Pre-65 Bikes

Hello folks, I have just arrived on this forum, I recently bought a '63 trials cub and I am looking for advice on the best way to get the front forks set up, or should I just replace them with a set of Cerianis I have ?

HI. I'm currently in the process of rebuilding a '58 Triumph 3TA and am wondering what to do about front forks. I have a pair of old bog standard Triumph forks, old meaning springs on the outside! I also have a pair of Bultaco forks, Betor I think. (correct me if I'm wrong) Now looking on various club website that run Pre 65 trials i.e. Poachers Pre 65, Yorkshire classic, Red Rose etc. They all say a similar thing in that the fork is to appear original externally but can have modern parts internally. They all state that Ceriani, R.E.H. and M.P, what ever they are, can not be used. I know I would be within the rules using the old Triumph ones but what about the Bultaco on…

Hi Guy's. I see that Woody has his C15 for sale on e-Bay. This bike has the power in a C15 that everyone is looking for, I am currently trying to build an engine that is simular. It is a shame, I have now got most of the parts together! Or I would be bidding on Woody's bike. So if you are intrested in a bike that wins trials! I would take a look at this before it is to late? You only have four days. :thumbup: Regards Charlie.

I'm thinking of buying some hubs for my Bantam. I know Alan Whitton does some but others are also available. I'd love to hear peoples comments and suggestions as to the pro's and con's of each. For example, I understand the Whitton hubs require over size brake shoes. Prices would be good too.

Says it all above, what are you using & recommending?

Thinking of trying a triumph twin trialer,What motor should i start with???? Everone i have spoken to with a 350 says the 500 is too powerfull and the boys with 500 say 350's wont grip??? I know it is a matter of taste but whats your opinion??

I am a new member on here. I am also a member of the Francis Barnett Owners Club and through this have now taken ownership of a converted FB trials. Its based on a 1959 FB Falcon. What i need help with is to identify the conversion on the engine. The bottom end is a Villiers 9E but the top end I was told is a 250 conversion. I have attempted to recearch this and the nearest I can find is a Marcell conversion. Can anyone confirm this or knows more about this. Its all alloy and the inlet stub is deep into the fins with 3 screws holding it on .The exhaust is held by 2 screws The only marking is at the base of the barrel and I think it MB My second attempt to do this as the…

Having today missed the Classic Experts trial due to a failed electronic ignition (the 2nd one from Simon Bateman that has broken down) I now need to find a good replacement that performs and is reliable. Can anyone give advise on which way to go please????? Thanks

Hi, I know this is a common problem and I have to get it past tdc before trying to kick start. I have a standard crank shaft duplex gear (19t?), low compression piston, 'R' Cam, strong clutch springs, ally billet pressure plate, primary chain tensioner and fill the case with about 100cc of ATF to keep the primary chain wet. I also have the Alan Whitton Modified (longer) Clutch Operating Arm Assy. The clutch slip when kick starting seems to be getting worse. This may be because the rings have bedded in and raised the compression. Should I just tighten the 3 clutch spring adjusters by a turn each and see what happens? Any advice appreciated. Bruce.

Hi Guys, Does anyone know the weight of a Drayton Bantam ready to ride with fuel etc. Thanks, Prelit.

WOW, the sun was shining.. no honest really shining, people were taking their coats off at one point. Great Trial , not much water in the burns and with some sections having been eased ( beside the glencoe road) scores should be a lump lower than last years Len Hutty, Tony Calvert, Carlos Casas Alan Wright all riding neat and tidy whilst younger Drommet was nursing a sick Cotton ( but under dads advice 'not through sections') Peter Gaunt dropped a slack 5 on section 4 as he was first to clean the section only to ride out of the section missing the 'ends' cards completely! couple of questions though.. spanish and japanese bikes competing, i had to cast an eye over the…

Having recently fitted a new 22mm Amal concentric carb to my cub, to try to cure low rev stalling in sections I am still having problems curing a flat spot which happens if i snap open the throttle from idle. i called Surrey Cycles for advice they suggested fitting a brass slide with a bigger cutaway which i fitted today. i took the Cub for a run on road to warm it up and then tried to trickle along at idle occasionally bliping the trottle to lighten the front flat spot is still there - again only if the throttle is snapped open, if the throttle is opened slower it revs cleanly all the way through the range. Do you think this may be an ignition problem, I am using a Boye…

Dumb questions of the day coming up: What's the benefit of the square head/barrel combination on Villiers motors, I come up with weight and better cooling, but is there anything else ? Seems every Villiers bike tested in magazines has a different head/barrel combination so there's many different types: Parkinson, Alpha etc. So what works best for trials motors and why ? I remember that the 210 Karting lads used the round combo, not sure if they were alloy replicas. If anyone needed better cooling I thought it would be them. But looking at the various James bikes tested in: Trialsworld, Classic Dirtbike and YOU HAVE USED WORDS OR A PHRASE WHICH ARE NOT PERMITTED ON T…

Is there a recommended process to make a C15 not a big oil leaker? When running, my C15 leaks oil on to the bash plate and then to the ground so it is unclear where it is leaking from. I don't see any obvious leaks from gasket areas. After parked for a couple of days, it starts to leak which I believe is wet sumping. All check balls and springs were replaced but during the rebuild most everthing was corroded so the condition of the ball seats is unknown. There is a tube fitting on the head which I connected to the oil tank so there is no real breather...is this correct? The frame has a right side kick stand that would seem to make the leaks worse with all of the ven…

Anybody tried or have knowledge of the big bore kits for the villiers A series bottom ends.Ive been told that you can get them out to 350cc is this correct.Who makes these conversions and what sort of a price,will the crank/big end, clutch and gear box stand the extra power and can you get away with rejetting standard amal carb. Is it a worth while conversion cos i'm thinking along the lines of building a jimmy with one of these engines. Colin

We're trying to strip a pair of Matchless forks, similar to those in the picture. Top nuts are off, springs and spring covers are off. The bolt at the bottom of the slider is out. How does the stanchion come out of the slider? It won't just slide out, it is as though something is still holding it. There is a damper rod (or whatever) only a few millimetres in diameter, sticking out of the top of the stanchion, this also seems held in by something. It will turn but doesn't unscrew. I've tried sharply pulling the stanchion out of the leg but it hits what feels like a rebound cushioning spring and won't come out. I'm now stumped. Can anyone tell me how to remove the stanc…

Hi Folks, Has anyone got a number for Alan Wright as thinking of buying one of his james frames. Will be a bit lighter than the greeves one i have at the minute. Here they are a bit cheaper than the Alan Whitton ones. Cheers.

I recently purchased a cub to convert into trials trim. I am trying to decide what is the best route to go with for the front end. The bike I have has the heavyweight front end on it. I have read about putting modern internals into the heavyweight forks. I think this may be the way I would like to go with the bike so it looks period correct anyhow. Does anybody have any idea of which parts I neeed to source to make this conversion or a idea how to do it. I have a very good machinist down the street so maching down the legs should not be a problem. Maybe there is someone in the USA doing this conversion? Cheers matt

Hello, I'm restoring a 1962 Comerfords Tiger Cub. Has anyone got one of these so I can have some pictures? Just want to try and sort out what it should look like. Also, mine has a 4.00 rear tyre on it that rubs the swinging arm. Would the original bike have a had 3.50 or 3.75 tyre maybe? I know you can get wider rear frames. It if it came with standard width, I'd rather leave it like that. Thanks in advance! Martin.

Thanks to Jim Evans and John Robertson we found this Greeves TFS Scottish for a very reasonable price. It will be my next project for this summer. Will upload some pics with the progress and when finished. Any advice is wellcome. My idea is to paint frame and tank in a metallic blue (not the original) and make the seat in dark grey.