woody

Glad you got it sorted, never mentioned checking carb as thought you'd narrowed it down to electrical. As you've mentioned the Nostalgia trial, any idea if the regs are out yet and where? Not done it before and really keen to have a go this year but seen nothing about it yet. Mikuni is a good a replacement as anything but unless you can get one ready jetted you're going to have to play around with jetting as there is no base setting for any other carb than the Bing, as it was the only one fitted to the later 350s. There are 26/28mm Mikunis on ebay for

I've been told by a couple of people who have used them (not on Bultacos) that they perform well, straight out of the box without any need to re-jet. I'm still sceptical about that but they reckon so. I know someone who has one on a 240 Fantic with pilot re-jetted and it works well as a replacement for his clapped out dellorto. However, I know someone else who also had the same fitted to his 240 Fantic but he said it was no better than the dellorto on his which was in good order. Only thing to do is try one and be prepared to write off

Realistically, it should start ok (but not keep running) whatever plug is in it (within reason obviously) as long as the plug is functioning correctly. It's more likely one of the components in the ignition is failing that is causing the problem - HT coil, points, condensor or source coil. Replace the easy parts first, points and condensor and see if that improves things. If not then try the HT coil and finally the source coil. I normally use a BP7ES in the Ossa. There is, hopefully, going to be a new electronic ignition available for Ossas in the near future. It will be a complete system, new stator plate/source coil, new HT coil, new CDI unit and a new flywheel rotor. It will have a built in advance. The existing Ossa flywheel can't be used as there are 3 types for the Ossa - early motoplat electronic with the timing pin hole at 9 o'clock, later motoplat electronic with timing pin at 4 o'clock and the points type. To develop 3 ignitions to go with each flywheel would have been cost prohibitive so the solution was to develop one ignition with a new flywheel that will fit any electronic or points model, MAR or Gripper. I'm waiting to get one to try and will be very interested to see how it perfoms. The manufacturer already does a replacement HT coil and CDI unit to replace the motoplat HT coil and that performs very well, really letting the bike rev. No specific date yet as to when they will become available, price should be around

Any of the things mentioned above but also your bike may have the clutch bub located on the gear shaft by a woodruff key, some older models do. If that has sheared you'll have no drive to the clutch through the kickstart, it'll just turn the gearshaft and spin it inside the clutch hub. Check the clutch for slipping/woodruff key first, if it is neither of those the problem lies inside and you'll need to split the cases. Bults are the easiest engines to work on but you'd be amazed at how they can be codged up when reassembled by some people. Broken spring won't cause the problem of non-engagement

Scrutineering, rarely done these days for reasons of liability, no longer includes the 'road legal' check, it's riders responsibility, so you still find one or two people hiding from time to time....

Yes you need a licence for ACU events and you need to join a club to get the licence, licence is

Nothing you can do without a frame number. Either look out for frame on ebay or from a breakers which has a number and depending on whether it is in better or worse condition than yours, either swap everything from your bike into it, or grind the number off and re-stamp it onto your frame. If you use the number to stamp your own frame just make sure you never sell the bought frame with the number still on it

Yes Charlie, the registration fee applies to any vehicle, you don't pay road fund licence on anything pre73 If I were you I wouldn't mention anything about the frame being new or replacement, just write the frame number on the form as you would if it was the original BSA frame. All they're interested in at the inspection is that the bike is what you say it is and that the engine/frame numbers on the bike match those written on the form. They're not going to know anything about Faber frames etc. but if you mention it's a replacement frame they don't like frame swaps which could open a whole new can of worms and you could also find that they consider it 'new' which means no age related plate and paying for the road fund licence.

No, I meant bad - poor would have been too kind....

Don't see why not, the 340 is only an overbored 325 and 325 motors can be bored out to take the 340 piston (apart from the early 325 as the liner is too thin) Sure someone said once (probably Dabster) that Vesty used to run a 325 barrel on his 340 as the 325 had a bit sharper power delivery than the 340. Mr Renham will have all the answers on that

Yes it's a good bike, remember riding it many years ago. Miller round was pretty good, little bit more testing than usual and with the good weather, great scenery on the ride round it was very enjoyable. Roll on the Classic Experts at the same venue in November.

Almost impossible to diagnose a rattle really from a description but I had a new liner/piston put in my Yam and it rattled badly right from first start up. The rattle wasn't really noticeable when revving the engine but as the engine slowed down with no load it rattled and it rattled on tickover spped and just gentle blipping. Took the barrel and piston back, new liner fitted with the same piston (which was brand new) with instructions to peform a tighter bore. No rattle this time - yet anyway....

There is no longer a single answer to this question Jaan. It depends what you want, what the rules are where you ride and how much money you want to spend, but Pre65 bikes exist and are being ridden that fit all of the three categories you mention.

BOSTIT - just clicked who you are - must be you Simon, the very man I was referring to above. Was going to get someone to ask you at Stourbridge tomorrow if you could remember their name. If it is you..... PS If it is you and you are going to Shatterford tomorrow, make sure you thrash Dean on his Honda for us.

Yes, parts are available for the Hiro apparently. I was speaking to someone a couple of weeks ago who has found a source in Italy who can provide them. I don't have any details, or contact for him, but he found them by trawling the net. So looking back through ebay Italy, also checking completed items, to see if you can find the pistons and then try back tracking from there is an option. Or just trawl the net as he did and you may find the supplier - they have a lot of stuff I was told, even crankcase halves.

Jaan - I have all my Ossa/Bult wheels rebuilt with stainless spokes/nipples - no problems. Like Paul Mac, the oldest was done almost 20 years ago on my Ossa. This bike has had some very hard use over the years and I've never even needed to tighten a spoke, they were done (and have lasted) that well (by Central Wheel) Don't worry about your questions in English, there was nothing wrong with your question, I think the person who said it was funny was just genuinely curious as to why you were asking, not criticising. Just take a random look through the forum to see how bad the English is sometimes from people who have it as their native language. You could maybe teach them....

No, I'm not sure it's that restrictive. If you want to ride a modern bike in the series you have to be O/40, o/50 OR o/60 to ride in Class D, E or F. However, if you are O/50 and want to ride the O/50 class E and ride the easier sections this allows, I can't see any reason why you can't ride it on any bike you choose as you're not gaining any machine advantage in doing so. Anything other than a modern bike would actually be a handicap so riding a twinshock in Class E wouldn't be against the spirit of the class. That's how I see it

Yes, I guessed that the white, and probably yellow route in places too, prohibited sections in other areas. We've had to start puttting a white route in our club trials now and it does compromise what you can do with sections, but it's the only way to cater for all these days due to the wide range in abilities that modern riding presents. Still a great day out though, without question

Yes I'd like to have a go at the Novogar round but I'm a bit out of touch on a modern bike now and with a buggered wrist it may be one step too far ability wise. Would love a few more rocky stream sections in next years Forest trial though - can never get enough of them

Yes, must be section 10, last one in the woods before going back up onto the road to Alan/Anne Sagar's section. The left hand drop was steep but ok if you picked the right line down it but it didn't give you the best line (for yellow) into the next part of the section, so the right hand drop was better option. The observer did mention there had been one or two 'incidents' on it.... The Bulto is reliable enough but the carb is finished and it needs a new one. It won't run clean and was getting worse all day. Good job none of the sections needed big revs. The front forks are tragic and I can't get them to work - may have to throw some Ossa internals into them - so had a good old wrestle with it all day up the rocks streams where it had a mind of its own. Biggest mistake I made was to chrome the exhaust having forgotten to repack it first. There's nothing left in it which also affects the way it runs so it's going to have to be opened up - I could weep at that mistake. Really enjoyed the ride around, first two loops are my favourite, the first couple of sections in the very last little group on the third loop are good testers for a twinshock. Can't help looking at some of the big sections on the harder routes though - may have to ride a modern contraption next year and have a go at the inters route.

Another enjoyable event even though the weather did its hardest to spoil things. Many thanks to all the course plotters, organisers, observers, score girls etc. who put in an awful lot of hard work to run this event

Ossa themselves weren't interested in doing the cantilever/monoshock, neither were they interested in the reed valve that Ossa UK and some privateers were using (shame as the reed conversion really improved the 250) All the cantilever bikes were UK built and John Reynolds had good results on them, although he was a top notch rider so it's arguable he would have done just as well on the standard suspension layout. The engine must have worked well even with the compromised exhaust/airbox design, given JR's results, but I guess the cantilever didn't significantly improve the rear end as Yamaha dropped it and Ossa UK didn't continue with it with the later models

Yes, rare indeed if it is one of the original Cheney bikes, which it appears to be, although I don't know much about the cantilever models really. Not '79 though, more likely '76-77ish. They first appeared in '75. The later bikes had the motocross barrel and reed valves. Can't see if it has a reed but it isn't the 4 fin Phantom barrel. Wonder what they'd make of it if someone turned up and entered the twinshock class on one - it should be eligible really as they are the bikes it competed against in its time. However, later twinshocks would thrash it out of sight performance wise. It certainly wouldn't be fair to make it compete in the aircooled mono class as it's no match for those bikes either. Rare bike but a steep price.

But that's my point entirely - they don't look Pre65 in appearance with all those billet parts. I didn't really want to start off the whole eligibility topic again as firstly it's been done to death, secondly it goes nowhere and thirdly I'm sick to the back teeth with the absurdity of it all. However, when I read the statement about machine scrutineering at this year's event I couldn't help myself. I might even go up there next year just to see for myself whether 'offending parts' are used again on certain bikes.... I also can't understand the fuss about non-British carbs - did no-one make carburettors before 1965 apart from Amal and Villiers??? Was it not possible to fit another type of carb before 1965? Surely not? Most Amals have worn out by now. Yes you can buy new Amals but they are not particularly good. I bought one for my C15 and it wouldn't come off idle properly and spit stalled regularly. Turned out the pilot airway was blocked from casting and had to be drilled out. Now it runs ok. Bought an Amal for my Bultaco recently, exactly the same spec as the original (on which the body is worn so runs on and won't shut off through drawing air) Guess what - the bike wouldn't even start when it always starts first kick. Needed a bigger pilot to get it running and it is still too weak even with a #35 to accelerate properly off idle although #35 is way too big and makes it very lumpy off idle. So probably an internal passageway blocked again so more drilling required. It may or may not cure it. Or just fit a Mukini or OKO to make the bike run as the designer intended with no hassle - but not possible on Pre65 - although Yorkshire Classic (or Red Rose ??) allow Dellorto on Cubs only.... Why..?? Totally agree with your last paragraph - i'ts what I've done with my C15 but part of the enjoyment is riding to the best of my ability and be at the sharp end of the results if I can. I can't compete against the others on a standard bike. All I want is a bike on which the suspension works, no trick lightweight frame or billet hubs etc. It has original frame, a steel Bantam rear hub, Grimeca front (looks like British conical if polished) Ossa forks which look like MP which are very common, Cota yokes which are virtually identical to the billet yokes that many are using with no problem. Cost of my front end =

Yes, Enfields had leading axle alloy sliders. I had a pair that I was going to use on my C15 and get better internals fitted etc. as my Ossa forks (although looking like anything else used in Scotland) aren't allowed. However, finding someone to do it for me and then the cost of doing it (horrifying) meant it just wasn't possible. It's not something I can do myself so it didn't happen and I sold them. As Enfield forks are genuine Pre65 and the eligibility stance has for some years been 'period look', regardless of what the eligibility criteria actually says, I really don't see why a pair of Bultaco or Marzocchi forks can't be used - how different are they going to look, when modified slightly, from the Enfield sliders on Murray's bike. I've long since given up trying to make any sense of it, other than it's who you are that determines what you can get away with. This year they have apparently inspected every bike and compared the components fitted against the components that the competitor had to declare are fitted to the bike when entering. Competitors have been advised of minor indescretions in order that they can be corrected for next year. So, for example, when a bike was being examined and the competitor has stated the following on the form:- Fork yokes - Pre65 BSA, Triumph or whatever Hubs - Pre65 BSA Triumph or whatever and the scrutineer looks at the bike and sees nice shiny Alan Whitton billet machined hubs, brakeplates, yokes, I wonder what happened, as the form states they must be Pre65 design only. I guess next year, all those bikes with those billet components fitted will have had them removed and replaced with original steel assemblies - yeah, right... I can understand what the committee wanted to do, along time ago perhaps, but 1) it's way too late now and 2) the way the eligibility rules are interpreted and enforced is utterly inconsistent. I know someone who has used polished Fantic 200 yokes for years without problem and will use them again next year without a problem. Personally I don''t care what they fit to their bikes and I've nothing against them, I just wish the organiser's stance would be to understand that not everyone can throw pots of money at specialists to build a bike that 'complies' with the regs. There are people who can modify their own bikes using parts from breakers that will bolt straight on and give them working suspension and alloy hubs, for a fraction of the cost of the specialist bikes. Why force Joe Bloggs on a limited budget to compete on a standard uncompetitive bike against the richer man's bells and whistles modernised version.... Or am I seeing it all wrong?