jaylael

It sounds like the Sherco would be more suited to your needs. Just go buy it. If you are not a "pro" yourself you don't need what the Gas Gas can give you. The ultra light weight and abundant power are not helpful to most riders, rather just causing them extra dabs. Although the Gas Gas pro has "resolved" all of thier issuues (officially) they are just not as tough in the long run in the hands of a typical clubman rider. It's not politically correct to state this, so you are asking people to expose themselves to criticizm for saying the truth. Watch and see.

Gaff: This may be caused by grooves worn in the clutch basket where the plate fingers ride or also grooves worn in the center clutch hub splines from the inner plates chattering against the hub. This is one possible explanation, although I believe the clutch release would be poor if it were worn this badly. It's more likely the piston for the slave cyl. has a grabbiness to the o ring seal which goes away when hot. I'd try lubing the clutch apply piston with brake assy lube or silicone grease. Of course this would involve bleeding the clutch from dry which can be a can of worms in itself. This topic has been discussed to death in the past. If it doesn't bother you, just put up with it. It doesn't sound serious.

O.K. it appears that it was over a year ago and it has dropped off the back end of this bulletin board. It was on "Beta". The way I remember this is, there are two black with white stripe wires to the lower unit that should read about 500 ohms to ground. The white trigger wire should read about 120 ohms. The black wire, I don't know what it's for. I had no useful readings on it. This is from memory. Check it and see if this is right. Jay

If you have a good spark it will flash an automotive timing light at kicking speed. If you have or can borrow one, hook it up to a car battery and clamp the inductive lead onto the plug lead on the bike. Kickstart the bike watching for a flash at the timing light. If it does not flash you have a weak spark. If it does flash, your spark is sufficient, and the problem could be broken reeds or a bad vacum leak, or a sheared flywheel key. If you towed it and it had sheared flywheel key it should backfire and pop, but not run. I'm only trying to toss out a few ideas. It's hard to make solid diagnosis from here. Let me know what you find out. Jay. PS: A black box is the same as a module, brain, ignitor, etc. The automotive term is ignition module which is the most correct term I can figure out.

Beta Boy: Good job getting them this far apart without a manual. If you haven't taken them to a bike shop et, this might be a good time to do it. The Commos are right this shouldn't be done by the faint of heart or wallet. You can easily ruin the epensive parts and be out of a bike to ride for want of some obscure Paioli piece. In answer to the question of reinstalling the seal. Take all the washers, bushings etc. off the fork and use masking tape to cover any sharp edges, the pack the seal spring with grease or petroleum jelly. Install the seal onto the fork tube then put the washers, bushing etc all back on the fork tube as they were. Put the fork tube back into the slider and secure it with it's retaining bolt if there is one. The hard part is to build or buy a fork seal installer. It should be comprised of two halves of tube the size that just fits onto the fork tube, has enough surface area to not ruin the seal and will fit down into the slider openings without damage. It took me five hours to fab seal intaller "colletts" which I use to tap the washer and bushing down into the slider 'til it's seated. They have to be held solidly together with hose clamps for the pounding in of the bushing, and then the seal. Next tap the seal down into the seal housing. Problem is you have to support the seal housing with a vise and some rags to prevent it from going away from the seal as you tap it in. This will damage the seal housing very easily so you must use great care! Lastly intall the sap ring and the dust seal. The oil quantity is different from side to side and should be in your manual. I don't recall what it is. Good luck you poor bugger! Jay

This could be a lean condition due to fuel flow /starvation issues, water in float bowl, shorting kill button, loose electrical connections to coil or module, poor plug cap connection to plug lead, or lastly the dreaded ignition module failure. Don't suppose you have a friend with another similar Beta you could try swapping parts with. The knocking and backfire most likely are resulting from errattic spark timing. Hook up a timing light and run it up to farting rpm and you will observe the timing is jumping all over the place. If it is, you can safely assume it's a spark related problem. Next job should be to ohm check the stator. Many months ago I posted the ohms specs for the stator. Maybe you could still find them in the archives. Once the stator is verified good, it would be time to take the financial gamble and buy a new ignition module. Good luck. Jay

Thanks Vintage Cota! I must've seen you there. Which Vintage COTA rider might you be? Steve: You never said you had a Challenger Trials bike, Wow! I figured it was a homegrown trialsr. Those Canadians made some pretty good bikes! It's worth a fair amount of money too. When I come visit you I might not want to leave. Sometimes it's a nice fantasy I suspect life can become a grind even in paradise, though. Man it's been hot lately. I'm just not used to that. When it cools off I plan on sleeping for a whole weekend, or part of a saturday anyhow. I saw Dave Fair and his lovely new girlfriend at Chehalis. It's always great to see him. Jay

Be careful about kicking/pushing your bike without the plug cap grounded. It will fry the module. If the bike is still not fixed when you read this, I think the ignition module could be the culprit. Also, make a good inspection of the wires that go up to the module from the engine. I have seen them melted against the exhaust pipe and also chafed through on the wire ring which is for the clutch hose back in the dark recesses of the carb area. The assumption I'm making is that the spark you are seeing is not actually a fat blue spark, but more of a tiny feeble white spark which vanishes once exposed to the ravages of the combustion chamber. My 2000 Beta Rev 3 ran o.k. one minute and crapped out in less than 5 seconds it became a paper weight. The module fixed it.

My lovely wife took this cool shot at Chehalis vintage national saturday august 14th. She takes a pretty good photo for a beginner I'd say. Jay HodakaLaunch

Trevor's no dummy. If I could get Christy Williams to be my minder I'd prefer her to you too!

Three weeks ago I was at a motocross race and nearly got hit while walking in the pits by a kid on an electric skateboard! He had a japanese car starter motor lashed to the thing somehow. It was nearly silent and the only thing that saved me was when he tried to jump it over a small mound of dirt the starter motor fell off. He immediately flipped the thing over and started trying to fix it but the mounting bracket had snapped. It looked like a pretty neat thing. I bet electric trials bikes could be pretty fun, but I sure would miss the smell and the sound of a proper motorcycle.

EZ clutch is a leverage amplifier. It works on most bikes. Tried on an '81 Maico 490 once and it dragged badly. Only time they don't work is when disengagement is a problem. Most Japanese bikes dont really have this problem. On Yamahas a lever extension is just as good. They might still be available from Yamaha accessory dept.

The word plonker is derived from the espanol word plonker which literally translates "giant heavy stupid penis with green tank stripe"

Cody: I'm certain the 2001 and 2002 do not use the same jetting as the 2000 cota. There was a post previously in which our US Montesa importer gave us the correct jet sizes. I wish I could recall what they are. Don't feel bad Land Rover I know just how you feel. My 2001 ran a 39 pilot, 7/8 turn out and 110 main and a cut out airbox lid. It ran awesome! I never had an older Montesa unless you count the '84, the 86 and the '88.

The Hodaka type 2 was 6 months of sweat and toil, plus assorted parts found on e bay and a few items from Ed Chesnut, which were free gratis as a contribution to the cause. The steering head and fork angle is identical to my old 2001 Montesa whatever that is. I sat the two bikes up side by side and tweaked on the Hodaka until they matched. Ed is the engineer, I just build stuff the way I think it should be. He is going to measure up the New and old Hodakas, plus weigh them at Chehalis vintage national. He is going to put together a data base of information about building Hodaka trials bikes. I have begun to gather parts for the next one which will be "type 3". So far I have a Scorpa frame, Maico spider swingarm, two super stiff snowmobile shocks and a wombat engine with '03 cylinder, which is way trick for Hodaka trials. An '03 Hodaka wombat was I think a 1977 or '78 model. As advanced as they ever got. Aluminum and porting suitable for reed valve use. I recently found an article from trailrider magazine circa 1972 which showed how to build a Hodaka trials bike. It includes porting mods which I never knew about. At some point I hope to implement them. I am still looking for a porting blueprint of a Sherco 125 trials bike. This new one works alot better than the last one. (type1) which is red with alloy tank. Jay

Cody: Welcome back to trials riding! That Barbour suit and full bore boots will come in handy. Fashion Smashion! The idle issue may be improved by fiddling with you air screw and speed screw. Just ck. to see where it is now and then play with it. Also The size of your pilot jet will have an effect on low speed smoothness. You don't say where you are located. It's consideed a common courtesy on here to adjust your setting profile to show folks where you are from. Anyhow find out what size pilot jet you have and call up your Montesa dealer or importer to find out if the jet is the recomended size. Beyond that you could have a sinking carb float or incorrect float level adjustment. My guess is fuel mixture fine tuning will resolve your problem. Have fun, Jay

My first big hot dog sponsored ride was a '73 OSSA MAR which came with a big grass green stripe on the tank and the dealer who sold it to me handed over a green OSSA t shirt and a case of full bore 2 stroke oil to sweeten the deal. I wore that OSSA shirt almost constantly for the first year and even got my school picture taken wearing it. I guess that was a very important/happy time in my life as I was winning trials, had a model hot girlfriend and a Ford econoline van. Life just don't get much better! Since then I had a Kawasaki trialer which was radically tricked out I rode in nationals in '82, then an Italjet in '84. Now my latest Hodaka Bullforg t-2 is "road toad green". Green trials bikes look so good up against a backdrop of forest greenery. Nothing like a mossy steam bed with bushes and trees surrounding it and a green trials bike in it. It's aesthetically pleasing to the eye.

Yamaha Dude: I think the market has changed since the 80s. Todays trials rider is more discriminating. It takes more than mag wheels and a flashy paint job to inspire todays trials enthusiast. They also need to run well, not leak oil, and have brakes that stop on a dime. Some manufacturers have followed in the path of others before them by offering the lightest bikes possible, maybe at the expense of reliability. In the future it looks like the four strokes will become popular. The cycle of popularity reminds me of the old upside down fork thing. First they tell us we need them because they are more rigid, but the actual forks were like spagetti, and also leaked. Then they tell us the right side up fork is far superior, (although it wasn't before). "Yep I know them things were pretty bad for the last 30 years, but now we've solved the problem!" On motocross bikes they have "improved" forks 'til you can't get 'em apart with normal tools and a high school education. Old junior down at the barn will no doubt be capable of diagnosing a no start condition on his 2005 Montesa. It's a sophisticated world these days. Just such a place for a new green bike.

I never knew there was such a bike. I spent an afternoon riding an '89 Climber awhile back. It seemed like it looked way cool, but did't work so well. Pomegranite and puce or some colors like that? Tangerine and mauve? o.k.? Purple and green? Who picks out the colors on these things? I wish someone would make a green bike. I had an Italjet, which was about as green as it could get. I remember seeing that thing falling towards me as I lay at the foot of a rock wall. For second it seemed to blot out the sun and then wham! It was just like stepping in front of a speeding bus! Oh that Italjet was a fine machine. Jay

Since I've spared no ink in the past pointing out the bad points in other bikes I've owned, it would only make sense to reply honestly on this topic, (bad points of the Montesa '02) It's such a great bike that it's tough to find anything but glowing testimonies to "how the Mont. saved my life". In the interest of objectivity I will try to shed some light on what I've found to be the Mont's bad points. These are easily corrected for the most part, but around here they are rarely addressed. Ignoring a problem does not make it go away! Basically there are two items foremost which need to be addressed. 1 - The rear fender seems to be offset to the left on almost every Montesa around. You can argue theories about falling down on the muffler, but I don't buy it! I think they are somehow built that way. If this problem is not addressed the fender gets rubbed through on the tire and as a bonus you get to buy a $200.00 rear muffler every season after it has a triangular hole worn through it on the tire. There are three things wich I have done to resolve this issue. First, place two 5/16" (8mm) spacers betwen the left airbox to frame mounts. You will need to loosen the triangular alloy "subframe" on the right side and all the airbox bolts to do this. Secondly, add a couple of large diameter 6mm washers between the muffler mount and the "subframe". Thirdly after the airbox and subframe bolts are re- tightened, Bend the muffler bracket just by pulling out on the muffler. The end result should be substantial tire to muffler cearance, and the rear fender should be centered over the rear tire. (when the riders leg presses in on the muffler it should still not hit the tire) Once you have obtained this optimum setting, the joint between the tank and fender will no longer be sqare. This is what leads me to believe they are built that way. Also mind that you keep a fresh rubber bushing on the muffler as these tend to wear out frequently, and don't forget to loctite the 6mm retaining bolt. The second flaw I have discovered is the tendency for the skid plate to damage the engine cases which can be horribly expensive to fix. Those of us who've been trials riding for years are surely aware of the difficulties encountered when trying to re install a potato chip shaped (bent) skid plate. For years I prided myself on my ability to squeeze the thig back on with channel lock pliers and guide rods and somehow get the srews back in. This has finally revealed itself as idiocy! Now I remove the skid plate and straighten it periodically. Lay it on a flat surface and just smack it with a big maul. Earplugs are highly recomended for this procedure. Try it on the bike until it fits just right and keep a fresh rubber in there. They are much cheaper than engine cases! If the aftermarket could build and sell high energy plastic inserts for this location I for one would buy it! That's about it. Happy trialing, Jay L.

Kevin: I've had no trouble mounting tubeless tires on ordinary rims with a tube in there. Lots of soapy water and aired up to pretty high pressures and they pop right on the bead. If you like Combat Wombats, Hodaka days is for you! Maybe next year you could make it out to Athena. It's the funnest thing all year for Hodie freaks. Jay.

Just a quick note to update this thread. The cost of all the parts I wanted was high enough to stop me in my tracks. Thanks to the kindness and generousity of the local Montesa dealer, I am now the proud owner of a 2004 Cota 315r. The '01 has been accepted in trade as a basket case. (may she rest in peace) The new Mont. is a wonderful bike. Mostly what I notice is the power! It seems as if the new one has more power. Also the front brake feels sharper and of course the suspension is perfect. Mostly I guess it's because it's new and not all worn out. At this weeks wednesday night trials I was able to put the smackdown on our Yorkshire lad on his new Yamaha 125. He was busy taking trips over the handlebars. Looked like one of those wreck videos. A nice beginning for the new Monty.

Thanks Ed for the explanation. I thought it might be good to also put up the photo of Eric Smith with the explanatory comments about the rear tire. For more pics from Hodaka Days, check out www.jhmand.com/hodakadays2004/ Note that there were 200 plus spectators at the Hodaka Trial. What a neat event!

Thought my trials riding friends across the pond and elsewhere would like to take a look at the new Hodaka Type 2 Trials machine. Just finished 'er up this past weekend. Pictures courtesy of Ed Chesnut. Jay L.

Weld 'er right up Stu! She'll be fine. I rode my poor Rev 3 way beyond it's prime and this particular part never broke. Good luck. Jay L.