woody

He was making Hi-boy frames from about 1969 but I don't know whether the first years were just for himself or for sale to customers. They were made for a number of years during the seventies but I've no idea what the differences were throughout the range. You really need to find out from Millers which year it is, they should be able to tell you from the SM frame number. Then you may get an idea of what it should look like. Have a look on ebay UK at item number 220347140812 which is an early Hi-boy slimline bike.

Fantic tanks paint ok, no idea whether they are a different material from the Bultaco tanks. A mate of mine has a Fantic tank that has been painted for years and it hasn't lifted. Doesn't appear to be lined with anything. At the twinshock team trial last year Bill Pye's team were on Fantics and they all had painted tanks. They weren't lined as I asked him, just painted with 2-pack with flexible plastic primer. I've used Caswells on a fibreglass tank - is it made to work with the polyprop... tanks, can it stick to that? I had a Sherpa tank painted almost 2 years ago, not lined with anything, decals applied and then lacquered. I've never been able to use it as the captive nuts pulled so I couldn't seal the tap. It's had petrol in it but not for long but it must have fumes in it still. So far no problem. One day I'll get round to just putting a bit of fuel in it and leave it to see if it does lift the paint over time.

Love it - just the way it should be - happened to me a few times in the past so I know what you mean.... Nice bike. I agree with you about the engine, I tried one for the first time a while back and the motor was very smooth and quite torquey, felt a lot better than the TLR250 motor. I only tried it on a piece of flat ground and it didn't feel noticeably heavy riding it (as opposed to lifting it....) but I imagine it could be a handful up some of the more serious sections if it started to get away, especially rocky streams. Absolutely ideal for the Miller series though.

Painting not recommended as it won't stick - the stantions are the chrome tubes.... Assuming you mean twinshock TY (as from new the mono TY had painted fork bottoms/legs/sliders - take your pick as they have various names) the legs are polished and lacquered from the factory so whatever you do, the lacquer, or what's left of it, will have to come off first. Then you can either polish them or get them painted/powdercoated or whatever. Just personal choice. In our climate though, polished alloy, Japanese in particular, doesn't always survive too well and it can (not necessarily will) fur up or corrode unless it's protected. Not sure how you get lacquer to stick to highly polished alloy though as it would have nothing to key into. They weren't mirror polished from the factory. For what it's worth, I have some highly polished TY fork legs and they've lasted ok so far, although the bike's had little use yet and hasn't been submerged in mud regularly but it has sat in a damp garage and so far they're ok.

About the 1 minute mark - I love the way she fingers his antenna......... But he missed burying his helmet in the best two balloons in the arena... Going back to the Cobos vid, the man really has got some balls trying that given his serious knee injury from a few years back. Those get-offs were a long way down

I spotted it almost as soon as it came on but not soon enough, Colin phoned the seller but his phone was busy, when he phoned back some smarta*** had already been on and told him what it was - he had no idea until then. By the time Colin got him he'd accepted an offer of

Just had a quick look at this bike tonight whilst helping my mate set up his stand at the show. Looks like the TL frame with the TLR200 motor fitted as opposed to a new frame for the TLR. Could be wrong but with the quick look I had, that's what it appeared to be. Whereas I don't think the TLR Hondas are the best or most competitive twinshock trials bike (overpriced and over-rated to me) I don't understand why anyone who owns one would want to spend that sort of money on changing the frame as there is not much wrong with the original. The TLR chassis isn't bad at all and it's light too, it's the engine that puts it behind the other leading twinshocks, I can't see any gain in swapping the frame at all. The TLR is also a nice looking bike but this looks old fashioned to me in comparison, too much like the TL kit. The one thing I did notice though was that the silencer fouls the rear mudguard badly to the extent that the mudguard has a fairly large piece cut out of it to accomodate it. Not pretty and not a good design, it looks awful on a show bike and makes you wonder if anything else has been compromised. There's a very nice Honda on display on a stand just behind Miller's stand, next to Simon Bateman's Villers stand. One-off special TLR250 with a TLR250R engine fitted. Stunning.

Steve was from around the Midlands originally and used to practise in our local quarry along with Arthur Browning and Dave Smith (enduro rider, nice bloke sadly no longer with us) As well as being a Bultaco sponsored rider Steve was quite innovative and used to come up with his own designs for trials frames/swingarms (and other stuff including BMX) He had made various frames throughout the 70s, not sure exactly which bikes for apart from Bultaco. John Collins has one of Steve's Bultacos which he rides in Sammy Miller events now and again. It has a novel airbox/fuel tank layout. No idea if that Montesa is one of Steve's or not. It is so close in design/appearance to the standard Mont frame though. Forgot to mention, he lives in Cornwall/Devon somewhere now (or did at least) no longer involved in trials

It comes with a short cable (say about 3") which goes between the lightner and your clutch lever. Then your existing clutch cable fits into the lightner. There is a lever inside the lightner with a 3 pivot points to get a leverage ratio, both cables fit to either end of the lever. The problem with this is that unless you shorten your clutch cable you end up with a very big and tight loop on its way down to the arm on the engine as it's fastening point has now moved by about 6". The Yam cable is already overly long as it is. The increased bending to route it may just negate any gain the gismo has. Having tried one on an Ossa in the past I didn't think it was that effective to be honest, but this is all subjective/personal opinion. First thing I'd do is fit a Venhill Featherlite cable as they can make a difference on their own, cheapest and quickest option. If it still isn't light enough for you then extend the clutch arm. How much by doesn't come into it due to its location. The shape of the engine casing means you can only add about 1" max, maybe not even that much, from memory. It's steel so you haven't got to find a welder who can weld alloy. If you do those two things I'd be really surprised if you didn't find it light enough. Mine has and it's a one figure pull easy.

If you want to lighten the clutch action without removing springs just extend the clutch arm under the engine

No, TY frame didn't change after that. The Yam framed Maj still had the red/blue seat but used the standard seat base, it was just re-covered. If I put the Yam frame seat on my Godden it's not a snug fit and will move from side to side as the curved edges are wider than the frame rails, so I was guessing that the Godden seat would be too narrow for the Yam frame. I'll try mine and see sometime. Is yours a seat from Craig then Bo? If it is then they obviously do fit as I'm sure he only sells them for the Godden frame, or at least used to.

It's not the wheelbase with the Bultaco that causes a problem, its wheelbase is about the same as any other bike, most are between 51.5" and 52.5". It's the steering geometry that makes it a bit lazy when trying to get it back on line after you've lost it. A bike with quicker steering can be brought back on line quicker. Ossa MK2 has the same wheelbase as the Bulto as near as dammit and it is really agile up rocky streams as it has quick(ish) steering compared to most other bikes of the time. The MK1 Ossa was shorter at 51" but for the MK2 they added about 1.5" to the swingarm to help keep the front down on climbs and aid grip. It steers exactly the same as the MK1 as the geometry is the same but the MK1 will turn a tighter circle because of the shorter wheelbase. Either is a very agile bike and can be ridden really slowly up rock streams/gullies and basically placed wherever you want it to go. So the wheelbase isn't the problem. With the Bulto they have to be ridden quicker and more in a straight line up that type of section due to the lazier steering. Can't say either one is any more stable though. To be accurate, no bike is going to be stable if the rider can't hang on to it and hold the line, they'll all fly all over the place. Best thing to concentrate on is getting the suspension working as best you can front and back as that will give the best benefit up rock sections. The damping in Bulto forks is too soft and it's hard to stop them topping out on rebound. I've even had them at the point where I've too much oil in (and this is 30 weight) so that they hydraulic on compression but still top out on rebound.... Not much you can do with that. I cured it by fitting some Ossa MAR damper rods as the Ossa forks work better. The rear suspension mod is done by tipping the engine upwards very slightly due to the shape of the rear of the engine, in order to allow the swingarm pivot to be moved as close to the engine as possible. Don't know the exact measurement by how much they pivot it upwards but it's not much. They didn't use the standard swingarm on this mod though, a longer one was used, otherwise the wheelbase would be down to under 51" and that is without moving the steering back. As regards the flywheel weights, why do you want to lighten them. Do you really want a 325/3400 Bult to pick up any quicker? The trade off is that you will lose the additional flywheel inertia that gives the engine so much plonk at low speed. You'll end up with an engine that just wants to stall at slow speed and which will require constant use of the clutch to prevent that. I'd leave it alone to be honest. Or if you must experiment, try the flywheel and crank weight from a 250 both of which are lighter as at least that is a bolt on/off solution. For rear shocks I'd use Falcons and ask for an additional top mount which is 10mm or so longer so that you can experiment with the difference longer rear shocks make to the steering. Easier than cutting frames.

Not sure the Majesty seat will fit the Yam frame. They are made for the Godden frame and that is a little narrower across the seat rails than the Yam frame. It may not sit right - and for that money you'd want it to sit right.

Can't help with the forks/wheel but unless you're handy with the cutting and welding gear, if you can afford a Faber frame go for one. I've seen a picture of the latest one with the bottom frame tubes (still oil in frame) and it looks a lot nicer than the old one. Raising the engine, dropping the subframe etc. is a lot of fiddly work, Faber is the easier option

No, practise isn't allowed there, trials only as far as I'm aware (our club, Stafford Auto, uses it for events as well as Acorns and BMCA). If you want to double check though you can try phoning the AMCA office ans see whether they can give you a contact number for Acorns trials secretary as he will have the definitive answer, but I'm sure it's no.

To the best of my knowledge there is nothing missing in the first photo where the metal is torn, no idea what has happened there. Bolt on footrest kit is available from Sammy Miller and fits in the way Bo D has mentioned. Trail and Trials may be the same kit, I don't know. You don't want to mount them too far back though as it will make it very light on the front and also bugger up the steering due to the altered riding stance. The modern 'standing in the bike' riding position doesn't necessarily work on older bikes. Just lowering them should be enough really without going back, but personal choice in the end. The shocks mount directly onto the frame tube yes, but the whole of the rear cradle was moved on the Majesty so you will probably never get the exact positioning on the standard frame. However, just angling them should improve things. A triangular gusset was fitted in the angle between the shock uprights and the seat tubes. See the post in the Yamaha forum about the bike on ebay. Booma has posted a photobucket link to pics of his Yam that has the shocks moved and a gusset fitted with pictures to show. The footrests on the ebay bike are quite a way back though. The Majesty tank mounts in the same way as the standard tank, two rubber mounts at the front fitted to the tank locate in the C shaped brackets on the frame. Only the seat holds the back of the tank in place. Edit - Booma has removed his link and replaced with one photo. PM him for his link if you want to see the photos.

The TY twinshock doesn't need a tool to remove the front wheel spindle so guessing you have a mono. You just need a large enough allen key with which to unscrew it. I expect a Yam dealer could get you the actual Yamaha tool which also removes the spark plug and rear wheel nut, but it isn't really necessary, just find an Allen key or hex drive large enough. If you can't, you can always use a bolt with the appropriate sized head with two nuts locked together on the other end to hold them in place. Use one end in the spindle and put a spanner on the other to turn it. If you have a twinshock it just pulls out after loosening the clamps.

Lizzy, you really need to know which carb you have because as Feetupfun has mentioned there are quite a few different types of Mikuni and parts aren't interchangeable between all of them. I can't see how B&J or any dealer can supply you the jets without knowing which type you have. Even the new VM carbs that you can buy come with two different types of needle and needle jet and they must be paired correctly. They won't work with each other. Mikunis are an absolute minefield to jet because of the many variants. If you could post a picture someone may recognise it if it is an OEM carb from another bike (which is probable) Does it bolt on to the cylinder or does it push into a rubber hose. This is a link to the website of the Mikuni importer here in the UK, Allens, and it lists all current carbs that they can supply new. Take a look and you will get an idea of the number of variants for carb bodies, jets, needles and needle jets, just for the current range.... Allens

I'd try a simple change before you go altering the chassis and that is to fit longer rear shocks, or extending your own, which will also have the affect of pulling the front end in a little. Due to the design/layout of the Sherpa frame there is little room for pulling in the Sherpa forks on the head angle or by reducing the offset with different yokes as the front mudguard will hit the frame downtube if it is moved rearwards even slightly. I've never really understood the 'stability' theory of the Sherpa. I find they can get off line the same as any bike up rocky streams/gullies but because they have a lot of lead on the fork angle you need a lot of room to get back on line, KT kwak is the same. I have a 199b and apart from the 10mm longer shocks it is standard. Steering in tight stuff is fine, although it has a lot of lead on the forks, the turning circle is tight. I'm more concerned about improving the crap front forks than steering. The bikes that had the swingarm pivot moved forwards by Commerfords here in the UK were done to improve rear suspension travel and grip, not turning. They had longer swingarms to compensate for the pivot moving forward. You really don't want anything less than 51" wheelbase otherwise your never going to keep the front down. You can get that wheelbase by running the rear wheel as far forward as possible.

Well, it's Border Bikes who have them in stock and on sale at them moment

Yes, in my experience that is correct, with or without the tube, no need for security bolt/tyre lock

If you mean a second hand used crank (rather than a new crank or conrod kit) you could try the following, assuming you're UK. In-Motion (Bultaco UK) Sammy Miller Wakefield Offroad Ellastone Offroad Price could be anything up to about

Could well be a Shirt silencer yes, I seem to remember a different shape one from his usual type appearing at some stage. It's actually the same shape as the Kato one that I have but that is in alloy. Straight through should sharpen it up and maybe give it more mid to top end power. If the perforated tube in the silencer has an S bend it makes it a bit softer ans gives a bit more bottom end torque

Come on Malc, you two have got to get to learn about your Bultos now you know. Model 91 is 72/73 250 Sherpa, the model after the 80, so your engine/frame are only one model apart which is nothing to bother about. I'll be impressed if it is done for the opening Miller round, that's a tight schedule. I'm trying to get my model 92 done which is the 325 version of Gav's bike. Be nice if the pair of them are there. You know where you went wrong with the 'er indoors' knowing how many bikes you have by the way - not trading her in for the first one....

Well, that's more like the price I thought they should be - apart from this ebay item though, no-one seems to advertise prices anymore. Someone I know phoned BVM this week and couldn't get a price out of them for a new bike, two different brands I think. Personally, I've no idea of the prices of the current bikes, doubt I'll ever be buying one again so don't follow them, but the prices I mentioned were the prices I was told by someone last week who has recently bought a new 250 GasGas. If they're correct I'd no idea they'd gone so high. Will many people be spending that sort of money on a trials bike in this economic climate. Used car market is dead at the moment so what chance of hobby bikes selling in the sort of volumes from previous years. Still can't believe over