mufflerbearings

Hi fellow desert rat! Given the current state of environmental panic in California, I think you would find yourself in the crosshairs of a Sierra Club SWAT team sniper if you tried that route today. It's been many years since we've even been able to [legally] ride in Whitewater, thanks to the endangered Pierson's Milk Vetch (apparently a very valuable weed). Palm Springs is kind of a sad place for an off-roader to live these days. Thankfully, Baja is a short ride away...

htrdoug, thank you for the lead on a tank! I was hoping some parts crossed over from one model to another. I'm making one final attempt to seal the original, and if it doesn't work, I'll be contacting Mr. Allen. monty348, my carb is marked "NS" instead of "BS". Are these essentially the same part? I didn't notice a vent tube routed to the airbox when I removed the carb (any hoses that may have been attached to vent ports at one time apparently rotted and fell off long ago), so I'm not sure which port I would route to the airbox. You referred to the forks as "Foral". Is this the model? Google was of no help to me on this one. Thanks again for the help!

Many thanks to all who have replied. I find surprisingly little information about this bike online, so your expertise is incredibly helpful. I'll be on the phone to tryals shop tomorrow to see about a tank and fork seals. If I can't find a tank, I'll dump in some Caswell's sealer and see what happens. I tore down the carb tonight, and as expected, it was a gummy mess. I have a gasket/o-ring kit on order. It was running "kinda ok" prior to taking off the carb, but I can't wait to see how it is once the carb is properly sorted.

Thanks fivebrick! Although I have to admit she looks better in her photos than in real life.

I recently picked up a 1991 Fantic 309 from a friend; I really don't need another motorbike, but I've always wanted a trials bike and I couldn't pass it up at the price he offered. The old saying "You get what you pay for" applies here; the poor old thing needs some love! I got it to start with some fresh fuel, new petcock, fuel line and a spark plug. Throttle response is not terribly crisp, and the idle hangs a bit, so I'm going to go through the carb tonight. I know very little about this bike, and I'm learning as I go. I hope you Fantic gurus can help me with a couple questions: 1. Fuel mix should be 50:1? I think I read that on this site at one point. 2. I haven't worked with the Dellorto PHBH 26 carb; anything weird to look out for? 3. The stanchions on the Marzocchi inverted fork measure 35mm in diameter; where would I source fork seals for these? I've seen seals advertised for 1992 309's that measure 36mm x 48mm x 10.5mm, but nothing for a 1991 309. 4. Most importantly, does anyone know where I can find a non-leaky fuel tank? My repair to the original didn't take. Thank you in advance for any direction you can offer!

Thanks for the info, lineaway! I moved the shifter up as you suggested, and I will keep the Aprilia fender in mind for the future. I'm trying to get mechanical stuff sorted for now. The good news is that I got it to start! I just returned from a ride around the neighborhood. Now I need to find a non-leaking fuel tank as my attempt to repair the leak didn't work.

Hello from the blistering hot desert of Southern California! I just picked up my first trials bike. I wasn't entirely sure what I bought, but from my highly scientific research method of Looking at Pictures on the Internet, I have decided that I have a 1991 Fantic 309. I will soon be bombarding the Fantic thread with stupid noob questions such as "Why won't it start?" and "What gearbox oil is best?" For now, here are a couple photos of my fairly knackered little bike: