woody

Did you ever have a MK3.... You couldn't make them any worse

Looks like a bad position for the oil cooler, no protection, could get caught or drop the bike on that side and it's easily damaged which could be end of trial Pit bike oil coolers look about the right size, usually on ebay.

You'd have to be nuts and I doubt it would be in favour with the traffic police, if at all it's even legal. The view of the vehicle number plate is partially obscured as a minimum offence. Then imagine if it drops into gear whilst in transit.......

It's been a while since I rode in this event so can't remember the course, how much roadwork is involved? Is it just a road crossing or short stint down a lane, or is there some distance involved?

News from the organisers for next year's series There are 8 rounds, 7 new venues, 6 new clubs. Our aim is to rotate the clubs and venues each year to keep the series fresh, there are now 15 clubs interested in hosting events. 22nd March Congleton MCC Mow Cop 19th April Nene Valley MCC Daventry 14th June. Red Rose Classic Lancashire 26th July Zona 1 MCC Gloucestershire 9th August Cornish Centre Wadebridge 23rd August North of England Newcastleton 13th September Aqueduct Classics. Llangollen 26th October. Central Wales Auto. Knighton Website currently being rebuilt by Kia and should be more user friendly in the future. Some rule changes and a new class to follow! Follow updates via the face book page - National Twinshock Championship NOTE: There may be a change to the Red Rose date of 14th June as there are other classic events on both that and the previous weekend (a Miller round and Alvie 2 day) Updates will communicated on the Twinshock Trials Championship facebook page

They changed the fork legs for a different spindle fitting in '72 with the model 91/92 From the model 91 the spindle nut is recessed (like the 198a) along with the new style conical front hub Prior to that, the spindle nut located on the outside of the fork leg and the front wheel was the older style, not the conical type You should be able to modify them ok, from memory. You have to be careful with Bultaco forks, much of the components look the same but there are subtle differences. The forks on 250 models from the 158 to the 190 are shorter than the 350 forks from the same years because of the different frame. The bottom yoke is also not as deep. They reverted to normal length from the 198.

That is this bike, it should have a silver frame, it's been repainted red. Some still had the older type kickstart

349/4 was the first one to have this frame and kicked up swingarm, it followed the white model. Then came the 350 which was essentially the same bike, different colour scheme and some minor detail changes (didn't know about the oil check screw mentioned above) That's what this bike looks like, the 350 variant. I had one when they were new. Great bike apart from the clutch which must date back to the 60s, but the new era twinshocks like Fantics, Armstrong etc were better for the trick riding that was prevalent then. Superb bike for classic events now, which don't require all that trick stuff. The 349 motor is one of the best twinshock engines ever. Then there is the MH349 which is also the same bike, again with different colours. This is the model that was being sold off cheap for £799 by Appleyards during the air-cooled mono era when most new bikes were probably £1600 and more

I've always found the opposite.... They act as a great rear / engine brake as long as the rear tyre has traction. If it is used on a slippery surface, the engine braking affect just stalls the engine as the rear wheel is unable to bite into the surface and overcome the engine braking to keep it rotating, the wheel skids and the engine just stops. There is less engine braking affect without the decrompressor. Pull the decrompressor in on ice and see what happens. I became pretty good at using them as I used to use those fitted to my Bultacos and Ossas a lot back in the 70s, but only if the surface gave the rear tyre something to bite into, otherwise it was front brake only and a whiff of rear with engine braking on slippy descents. Most fun use on the Ossa was on the road and pulling it in on high revs whilst passing bus stops or crowded pavements as the noise scared the cr@p out of people

Had a 325 when it was a couple of years old and liked it but Fantics and Armstrongs etc were on the way in, so it was becoming out dated. Superb motor and gripped really well For today's classic sections they will cope easily. I've a last model 325 tucked away waiting for a rebuild, but there are a couple of Sherpas need finishing first. Intention is to ride it in some Miller rounds and/or twinshock series.

Thanks Sparks - good tip about surface speed of the flywheel, I hadn't thought of that. I think I had the speed about 800 if I can work out the reading correctly... I was actually skimming the face of it, theory being that if I keep the larger diameter, it will retain most of the inertia characteristic whilst being a bit lighter, helping it pick up a bit quicker but not losing inertia and causing it to stall easily. Feels as though I may have taken a bit much off riding it around the garden but won't know really until I get it out under proper conditions. Three attempts at fixing the broken kickstart shaft now and three failures, but you don't know if you don't try... I enjoy having a go but know my limitations... and keep finding new ones. But I've learned from others and taught myself a bit so I can at least do most of the stuff on my own bikes now. All part of the overall experience which culminates in what I enjoy most - riding trials.

Looks as though it is the Cota 350 version but with a red frame, they were silver/grey originally All of the 349 range began 51 so that doesn't help identify it as a specific variant

Too late for the yellow card Sparks, I had to yellow card myself from the lathe this evening following a skirmish with an Ossa ignition flywheel. An attempt to lighten one saw it stage a successful bid for freedom from the chuck. 7lbs of spinning mayhem flew across the bench like one of Barnes Wallace's finest creations. Fortunately the direction it took saw it trapped in the corner at the end of the bench where it finally span and bounced itself to rest. If it had come my way, I may well have a new head with Motoplat stamped on it... A sharp lesson of a little knowledge and ambition far outweighing the skill set.... I did persevere and get it done, but it appears I've taken off too much after trying it on the bike... I won't mention too much detail of the earlier attempt to pin and weld my broken BSA kickstart shaft, but the attempt to start the bike with the 'repaired' shaft, the subsequent cracking sound and accompanying cry of pain, and a kickstart hanging limply from the shaft, may suggest to some that it wasn't the success it first seemed to be... Tomorrow will be a spanners only day

Standard there are two seals per leg, I can't remember the actual thickness of them now, but probably 5 or 6mm . There is no spacer between them. I only use one 10mm thick seal, same size as for the KTM SX65, so if you buy a genuine KTM seal you know it should be good quality. Not sure if the seals have identifying markings as to whether they're rotary or hydraulic but any seal distributor should know. I believe rotary type can leak quite quickly if used in forks.

ok, firstly, when it comes to giving advice on stuff like this I'm not an engineer, so it isn't necessarily the correct way, but it works for me... Fit shoes to brake plate and put in lathe. I made a 'mandrel' to fit the brake plate onto and it is a tight push fit, so the mandrel can be held in the chuck, not the brake plate itself (basically it is just a tight fitting spindle) Then skim the shoes until they will just fit into the hub. I've used a normal metal cutting tool for this (no idea if it is an alloy or steel tool or if there is even any difference) Can't really advise you on chuck speed either, I think it's about 800rpm. With the brake plate sitting on the mandrel, if the tool does snag it just stops the brake plate revolving as the mandrel can continue spinning with the chuck. This way you don't have brake shoes making a break for freedom and dancing around your garage Once you have the shoes so that they just fit into the hub you can either stop at that or, go a bit further. If you stop here the shoes will give a good contact patch onto the lining. You test how much by fitting the brake plate and spindle, applying the brake arm so that the brake just bites and revolving the brake plate several times. Take it out and look at the markings on the shoes to see where they contact. It may be enough Or, you can open the shoes slightly and hold them in that position by cable tying the brake arm or jamming something in the cam to hold them. Now, they won't fit back into the hub as they are slightly open. Put them back in the lathe and skim again. This should only remove material from the wider part of the arc at the cam end initially. Keep skimming until material is being removed from the entire surface so that the circumference of the shoe surface is round again. Now refit into the hub, operate the brake as before and revolve the brake plate. Check the contact area which should now be virtually 100%. If not repeat until you have the contact patch you're happy with.

Are you sure they are proper fork seals and not rotary seals? Why ATF? Use 10W fork oil. May be a combination of rotary seals and ATF that's letting oil through? Otherwise, no idea on that one, if there is no apparent damage to the stanchion surface that would let oil past. Can't see strapping it down would cause it, the oil should just flow through the damper rod. It's really hard impacts that burst seals. MAR forks work pretty well without any mods from my experience. The standard springs are good, if they aren't worn or sagging. You can't say specifically what length spring is required as it depends on the spring being used, so 17" or 19" would both work if they are a correct rating. The bottoming will be due to low oil more likely than the springs. I'd replace with proper fork seals just to be sure (1 of 35 x 47 x 10 in each leg) fill with 180cc of 10W oil and try again and see what happens.

Colin at TY Offroad has rebuilt a good number of TLR and RTL engines http://tyoffroad.weebly.com/

They're all at least 30 years old so regardless of which was the best when new it's no guarantee what state it will be in now. Worn hubs, worn cams, cam bush in brake plate worn, who knows. I've had Honda, TY and Grimeca front wheels over the years which have had pretty useless front brakes. Even the Yamaha motocross brake plate I used in a mono front wheel was no good. All used current off the shelf brake shoes. Now, there are better linings available to have existing shoes relined. Whichever wheel you use, if you have the drum skimmed to ensure it's round / true, get modern oversize linings suitable for trials fitted to the shoes and skim them to fit the hub for full contact, then you'll have a decent brake

I think he was yes, and as far as I know the sale records only show the name of the rider for supported riders. Otherwise they just show the dealer that Commerfords sold the bike to, so maybe ties up with him being one of their supported riders.

Try TY Offroad,Colin is quite knowledgeable with Honda parts http://tyoffroad.weebly.com/

Useful to know, thanks for that. Website is here http://www.novaracing.co.uk/

Have you tried Bultaco UK yet? You never know what is still available in Spain and they have the contacts. They were able to get me a new final drive sleeve gear for my 340 and gearbox parts for those are as rare as hen's teeth. Spokes - it's 50 years old, so are the spokes, and as you've damage to some spokes which could have been caused by a hard impact, I'd be reluctant to trust those that are left not to break as well if you have another. If it was mine I get the wheels rebuilt. Original spokes aren't available, neither are the nipples, you'll have to use new, choice of finish (galvanised, stainless, butted or not butted etc) is personal preference

221 is a 175cc, not 125cc, and is essentially a sleeved down model 190 250cc Not a great bike with 175cc, but much better than the 125cc which was as much use as a chocolate teapot. The 175cc bike can at least be converted back to 250, making it a decent bike again

They appear original Bultaco stamps to me. If you look at mine, the 1 is bigger than the other numbers, as with yours, as is the J bigger than the M, and if you look at the M on the 198B engine, the M is at an angle like yours. It seems they were always neater with the frame number than engine number. I think to re-stamp the engine number, with the amount of metal that would have to be removed to completely erase the original number, it would appear obvious. If it is a replacement 6 speed engine that someone has fitted and re-stamped to match the frame, they would only have to redo the last four numbers, not the whole number. If you're thinking it is a 5 speed crankcase converted to 6, proper engineering work is required to do that and you have to ask why would someone do it in the first place, as they'd have to have the six speed parts to begin with. Assuming someone would do it if the original 6 speed cases were badly damaged, I'd have a guess that if they had the facilities to convert a 5 speed crankcase to 6, they would have the means to repair the original cases instead.

This is the 199B, didn't think I had a photo but I have