bigshineybike

Hi sprite fans. I have started a Flickr group for photos of Sprites. http://www.flickr.com/groups/1391096@N22/pool/

Simon what clearance do you mean? do you have a drawing to show which spacers are required? Certainly there should be one about 6-8mm thick which goes between the swinging arm on the right side and the brake drum. On the other side should only be a spacer tube which fits into an oil seal in the hub.

OK I did the resuffing of the front box. What a difference! the bike sounds so much better, I have the engine ticking over so slowly. Its so much easier to ride, power up slopes is smooth, low speed trickling through sections it has made riding so much more enjoyable. I have put a removable 2mm thick alluminium plate over the hole so it will be easy to have a look at how the fibreglass mat I used is standing up. I know its not the best stuff but I have masses of it in the workshop. For the first time since I owned the bike I got it into top gear with some proper trottle on what fun. I was ready to abandon this project but not now.

Covering the rear brake in traffic went out of fashion a long time ago. Those in training circles called it the Hendon shuffle. Remember you also needed to be in neutral when waiting at those new fangled traffic lights. So into neutral change feet from gear to brake pedal. then when preparing to move off change feet again to select a gear. Nowedays we sit intraffic in neutral foor ready to select gear and hold the bike on the hand brake. In certain situations the skilled rider may change this chain of actions for example a hill start or on a tall bike when the camber of the road requires it.

Howard, I started a thread like this in pre 65 section http://www.trialscentral.com/forums/index....showtopic=24592 I havent taken the advice given yet, but have spoken to greeves about an off the shelf item from their cataloge at around

I have started a flicr group with photos of Sprites. I wonder if there are any left which are as they left the factory? I am collecting parts for my mark one and hope to start the build soon. I am considering to do mine US style with lots of shiney bits and modern colours. I have a photo of the tank on mine which a pal was going to do some computer work on it to make a file for a signmaker to do a vynil cut. It seems thats what they had in the day. I was wondering if they had vynil cut stickers in 1964? Ill put a photo of my petrol tank on flicr so you can see for yourself. I was also hoping to find out what more info there is on these bikes and the works of Hipkin and Evans as all over the internet is the same paragraph copied out of I believe, Don Morelys book. http://www.flickr.com/groups/1391096@N22/pool/

Hi all, I hope the link to my flickr page works and maybe someone can have a look and confirm if these are Betor forks. the only writing of any sort is cast into the handlebar clamps but they bolt on so this could be misleading. Thanks. And if they are Betor that makes them Spanish? Could they then be pre65? They are for my Mark one Sprite which I understand could possibly be built in 1964 but more likely pre 1968. They need rechroming if anyone knows a good specialist in Surrey or London? www.flickr.com/photos/33646233@N04/4448683344/in/pool-1391096@N22 Visit My flickr group I have started a picture album with Sprite pictures. Maybe some of you could add somemore. Thanks all

Thanks for the above, I cut open the front exhust box this afternoon. There is a perforated tube inside the box, this was loose it has about a half inch of float within the box. There is no rust in there and no packing material at all. I have spoken to one person who knows a lot about Montesas says I should repack it with Steel wool. I am considering riveting a cover so repacking in future is easier. Might this be worthwhile or is it simply that my bike is 30 years old and will be another 30 before it needs to be redone? And I have been told the 348 exhaust can be taken off without removing the engine, what do you all think?

No other comments so mine will not be out of place. Whats the rubber or cork seal like? being a 40 year old bike it could have simply turned to dust. A petrol leak like that is serious. Modern petrol is really bad for your skin and the fire hazard is extreme.

My 348 runs well now particularly since retarding the ignition to somewhere around 4mm BTDC I had been setting it to 14 based on an old manual which it must be said didnt specifically cover the 1978 348. I have been told that running too far advanced is the cause for the burned fibreglass on the tank seat unit. Also that I have proabbly burned out the inside of the exhaust centre section. So my next task is to cut open the centre box to have a look. have any of you done this job?

I have a 348 and have been thinking it is far too loud, the silencer has been cut open in the past and a patch welded over. I assumed it would be empty of packing so have cut it open again. I have found it is very tightly packed with fibre wool. My guess is its over packed and so operating as a straight tube. How tightly packed should it be? How long should these silencers last? Obviously montesa dont expect us to repack them, but then I dont think they intended us to still be riding them 30 years on.

Interesting your comment about letting the lever stop on the foot peg. I have a cable tie on my frame to keep the footpeg up when kickstarting, I always wondered how they did it when the bikes were new. As my kickstart doesnt clear the pegs. When I bought mine it had a very curly lever off a Honda so looked strange but cleared the peg. I have two 348 engines and they both have old damage from the kick starters. I belive the key to setting the bike up is to ensure that wherever the lever is positioned on the splines, that at the bottom of the kick it must not hit the stop. (it is acttually not a stop but the side of the casing.) In lots of photos of other peoples bikes, the lever is angled so far forward that if the foot peg is lifted and the engine kicked over all the way the wall between the final drive chain case and the magneto inevitabley break. When the bikes were new I expect they always started easier? And so the block simply didnt get hit hard and often enough. Perhaps only now with these bikes all over 30 years old the problem has become apparent. http://www.flickr.com/photos/33646233@N04/4319557753/ I was trying to attach a photo of the repair to mine, Ill see if I can PM it

Bultaco uk have started doing bits for montesas. he has chain tubes and mudguards.

Something to think about when changing the carb are all the conections. I swapped my Amal for a Mikuni. Had a lot of trouble running the petrol pipe as the Amal's is at the bottom of the float bowl. The Mik has a bigger diameter connector midway up the body so is very tight on the petrol tap. I have reconditioned the amal now with new needle and jets and all is running well enough.

Has anyone tried to cut up a fibreglass 348 tank with integral fuel tank so that it will fit over the later alloy fuel tank?

I have the same question. My sprite has a 250cc Villers engine. At present I have a steel front pipe bent to fit. it is 44mm outside diameter. there are some nice looking alloy silencers on ebay at the moment for only

Hi all, does any one have any experience of the universal coils that Sammy miller sells? they are only about

Thanks all. I had been doing the thin paper trick because that does let you easily know when the points are opening. It IS the easiest way. Frankly with so much wear and tear in my engine 1.8 mm btdc is difficult to measure accuratly. My question started since the clymer manula makes it sound so easy, taking the flywheel off isnt a job to do just for the fun of it. My bikes running better now ticks over much slower and sounds much better than it was with the points set by eye.

I cannot find the reference number but I went into my local car accesory shop and bought what is a puller for vauxhall steering wheels. I remeber the big isue with most pullers is the gap behind the gear is very small. Google VAUXHALL & OPEL STEERING WHEEL REMOVAL TOOLand you will see the tool I used. the tiny little end hooks are delicate so need a clamp around them to stop them springing apart. I ended up modifying mine with anb additional plate but once you start engineering you could make something better.

Another source is in France http://www.francetrialclassic.com/ If you get stuck Dave Renham at Bultaco Uk is starting to do a lot more Montesa stuff

I found that breather while transporting my 348 on its side in my estate car! That mod on the later engine should be easy to do next rebuild. should be easy to drill and tap a blanking plug in the caseing then fit a breather and rubber snorkel. I have two engines for my bike and both have 'historic' rust inside.

I have tried and tried, read the manual and studied the wiring diagram but I cannot work out how to check with a multimeter when the points open. In all the books it says to connect to the black lead on the coil and any ground point. Some also say to remove the condenser wire while doing this. I have removed the condenser ready to fix it up under the tank where the heat wont affect it so much? My continuity buzzer simply buzzes constantly trying to set the ohms at different values has no effect either It looks to me from the wiring diagram that the points are grounded through one of the generator coils. What am I missing? Thanks for any help on this. Alex

I have been using a plumbers mat. It doesnt look too neat as it is too big ( around 8 inches by 12). that stuff is about 6mm thick and is still a tight fit. I eventually sorted this out. The problem some have suggested is that the silencer is empty. that is the wadding has all blown out. I therefore cut open the silencer and packed it with glass wool. I have covered the hole with alluminium pop riveted so I can open it up again in future. This seems to stop the silencer getting so hot. The tank fibreglass is not suffering the heat like it was.

Can you over pack the rear box? My 348 sounds awful, far too 'tingy' for my ears. Someone did come over to me and say how he enjoyed hearing an old mont again but I dont think its right. I cut the box open expecting to find it empty but it is hard packed with fairly clean looking fibreglass wool. Is it so tighly packed that it cannot absorb the shock waves? I still havent met a 348 owner while my biuke has been running so dont really know what it should sound like. Thanks

Thanks for all the advice above. I have been fixing up a basket case 348 over the past year. Mine was road registered 1979 frame number is 51M11660 I have trialed it a few times, each time I find something else to adjust or change. Today I am moving the condenser to under the tank. Re the exhaust system. Can anyone tell me ? Should the centre section of the exhaust have any kind of covering to stop the petrol tank getting so hot the paint melts? Mine has the GRP tank ie not the version that is a cover over a metal tank.