big_e

Apologies if this problem has already been done to death, but having just stripped my recently acquired 199A I have found a well bent gear selector shaft and a bit of advice would be more than welcome. No doubt the left-hand side gear lever has come off worst in an argument with a large rock at some time in its past, leaving the shaft to absorb the impact, a major disadvantage of a lever which looks like it was made for a Challenger tank and a selector shaft out of a ladies watch, although it looks like the case and bearing has survived. Is the standard repair to have a go at straightening the shaft or is a replacement needed? If a replacement is the way to go, then where can I find one? The usual outlets don't seem to advertise such spares. I could convert to a right-hand lever and chop off the bent end but I am loathe to go this route and risk a nasty mix up of controls with my road bike and my other trials bike. I now see the point of Dave Renham's aluminium gear levers! Just one more question whilst I am at it. Is it worth hand-grinding (blending) the carb mounting manifold to the barrel and carb to improve gas flow on the inlet tract? Surely this would improve performance and smooth the pick up a bit? Thanks in advance for any advice offered.

For best results, cast iron (preferably Grade 17) should be used rather than steel, as it gives a more consistent brake performance with an organic brake friction material, but of course you then need to source castings. Has anyone got any firm guidance on this, like outer diameter of the sleeve and amount of interference on the fit? Also, is it best to bond the liner in or is an interference fit acceptable?

Try Custom Fasteners on https://secure.hosts.co.uk/~custom-fasteners.co.uk/acatalog/Mini_Speedos.html They do a really nice 60mm diameter stainless one in two different ratios at £37.50. It even comes with a neat stainless mounting bracket. I used one on my 1967 Triumph and had a Venhill speedo cable made up to suit (around £40 I think). The beauty of the small diameter is that you can squeeze it in down the front of the engine on the Bultaco. Not sure if the ratio will be perfect, but who cares if it gets you through the MoT? Just let Venhill know the exact cable outer length and the details of the connections at each end. Sending them the old cable will help with suitable fittings.