Nice introduction Dean. Thank you and welcome. I loved hearing that you built a bike with an XL350 motor in an RM frame. I've got a 1978 RM with an SP370 motor in it. I built it when I was a fourth year Fitter and Turning apprentice in 1980.
Cheers mate,the original frame was a wreak as the bike had been raced cause that all that was around in those days,ha ha remember picking up the frame complete less motor as a guy had bought it for an engine for a 250cc gearbox kart,paid $100 and it had near new tyres,try that these days.
The engine was heavy as expected but the frame was light so kinda balanced out.
Name is Dean,been on here a short time and realized I hadn't introduced myself.....about time.
I'am a fitter/turner/machinist by trade,retired from marine engineering after 36yrs and I retired early......best thing I did after such a long time.
Have always had an interest in cars and motorbikes,did trials for some time back in the early 80's then moved to trail riding then motorcross,MX took its toll on me and I was forced to retire due to a shoulder injury caused by another rider ,moved to 125cc sprint karts before doing OE in Australia for 5 years.
Marriage and kids put paid to bikes/karting,but continued my interest of sailing doing time on keelers,18ft cats and windsurfing,still continued my love of surfing in between times,loved my watersports .
Around 2000 I purchased an XL 350 that I had previously owned and transplanted the motor into an RM twinshock frame ,it was a bunch of fun and kept me interested in bikes.
The rest is history and I have the Montesa to play with to supply a stop gap on my current 74 Porsche project which has been a huge investment of time and money and I need a rest from it.
Yes go's without saying,no intent to modify it extensively,everything will be reversible, I intent to make it more user friendly for my needs.
feetupfun,yes got that on the wheel base past owner had pulled it back to early 348 and later 349 when I got it so I'am back out to the original spec or a little more if the chain will lets me.
Will report back,cheers
Good day yesterday,not a lot done but happy,got the carb completed as the float needle in the Amal kit didn't fit my carb,Tim @ Britishspares happily swapped it ,he's only 10mins drive away so handy.
Drained gearbox oil ,found amount was correct but oil was very dirty.....wonder if had ever been changed?,clutch had ATF in it which was clean but level low as I have a leak @ the side cover gasket or it could be somewhere else ,hope not.
Been working in the shade outside the house as it been very hot here with most days in the high 20's upwards.
They're good on trails as-is, 5th gear is a road gear and the steering angle, stability at moderate speed, etc, is all fine ... beyond that, you'd be trying to make it into something it's not, which never works very well - a better idea would be to get an old trail bike instead
Yes go's without saying,no intent to modify it extensively,everything will be reversible, I intent to make it more user friendly for my needs.
feetupfun,yes got that on the wheel base past owner had pulled it back to early 348 and later 349 when I got it so I'am back out to the original spec or a little more if the chain will lets me.
Good progress, you need the ride to be "soft" compared to a trail bike, you just have to figure out how soft actually works for you at your weight - need to allow the wheel to easily follow whatever you're riding over - too hard in the forks and/or with higher tyre pressure and rocks will tend to skid out in front instead of going under the wheel - I'm sure you'll figure it out once you do a few sections on it.
There are several different valve arrangements in the fork nuts, some of the 247's (like mine) have a spring loaded ball relief built into the nut - when the oil is aerated and forks suddenly compress, you can end up with a face full of oily mist if you don't have some sort of deflector on there - some have a valve like a tyre valve and these don't squirt like the others. I would be wary of adding positive air pressure through these type valves as the only exit under pressure would be past the fork seals. I've seen bikes where the valves have been shut off and the owner/rider accepts a certain amount of oil leakage past the tube seals. Make sure you do your homework is all I'm saying.
Great info thanks ,nah not going into fork air and have decided that way after checking them again they are right for the bike.
I have 150mm on a had real hard bounce expect more when riding should be fine.
Found the reason the bike stopped the other day ,besides the way some idiot had fitted the fuel tap the filter screen was fitted around the wrong way.
When resealing the fuel tap I found the bolts fitted had been too long and and one threaded inserts had all but pulled out of the plastic,I drilled out the blind hole and fitted a bolt from the inside and sealed the base 'o'ring with blue Hylamar so far so good after 2 days.
Hope to tidy up the suspension soon,have new fork seals and have ordered new Betor shocks from Spain @ a very fair price,an extended search found a huge differance from seller to seller,freight was fair considering.
More progress so will report back,cheers.
Have been thinking more enduro than trials with my bike,I have a huge playground but nothing really as bike was intended,my plan is to increase wheelbase for handling ,gearing is 10T and 38T old brain has no idea what is...some suggestions?,I don't think this gearing is stock.
Thanks ,loaded with 10W oil hope that's ok...won't be riding mine for a while but thinking there has to be an improvement over what I had,lol.
Got the bike off the stand today,checked the forks and the action is great ,found the forks had pre-load spacers already fitted,they looked to be around 25mm so a little larger than the biggest ones InMotion sell,however the forks easily move back to full extension after compression so I feel they are about right.
Overall the forks feel good but a little soft....a ride in the future I will see if they need heavier oil or a little air ???.
Good job potto, yes you certainly wonder about what the previous people were thinking with some of the stuff you find. Mud seems to be one of the things you find in forks that haven't been serviced - as well as just about everywhere else. When you put it back together it might take some experimenting with different weight (viscosity) oil to get it to suit you. I haven't ridden mine yet, so starting with atf, if I find it's too soft, I'll replace with a heavier grade. Good you got some boots :-)
Thanks ,loaded with 10W oil hope that's ok...won't be riding mine for a while but thinking there has to be an improvement over what I had,lol.
The sliders are easy enough to machine if you have access to a reasonable lathe - the outside where the gaiters go is concentric with the bore, so easy to set up - then press in a suitable piece of brass tubing and ream/machine to size. Any competent machine shop should be able to do it.
Thanks oldaz,stripped down forks found atf in on leg and gearoil in the other .........jeez what is it with people???,forks generally good condition,talked to the last owner who did little but store it for 15yrs after purchase and he said he had little history on the bike,think the previous owners had been good with exception.
The oil in the forks was mud,lots of ***** in all parts so after a good clean up and new I should be golden.
Happy with progress so far as no hurry till leg heals,mates son give me some riding boots ,a little worn out but still useable for my needs.
I haven't tried using my left leg with the 348 and don't remember seeing anyone else do it either. I suspect it might be awkward having to hold the bars and lift your foot so high. It works OK doing it off the bike on a Bultaco though (but on the other side). You've got me wanting to give it a try now
Thanks mate,its about needs be ,had stiches out to today but doc says a long healing time...what the hell I love fixing stuff and a rest from my latest car restore,bikes are SO easy compared.
Got carb rebuild kit from local parts supplier and he showed me his huge warehouse of british bike parts and he has trials stuff also there was a TL 200 and a 2 smoke TL which it really liked ,its TLM260r I believe but never had a chance to look closely as he was real busy....I want it.
Carb done and cleaned up ,clear coated the whole thing to prevent corrosion of the alloy and steel fastening.
Not certain what you said there but am thinking you were hit by the kickstart because the timing is out and you want to know where to set the storage position of the kickstart lever. Next bit about first and second kickstart setup I'm totally lost.
The return stop should hold the lever at between 1 and 2 o'clock.
You should start the starting stroke with the lever at about 10 o'clock and with the piston just past top dead centre. Use the clutch to get the lever in the right spot after you position the piston.
Don't worry I'm still recovering from a fairly severe calf impact from trying to kickstart a Bultaco with a faulty capacitor. The wound has healed but I've still got a beaut haematoma and it happened a month ago.
Thanks guys,oh well atleast I'am not the only one who has had kick back injuries,my old XL350 left its fair share of pain @ times lol.
I have confirmed the lever is correctly positioned so feel better about that.
Got my new Betor shocks from Spain off an e-bay seller,landed here cost me 330NZD which I thought was very reasonable,front forks are next ,need to wait till leg is healed better.
feetupfun my reference was somewhat unclear sorry ,really I was asking for the best starting procedure which you pretty much covered thanks,for fear of further damaging my leg again is it possible to start the bike without sitting on it ?,can you kick it over standing alongside it ?....I have done this before in the past but think the bikes I did it on had kickstarts that were lower on the motor and may not get the same downward force.
Ok long story short the bike kicked back and wreaked my leg,70mm by 15mm tear in my lower leg,as you may understand its a mess,I made a mistake in starting the bike and its my fault ,bike got some words thrown at it,nevermind lesson learnt...as a wise man said you only stop learning when you die.
My main question is kickstart lever position?????,currently it is about 1130 as the clock go's when in the start /kickdown position is locked in ?
I'am going to look @ the timing and points however after I got it started first after a very long time it cracked up and run good,,anyone got a 1st o 2nd kickstart setup for the starting? ,remembering I need a healed leg and the correct footwear.
Been picking away @ some jobs today,first job was to fix the leaking fuel tap which some idiot had packed a tyre repair patch to seal it on the tank.....fuel resistant? not even close !!!!!.
On my first ride the bike stopped I found today
Been trawling thru threads on here and it has been most helpful ,have picked up a lot of info and its been a great help...enjoying the reading.
I want to ride and enjoy this bike over the summer and then restore it over the start of winter ,just needed repairs to keep it going.
On 1/2/2018 at 6:22 PM, potto said:
Been picking away @ some jobs today,first job was to fix the leaking fuel tap which some idiot had packed a tyre repair patch to seal it on the tank.....fuel resistant? not even close !!!!!.
On my first ride the bike stopped I found today
Been trawling thru threads on here and it has been most helpful ,have picked up a lot of info and its been a great help...enjoying the reading.
I want to ride and enjoy this bike over the summer and then restore it over the start of winter ,just needed repairs to keep it going.
Found the reason the bike stopped the other day ,besides the way some idiot had fitted the fuel tap the filter screen was fitted around the wrong way.
When resealing the fuel tap I found the bolts fitted had been too long and and one threaded inserts had all but pulled out of the plastic,I drilled out the blind hole and fitted a bolt from the inside and sealed the base 'o'ring with blue Hylamar so far so good after 2 days.
Hope to tidy up the suspension soon,have new fork seals and have ordered new Betor shocks from Spain @ a very fair price,an extended search found a huge differance from seller to seller,freight was fair considering.
Been picking away @ some jobs today,first job was to fix the leaking fuel tap which some idiot had packed a tyre repair patch to seal it on the tank.....fuel resistant? not even close !!!!!.
On my first ride the bike stopped I found today
Been trawling thru threads on here and it has been most helpful ,have picked up a lot of info and its been a great help...enjoying the reading.
I want to ride and enjoy this bike over the summer and then restore it over the start of winter ,just needed repairs to keep it going.
i suggest you to check the frame (front) always broke, and keep attention to the gearbox, sometime in neutral ( when the engine run) it start .... without touch the lever
Thanks ,yes I have checked the frame and found a crack near the steering head,also found some bad previous repairs which I will repair when I tear the bike down for repainting.
Is the frame made of anything other than mild steel ? I seem to remember chromemoly is difficult to weld ?
Gearbox appears OK but shifting is a little bulky @ times,plan to change the oil soon,is ATF ok for the clutch?.
I have a great longtime friend who restores/races older twin shock bikes ...he can wait to get his hands on my bike...lol.
Large capacity single, short kickstart lever located high up and too far forwards. I ride a 348 and find that in the course of riding a trial, kickstarting the thing at each section on the first lap tires me out more than riding it, and mine starts perfectly. I'd hate to try and ride one that was a cantankerous starter. It's too hot here to leave it idling while you walk a section, but I am certainly tempted.
I think the decompressor is there to ease it over TDC before having a decent lunge at the lever, and to make rude noises with.
As for the mudguards, you can buy new replica mudguards easily.
I can't tell if yours has the new-fangled lopolene? plastic tank, or is a fibreglass tank, or has a fibreglass cover (shelter) over an aluminium tank. Fibreglass gelcoat can be polished.
Thanks for the reply,agree about the de-comp,no way it will start on it because of low compression when open...simple however now I know fully.
Mudguards are in great condition just a bit discoloured just gave them a quick sand with some wet and dry and its appears to be working ,may proceed as very expensive shipping replacements from overseas.
Tank is polypropolene (spelling?) and someone has painted it with enamel paint ,since putting in fuel the paint is festering like a kid with zits,not surprised TBO...seen it before.
At the end of the day its all cosmetic,thoughts on changing the offset and increasing the length of the kick start...useful mod or not?
If you mean increasing the offset so the kickstart clears the brake pedal fully, not a good idea because if the kickstart rotates much past the brake/footpeg, the kickstart mechanism stop punches a hole in the magneto case. Standard practice is to use the footpeg to stop your foot taking the kickstart lever past there, and don't mount the kickstart too far forwards either or the stop will hit the mag case even before the lever goes past the footpeg.
Unless you are very tall, lengthening the kickstart will make it even harder to kick over because your knee and hip will be at even worse angles. Try putting the wheels on something to lift the bike a bit higher and see what you think
Yes freight from the UK is horrendously expensive to here too. I usually minimise the cost as a proportion of the total by doing big orders, and making sure I buy all the big light things like mudguards at the same time. Also do joint purchasing with friends. I don't know how NZ sales tax works for imported goods, but here if the order is valued under $1000 it doesn't attract australian sales tax (GST)
There is a lot of help available on the internet about cleaning up oxidised plastics and even discoloured fuel tanks. I usually break mudguards before they get too grotty-looking, and don't like plastic tanks so have never tried doing it.
Thanks for the info on the kick start,looked at it and thought why mess with something that works..and really its starts well on it so time out on that.
Importing ..well we get hit hard here so I have to be careful been importing Porsche parts for over 20yrs ,we have to click the ticket in a big way over 400NZD,been burnt a few times than I will like to remember.
Yea ,funny haven't time on the bike to bust the guards but as I get more brave I know I will bust stuff or myself lol ,thanks again.
Large capacity single, short kickstart lever located high up and too far forwards. I ride a 348 and find that in the course of riding a trial, kickstarting the thing at each section on the first lap tires me out more than riding it, and mine starts perfectly. I'd hate to try and ride one that was a cantankerous starter. It's too hot here to leave it idling while you walk a section, but I am certainly tempted.
I think the decompressor is there to ease it over TDC before having a decent lunge at the lever, and to make rude noises with.
As for the mudguards, you can buy new replica mudguards easily.
I can't tell if yours has the new-fangled lopolene? plastic tank, or is a fibreglass tank, or has a fibreglass cover (shelter) over an aluminium tank. Fibreglass gelcoat can be polished.
Thanks for the reply,agree about the de-comp,no way it will start on it because of low compression when open...simple however now I know fully.
Mudguards are in great condition just a bit discoloured just gave them a quick sand with some wet and dry and its appears to be working ,may proceed as very expensive shipping replacements from overseas.
Tank is polypropolene (spelling?) and someone has painted it with enamel paint ,since putting in fuel the paint is festering like a kid with zits,not surprised TBO...seen it before.
At the end of the day its all cosmetic,thoughts on changing the offset and increasing the length of the kick start...useful mod or not?
,moved to 125cc sprint karts before doing OE in Australia for 5 years.
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Introduction from New Zealand :)
in Introduce Yourself
Posted
Cheers mate,the original frame was a wreak as the bike had been raced cause that all that was around in those days,ha ha remember picking up the frame complete less motor as a guy had bought it for an engine for a 250cc gearbox kart,paid $100 and it had near new tyres,try that these days
.
The engine was heavy as expected but the frame was light so kinda balanced out.
Cheers Dean.