mmmexico

I have been riding and restoring trials bike for the past 25 years. The riding has never been very serious...some sand...some drop-offs...some small ledges to climb up...some rocks, etc...Not climbing up freezing streams or anything like that...all older and smaller bikes...TLR 200, TY 175...etc... nothing modern. For the past three years I have been out of commission. I've had some medical issues including a prostate surgery and I'm in the middle of some procedures on my eyes. The day before yesterday I went out for a couple of shortish rides...in very warm weather I might say. I came home exhausted after probably 45 minutes of riding. Two days later I am still sore all over. I would have to stretch for at least 30 minutes if I wanted to go out today...At what point is it not worth it anymore? A broken hip doesn't seem like much fun...having the bloody bike fall on me is not an attractive proposition. I know that my reactions and balance are not the same as they were 20 years ago. I'm 76 right now and I've pretty much given up on tennis, but I can still jog and I get to the gym every so often...Any of you guys retired from riding? At what age? How was your physical condition when you quit. Did your physical condition oblige you to quit. do you ride at all anymore? Street riding??? Any thought from you guys would be appreciated. Mike

Thank you "feetupfun"...that's exactly the piece that I needed... Mike

I would very much like to lower the foot rests on my TLR (Reflex in the USA). As I recall, a bolt-on kit was available from one of the GB based trials suppliers. I can't find any such listing right now. Do any of you guys have a link, or do you know if this kit is no longer available? Alternatively, some brief instructions...a pattern for the mounting location..a video or really anything that I could take to a welder here in New Mexico would be really useful. Pictures? Any help would be appreciated. I just don't have the resources here in the USA to get these modifications done in a professional manner...Thanks in advance... Mike

I am a newcomer to the Pacific Northwest...Living in Longview Washington...just about 30 miles north of Vancouver, Washington. Where can I legally ride my trials bikes? Any vintage trials activities in the PNW? Does anyone in my general area know of relatively legal riding areas? Does it ever stop raining here? Any leads would be welcome... Mike

Thank all of you very much for your thoughtful answers. Having just moved to a cold, wet and snowy place it is clear to me that I'm going to have to heat and insulate my new shop. The weather here in Washington is getting me down...got to look out for S.A.D. (Seasonal Affective Disorder) I can only go so many weeks without seeing the sun before I go bonkers. A warm shop were I can round off my nuts and cross thread things will be ideal. I appreciate you guys helping me out...it is nice to see this kind of support from this worldwide community.. Thanks again Mike

Thanks to all of you guys...I like the ceiling mounted electric heater in particular...and Yes...it is an excellent idea to use the nastier chemicals outside...Yes, I am a Yank (and vastly embarrassed by our recent Presidential election) and so I don't know what paraffin is...my guess is kerosene. Right??

I am not completely confident that this is the right place for this topic...but I can't find a better place to ask this question. I have never lived in a place where heat was required in my shop. I recently moved to Washington State in the United States from tropical Mexico...before that I lived in San Diego in Southern California. Now I am sitting in the fog, snow and incessant rain waiting for my shop to be finished. I have a general idea about how to heat a building, but most of the economical solutions involve an open flame...pot bellied stove burning wood or some freestanding heating unit that burns propane...that seems like a bad idea in a structure where I will be using acetone, gasoline and various solutions to clean parts...any ideas, or should I just increase my life insurance and go for it... I hope that someone has some good ideas!!! Mike

Bashplate....Dude...I am married...could not do any of my stuff without her support. I wander off to mt workshop (shed to you guys...) everyday for several hours and then usually go riding. This is our riding season...I guess that it is the same with you folks "down under"...when our summer comes, it gets pretty hot. Sometimes hot to work in the shop or go riding. I digress...I am happily married. Thanks for the interest.. Mike

I have shared with you guys many trials and tribulations over the past year...basically I have been looking for advice as I moved through the build of my elderly TY 175. I thought that I had it finished a couple of months ago, but in fact I had screwed-up the installation of one of my crank seals and so I took it apart once again. Now it is actually done and I've gone for a couple of rides. It is a way better bike than my TLR which I finished about six months ago. Below is a side view of the finished product which shows some of the "modifications" necessary to get the WES exhaust to fit on the bike. There are still projects to do. I have new fork seals to fit...a new Dunlop trials tire to fit...cases to polish or paint, etc...You are really never done with one of these projects...you just stop at some point. More and better pictures and descriptions of this build at my blog... http://meditarivemachinery.blogspot.com/ Mike

This is the "modification" that I made to my WES mid-box. As delivered it simply would not fit my TY 175. Above is the modification that I made on the kickstart side. If this modification had not been made, the kickstart lever would be bouncing against the mid-box and making a nuisance of itself. There really is not much to the technique although you have to be patient and be prepared to mount and dismount the mid-box a lot of times. Just mount it up and use a felt tip marker to identify the point of contact. Then dismount the mid-box and start bashing in the mid-box with a ball peen hammer until you think you have given yourself enough clearance. Take your time. Don't be in a hurry and don't try to do the bashing while the mid-box is still mounted on the bike. You will probably deform the mounting tab. Below is a picture of the back side of the mid-box which was similarly modified to fit closer to the frame. This modification was necessary because if I hadn't closed the mid-box up to the frame I would not have been able to mount the silencer so that it snaked behind the shock mount. For this modification I used a slightly different technique. I marked the areas where the frame tubes were contacting the mid-box and then laid a very stout pipe on the same line and then I bashed the pipe to make a reasonably straight indentation. Without this modification the mid-box would have been vibrating against the frame. By the way, none of this is a criticism of the WES system. These modifications just show what a strong system has been created by these guys. The WES system on my TLR fits perfectly. Maybe the TY frames changed over time...Who knows. Happy Bashing!

Doogle...Don't worry. Yes you have to drill your own mounting hole and you are going to have to work out some spacers or washers between the hole that you drill in the mid-section and the frame. When I mounted mine I had to bash some clearance between the mid-section piece and the frame...and then, just as you have suggested I had to bash additional clearance on the front side to accommodate the kickstarter. I used a ball peen hammer and went slowly. It looks fine. Just take your time and go little by little. Take a look at my TY 175 9 (on my blog: http://meditarivemachinery.blogspot.com) tosee the modifications. The aluminum on these units appears to be thick and so the finished project has gradual indentations. Good Luck Mike http://meditarivemachinery.blogspot.com/

There are not a lot of choices for electronic ignitions for the older four speed Bultacos. In my case I first contacted Electrex World. They would not respond to my e-mail inquiry, so I posed the question to you guys on an earlier post. The answer came back that Powerdynamo was the only real choice. I contacted them and after a few back and forth communications I sent them a boat load of money. Actually about 290 Euros which included their puller for their rotor...BTW you will need one, so get it with your initial order. It was easy to install as long as you have the correct tools, i.e. a puller for the Bultaco flywheel, a tool to lock the flywheel in place while you remove the fixing nut, and a dial gauge. A new coil is included and it arrives mounted on a plate which is drilled to attach directly to the tab on the Bultaco frame previously occupied by the ancient Femsa unit. I understand that there are a lot of old school guys on this forum that are perfectly happy with their points based system. Far be it from me to prosthelytize in favor of you guys throwing away perfectly good pieces. However, I have to say that not having to stick a bunch of little tiny screwdrivers and a feeler gauge through that little tiny hole in the flywheel is truly a blessing. In addition, it gives me great peace of mind to know that a nice big spark is arriving at just the right time. I was never sure with my fifty year old system Above is a picture of the flywheel/rotor/magneto ready to be removed...again...in order to get the timing just right. Below is picture of the stator provided in the Powerdynamo kit. It makes me feel good to know that this is what lies beneath the rotor rather than the ancient and greasy points which used to live in this location. At any rate, I have much better pictures and a full description of the procedure on my blog: http://meditarivemachinery.blogspot.com/ Take a look, and if you have any questions, I will try to answer them on this forum Cheers Mike http://meditarivemachinery.blogspot.com/

Thanks for the response...Paul....but that is a later model carburetor...and unfortunately the slide is NLA...but it is the wrong carb anyhow. I would like to keep the Monobloc but I would use a Concentric if I could use my screw-on airfilter. That is my main interest. I want to keep the original look of the manifold...carburetor...air cleaner which just looks so right on the Bultaco street bikes. Right now I am using a Mikuni which works really well but the aesthetics leave a lot to be desired with a foam sock airfilter hanging off of the back of the carburetor.. Thanks Mike

My elderly Bultaco ( Model 21-Campera)uses a Amal Monoblock #376 25. The "25" apparently refers to the diameter of the throat. I was told that the carburetor and manifold came off of a Mercurio. I want to buy a new replacement and the only source that I can find right now is the OEM...Amal or Hitchcocks. Hitchcocks apparently specializes in older British four strokes and Royal Enfields. I have had no luck looking around the internet for the original specs of this carburetor. First of all, can anyone supply me with the information that I would need to order such a carb. For example, I have carefully examined the needle on my old carburetor and I can find no markings...same with the slide. What exactly should I order? I know that four stroke Amals must differ from the two stroke units. I can work out the idle jet and the main jets...I'll probably just use the ones from my old carburetor. Any suggestions for alternate suppliers? I am not looking for any savings....I just want to get the right pieces and I would prefer to buy my stuff from someone who knows exactly what they are doing... Thanks in advance Mike http://meditarivemachinery.blogspot.com/

I have been working on this restoration or clean-up or whatever you want to call it for about nine months. It is not quite ready to ride. The carburetor has proved to be a challenge. I am on it, and with some gaskets and seals from TY Trials and an ultrasonic cleaning unit I expect to figure out the issues. As a last resort, I have a Chinese Mikuni ready to go. Dimensionally it is identical to the standard/stock carburetor. I have not installed it yet because I really want to figure out the original carburetor, and I do not have the correct throttle cable. You can follow the trials and tribulations of this build as well as my parallel build of my TLR on my blog at: http://meditarivemachinery.blogspot.mx/ I hope that you want to take a look... Mike

Larry....Thank you very much for the suggestion....I actually did try velcro but it was not a good/permanent solution. In my thrashing around on the bike I would shake it loose. However, I am on to a possible solution....probably the solution that the original makers had in mind. On the back of the seat...where it fits up against the rear fender, I discovered that there is another 6mm female fitting. It looks like the design was for a bolt to go through the underside of the rear fender and then into the seat base. The big hole in the center of the seat base would only be used as a stop or simply for centering the unit...not as an attachment point. Since the seat/tank unit is very securely held on the front where it fits into the pre-existing mounts for the original tank, the additional bolt through the rear fender will be enough. Mike http://meditarivemachinery.blogspot.mx/

I have had a Sammy Miller seat on my TY175 for about ten years. As this unit was delivered to me it had a provision for three 6mm bolts to go through the bottom of the seat base and screw into the little seat which came with the unit. The design appeared to me to be somewhat flawed in that the seat when installed with the three little 6mm bolts completely covered the central bolt hole which actually attached the tank/seat unit to the bike. The result was that the seat/tank unit had to be attached to the bike without the seat itself being in place, then you had to figure out some way to get the three little 6mm bolts into the seat from under the seat/tank unit. My hands were not remotely small enough or long enough to accomplish this task. My solution through the years has been to use contact cement to attach the seat to the seat/tank unit. Am I missing something? Is there a better way? Since I am almost ready to finish up the restoration, I would like to get this detail worked out. Thanks in advance... If you would like to take a look at the bike, check out my blog at: http://meditarivemachinery.blogspot.mx/ Mike

This is my second Spanish bike and both of them were from the same era, i.e...1960's. Both had the same problem with the swingarm...I could not get either one off the bike. My Montesa (Implala 175) appeared to have rubber bushings around some sort of metallic bushing and the bolt simply could not be persuaded to release from the bushing. So I just left it. What I ended-up with was some additional suspension offered by the rubber bushing which was firmly welded to the metallic bushing and to the swingarm body itself. The swingarm bolt was firmly corroded to the metallic bushing. I would like to do better this time. My Campera will not release the swingarm bolt from the swingarm. The nuts come off easily, but the thru bolt will not budge. I have only tried hitting the bolt to jar it loose. I have carefully protected the threads so as not to render the bolt useless. I would really like to get the swingarm out of the frame to clean it and re-paint it, and lubricate it...and probably install a grease nipple for future service...Any ideas? Thanks for listening....any suggestions will be welcome. If you are terminally bored, take a look at my blog wherein I am chronicling the refurbishment of my TY and TLR http://meditarivemachinery.blogspot.mx/ Mike

This project is finally done. It took about seven months with interruptions for a hurricane and just plain hot and humid weather. The overhaul was primarily cosmetic in nature and any performance improvements will be down to somewhat lowered gearing and a proper trials tire...oh, that's right, you call them "tyres".... There is a lot of room for improvement. Obviously the rims can be exchanged for alloy units...with stainless spokes at the same time. And then there is the engine. I am guessing that there are a lot of industrious folks who would like to sell me a bigger cylinder, up-rated carb, etc....That will have to be the subject of a later thread and it will have to wait until the engine finally cries ..."Enough!!!" Knowing the reputation of this unit for reliability, that may be a good while. Below is a picture of the completed bike....but do you ever finish a project like this?? More, better and higher resolution pictures at my blog. Please take a look. I put this stuff up for you guys...http://meditarivemachinery.blogspot.mx/ As I mention in the blog, the next project in my "shed" is to complete the TY. Take a look if you are interested. Mike http://meditarivemachinery.blogspot.mx/

Greetings from Mexico. Below is a picture of my Sammy Miller seat/tank unit on my TY. I am in the final stages of refreshing this bike and my TLR. This unit is at least 15 or 16 years old. It is absolutely top quality stuff. In my case it has never been subjected to any ethanol although the occasional beer may have been spilled on it. The difference is that it has lived most of its life in Mexico. Here all of the corn is converted into tortillas, and all of the petroleum comes out of the ground...courtesy of dead dinosaurs. It sounds like your problems have been solved courtesy of SMP. Cheers. This was just a chance for me to show off my TY. More and better pictures at my blog http://meditarivemachinery.blogspot.mx/ Mike

I'm sorry that I haven't been a little more faithful in up-dating this thread. But I do have a handful of excuses. First, there was a hurricane and I've been without electricity and the internet for the last two weeks. Before that, I managed to drop my freshly painted seat/tank unit in the dirt. Before that there was the humidity and I am a little lazy and disorganized. Anyhow, from the picture below you can see that the seat/tank unit and the frame of the TLR are painted and prior to that I cleaned off a number of redundant tabs and little metallic twisty things that Honda puts on the frame to hold the wires. I've also managed to mount a nice alloy fender to the rear. Basically I cut down the original plastic unit and used it as a mount for the alloy unit. I just don't like plastic fenders, and my riding does not require that level of "fool proof" bodywork. You are not going to find me charging up a bolder strewn Scottish stream. Maybe a gentle hillock...near the ocean...if there is a beer cooler at the top. Better quality pictures...and a hurricane report at my blog. Take a look. I put it up for you guys... Mike http://meditarivemachinery.blogspot.mx/

I can help you with your side case cover problem. I started a thread a couple of months ago on this forum http://www.trialscentral.com/forums/topic/47981-ty-175-side-case-cover-clutchkick-starter-side/ Check there for a lot of options. One of the guys that responded to my question included a very helpful link to a site that will show you how many different side case covers use the same gasket as your TY. Ebay is your friend. Just find one of the side case covers that use the same gasket and you should be just fine. On that thread you will see an example of a guy who is using an YZ side case cover. It is beautiful and cheap if you keek your eyes open. Good luck with your build. You will find that this forum is extremely helpful and responsive. I have been bothering these folks for months now. When I'm finished with the TY, I will move on to my TLR and start bothering the guys on the Honda Forum. You can watch my build on my blog. Many more pictures, and some commentary. meditativemachinery Mike meditativemachinery

It is nice to have a topic where people can show off what they are doing to their TY. Below is a shot of my TY 175 which I have been working on for the past few months. It is approaching completion which will free me up to work on some of my other neglected bikes. Actually the build has been the subject of my blog. meditativemachinery You can check there for many more pictures and commentary. Mike meditativemachinery

Thanks for the suggestions. I re-examined the kickstart shaft and the stopper on the end is square and well fixed. In fact, after a few kicks the kickstarter does over-rotate and causes the clamp screw to try to punch a hole in the side case cover. This is what happened when I laid the bike up about ten years ago. As a result of that damage I tried to have the side case cover repaired locally by a guy at a VW repair shop who knew something about welding aluminum. He closed up the damage, but the case warped and became worthless. What I am using now for a side case cover is something I got off of ebay. It works fine. My problem, which shows itself as over-rotation is the fact that the return stop on the end if the kickstart shaft slides up and out of the stop which is moulded into the right center case. I'm approaching this problem from two directions. First, I just ordered a new shaft and sliding gear and spacer and friction clip from TY Trials. I will install these when they work their way to Mexico. Secondly, I've placed a couple of largish washers between the end of the spacer and the inside face of the side case cover. These spacers prevent the kickstart lever from moving out and over the stop which is moulded into the center right crankcase. I just happened to have on hand a box (ten to a box) of 16mm washers. I have no idea why I bought these huge things, but they are perfect for this application. But I still wonder....why (or how) does the kickstart shaft move laterally out of position allowing the stop on the end of the kickstart shaft to leave its recess in the center case? It just appears to be one of those mysteries...It is not because of the used side case cover that I got off of ebay because this behaviour manifested itself initially when a TY side case cover was in place... Mike meditativemachinery

Today I disassembled the kickstarter assembly and carefully checked all of the pieces. It is clean and undamaged. All of the various threads look perfect. I reassembled it into the right side case and tried it again. I got the same results (by the way...why would I expect different results...isn't that a type of insanity???). I removed the side case cover and put everything back where it belonged and then operated the kickstart lever. It became very clear that what was happening was that the stop which is located on the end of the kickstart shaft was slipping up and out of the recess in the side case which was ment to be the kickstarter stop. Below is a picture of the area which clearly shows the grinding or sliding marks left by the stop. I can see that one solution would be to simply add a couple of shims to the end of the kickstarter shaft (inboard of the side case) which would have the effect of holding the shaft in place. I would rather not do that. Obviously Yamaha designed this mechanism to operate without such shims. I would prefer to reassemble the mechanism with factory correct pieces and have it perform as intended. I am really not looking for a "bodge" solution. There are two other issues with the mechanism that I question. First is the spring guide which appears to be some sort of teflon piece in most of the parts books that I have seen. Below is a picture of mine which is metal and retained by a circlip. Could it simply be too short? It is slightly over 16mm long. Below is a picture. Do any of you have a longer spring guide? Secondly, my Haynes Manual indicates that the friction clip which attaches to the kickstarter pinion has the important job of "causing the kickstarter pinion to run up its quick thread and into engagement.." Apparently the friction clip can wear or change the grip with which it holds the pinion. A procedure is described for checking the tension. I would just as soon buy a new one, but the problem that a failed friction clip can cause does not appear to be my problem. My problem is that the stop on the kickstarter shaft rides up and out of the right side case. I understand and I constantly read that the kickstarter on these bikes is a known weakness. I am guessing that there are at least a couple of guys on this form that can shed some light on this problem. My problem is compounded by the fact that I can not just drop in on my local vintage Yamaha expert and have him sort out my problems over a cup of tea...or a glass of Guinness. There are no vintage motorcycles where I live. Hell, there are not even any Yamahas. All the bikes were made in China. I can get parts and I can get tools...but I have to do everything else myself. I hope to tap into some of your collective wisdom Mike meditativemachinery