7 replies to this topic

[micky11]

Hi. Could someone please give me some advice/tips on my First Trials bike. A Montesa 315R cota 97' (i think?)
Ive looked up the Frame number (VTDMTO3AOVE) and checked on the http://www.apexmotos...tesa_Models.htm site
and although my bike is styled/coloured like a 2001 model, the front forks and solid discs on mine look more like the 1997 model.
So with this in mind i was hoping for some advice on the bike, fuel/oil ratios, good oils to use, any significant modifications i should make etc.
I paid £900 for it (is this a fair price do you think?) and it's in fairly good condition with no obvious signs of abuse.
Ive just gotten into trials after riding a few events on a borrowed Montesa cota 04',
so any advice on the bike would be much appreciated.
Mick.

[Wherry]

Hi, Mick. Welcome to the TC forum. If your 315 is going OK you've got a good bike to learn on.

First up fuel mix. You'll need to run it on 80:1 super unleaded:synthetic oil. That's 62.5ml oil in 5 litres or I mix it up a litre at a time in an old jug with 12.5ml oil to the litre of fuel. I use the strawberry Ipone oil but lots of people swear by Castrol TTS. Any of the modern synthetic oils should be OK. Bear in mind that modern super unleaded goes off. I shove any left over petrol in my partner's car after a month as the bike just doesn't go right with petrol that old.

Gearbox oil. You need about 500ml (book says 530ml I think but I just use 500ml) and here's where everyone has their own special preference. I use the Elf HTX as specified in the book and I find it works well in my clutch. Other people love the PJ1 clutch tuner and some people swear by ATF or even hydraulic oil I've seen mentioned somewhere. Probably whatever you use the clutch will stick if you leave the bike standing. To stop launching yourself up the back of the car when you snick it into gear after first starting some people select 4th, 5th gear and roll the bike back with the clutch in to break the stiction on the clutch plates. I just make sure I'm pointing somewhere with some space, get the bike moving and put into first gear. I ride around for 30 secs or so with the clutch in before it will suddenly release and you're sorted.

Best thing from a performance point of view is to make sure that everything on the bike is working correctly and is clean and lubed - work through everything methodically - and that the suspension is adjusted to your weight. If you're starting out from scratch you may find a slow throttle (black tube) slows down the power response a bit and makes the bike a bit more controllable for you.

On my '99 I've got the Braking sintered front brake pads which are good and sharpen up the front brake and I've got some V-Mar rear suspension raiser plates that lift the back and make the steering a bit quicker. Run an irridium plug and forget about it.

I've never been quite sure whether it's just how my browser is set up but I can only ever see just a few articles going back in time on these forums. However, if I go to the bottom of the page and click Lo-Fi Version I can go back to see all the old articles. If you do this you'll see loads of stuff that's been posted for 315s over the years.

[tt5th]

Everything he said!

I'm a fan of the PJ1 oil but make sure its the 75W ultralight stuff, I made the mistake of getting the 80W and it was no good.

The bearings on the rear shock linkage and dogbones are bad for getting water in and rusting away. Check the play in the rear end and give it all a good grease every few months.

Clean the air filter regularly, I clean mine after every trial or after about 6 hrs of practice. Just loses a bit of its response once it gets a little clogged. Also worth removing and washing out the airbox every now and then as the placement means the back wheel constantly flings mud at it which has a habit of getting in between the box and the mudguard.

Suspension setup is a good one, I was amazed at the difference it made when I set it somewhere closer to correct for my weight. As a rule of thumb I work on the basis that the sag in suspension when you get aboard the bike should be about a third of the total travel of the shock. Its just the pre-load you're adjusting which is the left fork leg as you're sat on the bike, and the screw collars on the rear shock. Its a bit of a rough way of setting things so if anyone has better tips I'd be all ears!

Don't be afraid to mess with sprockets sizes to find a feel thats right for you. I dropped the front from a 10 tooth to a 9 to slow it down a little as most of the trials round here are tight and rocky. With a 9 tooth front and 42 rear I do 90% sections in first gear.

Watch out when you take the tank off that when you put it back on everything is routed nicely. The fuel line can kink if not properly in place and the throttle cable can be pulled out of its collar. Always check the throttle is returning properly or it'll rev to the hills when you kick it over and have you diving for the kill switch! I just twist the throttle a few times before I start it and make sure I can hear the clunk of the carb slide thing seating in the bottom of the carb.

Other than that quality clubman bike. Solid as a rock and reasonably priced spares all in stock at Sandifords.

[serious3]

whats the spark plug number for the iridium ones?

[Wherry]

NGK BPR6EIX

[serious3]

thanks again wherry!!

[Wherry]

No problems

[micky11]

Thankyou to everybody for your useful advise. most helpful!

Mick