bigplonker

At a guess Don chose to ride the Greeves instead of a Cub because it was a bit more powerful and refined. Being a big lad who rode enduros (he did a few ISDTs), I should imagine he found the Cub to be slightly underpowered. Could be wrong of course. Usually am.

Er..., advice would be much appreciated. Never having ridden in a French trial, I'm not sure about how to get a ride. I gather that one has to first of all get a doctor's certificate to prove one is fit enough to ride trials, then join (or register with?) UFOLEP or the other governing body (I understand there are two), before joining a club (how does one decide which club to join?) and then searching for trials entry forms on the internet (I gather Charles Coutard's trials website is a good place to look) - unlike in the UK, France doesn't appear to have an equivalent of the ACU centre gazettes complete with entry forms. Also, is insurance required for off road trials?

Don Hitchcock is/was the son of Jock. Together they ran Jock Hitchcock Motorcycles in Folkestone during the '50s(?) and '60s. They were both big supporters of the ISDT where Jock was widely known for his generosity with the teapot. Yes, they supported Gordon Farley on a JAH Cub in his early days, and later they provided JAH Cubs for young Dave Weller and Robin Meades (I think). Dave was a brilliant rider whose life was unfortunately cut short by leukaemia just as he was beginning to gain national recognition as a rider. If I remember correctly, in one of his last rides, he was top scorer for the SE team in the British Experts trial riding a Greeves.

Yes, I've put it up for sale on the French 'Leboncoin' website due to the recent acquisition of a pre '65 DOT. They're both brilliant bikes but one of them has to go. C'est la vie.

Aha! Spelling mistook - Esclottes, not Escolottes. Thanks for link. Looks a fun club.

Apologies for not including a snap of the exhaust. Have now dug one out. According to the previous owner (the chap who's responsible for the superb condition of this fine machine - I've only owned it a short time) the exhaust was hand made by Keith Horsman to develop a softer power delivery using 'know how' gained when making the longer exhaust systems of the later Ossa MARs. Apologies too for being unable to confirm whether the front brake/hub is standard or not. All I know is it works and that's good enough for me. Thanks 'Metisse' for pointing out the forthcoming trial at Escolotte near Duras. Googled Escolotte and nothing came up, but I know Duras is SE of Bordeaux so I may well try and get down there on the day. Are there any other twinshock or pre '65 events coming up in the central region?

320 Majesty with special, hand made, elongated exhaust for smoother bottom end. Recently purchased as a retirement present. Always wanted one ever since seeing Mick Andrews on his works Yamaha up in Scotland in the mid to late '70s.

If you've had 315's before and found they suit your needs, get another one. Worth taking your time to find a good 'un. It'll save you loads of money and hold its value while a new bike is pricey and immediately depreciates, and you'll be hard pressed to notice any difference in performance. The last model in the series (white, 2003?) is reckoned to be the best, but you probably know that already. Go for it!

Somewhere in the classified ads section there's an ad for a mint 4RT that's now listed as 'sold'. Well, I'm the lucky buyer and I just want to publicly thank the seller (Paul Jenkins) for a smooth and trouble-free sale. As I'm now retired and living in France the collection of the bike wasn't exactly easy. However, Paul and his brother kindly transported the bike by Eurotunnel to Calais where I met them with my trailer, thus saving me the hassle of crossing the channel. The bike was exactly as described in the ad and actually exceeded my expectations - it really was a minter. Another bonus was Paul's detailed explanation of servicing hints, starting procedure and general info about various aspects of this fine machine. To say that I was reassured about the amount of care the previous owner had lavished on his pride and joy would be an understatement. Paul's brother also chipped in with helpful advice - incidentally, he's also selling his 4RT (listed in the ads as a one-off RTL 4RT) which is also a minter. Anyone buying a bike from either of these two lads will have no regrets. The only reason they're selling their beloved 4RTs is that they've both placed orders for the new 260 Montesa Honda. Thanks again lads. Your help was much appreciated.

Thanks again chaps. Did a bit of research and that strawberry iPone stuff certainly seems to fit the 80:1 bill. And it's French so it should be easy to find a supplier out here in France - famous last words!

Thanks chaps. So..., that's one vote for Putoline MX7, one vote for Castrol A747, one vote against Castrol A747 and one person saying that no oil manufacturer will recommended an 80 to 1 mix of their product. Think I might toss a coin!

Thanks Phil. I'll attempt to get get hold of some Putoline MX7 - could be tricky out here in the middle of France, but fingers crossed!

Recently bought a 2004 315 which came with an owners' manual which recommends a petrol/oil mixture of 80 to 1. So I then set about searching for the appropriate oil. The H&D Racing website (Montesa specialists) recommends Castrol A747 which I understand smells slightly of castor oil (yummy!). But when I researched further I discovered that this oil is only recommended for mixes of up to 40 to 1 (nowhere near the 80 to 1 that Montesa recommends). Then tried my fave trials bike shop and they recommended Castrol Power 1 Racing oil. Bought some and was just about to mix it with the petrol when I read in the small print on the back of the bottle that it's apparently only suitable for mixes of up to 50 to 1. So..., should I chance mixing it at 80 to 1 or should I bin it and buy some other oil? HELP! All advice gratefully received.

Interesting. Surprised he didn't follow up your (not serious) offer of cash. I really haven't a clue what the scumbag's game is.

I haven't emailed him and I have no intention of doing so! I just keep reporting him to eBay. But I've done it so many times that I can't be bothered now.

Nah, it's back on again. This is getting ridiculous.

Nah, it's gone again. Presumably removed by eBay. I'm expecting it to re-appear soon but I can't be a***d to tell them if it does. They presumably make money every time it appears and consequently couldn't give a monkey's if it's a scam or not. I give up.

Surprise, surprise. The Norton's back on eBay again - look in the bike section under 'trials'. Probably same scammer but with yet another new identity. (I've reported it to eBay.)

The ad's been removed. Hopefully by eBay. But I sincerely hope it hasn't been removed by the 'seller' due to somebody emailing the crook direct (rather than via eBay), agreeing to buy then sending money for a bike that doesn't exist. Scary, but such things happen.

Yes, that's the one. Would be interesting if a local person made contact and asked to view the bike...!

The Norton's back on eBay again. This time advertised by a 'seller' up in Scotland(?). Interesting that the description states the bike's in Hampshire. Also, again, the 'seller' has asked for contact to be made directly by yahoo email rather than via eBay. I've alerted eBay to the possibility this may be a scammer (again). Hopefully genuine bidders will think twice before bidding - the bidding so far, I suspect, has been pushed up by the scammer's crooked associate(s). Hope I'm wrong about all this...

Yes, I take your point. However, in this instance, there were a number of factors that suggested the 'seller' was a scammer: 1) The whole ad (photos and wording) was 'lifted' from (i.e. a copy of) a genuine ad that ran about two years ago - I remembered the original ad because it was for an excellent trials iron and I even went as far as contacting the owner for further info before reluctantly deciding not to bid due to an infestation of moths in wallet. 2) About a week after the bike originally sold, the same ad (same photos and wording) appeared on eBay but this time by a completely different seller. Had the ad been placed by a genuine seller, the photos and wording would surely be different. Alerted eBay to the possibility that the ad may have been placed by a scammer. Soon after, the ad was dropped and the 'seller' ceased to exist on eBay. So when the same ad appeared for a third time (last week), it was pretty obvious to me that this was a scam. 3) Item description stated the bike and owner were in Hampshire yet the 'seller' was listed as being in London. 4) 'Seller' apparently had a 100% record of about 25 transactions, thereby appearing 'genuine'. However, on checking these transactions, they were all for useless items (such as shirt buttons) sold to or purchased from one or two other eBay members - a classic case of scammers working together in order to build their 100% records, thereby gaining a false impression of authenticity. 5) As mentioned before, the 'seller' requested prospective bidders to contact direct by email rather than via the eBay system - this is a favourite ploy of scammers. 6) The 'seller' was listed as having one other item for sale on eBay. This turned out to be an impressive camper van. However, the look and wording of the ad was noticeably different to that of the Norton. Obviously two ads by two different people. In all probability, the camper ad was also a scam. 7) As I said, after alerting eBay to the possibility that the 'seller' was a scammer, both ads disappeared and the 'seller' was listed as 'no longer an eBay member'. I presume he, or they, are now busily rebuilding another false eBay profile so they can continue their wretched trail of deception. Now..., I fully realise that I'm coming across as an interfering busybody saddo with nothing better to do all day but snoop around on eBay searching for fraudsters - but this is not the case. However, having been stung by a scammer once (a grand for a non existent computer) I'm keen to show people how easy it is to get mugged on eBay. With the prices of classic motorcycles continuing to rise, it's no surprise that scammers have begun stepping into this lucrative market - a market that's lagely populated by old gits such as myself who may be new to the internet and unwary of the dangers that lurk within. Apologies for the ridiculously long length of time I've been waffling on and on about this Norton scam but if it saves just one person from being conned by a scammer it'll all have been worthwhile.