Triad

This is the engine fitted, the exhaust and carb in place. I found a guy who's got a MAR 350 partially broken in parts in his garage but doesn't seem happy to sell the kickstart lever etc. without the whole engine block. 🤨 I still need the kickstart lever and the 2pins Motoplat coilpack to try to start it... from there I'd at least know for sure the engine works and could start looking for a better clutch cable, rear brake cable, silencer etc.

I guess no "modern" bike has a similar lever? The fact it's on the left side makes things harder anyway.

Hei guys, got some good news for a change... Checked and the intake diameter is 36mm like on the other engine, so I was able to fit the carb manifold to the cylinder. Also found out the cylinder will take the Explorer exhaust, the flange is removable and in its place I fitted the Explorer header. So thankfully won't have to look for different exhaust/carb. Have found a guy breaking a MAR 350, so I should be able to get an original Motoplat coilpack... but can't say if the kickstarter lever will fit.

Thanks, if the "stator" is broken I think I'll simply abort the project and will try to cut my losses... found a guy here in Italy who's breaking an Ossa MAR 350 but don't know the production year... was the MAR still around when they changed the teeth of the levers on the engine block?

Today I was away so couldn't check the gear lever and the exhaust compatibility... will try to do it in the weekend. Hopefully I'll find a solution for both

Uh, forgot to ask: the bigger shaft on the kickstart lever is on the enduro models only or it was also on other models and depends from the production year? I mean, the Gripper/Yellow etc. have this same bigger lever shaft?

Uhm... I think I'll invest the money for the coil, as I'd need it anyway. But the rest is definitely more expensive and harder to find. I'll check the exhaust later today and will report back... thanks a lot for the advice, I've been toying with this project for a year now and taking a short ride in my yard would already mean a lot to me LOL

The carb was fitted on a rubber manifold, no bolts... but yeah, it's smaller. Didn't check the exact diameter but I'd say it's something like a 24-26mm maybe? The biggest problem is that I'm missing the kickstarter lever and the coil... I could at least know if/how the engine runs if I had them. Is there anything that will fit when it comes to kickstart lever? Maybe from a newer bike from another brand? It's clear I'll have to gamble and buy a Motoplat coil without knowing if the engine runs, but for those old lever sellers tend to ask pretty unreasonable money and they're not easy to find. Even a borrowed one would be ok, I'd gladly pour more money into the project if I knew for sure the engine runs OK.

I didn't pay enough attention before buying the new engine, the owner didn't know much about it but... even the gear pedal is different? About the exhaust, I see they have a similar flange... maybe the Explorer one will fit? If I have to buy all these parts with the risk of the engine non even being completely fine I'm screwed big time.

Uh, so the coil integrates parts of the CDI? Damn, in this case won't work. Can I test the rotor/stator without a working coil? Today I finally managed to literally kick the engine in place, only to find out my kickstarter lever won't work... different shaft. 😭

Uh, forgot to ask a very important question: with the Explorer I received a Motoplat coil but it's the single pin version. I also bought on amazon a 2 pins "universal" coil... will the engine work with it or it absolutely requires the red 2pins Motoplat unit to work?

Thanks a lot! Yeah, I tried to "open" the mounting brackets a bit by hammering a round piece in but still won't go in freely. I think I'll remove some material from the casing as the frame side brackets aren't exactly ultra-thick... So I'll need a different intake manifold? Might probably find a silicone one on Amazon, maybe... but my priority is to see if it has spark and runs. If it works I'll gladly put some work into it, but due to my previous bad luck I'm a bit skeptical

Well, the original Explorer engine turns but it takes a lot of force... probably a seized bearing on the bottom? Also not sure the Motoplat works, as it requires 500rpm to make a spark and there's no way to make it turn that fast as is. It's been outside for years, I think, so rust might be the issue... and the reason for being there might have been a broken Motoplat unit (no spark)? No way to know for sure. The "new" engine was stored on a shelf with the inlet taped, and the guy told me it was bought from a reputable seller, so IN THEORY it should run. I plan to make the engine brackets slightly thinner as they're massive, while the frame brackets are already thin. I'll have to measure them, but as I said I'm now worried other parts might be different and I might find out the hard way.

Yeah, I plan to measure the old engine "brackets" with a caliper and compare them to the ones of the "new" engine. I didn't pay attention to it before buying, silly me, but from the shape of the right side cover I'd say it comes from the enduro version... who knows what other differences there are. The carb inlet is bigger, can only hope the exhaust flange is the same.

Hello guys, last year I've got a 1973 Explorer with a semi-seized engine. Managed to find another one that should be in working conditions but the owner doesn't know which model it's from. I tried putting the engine in, it looks the same when it comes to frame brackets but it doesn't fit... it's like it's slightly thicker than the stock one where the engine meets the frame in the swingarm/filter area. Also noticed the right side sprocket cover is different (longer)... any idea? Is it better to slightly file the engine bracket or the frame?

Sorry to hijack... I'm trying to resurrect an old Explorer and would need help from somebody with good knowledge about the Motoplat magnet/coil...

They're rare and pretty expensive down here. But the Evasion is the root of the same concept, plus it's way simpler as it's air cooled and 2 strokes. I found one with less than 1000km, one owner but never registered so it's not street legal.

Finding a van might be the solution to most problems, I know. 😅

Luckily I only slightly bent bars on my KTM400, for the rest I'm a relatively "polite" rider, don't take big risks. But on complex terrain and obstacles I really felt at home on a trial bike, while the enduro being so much bigger/taller/heavier didn't really make me feel comfortable in those situations... even if it's waaaay better for "360 use" as it's street-capable, has longer range, a real seat etc.

Don't know if the Montesa 315 and the Evasion 310 can be referred to as "fairly fragile", that kind of bike usually gets abused thru the years by several owners without falling to pieces.

Yeah, wasn't fun with the Beta Rev but of course I kept the rpm reasonably low... but yeah, it's a pain for the tires too.

Yeah, I tried a few... a '95 KTM EXC 300 2 strokes, a 2013 TM 300 2 strokes, a Gasgas EC300 2 strokes and owned a 2000 KTM EXC400 4 strokes for a year... it was very nice but the tall seat/pegs didn't really give me much confidence against obstacles. Great bike, though.

Hello guys... basically part 2 of my previous topic about the 125cc. I'm looking for another trial bike to explore hard trails... but no bike is "local" to me, at least 1.5 hours from here. I've found a Montesa 310 Evasion, a 315, a couple of older TXT280s, a few Beta Revs from the early 2000s. I'd prefer a road legal bike as I don't own a van to move it around and I'm at about 10km from the nearest woods. Found more than one Evasion 310, one is basically brand new with less than 1000km but it needs plate/paperwork, so I'll have to apply for one and cover the costs... basically it will cost 250/300 bucks more than the other that already have the plate and paperwork and will take some time... 2-3 months. But again, it looks brand new - not something you see everyday. No Beta Alps nearby. I'd definitely like the bigger tank but the seat really looks bad LOL. Is the 315 much better than the 310 for this kind of stuff? Not doing real zones, just want something to have fun and learn on. I'm 180cm x 82kg.

True, but at least it's got those parts fitted for sure, while the Rev 250s I find really look neglected. We'll see, I'll probably have to drive not too far from there to pick up parts for an Ossa Mick Andrews I'm trying to put back together, so might be worth checking out. 280txt are all too expensive for what they are or too far away. The 310 Evasion might be a good compromise between trial and a real all-around bike... but I'd have to ride it with a dark visor to stand the livery LOL

Yep, €700 plus the cost of the ownership paperwork (not sure it's the right term)... basically the cost to transfer the owner ship and the plate in my name is €180... for a grandtotal of €880 plus the fuel/highway fees to go get it as it's in a town 4 hours from here I've also found a couple of Montesa 310 Evasion... gotta say on paper it looks good for what I'd like to do (some exploration, some small obstacles etc.) but it's twice the price. Even found one with less than 1000km on the odometer but it's not road legal, would take €550 to get a plate and paperwork (and 3 months).