I have owned a 315r and they are a great bike far more reliable than the Beta. If you are wanting the bike to last you and be reliable the 315r is the way to go. Its better made than some bikes today.
The bonus with a Beta is that spares, sensibly priced, are readily available from John Lampkin the Beta importer, whereas quite a lot of spares for the Montesa 315 are now difficult to obtain. Of course the bulk of the spares you are likely to need are available by most dealers from after market suppliers.
The best way of spending your £1600 is probably best determined by finding the best maintained/least abused example you can of any of the main manufacturers within that price bracket rather than there being one particular make which stands out as being superior. With the possible exception of Betas suffering stator failure, you shouldn't be facing the likelihood of catastrophic reliability issues. What you want to avoid is any bike which needs a lot of work to make good wear and tear, eg chain, sprockets, suspension linkages, tyres, cables, etc as the cost may soon go beyond your budget. There's no such thing as a bad bike among the main manufacturers; if you go as new as you can, any of them will be a revelation after riding your 247.
That's a really good point, I've seen a fair few gasgas bikes about as well. I like the 247 but I don't want to be limited by the nostalgia/memories when what I really want is a good laugh and an afternoons trouble free riding!
As reliable as the rest I would say.....all bike makes have their problems,I suggested one because they are more of a stable bike more like your Montesa. and there are quite a few for sale at the moment at around your budget.Beta is a very popular bike with clubmen.
The Montesa 315 as suggested is a reliable bike as its engine has of course Japanese engineering/quality.
Fraid I don't have 1st hand experience with a scorpa,but the yam engine is highly regarded as near bullet proof so may well be an option for you.
I guess you're a 315r owner? Must admit I'm tempted. There's a few on eBay, be nice to find one locally with a known history. There's a tasty Beta on eBay at the moment uts £2k for a 2005.
My current bike is a 1972 Montesa Cota 247, it needs at least a top end rebuild and thereafter paint, tidying up and TLC. It's the first bike I brought after a 30 year break from trials my last one was a TL125s. Having ridden it a few times I reckon it's worth a proper rebuild and then kept for high days and fun. I'm therefore thinking of getting a more modern bike, one that's reliable and can be used every week, not need major maintenance and sensible enough for a complete wobbler like me to use. I'm on a budget (£1600). Any advice on what to get?
Thanks Totalshell, that's good to know. I noticed on the Roy Bacon site they offer form filling services etc wonder why they don't accept the age matching.
I'm interested in this as I'd like to do similar with my Cota, I did read somewhere that the best thing to do is ring the DVLA and ask them to check the frame number but if pre 1984 records aren't there then it may not be much use. After that it's Roy Bacon + V55/5 + reg fee etc
Cheers arfur, I had to reset the carb mix and tick over so was well worth doing. Back garden had its own cloud system at first but hopefully a bit use will sort it
I did check the crank and couldn't find obvious float, I think they are noisy but I'm well out touch. Almost 35 years since last big two stroke. Didn't seem too bad when riding it. I think your right about how they were?
Pro sport, thanks Dave I'm running 25:1 so will experiment with 50:1, I'm assuming the 2T I'm using is synthetic I will check later. I got out of the shed but it was smoking the garden a bit. So did a few laps and put it away again, it definitely needs a good few hours of use. Looking forward to a plug chop on it takes me back to youth!
Cleanorbust - it's a UK import so has a fibre glass cover from new. We weren't allowed fibreglass or plastic tanks because of the cafe racers etc having them leak and break up in the 1950s. I'm glad to have it given the ethanol issues. The seals were great fun to do. The ignition side is easy but you need the correct puller to get the mag off (inmotion). The primary side was very hard to do, this post was very helpful. http://www.trialscentral.com/forums/topic/55497-349-crank-seals/#entry395553 The two tips I would share are to use a knot of cloth to jam the primary gears and to use the recommended puller from ebay but don't use the additional tip on the puller to centre the puller use the the crank nut instead - the puller thread will sit inside the crank nut when 50% screwed on.
Finally got my Cota 247 up and running, had it nearly 10 years and have just finished the last job (crankshaft seals). Only been run for a short time so far so needs to be ridden and set up completed. Seems to be a bit smokey, I assuming it's crud in the exhaust and needs a clean out/plenty of use.
Managed to get the gear off using the puller kit above, a chain wrench to hold the legs in place and a heat gun on the gear. Don't use the tapered tip that's supplied with the kit just put the flywheel nut back on and use that to centre the puller spindle. Came off immediately once I did that. Thanks to every who has posted advice on this job.
Thanks samwisemcg that's what I was hoping. I'm doing the same job on a 247 and as you say the silver ones are a good fit. I'm leaving it under tension tonight with a chain wrench wrapped around the legs.
I've just got the same puller kit, which nits did you use to get the gear off with? 'Was it the silver straight gear ones or the black bearing ones? As I can't get the latter to fit around the gear?
Cheers
Sorry, my link didn't work. The gear puller looked like this.
I'm doing up a 247, it's £20 here £40 there and soon mounts up. Motivation is to get it running , reliable and use it with my son and enter the occasional so I'm not keeping tabs too much on cost. If you wanted to cover your costs and sell it on then it would have to be a thorough restoration and rebuild. You don't see too many for sale so not sure if they are rare or undesirable as per Cleanorbust's advice.
I think if I was in your position I'd find ways to maximise the time with your dad on it but work to a budget.
Definitely second that on the impact driver, careful use though as the clutch cover has recessed holes for the screw heads and ideally a longer bit is needed.
Interestingly the case screws all had O rings on them
Advice Needed Please - Reliable Budget Bike For A Returning Wobbler
in General Trials Talk
Posted
Many thanks for that, I'm going to look for a 315r either in top condition or in need of a few bits and enjoy riding that. Meanwhile I've had the Cota head off and posted in the twinshock forum what I found . Appreciate any advice http://www.trialscentral.com/forums/topic/61660-montesa-cota-247-piston-and-ring-tolerances/#entry435141