basketcase

Thanks everyone. I'll try Steve Panter when I come back from holiday in a couple of weeks time.

Hi all, can anyone tell me where I can buy a rebuild kit from for a mikuni carb as fitted to my '75 Ossa mar? Cheers.

Cheers all, hopefully sorted now.....I'm letting Paul from Sids wheels have them. He can probably do them with his eyes shut and one hand tied behind his back quicker than I could ?

Thanks. This is the first set of wheels that I've built, well tried to build! There's one for sale on eBay, I'll have a close look and see where I've gone wrong. I'll post a picture if and when I've got it right!! Cheers dadof2.

Help!!! I'm in the process of rebuilding the front wheel and am having problems respoking. I've done all of the inners and one set of the outers but the last set don't line up with the rim, they sit about an inch away from the rim. This is the side opposite the brake side. Can anyone explain where I've gone wrong? The only explanation I can think is that there is an offset, but there didn't seem to be one when I stripped the wheel. Cheers in anticipation, Nigel.

I`m having the same problem....I`ve stripped my wheels, rebuilt the hubs and polished the rims. Now is the time to re-lace them and I can`t get the spokes. My mate who supplies them needs me to send him a couple to use as patterns but I had to cut the old ones off and have binned them. I would like to go original so if anyone could let me borrow one from each wheel, if they have spares that is, I`d happily pay postage etc. I use Sids Wheels near Stafford, a really helpful bloke and good prices. He rebuilt my Honda wheels and they looked superb!

Lovely looking bike feetupfun....hope that mine looks that good when I`ve finished it!! I`m still after an original gear lever, mine has been cut and shut to space it further out and it looks terrible.

Cheers all, yes woody I have the alloy tank. I emailed ossacels asking if their decals would fit but haven`t had a reply.Probably not, as you say the `foreign` ones had the fibreglass tank. There`s a choice of 2 sidepanel decals, A & B, if you look one does have the `72 on it. My mate who`s spraying the tank for me only needs them as a guide as he`s spraying them on so I suppose that if they`re the `wrong` ones it doesn`t really matter. Ossacels are quite a bit cheaper than the others as they supply the sidepanel decals with the tank ones all for 40 euros.

Hi, can anyone suggest somewhere to get a set of decals for my 1975 Mk2 mar? Apart from fleabay I can`t find them antwhere. Cheers, basketcase.

Cheers Woody, mine of information, as always!!

Hi, I was wondering if anyone could give me the measurements of the sidestand bolt from my Ossa mar. The chromer has managed to `lose` mine, it maybe in the bottom of the tank but it will be a while before he empties it!! Thanks in advance, Nigel.

I have had a go.......all that I can recommend is that DON`T put them in the oven to warm them up!! Well, you can do but don`t use the wifes best oven gloves to take them out. Especially if the paint hasn`t hardened properly and comes off on the said oven gloves. I`m waiting to see if the divorce papers are in the post!! I`m going to attempt the heat gun sometime this week. I will keep you updated on both the bearing removal front and the divorce one

Hi, can anyone recommend how to remove the wheel bearings on my 1975 mar? I made the mistake of painting the hubs before I realised that they needed renewing I usually use a hammer and brass drift but before I attack them I was wondering if there was an easier way. Also what gauge are the spoke nipples? The spokes have polished up alright but the nipples are a bit mankey so I thought that I`d replace them. Cheers, Nigel.

Hi, before I start with the big hammer and brass drift is there any advice on the best way to remove the wheel bearings on my bike? I`ve made the mistake of painting them before I decided to renew the bearings Cheers, Nigel.

Cheers feetupfun, I thought that there was no offset when I looked at them but wasn`t sure as I didn`t really know what I was looking for!!!! I was told ages ago that if the hub looks central then there`s no offset, and it does, but I prefer to check before taking them to bits. Bought a new spoke key from Inmotion but have now found that the spokes have screw driver slots in the top....and they are quite free!! Shouldn`t take too long to strip down, then comes the polishing and painting, can`t wait!!

Hi....again, can anyone tell me how to measure the offset of the wheels on (off) my 1975/6 Ossa mar? Or what the offset is. I`ve decided to give it a go myself, wheel building that is. The tyres are now off and the nipples are soaked in WD40, might give them a while before trying to undo them as I`d prefer to re-use them. The rims might take a while to clean up, looks like they`ve never been cleaned from new!! The hubs will be repainted along with the brake plates then new linings will be fitted, and bearings. Cheers all, Nigel.

Many thanks trialsrfun and lotus54. I have some heat resistant black that should be gloss but it always turns out satin so I`ll go for that. And for the earlier post, can the spindle that the brake lever and chain tensioner are on be removed with the engine in situ.....yes it can!!! I`ve just done it but I did have to remove the swing arm. Cheers, Nigel.

I was wondering if anyone could tell me the torque setting for the cylinder head nuts on my 1975/6 MAR. Also is the paint on the hubs satin or gloss black? And.....does anyone know if the rear shock decal (BETOR) is available anywhere? Many thanks in advance, Nigel.

Hi trialsrfun, did you use the powdercoaters in Staffs? They did mine in a day!!! But I sent the yokes back to have them stripped and polished.....that was 5 weeks ago and I still haven`t had them back!! It`s a good job that work has taken off and I`m finding it a struggle to fit work, eating and sleeping into 24 hours never mind rebuilding the Ossa!! Cheers, Nigel.

Hi, I`ve tapped the hole in the shaft and put a stainless bolt in because I found that the original screw was bent and kept on working out, scratching the swingarm. I`ve not tried to remove it with the engine in the frame as it was a pig to take out with the engine out!! Cheers, Nigel.

Doh!!!! Thanks woody.

This may come as a surprise but as I`ve only ever worked on four stroke bikes I`m at a loss as to where the oil for the gearbox goes in my Ossa mar (1975). I drained the oil to the primary chain/clutch, which was bright red! There is a sump plug but when removed nothing came out!! There doesn`t seem to be a top up plug for anything!!!! Where does it go, what viscosity and how much oil do I need please. I did mention that there would be quite a few questions....but not that some of them would be so stupid!! Oh, and a pic of how my bike was after a couple of hours in my garage!!! It came as a runner but a bit rough around the edges. Cheers, Nigel.

Hi, I`m in the same boat as you....in that I`m rebuilding a 250 mar. Luckily mine is complete but one or two bits are past their best. I`m having problems sourcing bits, either can`t get them or they are too expensive to ship in from America. I`ve tried a guy called Steve Sell, trading as Marlimar, recommended by a couple of guys on here but he`s never returned my, numerous, calls. Hope that you manage to find parts. Cheers, basketcase.

Now I see where you`re coming from!! It all worked ok before I stripped it down so I couldn`t understand why there had to be another washer! There isn`t!! The top nut on my bike is chromed, the other isn`t so there`s no mistaking which is which. Many thanks woody. Upon reassembling the first fork I had problems, as you predicted, tightening up the bolt in the bottom of the fork leg. I used a spot of thread lock on the bolt and a hacksaw blade to hold the stanchion. Worked a treat!!

Ooopps!! Hit the wrong button! As I was saying....the parts I have are, from the bottom yoke up; 1x large dished washer, 1x felt seal, 1x small washer, bottom bearing, top bearing, 1x small washer, 1x felt seal, 1x large washer. The problem being is that on the custGP site it shows a large washer in between the top felt seal and large washer. My bike is as original as you`ll find a 40 year old bike, I think. Will it matter if I reassemble without said washer?? Cheers in advance, basketcase.