big_e

Just stripped an original 199B ready for rebuild. I have sketched wheel offsets prior to re-spoking (as attached) and these match those measured on my 199A and 198B, all of them having the wheels in the middle of the fork legs/swinging arm, which is important! Now to spoke lengths. My new ones from that well-known supplier who shall remain nameless (let's call him Dave, Pete or Robin for arguments sake!) are the following lengths, measured from the centre of the head (pre-bent stainless spokes) to the end of the threaded portion. Front: 225mm, 228mm and 244mm, slightly different from Lorenzo's information. Rear: 181mm and 202mm. Finally to spoke patterns. I attach a photo of each wheel for your information. Be careful when putting the spokes in. The pattern is obviously important but so is the position of the rim in order to get the angle of the spoke in line with the nipple indent on the rim. It's easy to get this wrong, so just double-check before tightening anything up! Nowt's easy, but the finished article is worth it. Happy knitting.

To bring everyone up to date on my search for a right-hand alloy brake pedal, I received one from Buerkmeyer in Germany, second-hand by the looks of it but in perfect condition, as new. They have them in stock. As a bonus, I also managed to get a blank casting (unmachined) from Joan at Motos Del Abuelo in Spain. They had hunted for one for me and managed to find just this casting - better than nothing. At least I can now confirm that they are cast, not forged. Thanks to everyone for your help.

NGK seem to enjoy sticking random letters before and after the heat range nomination, covering v'eed electrodes, platinum and iridium tips etc, etc. I looked up the BP5EV and it seems that you can only get a BP5EVX, so I visited the NGK site and here is a link to the NGK Motorcycle Catalogue. This is what we need, at last. It explains all the nomenclatures and explains why and how different designs do what they do. Have a good look: http://ngkntk.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/MotorcycleCat2016.pdf Make what you will of it, but I think I will try BP5EVX on my Sherpas, or perhaps even the BPR5EIX in Iridium. Maybe we should all go diesel, or even electric!

I have just ordered an alloy brake pedal from Reimar at http://buerkmayer.de/ for the princely sum of 120 euros including p&p! Its a lot of money so I hope it is the business. I'll let you know. Thanks to brownie001 and guys.

Great response thanks everybody, 9 in as many hours! Thanks for your comprehensive detail d250b, but I got a plate from Cambs, as suggested by model 80 and metisse. Bondy, helpful and knowledgeable as ever. I've seen the brake lever you have used on yours but I am really keen to get an original alloy one so I will be in touch via the Site. I have even been looking into getting one (or a few) cast, but I reckon they must have been forged originally, I'm not convinced that a cast one, even with heat treatment, would be strong enough. PS Thanks for the list Guys, there are a few on there I didn't know about. Photos when it's finished and thanks again.

I am in the process of starting a rebuild of a genuine 199B and need some help in sourcing a couple of parts please. Firstly, any idea where I can get hold of a right hand side cast (forged?) alloy rear brake lever? They used to appear on eBay now and again, but not lately. Secondly, I am also after a curved, oval rear registration plate, the type that follows the contour of the mudguard. I know they are not original fit, but I fitted one to my bike when it was new. I'm blowed if I can find one on eBay or anywhere else for that matter, but a couple of years ago they were quite common. Thanks in advance for any help.

I've had exactly the same problem with casings. The old Triumph casings were such good quality aluminium that they welded beautifully with little distortion and cleaned up blemish-free. Bultaco didn't use such a high quality grade, so if they get cracked on rocks there is only one way to fix them and it is NOT by welding. If the dent is not too deep then you can tap it out, but it will be cracked, however shallow the dent is. This crack will be contaminated with oil (the ignition side is not so bad obviously) and in my opinion the best way to clean the crack is to use carb cleaner, unless you can get your hands on some carbon tetrachloride. After getting the shape of the case back to something like, rough up the surface around the damage to give a good key, especially on the inside where you can afford to build up the repair thickness slightly, and then use an epoxy putty like QUICKSTEEL Steel Reinforced Epoxy Putty metal repair. It comes in 2oz tubes and you can get it on eBay for £5.85. When this stuff is dry, you can re-shape it to suit the original case. It is roughly the same as machining aluminium, so even just a file is good enough to get the shape back. Use wet and dry to get a final finish and then paint the case as normal. Polishing is out I'm afraid! I've even rebuilt the Bultaco lettering on the clutch side. The finished article is distortion free, oil tight and petrol proof and will easily cope with engine casing temperatures. I hope this helps, it has certainly worked for me. Regards.

I think you will find that there were (approx) 272 198Bs exported to the UK, all five speed and all stamped on both the engine and the frame, the paint scheme being the Finish flag colours to celebrate Vesterinen's World Championships. If you look at the 'Finished my 198B at last' post, you will see an example and there are many others kicking about UK. Incidentally, the one shown in my last post is the one Dave Renham was selling last April, as shown below when I got it. The easy way to identify it is by the rear frame loop, the rear swinging arm and the sidestand. Only the white framed 199B had the six speed box.

By way of thanks for the Site member's help regarding flywheel size on my latest project, a very tired but genuine 198B, I thought you might like to see the bike in its completed state. The usual thanks to Dave, Pete and Robin at InMotion of course. Not ridden in anger yet, I use my 199A for trials, but it certainly revs very freely in comparison with the 350. I also managed to get hold of an earlier pattern airbox, which is a vast improvement on the correct 1980 pattern, easier to access and I think probably more water-proof. I used a modified Gas-Gas piston in the re-bore, a bit cheaper to buy but fairly tricky to machine the skirt and the inside of the gudgeon pin bosses. I am particularly pleased with the two-pack satin finish on the castings and the powder coated frame. I used Fastline Coatings in Preston, not cheap but very good. I love Bultos but I might try an SWM next. Any thoughts?

The short answer is 'yes', but you have to use the high temperature stuff. There are other alternatives too, a high temperature two-pack epoxy paint will probably cope or better still, a vitreous enamel which is stoved after spraying. All I can suggest is give Steve Garsed a ring at Fast Line powder coatings on 01772 563550 (Preston). I think Maldon Shotblast and Powder Coating do a high temperature powder too. They are at Unit 2a Benbridge Industrial Estate, Heybridge, Maldon, Essex CM9 4ER, Tel:01621 841100. I've used Fast Line on my Bultacos and on a Triumph silencer, with excellent results. Failing that, shotblast the pipe and use PJ1, then bake it on. Works like a charm and is the cheapest alternative. You'll have to shotblast the outer and clean the inner anyway. Good luck.

You will just squeeze two trials bikes in a SWB T5 with two rows of seats in, but not even one enduro bike. If you fit a bulkhead, you will struggle with two trials bikes. With a LWB T5 you can manage up to two enduro bikes, even with a bulkhead behind the second row. They're great vans.

Thanks for all the advice fellas, it may be a month or two off yet but I am looking forward to trying it. I'll stick to what I've got for the time being and let you know how it goes. From what I have found so far, the engine has had a fairly hard life, made even worse by someone's previous attempt at a rebuild using blacksmith's tools only! It's surprising what damage a tame monkey can do with a Manchester spanner. In the meantime I'll stick to the 350, it's a pleasure to ride. Funnily enough, it was Mick Bowers who suggested I try a 250, he reckons they are better in all respects than the 350, and who am I to argue with him? Thanks again and cheers, Chris.

Thanks Woody, I'll certainly try it and report back. I have just noticed that you and Smelling123 (Stu?) had a debate about this on TC in April 2012 and he was going to try his 198B after a rebuild, which seems to be exactly the same, but I can't find his eventual opinion of it anywhere on the site. (Light flywheel, single row primary chain) I may be panicing a bit, but the weight struck me as really minimalist in comparison with the 350, especially as it is coupled to an aluminium clutch cage. Mind you, the existing Femsa ignition flywheel is a bit of a beast, so perhaps that is sufficient to keep the engine from stalling so easily. Not to worry, it ain't going to turn me into another Raga whatever effect it has on the engine! As you suggest, it is easy to change if necessary.

Just stripped my newly acquired 198B prior to a total rebuild, having experience of a 199A only. The 198B is fitted with a tiny flywheel compared to the 199A, so I am wondering if this is correct or if it might benefit from a bigger one. The torque and power of the 199A makes it a pleasure to ride, but I am worried that a tiny flywheel on the 198B might make the engine too lively and revvy, Is it the correct flywheel and if so, will it be more like riding a modern bike than the 350 motor, with its bags of torque? Any suggestions gratefully accepted.

I knew someone would know the story. Thanks to both Smelling123 and Woody and apologies for my ignorance, I'll start searching for one!