raffles

The 199A that I sold last week had 2 gearbox drain plugs. I don't think that it was meant to have 2 but it did. It had the normal one that Legs mentioned although mine had a 19mm spanner size head (probably explains why I had to repair the thread with a helicoil insert). It also used to lose the gearbox oil if the primary drive drain plug was removed. The gearbox oil used to pour out through the threaded hole that the primary drive drain plug screws into.

There is no such language as ''British'' Bye the way, what word do you Yanks use for ''earth''?

Before spending any money or involving yourself in unnecessary works check the connections from the newly fitted stator. The Sherco connector plugs are very poor quality and it is possible that the connections are not being correctly made. On a stator that I recently fitted I had to push each of the connector pins together with long thin snipe nosed pliers as the pins were simply being pushed out of the connector plugs rather than mating with one and other correctly.

Hi, Guys. Thanks for the replies. I took the bike down to a local machine shop for the repair work to be done as I didn't have the facilities or the confidence to undertake the work myself. They winced a little when they realised that I'd brought the whole bike along but they did the work and charged me

I use Putoline Light Gear Oil in my 2004 290. It's described as a synthetic fortified 2 stroke gearbox oil SAE 75W. You should be able to pick some up for around

Hi, Guys I have a 199A and the thread is stripped on the gearbox where the oil drain plug fits. I believe that it requires a helicoil thread inserting in order to effect a repair. I have no experience of such procedures. Do I need to remove the engine? Do I have to strip the engine? Can I just take the bike down to a repair shop and have the work done with the bike complete as it is?

I replaced my fork seals recently and I used a thin smear of fork oil around the new seals in order to facilitate installation.

I recently replaced the front bearings in my 199A, which I believe share the same sizes as your 198. The bearing sizes that I used were 6201 2RS. I will be replacing the rear ones in the next few days and will post the relevant sizes.

I too have struggled when re-fitting the fuel tank. As HAM2 says, loose and free is better than tucked and tidy as the wires and plugs are more pliable when they're not all tied together. I seem to recall that one of the obstructions was the 2 pin connector plug for the fan that was getting trapped between the radiator and the underside of the tank. I'm not entirely sure how I eventually got the tank to sit correctly into the frame but I know that it involved a lot of swearing.

The overall diameter of mine is around 62mm so I reckon that one of these might do the job:- http://www.amazon.co.uk/Draper-68857-32-Adjustable-Wrench/dp/B0002GV128/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1318875452&sr=8-7

It's unlikely that the HT lead will have been arching against the fan as the fan blade is non-conductive.

Did you manage to remove the broken screw? Do yourself a favour and apply PlusGas or some other suitable penetrating oil to all of those old rusty nuts and bolts. Remove and lubricate them all now rather than waiting until you need to do so.

Hi, Chris. I am in a very similar position to you and will be watching your progress with interest. I also have a 1979/80 199A that I bought in pieces. I was told that 99% of the bike was contained in the boxes that I bought but I was very much misled. I am learning as I go and feel that joining this forum was a very poitive move forward. I have found reading through the many pages of posts to be very enlightening. I have also learned that Dave Renham of Bultaco UK is a very good person to call when trying to source parts for these bikes. Best of luck with your project and do please keep us posted. Regards, Tony

Hi, thanks for the replies, boys. I phoned Dave Renham on Wednesday and had the required parts list in my possesion on Thursday. Great advice from Big John and superb service from Bultaco UK. Bob, you were absolutely right. The speedometer drive does indeed form part of the wheel spacing on the rear axle. I have just bought a pair of snail cam chain adjusters off ebay and am now in search of the speedometer drive and distance bush. Any suggestions anyone?

Thanks, John. I'll give Dave a call tomorrow.