tony283

Dave, As stated in the article 29 riders with another 5 acting as checkers for the points. Sadly it clashed with the rival org at Wittman. Tony

The AHRMA season opener was held on 10 Feb at AZ Cycle Park in ideal weather conditions, full report and pictures on my "blog" Tony

Greeves, You certainly have some gorgeous Bultaco's...... nearly as nice as my Blackcat Yamaha's! Maybe we can talk turkey at next years pre 65 Scottish if all goes to plan. Tony

Well Greeves, That is one gorgeous Bultaco. Is that the one you want to trade for the Royal Enfield ? What was the bike Jon was riding ? Tony

Dave, May well be. Lighter, not much on the AHRMA circuit that a good 175 can't do, I prefer the 250 but I'm biased. Tony

My mistake! now corrected....humbly back to my Yams Tony

All the prime manufacturers of that era 72-80 all made what we would now call "dual sport" bikes, Yamaha had the 250 CAT, Ossa had the Explorer and Bultaco the Alpina so if you want a bike that you can comfortably ride trails on and easily convert to trials for a competition any of those would do and in most cases can be converted to the other use in about 1 hour. If it were my choice I would go for the Yamaha, especially where you are, as parts can still easily be obtained either new or from e-bay. Tony

Unless you are forced to use Amal then I would agree with OTF. You can use Mikuni which would be my third choice for this machine, second choice is the Keihin which gives fantastic performance off idle but backfires when you close the throttle (could be it needs a longer inlet tract). No 1 The Del Orto, smooth as silk! No hesitation, no stalling fantastic pick up (and I run at with virtually no idle) smooth all the way through range and no backfires. See blog "The Tiger Cub" "Nursing a Cub" "One Trick Cub" Tony

Woody, Glad you liked the story, there are 2, also some more action in Guernsey (2 tales). Mikuni...... 182 N-8 Tony

Woody, carb details: VM26 Slide 2.0 Needle 5F21 Needle Jet 182 with D shroud Main 140-160 Pilot 30-40 see "the Bulldozer from Spain" in the blog Tony

Woody VM26 150-160 Main 30-40 pilot all dependant on altitude, sea level to 8000 out here so change as required. These carbs are v expensive as it a flange mounted one, not quite enough room to use the original IRZ flange and a rubber! (I tried) Tony

David, I always ran mine forward and up the right tube. I encase the 2 wires in tubing (colour co-ordinated of course) for protection and there is JUST enough room under the Renthal Bash plate. Remember unlike the Yam the live wire is BLUE not BLACK. Mine had been wired A*** backwards! (Strong runner off e-bay!) Tony

Fantastic buy!! Wish some were available over here, especially at that price. When you come to rebuild it remember the front mudguard stay goes the other way round which allows the brake cable to be fitted correctly. I had to build mine from scratch. see "Yes your Majesty" on my blog Tony

Assuming the new Lucas Racing Mag works and somebody puts one of those awful Amal things on it then it would cost around the TEN or FIVE + a pristine 1972 250 Bultaco Got to keep up with Big John's current UK pricing! Tony

Cpt Furr, Yamaha produced a specific machine for exactly what you desire! It was the TY250A CAT edition which came with forward footrests, an extended bigger seat and lengthened brake pedal, you could also get a luggage rack as well. Gearing and motor were the standard trials set up. If you can find one of these then all you will need is the short brake pedal for trials use. Tony

What year is the TY? If it's a 74-79 then it should be NGK B7ES, the TY175 is B9ES gapped at .22 Tony

Thanks once again, Yes I do have some vintage Doherty grips, you know the ones that leave the palm of your hand Jet Black and don't like oil or petrol anywhere near them! With regard to air, it was "hand pumped" using 1946 forearms and shoulders. The purple colour came from a "Scottish Thistle" Tony

Thank you for the once over. For the history buffs Mikuni had manufacturing rights for AMAL since 1932!! and produced their "own" carbs from 1949 onwards so in my humble opinion that makes them just as legal as some Maybe Villiers Lawnmower carb??? Strange there is all the fuss about front forks with modern internals yet nobody is bothered with the latest rear shocks from Betor? I had a Mikuni on my 1972 Sherpa which was only 7 years later than the cutoff so I'm assuming a Mikuni was available back in 64? Rules are Rules! Tony

First what year is the bike? Second which bolt has snapped? Tony

Yes, I agree to 80:1 for liquid cooled 2 Strokes and 40:1 for air cooled Tony

OTF, It's an original ex-works RE 350 Bullet prepared originally by DON MORLEY! Last ridden in the Pre 65 in 2005. The Forks and front wheel are ALL genuine 1960 RE, save for a new Akront rim. Tubed IRC front and rear, you can see the rear security bolts Mick will be upset you don't like his carb. Colour selected to contrast with the "Gaunt Edition" Footrests position, head angle all copied from Beta. Also where they are may look low but it has 12" ground clearance! a little more than the original 5.5" when it left the factory. All the construction details are on my blog in the November articles, this one is called "Reshaping a Bullet" Tony

Should I ever be lucky enough to get a ride in the Pre 65 Scottish, and as my Cub wouldn't be popular, can the panel of experts, Chaired by Big John, please put this machine through scrutineering The carb is made by Mick Uni ( the well known ex pat) and they were around in the 60's I believe? Tony

Glen, Well done, on the right path, soon you won't be able to get him off it! Couple of similar stories on my web "Where it all began".....ME "Yes, my Son" ..... When they grow up "Tire in a jam" ..... Teaching Finally used the purple pipe on the RE Tony

Probably the best throttle out there is the Domino and that can be ordered with either fast or slow action. Generally speaking the fast action is better for something with a zippy motor like the Twin Shock Yams, wheras I would use a slow action on the MAR Ossa and on all my 4 Strokes like the Tiger Cub or the Royal Enfield. To find out "what is fitted" just look between the throttle body and the grip. White = Fast Action, Black = Slow action. A fast action throttle on a vintage 4 stoke will probably stall the engine if opened violently and a slower and more progressive action produces smoother and more predictable results. Before you buy an Amal throttle check the length, I find them too small for my hand. Hope that helps Tony

Got to agree with John, Wheels & Welding........ "little knowledge, DANGEROUS!" if you don't know what you are about it can become a real horlicks! However as a rough beginners guide work on the 1:6 principle, start at the valve and then tighten every 6th spoke until you have worked through all 36. Then a tap with the spoke key and see if they all make the same "ding"... adjust as required... don't over tighten. ...... and if it all fails take it to an expert! Tony