers to tackle one of the worlds toughest trials competitions." Is this correct that they are letting relay teams compete? I appreciate a good cause but.............................. Stuart. (I will be in Scotland supporting my son who is riding as a member of the Army team)

Why not just a strip of 16swg or 1.6mm steel with two holes drilled. This would be far stronger than welded washers. Easy for me to say that as I have access to a workshop full of off cut sheet steel. (stored behind the laser cutter..........now thats an idea) Stuart

I am getting near finishing the restoration of my M188 Alpina. One issue that has been causing me issues is the brake stop light switch. The switch is of an unusal design and exact replacments can not be found. The original switch is held in a normaly closed condition by a tag on the brake pedal and switches to normaly open when the pedal is depressed. I could just fit a more modern part but this would not be my style and most work the other way arond with regard to N/O N/C so would need some rework or wiring change. I have two original switches and both were corroded inside and not working. Both are 40 years old so I will not compalin to FEMSA about quality. They have a plastic housing part that both broke when trying to take the switches apart as they are not designed for disassembly. I have in the past tried gluing similar plastic parts but not had any success. So after all this waffle " What did you do to your Bultaco today?" I 3D modelled the broken plastic part and 3D printed replacements in ABS plastic. The picture shows all the parts of the two switches layed out ready for reassembly. I am using copper rivits to replace the contacts that I had to drill out. I have also lost the saddle that fits the handle bars for the light switch so I will print a replacment part next. Stuart

I see that you are from the states so your gallons are smaller than ours over here in the UK. So best to quote metric. My Bultaco book lists the late Alpina tank at 8.5lt. I bought an Alloy Alpina tank for my M188 (listed as Sherpa) of ebay from India last year and am very happy with it. We have to much ethenol in our UK fuel now which destroys the fibreglass tanks. US Gallon 3.78lt UK Imperial Gallon 4.52lt The Alpina tank is different at the rear where the seat aligns so you might have some issues with the seat. Stuart