woody

Thanks for that, but when you say engine number, does the engine number include a prefix/suffix of FM364, or would the model number FM364 be displayed on its own in addition to an engine number. From what I've read/heard before, bikes like the 200 or 240 actually have the FM number shown seperately, maybe on a fixed on plate? Basically, we need to ensure that a bike is a 303 and not a 243 or 203. The decals have long rubbed off so the problem is how to verify what it is, as they all look the same without decals. The bike is elsewhere and the person checking knows as much about Fantics as I do, so I'm trying to explain where to check by email/phone.

Anyone know where to find the model number, FM364, on a 303 Fantic. On the frame, engine or both? I'm assuming it would definitely be on the engine somehwere?

ebay majesty

You need to speak to Nigel Birkett for a definitive answer. I was thinking of doing the same with a 250 I once had and I'm sure I was told the head would need work, strange I thought seeing as they were built as 325 and sleeved down to 250, so maybe the 250 was fitted with a different head. The 250 should go well enough if you take off the big crank weight on the clutch side which will allow the motor to spin up quicker, should you feel the 325 conversion is too much agro.

The forks on all the Jap twinshocks let them down, too softly damped and too softly sprung - unless the rider weighs about 10 stone. I'll be trying a KT in a trial sometime soon and I'm interested to see how it rides. A brief ride on it so far suggests it isn't as bad as people say but time will tell. I used to go to a classic trial in France each year until it fell victim to the green twats. One year a Swiss rider, Jack Aebi turned up on a standard KT250 that had been in a barn for years, it was original, even the shocks. He won the trial so they can't be that bad.

New Repsol model finally looks like it should - about time. Nice. Just me so far then that thinks the ordinary version looks absolutely awful in virtually all black

Most 250 Majesties had standard TY motor. I had one once, bottom gear only bike. Probably only a few supported riders got ported engines. Tried an ex Scarlett 250 once. So different from mine and every other 250 I've ridden. Agree with you on the cost of everything else though but I'd also put it beyond

There have been 250 Majesties on ebay in recent months, in original tidy condition, and the highest bid for one of them was around

Tank looks like SWM

There's a James just appeared in the classifieds - might save you a lot of trouble as you won't build one with all the trick bits for the asking price eg

Choice of shocks can be a personal thing but I only use Falcons now. I think he has received enough feedback over the years from good riders to have the damping/spring rates pretty much right for most popular bikes/rider weight combinations. In terms of how well they work together with their cost (steel bodied versions that is) I think they are the best value for money. Fantic is without doubt a better bike but the Ossa is also more than capable of handling today's classic sections when set up well. And whilst they're not unique, as you say, you certainly don't see that many around whereas there were bloody Fantics everywhere at the Nostalgia - wait for the obvious response from the Fantic boys..... (I do like the 240 actually)

Have a look at the link below to a previous post covering the same issue. It's very unlikely you will get a cushdrive sleeve puller from anywhere in the UK. They are available in the US from Keith Lynas at Ossa Planet, but f you read this post you may be able to form your own means of removing the sleeve. Don't, whatever you do, try and lever it off as it will break, they're brittle. Unless you are really lucky and have one that doesn't sit too tight on the crankshaft. Most are real buggers to remove though. Link to a previous post on clutch removal Didn't manage to find you at the Nostalgia. I caught a glimpse of a green Ossa a couple of sections away on one lap which may have been you but that was all, never saw it again.

If you can find a number for him you could try Brian Griffiths at Hereford as he had JCM parts. If it is a 1986 bike with a conventional fibreglass fuel tank it will have the Italian Tau engine. It was the later bikes with the dummy tank cover (as the position of the fuel tank and airfilter were reversed, fuel under the seat, airfilter under the dummy tank cover that hid the air filter) that shared the same type engine as the GasGas I think.

Don't believe anything shares the same spline as the RTL. Have you tried Ellastone Offroad as they are always bringing stuff in from Japan, he knows Hondas pretty well and may be able to source an RTL kickstart for you. If you really get stuck and it's preventing the bike being ridden, assuming it's a rider not a looker, it's possible to fit a TLR200 shaft, casing and kickstart to one of the RTL motors, not sure which one, or maybe both. Not sure about how this would position the kickstart in relation to the frame/ancilliaries though, it may foul something.

Or you can rip out the centre tube to open the airbox up and fit a top loading filter like the TY Mono. Not done that myself as I've an alloy airbox on mine but I've seen it done. Supposed to increase airflow. When I first bought mine it had the standard airbox, in very bad shape, hence the alloy fabricated one, and it was drilled through the front and both sides with holes, using the standard filter. No idea what difference the holes being there made, if any to be honest, but that bike revved its nuts off so there was no problem with airflow through the standard filter.

Timing and front forks will come down to personal preference eventually as not everyone likes the same set up. A starting point for timing would be 2.5 - 3mm BTDC although it can be anywhere between 1.5 - 3.5. I normally go for 2mm as I like a lazy motor off the bottom so I can plonk it without the clutch. Too retarded though and it will run backwards very easily and can cause much hilarity for your mates, potentialy much physical pain for yourself. Not sure about the air gap on the forks as I do it by volume. Start with say 180cc in each leg and as the Bulto damping is quite soft I'd start with 15W oil. Modern 2.5 and 5W fork oil wasn't around when these forks were designed and generally it's too thin, turning them into pogo sticks. Can't remember the rear shock length off the top of my head but most bikes are 13.4 inches from the centre to centre of the mounting bush. Check on Falcon Shocks website as it gives the shock lengths for all bikes. Going back to the points, they are generally very reliable. If you're riding it in water, just take the usual precaution of ensuring that the timing cover is completely sealed to prevent water getting in. Always a good idea too, to take it off periodically and make sure it is definitely dry in there. If it does get in it may not get to the points but it can do the main bearing/seal no good if there is silt in it.

Can't help you with the number Fred, but just get on the AMCA website and get the office number, they will have the details

Doesn't matter, it's not a twinshock, end of the argument. TY monos destroy twinshocks in sections, they are far better in all respects as a mono and don't lose too much of that advantage with two shocks welded on. People who do it are missing the point. 99% of the time people are riding twinshocks as they have some affinity with a particular model or marque, probably the bike they rode back then or the bike they wanted to ride but couldn't afford. Now they just want to enjoy riding them again, either instead of or alongside their modern bike. Or maybe they weren't around back then and just prefer classic trials to modern. Converted monos are for one reason only, to gain an advantage to try and clean up in a twinshock class - why else. Forget 'spirit of the event', it's just plain cheating. It's impossible to have any affinity for the bike as it never existed as a twinshock. If people want a competitive twinshock to win on, one they have no particular connection to or history with, they should just buy a 240 Fantic, the best 'out of the box' twinshock there is. If people like the mono, whatever the make, then ride it as a mono on a suitable route in any suitable trial, so what if there isn't a specific class, being out on the bike is what matters. Why do people think it's acceptable to convert a TY Mono? By the same reasoning it's acceptable to do it to a GasGas Raga Rep or a 4RT. Someone I know tried to get an entry into the Nostalgia classic trial with his Seeley but couldn't because it was full - with two places having gone to an aircooled mono and a mono converted to twinshocks...

As said, not much needs doing really. If the Bing isn't worn then they run perfectly well on these, no need to change it, just make sure it is set up correctly. Brakes with stoppy/front endo power aren't really needed in classic trials as there is nowhere that you have to turn on the spot and disappear back up the path you've just come down. If the chrome has pitted badly it will wear the shoes out quicker but steel linered hubs are available on an exchange from Bultaco UK if you really need them. I really wouldn't bother trying to alter the steering. Yes, Bultos are a bit long compared to other bikes and you either like them or not, but classic sections these days are nowhere near as hard as the sections being ridden when the bike was new so there is nothing that it can't be steered around. You could try 10mm longer rear shocks to quicken it slightly - Falcon do different length shock top mounts that allow a bit of experimentation. Electronic ignition is personal choice really. It won't give the bike any more power but you can forget about failing points and condensors. Mine and my mate's Bultos are on points and no problems with any of them. Just get everything set up as it should be, forks working well (I find them under damped) shocks, carb, timing etc. and the bike will perform well. One of the best trials motors the 325 Bulto, big flywheels let it drop to nothing in the first three gears and the power will easily let it pick up again without slipping the clutch. Pulls like a train. Luvverly

You can still get Michelin tubed but they are no longer the X11, unless you can find someone who has new old stock. The Michelin tubed is now called the Trial Competition and is based on the old X1. They are not supposed to grip very well at all in mud, a mate of mine tried one and can vouch for that....

I'm at the Nostalgia trial on Saturday (I hope - no confirmation of entry yet) and it is my club's 2 day this weekend as well, so I am setting sections out for that tomorrow and will be there on Sunday, so no Miller round for me this time - look forward to your usual report though.

You can't torque them as they aren't screwed down tight. Tighten them down until they just bottom out, don't overdo it, then back them off three to four turns each. You should be able to go four turns for a lighter clutch lever action if the springs and plates are good. At four turns there may be some very slight slipping on the kickstart but that's normal, although if you get it onto TDC and push rather than kick you probably won't get any slipping at all. The spring tension is a bit of trial and error. Try starting it a few times before you refit the clutch cover just to make sure there is no excess slipping, as you can't get at the nuts to make any adjustment when that is back on.

Have you guys had confirmation that you're entered then? I've entered but had nothing back so far. I think my cheque may have been cashed, but I can't check until tomorrow.

You may have problems with the mono rear hub. I think it is 32 hole which restricts you to the newer type Morad tubeless rims, earlier rims were 36, so they're going to be expensive. Or an earlier flanged rim off a Beta techno which are 32 hole. The biggest problem may be getting spokes to fit due to the mono's Z spokes meaning that conventional spokes won't fit. You may be better off looking for a different hub to lace a tubeless rim to. Whichever way, tubeless rims are crazy money now.

I don't think Ossa's numbering system was documented accurately because I have a couple of bikes whose numbers are missing from the ranges shown in the ID charts too. One for a '75 350 MAR which starts 43 and one for a Green '80 250 which starts 700. Both are genuine numbers that the bikes were registered with and the engine/frame numbers match. Maybe yours is another range that is missing from the chart. If it is definitely a '76 model it could be either a 250 or 350. Assuming it no longer has its original decals (green for 250, red/green for 350) they look identical other than the cylinder fins in the 350 have cut-outs machined into them, the 250 fins are solid. It should have angled (like a Majesty) as opposed to upright rear shocks. If it's an early '76 model it will have a short chrome front pipe that goes straight up and over the head. Later '76 has a longer pipe that comes round the side of the frame before going over the head and it will also have a longer tail pipe. Difficult to guess what you have really, have a look at this site which has brochure pictures of some models and see if you can recognise yours (although it lists the '75 350 as '76) Brochure pictures Or this one which has a correct picture of the '76 bike - select the Ossa Gallery link in the Pictures and Links section Ossa site