Original Ossa Pennine

[08colin]

Looking for anyone that can remember or rode one of the original 230 4 speed Ossa Pennines (plonker)

I alway's wanted an early all fibre glass Pennine, been hunting for 8 or 9 years anyway 2 years ago found

one up near Penrith thrown in the back of a shed in one H--- of a state anyway large lump of heavys' changed

hands put remains of said bike in back of van and set off for the 150 mile drive home (plenty of time to work

out how i'm going to explain what a good investment it is to the other half) It was painted in austin allego

metalic green and everything else in matt black (spray can).The engine unit was held together with a large

hose clip round outer cover's and crank case fins were smashed off head and barrel,exhaust system looked

like it had been attacked with a hammer and this is only a brief description of the shocking state it was in.

But underneath this mess i could see my dream Ossa Pennine (ever tried to convince the mrs).

There was a hole top and bottom through r/hand crank case half and outer cover.That was 2 years ago

spoke with Mick Andrews and a local x works rider Malcolm Barnes to find when we found matching engine

and frame number's for one of the 2 Pennines in the UK apart fron mick's this one being the Ted Breffitt first

Ossa.Ted resprayed his Ossa silver and yellow flash i photo'd this bike at the Hillsborough trial in 1968

in Don Morley's spanish two strokes there is a photo on page 131 of Ted riding in the Bemrose on it.

I got in touch with Ted and met him at this years Pre 65 scottish and he couldn't believe that it had survived.

Got it up and running in May this year but have got a dreaded badly worn 24mm IRZ carb problems i'm still waiting for it to come back from being repaired.

So does anybody remember or rode one of these early Pennines

Has anybody got or know where i might find an original 24mm IRZ carb

Also looking for the small VDO speedo that was mounted on the top yoke.

As big j would say feet up and thanks.08colin

[hop blip and a jump]

Thats not fair teasing us!! show us some pics?????

[08colin]

Hi hop blip and a j had problems trying to post pictures suggest you

send me your email address and i will email some photos to you.

have you riden or seen one before.Is there any chance you might

beable to post the pictures 08colin

[old trials fanatic]

Memories.

I had one a long time ago. Bought it off Roy Pidcock. Seem to remember at some point it was ex Chris Milner bike.

My only real memory was that it was a swine to ride bit like a moto crosser. Loads of power but so fierce. Little ground clearence and very heavy and bulky.

Sold it to Eric Housley and bought a Sprite Goldfinger.

Would appreciate so piccys.

Nice to hear Ted is still alive i used to ride with him in the old days. Always a gentleman in a check shirt and belstaff.

[08colin]

Hi Grumpy fanatic i can't seem to put any photos on at the moment

but if you email me on pauline.thompson3@virgin.net i will send you

photos before and after.My bike is the breffitt first Ossa mau 113f

in silver if you can remember him and the bike,big sutton falcons

club rider.I first saw Ted and the silver Ossa in 1968 at the Porlot

Quarry Derbyshire trials Porlot wasn't one of my favourite venues

in those day's as i had just started riding trials on an old round tube

Dot (didn't go over the rocks very well) look forward to hearing

from you again.Colin

[lassejahn]

Hi Ossa fans!

We got two of the 230:s early -68 to Finland, one for me and the other to my friend Eino Louhio, later head of the finnish federation.

I took part in the 3:d round for the European Championship in Germany and in the St Cucufa Trial in Paris on it. Appearing on the front page of Motor Cycle Nov. 13,1968 , photo by Ed Bentley who gently sent me a copy of the paper, at that time the magazine with the worldwide largest circulation, is one of my many good memories.

Das Motorrad magazine in Germany was interested in whether I was using asbestos gloves to move to extra silencer around!

The bike was good for the fast transport parts and the engine stayed in tune longer than the others from the same country, that,s a positive part.

My friend put his engine in a Montesa frame after the first year, now sadly both bikes have disappeared, most likely not to be found anymore.

Gopod memories made me also first finnish owner of MAR later on.

I have some b/w pictures from the time, but nothing special.

Lasse Jahn

[sparks2]

Hello Colin

Well done with the Ossa restoration. It cannot have been the easiest bike to restore.

I remember the original Ossa very well although I never rode one. Round here (West and South Yorkshire) they were very thin on the ground and the

word on the street was that they were not the equal of a good Bultaco or the early Montesa.

I believe Ted Brefitt rode at least 3 early Ossas with, I think, the following registration numbers:-

WAU 113F

With the Silver and yellow tank (as you say).

RAU ???G

Also with the Silver and yellow tank (probably transfered from the earlier bike).

Some years ago I worked with a chap in the Ruston Gas Turbines Drawing Office (Lincoln) who owned and rode this bike

in the early to mid seventies, although he did not sound particularly impressed with it.

UAU 9H

Ordinary Green and yellow tank.

The suffix AU is a Nottingham registration, so presumably Ted picked the bikes up from Eric Houseley in Clay Cross and registered them back home in Nottingham?

I remember a chap from the Barnsley/Sheffield area called Alan Dugdale buying one new from Eric Houseley although he never did particularly well on it.

Alan Dugdale sold it to Mick Dickinson from Rotherham. Mick loved the bike and indeed gained Yorkshire Centre expert status on it but only after he had built and fitted

his own frame. Alan Dugdale has long since left trials and went on to build his own house, I believe.

Mick still rides an Ariel and Bantam, and very well I might add, with the Yorkshire Classic Club.

Jim Swallow (the chap who restored Bill Wilkinsons 1969 Scottish winning Greeves) had a very dilapidated early Ossa in the back of his garage in the early nineties.

But subsequently sold that, as well, to Bill Wilkinson. I cannot believe that Bill Wilkinson did anything with it. So could this be the your bike, Colin?

Hope all this is of interest.

Kind Regards

Sparks2

[08colin]

Hi sparks 2 Ted first bike the one i have reg no is MAU 113F

i have had this confirmed by Ted his self,the other rider Ted's

team mate riding vertually same bike as Ted was a guy called

Malcolm Barnes from Barnetby-le-wold North Lincolnshire.

he was the top rider in the area at that time his bike was registered

TRA---F i actually rode this bike and when Malcolm sold it to Chris

Nieman i was at tech college with Chris,Chris loaned me the bike

and to me at that time after Malc and Chris had basicaly sorted it out

it was fabulous to ride,been the 230 race motor de-tuned was very

fiece and there was nothing to catch it on the road my riding buddy

at the time as we had both just started riding trials him riding a Norman

me riding a 61 Dot my Dot had blown the big end and crank was away

been repaired so Chris loaned me the Pennine unbeknown to my mate

on the Sunday morning been as we riding the bikes to the trial he turned

up bright and early him still thinking i was riding the Dot he got the shock

of his life when i pulled the Ossa out,Graham my mate turned on his heel

jumped on the Norman and disappeared i shot into the house got my jacket

and boots etc,dashed out fired up the Ossa and set off after him took me a

2 or 3 miles to catch him up,when i overtook him and left him for dead

i shall never forget the looks on his face.

Incidently i was runner up at that trial i was beaten by a Gaunt Suzuki

120cc sadly come the Monday i had to take the bike back to Chris,Chris

sold it on and bought Malcolm Barnes second Ossa and i have never heard

anything of them since i have spoken with Macolm Barnes this year and he

has no idea to what ever happened to either of them,Chris Nieman emmigrated

to New Zealand of which i have never seen him since

Regards Colin

[sparks2]

Thanks for the reply Colin. Very interesting.

Yes, you are very probably correct with the reg MAU 113F

Is Malcolm Barnes from Barnetby still a painter and decorator?

Who was driving the Gaunt Suzuki to beat you into second place.

Regards

Sparks2

[08colin]

hi there sparks2 yes that is the same malcom barnes although he

has now virtualy retired, i took the pennine across to his home for

him to look over and have a ride on he is now suffering badly

with artheritous in his hands and knnee's he has still got 3 trials

bikes last i saw him out on a trials bike couple of years ago at a

poachers club trial at biscathorpe quarry riding a ht5 of which he

remarked was getting too harder work for his hands and knee's

with the artheritous but if i could get ossa fully sorted he would

love to ride again i've promised him when i get the carb back from

been resleeved and its back up and running ok he can borrow it

anytime, just to see him ride an ossa again, he'd fallen in love again

and to think i'd managed to find one and resurect one back to original

i spoke with mick andrews and he has seen the bike he reconded it

must be the only original mk 1 left in uk as he as he doesn't

of know of any other that is unless anyone knows different let me

know would see another surive

colin

[swooshdave]

The lack of pictures is disturbing.

Before and after would be ideal.

[08colin]

tell me how i post and i will definatly post picture's

if you talk with big j nicely he might he has some photo's

colin

[swooshdave]

tell me how i post and i will definatly post picture's

if you talk with big j nicely he might he has some photo's

colin

I had a thread on how to post pictures but I can't find it anymore. There should be something in the Help section, maybe I'll write it up again and see if someone can stick it there.

In the meantime Big J ain't sharing?

[peter9000uk]

This sounds very much like a bike I round a few times whilst in Canada in the early 70s. One piece Green tank/seat unit with yellow bits on it? It belonged to Burt Irwin of Irwin Supply in Cornawall Ontario. His son Tommy may know if it is still about, long shot I know but stranger things have happened!

[trial pat]

Hello Colin

there is a nice Ossa 1969 Plonker in Switzerland, even Mick Andrews had a test ride in 2002 Moudon Trial

http://www.twnclub.ch/classic_trial_files/.../Moudon2002.htm

I just made a new Ossa page, have a look.

http://www.twnclub.ch/classic_trial_files/Ossa/Ossa1.htm

Regards

Patrick