Twinshock

I have just purchased a Montesa 348 which appears to be fitted with a Dellorto VHBZ carb as opposed to the original (i believe) Amal. This got me wondering, how interchangeable carbs are and how does changing the carb change the behaviour of the bike? Any knowledge of this subject would be of interest as the previous owner purchased the carb off of ebay and I am wondered if a different carb would change the characteristics of the bike.

Hello, I'm currently restoring and early Puch engined Dalesman. Can anybody tell me how many teeth the front sprocket should have? The original is missing. Also the rear rubber drive damper is somewhat past its best. I've trawled the Internet but can't find one anywhere. Any ideas? It's a Puch rear hub setup. Thanks! Martin.

Having just picked up a 348 in fairly good nick,one area that could do with a little attention is the tank unit. The fibreglass is thin around the area where your legs rub and there are a few rough edges that could do with smoothing / filling. I have had some experience of fibreglass sheets and epoxy based fibreglass fillers in the past but wondered about peoples experiences on the following: 1) What do you use to both strengthen the main structure (on the inside of the tank) and reshape/fill any cracked / thin areas on the outer side 2) What is the basic technique / materials used to respray a fibreglass tank cover thanks in advance Rob

Got a tiger cub project I'm working on and need some shocks as the njb fitted are too soft and tired. Problem is that nobody answers the phone. I've tried Robin on numerous occasions and have got nothing. A friend suggested Rockshocks so I called them. Nothing. I've tried at different times of day too. I'd like to buy British but them betors will get the job done!!

Not much that's newsworthy right now up here as were in the grip of winter snow at my house, there are no trials for a month or so, so I'm thinking about project bike. Just out of boredome I thought I'd post a pic from the "Hodaka Days fun trial" which will be coming up on it's third year this coming June in Athena Or. As you can see the terrain is not the most challenging thing you've evr seen. I am one of the guys in charge of laying out the sections for this event which promises to become a classic. Every year more people are building Hodaka trials bikes. The estimate for 2004 is thirty riders. With this in mind I am planning to build some sections in advance, perhaps …

OK---it's been a while, so bear with me... I've noticed that the brake stays on this Montesa are solidly fastened to the bike on one end, and to the backing plate on the other. I assume that precautions should be taken to be sure that the backing plate is aligned with the drum, but would it help to allow the backing plate to float a little so the shoes will be able to square themselves to the drum? I have also noticed that the front stay is made of particularly soft stuff; maybe it has enough flex to allow the shoes to center.

So, my 349's front drum brake is a bit of an issue - never caused problems in the UK but it's a bit of a liability here when you can have long steep descents that go on and on. Basically, although it's clean and the shoes have lots of decent looking material left on them there's no bite (more of a gentle slowing suggestion), and the lever action feels super spongy despite a new cable. Before I think about getting new shoes, are there any tricks I can try to wake it up again?

Whilst we are talking about weird one-offs, this one appreared on the ozVMX forum a few weeks ago. Details at - http://www.ozvmx.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=465

I have a Kawasaki KT250 tank that has rust on the inside and outside and a minor dent. Anyone suggest somewhere to get it repaired and painted! Or replacement tank!!!!!!! Also does anyone know what the engine mod was on the Gollner KT`s

I have had chronic tuning problems with my 247T and spent hours on forums and decades (it feels like pulling carbie on and off, changing jets, needles ..... I recently had to replace the woodruff key got it started but it was dying for no reason at low revs and then hard to start. So I decided to pull the carb off for a routine clean and while I was at it I lowered the needle just to see what affect it would have. To my delight the needle adjustment appeared to improve my top end performance - but the cleaned carbie did not fix the dying. The bike is going great - probably best I have ever had it but for example when riding down a cow track leading to a creek cros…

Hi, just a thought but other than kudos and styling do the Majesty/Whitehawk 175/200 bikes offer anything over and above a well sorted standard ty and are they worth the extra premium they fetch? Thanks in advance.

Hi, I came across this web-site while browsing for info on Montesa 349's and found some advice from, I think, Vintagecota. He said that if the kickstart was angled too far forward, it could break a hole into the flywheel case. So that was why my points were always getting wet! Sure enough, there was a hole about the size of my fingernail where I would never have found it! I had never seen another 349 until last Sunday when another one showed up at the trials I was riding. It was fun to trade bikes for a comparison. Mine is a 1980 with the original hydrobag rear shocks. The only thing that's missing is the airbox cover, so I've had to cobble one up until I find the pro…

I need a piston for my MAR. Has anybody bought one recently? Word is they seem to be rare as hens teeth. Is that true

Probably going to buy the NJB trials Expert for my Cota 123, price is not to far out of my leauge, was wondering if anyone has some feedback on these? are they rebuildable? is the performance good? are they durable? a friend had the clubman shocks on his Cota 200 several years back and said they worked good. I would be interested in other shocks in the same price range. link: http://www.speedandsport.com/shocks.html

would like to install a 74 76 KX clutch cover on my KT 250, has anyone else done this? if so, can i use the KT clutch or do i have to swap out anything else to make it work? thanks

Who was looking for the aluminum inner tank for a 348/349 (UK model)? e-bay

i'm not haveing much luck with a beamish tank, so if anyone has any other make tanks going let me know. i'll make some mesurements later to get an idea of what will fit. thanks Ben

Does any one know the correct length (centre to centre) for the rear shocks on a 175 Mini-Majesty the one with the chrome Godden frame.

A recent photo of a couple of Australian twinshock trials bikes.

I'm working on a 74 Sherpa T that I recently purchased. The bike was in storage for over 10 years and was reported to be "in running order" when it was put away. But after tearing in to the motor I found she is stuck solid. The broken kick start shaft probably should have been a clue So now I need suggestions on how to get it apart to do a proper job of getting her back in order. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.