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His bikes and engineering prowess will go on and his name will be remembered, a lasting tribute to a clever engineer.

Or count your own time as a cost into building it yourself?At the end of the day any Bantam or British Trials bike kept in the sporting publics eye is a good thing.?

Apologies to drca hadn’t intended to hijack your post....sorry!?

You’re going for the ‘bonus’ then!

That would have been great except it was in 1963..ish that the little green Bantam figured in my formative motorcycle obsession?? Dont think Drayton would have been around then. That Bantam even if by some miracle I had it now, it would not be offered up as a conversion, as I remember the bike had no rust except on the front of the barrel next to the exhaust.?

Very neat welding, is it clean welding wise on the inside? I’m guessing £125 cost all in.

With reference to the last paragraph, the damper is attached both at the top and bottom, any angle between the pivot points will influence this ‘line’. As the damper is hanging from the top mounting that’s sprung weight, the lower end of the damper is attached to the swinging arm or in the case of a mono shock the linkage, which again is unsprung weight. The spring in compression adds its weight to the unsprung movement because it is pushing down on its seat and up against the top seat ( your first paragraph) so it is totally weight on the unsprung movement, unless it (the spring) was clamped in some way to be hanging off of the top mounting. Remove the spring retainer collets which are also unsprung weight and the bike collapses, the springs are still sitting on the damper lower spring seat which is unsprung weight. That’s why some people fit the damper and spring units upside down increasing sprung weight but reducing unsprung weight, the damper body is now carried with the frame but the spring is still a part of the unsprung weight as it is still pushing up and down upon the spring seat and retaining collett. It’s all baffling stuff but believe me I’ve had the jigs and suspension set ups to fully prove to engineering students the science and process involved. The spring is trapped between whatever holds it in position, collets or adjustable pre load rings, it’s oscilations when in action or as a static contained force are what acts against the frame weight and the undulations that the wheels follow, or the weight the spring must bear with or without rider load.

Yep so the weight of the spring is pushing down on the bottom of the fork, I rest my case.

Agree totally with your sentiments, but market research is no bad thing as we aren’t all able to pay what someone asks for spare parts.

If you want a winning bike then say goodbye to £10,000 and that’s without a sponsor. Nice as they are they are really brand new bikes and not in the true spirit of an original Bantam. The Bantam I had was a 125 D2 bought for £4.00 and a lovely little machine it was too! In fact it was the first motorcycle that I rode. It was the first one that I fell off too! As brilliant as the latest manifestation is it ain’t anywhere near a real Bantam. I’m a purist and BSA never made a bike anything like the machine mentioned here, so it’s a bit smoke and mirrors. I tend to ignore the achievements of machines like this when in reality it’s just the cylinder head, crankcases and some gears that were from the original Bantam. I can feel some crushing comments coming my way now?

Yes and suffer ethanol attack overnight. The dents could be persuaded out with a lever inside the filler if you can reach, otherwise any good quality body filler will do the job if the surface is correctly prepared. A high build type filler such as Isopon would do the job depending on your skill level. Apply thin layers and allow to dry out before applying next coat, work slowly, mix the filler and hardener with a folding action rather than a stirring one, this reduces the amount of air introduced by mixing. Rub down with progressively finer wet and dry paper until satisfied that the surface is smooth, even and pit free. The more you get the dent out the less filler and weight will be needed. Copemechs suggestion is not unreasonable provided the plastic will resist ethanol attack. This crappy chemical additive even attacks the o ring seals on cars let alone bikes. It won’t be long before nothing runs because we’ve scarred ourselves into EU rules that are unachieveable.

Google search TY 125 carb, there you will find a suitable replacement. Main jet is 100 for ty125 as you state. Any carb will do if correctly matched jet wise and choke size. Tyoffroad have a carb that could replace your worn out item around £85.00 you may need to change the jets though to suit smaller engine. I’m sure other suppliers could match up a carb to fit, the worlds your oyster!

Have you considered using an alloy tank or a plastic tank, the inside of your existing tank and seat unit has the bottom of the tank cut out so that you now have a shell or shelter for the tank similar to some other bikes like some Hondas etc. InMotion did a similar kit for the Bultaco Sherpa, out of stock currently. I’m still deliberating about this but more input from others is always useful. Even thought about getting a couple of aluminium flasks to insert into the tank securely and combine the filler necks into one. Capacity of fuel would be reduced slightly and twin taps are needed but it’s looks to be doable. What do you think! At least you don’t have to worry about sealant breaking free and blocking thefuel supply at a very inconvenient time ie mid section. In fact the more I think about this the more it looks possible. It’s that or a small tank off a scrap bike made to fit with or without a shelter cover. Anyone fancy a legal action against the Government for allowing Ethanol to be used causing untold amounts of damage and cost to our expensive fuel burners storage devices.

I find licking both terminals of a PP9 battery reminds just how effective electricity can be at grabbing your attention?

There are equally good suppliers, but my experience with the aforementioned has been outstanding! They supply most of the special adhesives and resins for installation of specialist application bearings. Be careful with head bearings as the tracks can be narrower than you would expect ie when installed the outer track can sit too high both top and bottom of the headstock. This is a mistake made by a number of people, and the suppliers can get it wrong to! There are instances on trials central of this issue, mainly Bultaco if I remember correctly, so you may not have the same issue with your Fantic but measure carefully before ordering...good luck?

Totally agree and on multi- cylinder petrol engines the HT leads can suffer a fault called cross firing. This is where the electro magnetic field develops around the HT lead and can cause the next nearest HT lead to receive a signal which robs power from the first lead and also causes a weak spark at the plug of each lead affected. Cured by simply having the lead pass across one another at least once, this cancels out the effect when the leads are all nicely routed they do look good but if there is a weakness anywhere in one lead this phenomenon takes place. I last had to perform this magic on a Solicitors car who was not happy that his car would give a small hiccup when turning into his driveway. Working for Mercedes Benz gives you access to all kinds of information, some you think not possible until you try it. You should have been a Lecturer like me.??‍?I used to deliver a case study on electric shock whereby four members of a group where asked to wait outside while the remaining members had to set up an electric shock incident. This would involve a volunteer laying on the ground with an electric drill at their side and the power lead across their chest. There were a number of items that tend to be available in most workshops close to hand. There was also a pool of water next to the volunteer electrocutionee. One of the four outside the workshop had to enter and deal with this scenario whilst the rest of the group were the audience. First one in was a time served fully qualified electrician with their own business, immediate fail as he lifted the drill off of the volunteer without switching the power off. Result, two electrocuted people, and before any smart Alec starts off about reducing class sizes, this was a totally isolated circuit being employed.This was a none RCD scenario I hasten to add as too much reliance is placed on an often abused safety device. Just goes to show how complacent we all get with something we use everyday. ??‍??

Get those pads forced back as far as they will go. Use suitable spacers to keep them there. The lost motion as the pistons dither about back and forth minutely prevents the bleeding process from being completed. With the pistons forced back and held there by the spacers now feel the brake pedal for lost motion or free play, try to adjust this out so that as soon as you move the brake pedal the master cylinder piston moves as well. Fill the reservoir with fluid and with a clear tube on the bleed nipple and a ring spanner or suitable spanner on the nipplejust open it a quarter turn, immerse the tube in a jar of brake fluid ( just enough to allow the tube to sit in) push the brake pedal down and watch the fluid move through the clear tube, if it doesnt then try operating the pedal quite quickly a few pumps. When the pedal is down as far as it will go close the nipple, let the pedal return slowly, ensure the reservoir is kept topped up. Repeat until no air bubbles are seen coming from the clear tube. If that doesn’t work you will need to either force the fluid through from the master cylinder end, or draw it through from the caliper. All suggested before and all usually work. You will get there in the end it’s just a matter of determination and process. The factory method usually consists of pressuring the master cylinder reservoir and forcing fluid through and then tightening the nipple. Take care as you probably know brake fluid is harmful to painted surfaces, dont shake the fluid container asthis airates the fluid, some types are hygroscopic...absorbing moisture from the atmosphere, so keep the container sealed tightly.

The higher amperage in the case of electric shock will cook the muscles and anything else it passes through. It’s bloody nasty being electrocuted, entry point just hides the damage going on inside, the exit point will be awful and it usually involves a surgeon having to cut away dead and dying body tissue and that which has been electrically cooked. It isn’t funny and it certainly needs to be avoided, goodness knows what those poor *******s who were sent to the electric chair thought ....scarred sh**less I would imagine. Electric shock affects the brain first by sending it into an electrical storm, that produces the heart stopping symptom and if not corrected death follows very quickly. A shock can have lasting effects upon the nervous system which can also be very debilitating. Hybrid cars are now at the stage where the batteries can deliver a fatal current if incorrectly worked on. Not sure about the electric Osset’s but four 12 volt batteries hooked up to supply 48 volts more if fully charged is boarder line to having a nasty effect upon the human body. ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️?‍♂️

The bodies reaction to electric shock is a muscle spasm that can take a long time to settle down...luckily that 50,000 volts is only about 0.5 of an amp so it shouldn’t kill you unless you are unlucky enough to suffer epilepsy. When you bang your funny bone that pain multiplied by 100+ equals the sort of pain. Some people can touch the HT leads without any shock but they tend to have very dry skin usually calussed as well. If you have soft skin or clammy skin look ? out⚡️I’ve seen a moto x rider flung to the other side of the track when he decided to pull the HT lead off his revving out bike...the muscle spasm must have really hurt he was stretchered off the track.

Could you find an old trail bike the front wheel will need to be 21 inch the spokes from that may fit your hub flange. You might need to rethread the spoke down or possibly not. From what you have told us about what you have already done to the bike you seem to be quite handy so modifying a spoke should come fairly easily to you. From your indicated position on the globe USA isn’t far away figuratively speaking so that could be your answer for spares.??Your English is fine by the way.

Look into the Fantic site there are at least three dealers offering parts etc. Bob Wright Bill Pye A J Sutton and there’s a few more but may only do odds and sods.

You may find a suitable sealing method at Simply Bearings they have flat discs with bonded seals attached to curved and dished covers. A far o ring may do the trick, I have used this method and as long as it clears the frame headstock it should keep out the nasty stuff.

Make sure that the feed hose from master cylinder to caliper is not blocked, crushed or bent too tightly. With bike upright and reservoir cover off pour in a quantity of brake fluid...what type are you using?...open the caliper bleed nipple a few turns and sit and wait about 5 minutes. You should see a small weepage from the bleed nipple. If you do a search on this site the rest of the info and techniques are there for you to try.

Have a look on google or similar for videos on this. Watching is learning. Don’t do anything until you’ve had a good session on this topic. There are numerous ways to achieve a good result with head bearings, but it is all to easy to pressure the wrong component or part of the bearing and do damage. Britannia Motocycles has some good videos on this. There are others. The outer tracks or races can be forced out of the headstock (frame tube that holds the bearings) but support the frame underneath the headstock on a bench or substantial piece of wood. An old socket bar long enough to go through the head stock at an angle so as to rest securely on the outer track, with a two pound at least hammer copper is even better squarely hit the bar...wear safety specs....now move the position of the bar around to about six o’clock from the starting point and hit again do this evenly moving round as you proceed. You may need to find another suitable bar or sacrificial long screwdriver to maintain contact with the outer track. Eventually the track will drop free and you will more than likely clobber your hand if you are not prepared. Now you can either turn the frame upside down to perform the same operation on the top track....if the bikes complete then either lay the bike in its side or get someone to brace themselves against the frame and push down while you work from the underside. TIP I look to find a socket that will fit into the headstock but foul on the outer track, this gives a positive action and you just hit down on the socket bar with the socket attached to the bar, all nest and professional! To install the new outer tracks you will first need to inspect the areas that the tracks fit into, for burrs, scrapes and cuts. Smooth any vid these down do not increase the diameter of the headstock bearing housing. Now you can either find a suitable sized socket that fits perfectly on the outside edge of the bearing track you must not place any striking force onto the bearing track face. With this selected or suitable solid steel bar you can tap the outer bearing tracks into the headstock. If you have a large G clamp you could try this as a compressor to force the outer tracks into place. People who have experience replacing taper roller and other types of bearings may just use a punch tool to drift in the tracks or a hydraulic press. You could make up a fitting tool by obtaining a long threaded bolt that passes through the head stock and use washers and the correct size of socket or similar to squeeze the outer tracks into place. You will need to start the outer tracks on their journey into the headstock do this by first push by hand the outer tracks into position and with a gentle tapping action from a hammer start the tracks entering the housing...they will invariably spring out or start unevenly and you must get them going home straight they don’t always react this way but most do! You must ensure that the outer tracks are fully home or seated. There will be a distinct change in sound from the ringing hit to a dead sound, this indicates that the track is fully home, but still check carefully with an inspection light if needed. The top bearing is usually smaller than the bottom as this carries most of the weight, so don’t mix them up. I have had apprentices fit the tape tracks the wrong way round then they wonder why nothing fits so make sure you have everything the correct way round! Be aware that it is possible to distort the frame in the headstock area with excessive brute force so you have been advised. That inner bearing on the fork needs to be washed off thoroughly, look between the bearing and the fork yoke steering tube and see if any shims or spacers are present. A previous contributor suggested grinding through the bearing inner track to remove, this is a tried and proven method, but it is one that needs great care as you don’t want to cut into the steering tube, also mentioned previously. I prefer to heat the bearing track after first getting rid of the bearing cage and rollers, do this by levering the cage upwards and outwards a stout screwdriver might be a tool that you would use or a small price bar would be better. Now apply heat to the bearing inner track .....heat the track only....hot air gun or blowtorch...wear gloves so you don’t burn your hands etc. Heat until you see the track turn bluish, take the whole assembly and turn it upside down and bang the steering tube squarely straight down onto a solid piece of wood. This should start the bearing inner track moving, reheat and repeat until the track is free or use mole grips to grip the track and tap the mole grips with a hammer to free the track fro the steering head tube. Do I need to remind you not to damage the threads of the steering tube. Clean everything thoroughly and prepare to rebuild. Here I will refer you to the videos as this is taking a long time to write up. Hope you get sorted. Use fresh grease on the new bearings and patch them with it well. I use waterproof grease from the Marine industry so the grease stays in place longer.??

Check the hub where the spokes cross in the lacing pattern, make sure the spoke flange is not to cut into by the spokes. If the brake drum is in reasonable condition you would be better off having a new rim laced onto your hub....better the devil etc. Secondhand wheels can came with all sorts of issues! Plus they ain’t going to be cheap. If the rim is just buckled this could be sorted by a competent wheel builder keeping the original rim. Corrosion and other factors affect the outcome but do some digging around with the numerous wheel experts for sound advice. Watch out for spoke and nipple mix as stainless nipples and spokes can lock up permanently if not lubed, your expert will advise.