steve shakeshaft

Just curious, there's one on EBay at the moment.

I have to be honest here, if you are so short on power that it is bothering you then I really cannot imagine changing a carb from (say) Keihin to Mikuni is going to satisfy you (providing all else is right ofcourse). I doubt you'll get any noticeable power increase by such a change. I have experience of exactly this sort of change on 1200cc V Twin bikes and even on a 1200cc engine the gain is hardly noticeable. 2 or 3 bhp at the most. Hope that helps.

Ignition timing maybe a touch too advanced. HTH.

Plenty of rideable kit about for that kind of money. Good luck!

Hi, I'm in a similar position except I've bought a bike this week, a '78 250 Suzuki. You can buy a perfectly ride-able twin shock machine for about 600 quid. Try it, and sell the bike without losing any money on it if you don't like it. HTH.

Luvverly

Thank you. It's nice to know that if I go completely nuts worrying about the shape of my exhaust's tail pipe and the colour/logo's on the side panels. Then I'll be gently "humoured". It is hugely frustrating that I've thrown lots of press and trade stuff away over the years that would have told me what I need to know. I was a Yamaha person back then though.

LOL Tim! Subira, many thanks for your help! Yes, the WES silencer was added a couple of months ago by the last owner. The mudguards are not standard OEM. One person who I have tracked down who owns a pukka 78 RL250 is saying to me that the end of the pipe should be oval on a 78 exhaust and would be round on earlier years. I have the bike at home and I'm now going to take some pictures. I would be amazed if it was totally 78! After 27 years, some pieces MUST have been changed. Finding out definitively what a 78 bike "should" have/not have is proving difficult. So far, for example, I've seen pictures of "genuine" 78 bikes with the following side panels- 1 Alloy, no logo. 2 Black Plastic with red "S" logo. 3 Red with inset moulded "S" logo. 4 Black with "Works Replica" logos. So which is correct? I do not know. If anybody has a good, genuine picture(s) from 1978 I'd appreciate looking at them. This is becoming something of an obsession. Sorry.

That's very easy to answer! Believe me, I've seen what I describe above with my own eyes. Modern lubricants have never been as good as they are now. Base oils have never been better, additive packages are very sophisticated. Lubricants are all made to comply with industry (API) standards and the room for huge variance from the standards simply isn't there. Most of the tales of lube oil trouble is urban myth. Use Silkolene (or any other you choose) lube oil with confidence. Regarding shelf life, all oil oxidises. However, kept at a reasonable temperature in a sealed (opaque) bottle, the shelf life should run into years.

Wow, that Banana colour Ossa is a nice bike!

I going to have to disappoint you guys about your prejudices against certain brands of oil. "Silkolene" is a brand of the "Fuchs" oil company (so is "Century Oil"). They operate a very modern state of the art lubricant blending and packing facility in Stoke on Trent. Irrespective of the name on the bottle, there is a likelyhood that if the oil was blended and packed in the UK, then it went through that plant in Stoke. (Caveat, some of the big names have their own plants, Mobil in Birkenhead for example) The base oils and additives are bought on the open market from the oil majors and are thus to "industry" standards. Furthermore, if the blend being made on a certain day happens to be for "two stroke oil" then the packing line will run off exactly the same oil into the packaging of several different brand names. From Silkolene to (say for example) Halfords own brand. So it is possible that the exact same oil you prefer is also available in a package that you don't prefer. How do I know this? In my "day job" I have known the Plant in Stoke on Trent since about 1992.

That's very good news. But on the bright side, I haven't seen a fabrication that couldn't be copied yet. I mean, it WAS fabricated 1st time around!

Failing all else you might have to have a new one made using those as a pattern? But having said that, I imagine that cutting out the dent and welding in a patch might be equally feasible. The advantage of making a new one in my opinion would be to choose stainless steel because it will not rust like carbon steel. You can still paint it black if you like. Hope that helps.

Hi Subira. Many thanks. May I send you more detailed pixs of the bike after I get it home tomorrow? I would appreciate the help. One (I think knowledgable) person has said that the 78 exhaust had an oval tail pipe with baffles and a 77 pipe was the same but with no baffles and a round tail pipe. Until I take the WES silencer off I cannot see properly. But that is the first thing I'll do! The silencer was added a couple of months ago and is new. Many thanks.

Pete, Woody, thank you for such brilliant info! From the VJMCC (Vintage Japanese MCC) website, there is a form at the DVLA to revert from a Q plate to an age related one. I never realised researching the history of this bike would be so interesting. Apparently, the frame numbers were put onto the frame in Dymo-Tape. So it fell off within a few days. The frame numbers were taken directly from the engine number. But the engine will most likely not be the same age as the bike. Apparently, it is quite possible to have a 78 build bike with an engine from (say) 75 or 76 and it would have been that way from new. So I am told that the bike cannot be dated from the engine/frame number! I may never get the bike off a Q plate, but it is interesting just trying. I've learned loads. Thanks.

I wholeheartedly agree. But I'm a fussy b*stard at the best of times. Longer term I am lead to believe it would have a big efect on potential resale value. But I hope this bike will be a keeper. Wanted one for a long time. I fully intend to ride it when I have it sorted to my satisfaction.

Much too high. I'm trying to verify that it IS a genuine '78 Red/Black. There are five things wrong as far as I can see and I'm working on those. Four are easy fixes. 1) The "SUZUKI" decals should be Gold not White. 2) The engine side cases should be polished. Easy one that. 3) The "S" decals from the side panels are missing. 4) The exhaust pipe "might be" from a '77 model, pretty sure in fact. Not so easy. 5) Seat cover is incorrect. The WES silencer is obviously only a couple of months old but can be removed in a couple minutes.

Thank you for the info. Yes, it was a much better deal than trating up the old nails that I'd looked at before. I reckon I need to spend about

Interesting topic. The Beamish I've just bought has a registration document but the bike has a "Q" plate. It has never been "on the road" as such. Apparently this is because despite the bike being built as a 78 model the engine number cannot be relied upon (I am told) to date the bike. Ofcourse, the dymo tape frame number has fallen off. I hope to track down an "expert" acceptable to the DVLA in order to get an age related plate. Any suggestions on doing this? On a related note- The bike has no lights, rear reflector, horn or speedo. Can it be put on the road with an MOT and Tax? Or is a 78 bike Tax exempt? Thanks for the help.

Thanks both. I have found the website. I do not know how "active" it is, I guess I'll find out, I've mailed them. Is "Birkett" on here?

After looking around for a few weeks and seen the twin shock bikes needing restoration generally go for too much money I've decided to buy a pretty immaculate 250 Beamish. I "DO" intend to use rather than look at it. Is there an "authority" on these that anyone knows of that could check out some minor details for me that I "think" are non standard? I know the tail pipe is non standard but "sensible". But the rest of it I think is pretty pukka. I think its mainly decals that are a bit "iffy" (I think I have a source for these) and I thought it should have fork gaiters. A couple of small areas on the swingarm are getting thin on the chrome and showing the underlying Nickel, but thats fair wear and tear IMO. Thanks. PS. This picture is from the vendor. If anyone can advise me regarding details I will take more pix when I get the bike home.

"If" there was a beginners class for nearly 50's with a 70's bike, I'd do it.

Many thanks. Steve.

Hi all, could someone kindly advise the best places for Fantic (1980's) vintage spares please? Google was not that helpful. Thanks. Steve.

Thanks again for the advice guys. Oh, and I know I'm not a good rider. My TY250 was WAY better than I was back in about 77/78 when I owned it. I'm not looking to win or even challenge anyone, I'm just looking for another dimension to my biking. Thanks.