woody

There is no packing in there, only baffle plates, so the most it could do is let out any oily deposit that has built up. In those I have cut open so far there hasn't been any, they've been dry.

Many times probably but a long time ago when it was a group used in Midland Centre road trials when we were allowed to ride on Clee Hill. Probably done a couple of Stourbridge trials there as well but again, 10 years ago or more. If it's the venue I remember it's a small rock bed stream which the sections wind in and out of with a few roots thrown in here and there. Nothing big so you'll be fine.

Tank fittings: The Gripper frame has two threaded bosses welded on just behind the headstock. The original one piece fibreglass tank/seat unit has a hole each side at the front of the tank. These holes have some sort of rubber bush in them and 6mm bolts fix the front of the tank either side by screwing into the threaded boss. The rear of the tank/seat unit has a clip riveted either side of the sidepanel which clips to the frame tube. On the UK bikes with the alloy tank and separate seat unit, the threaded bosses at the front of the tank each have a lug screwed in. Onto this lug is pushed a rubber mount which is circular and about 0.75" thick and 1" diameter (at a guess) same as fitted to a MAR. The alloy tank has a 'C' shaped bracket on the inside, both sides, which push over the rubber mounts. Like a TY250 Yam twinshock. The seat holds the rear of the tank. The UK separate seat unit/sidepanles have the came clip as the one piece tank/seat unit, although when the seat is bolted on it is enough to secure the seat unit without the need for the clip.

Mine has a crude device welded to the down tube drectly under the headstock with two stops welded on either side which engage the bottom yoke on lock.

If you mean the Stourbridge trial this coming weekend then you'll have no problems on the easy route. They won't have anything daft in it.

In the first section but not all the way up to the box, only up to the point where it is level with the front of the shock. The box has baffles in it - about 7 of them as well as a cross over from one side to the other. It's unlikely you'll need to open this up.

I've heard of a few people having problems getting IRC to stay inflated, but only on the 2010 Evo, nothing else. I've just fitted a new IRC onto a new older style Morad rim with no problem.

Very difficult to date a 247 as they look pretty much the same. About '73 on had left hand gear change so it's probably a 4, 4b or a 5. Could be an Ulf Karson, they had clutch arm on top of the casing, not underneath. MK5 may also have had that too, can't remember, but cases could have been changed over the years by previous owners so doesn't really confirm anything. Have a look here, these brochure photos may help http://www.ataq.qc.ca/galerie/index.php?fo...us%E9e/Montesa/

Bultaco UK or John Collins at JC Motorcycles Port Talbot can probably supply you with a used one.

190 is a 250cc model and would have had a 27mm MK2 Amal as standard. Main jet probably 150, pilot 20 or 25, slide probably no. 3. This is from poor memory, Bultaco UK can advise on jet sizes and supply if necessary.

You can buy a new 199a/b skid plate from Todotrial

If there was a way out of it I'd find it, but if I'm not there I'll never ride a bike again. Mothers and family matters aren't to be messed with... Enjoyable event - sections on hard route similar to the more difficult of the Miller rounds hard route, with three or four being another notch up. Nothing silly but enough to take a few marks. And a great run around inbetween the sections if you like winding open the throttle.

My hopes of riding have been smashed - a family reunion / anniversary has been organised for this year and guess which weekend it falls on. Bugger

300cc is correct and yes they do spew oil out of the vent as mine does the same. Presumably it gets thrown of the basket/chain. You can put a much longer hose on it so the oil never gets to the end. I have thought about moving it out of the throw of the chain but the longer hose seems to work for now.

A problem with steepening the head angle on the Sherpa is that the front mudguard hits the frame downtube so it is limited how far in the forks can be pulled. If your mudguard doesn't hit the tube with the forks depressed I'd leave it as it is, as although it isn't necessarily needed, if the front has been pulled in it will improve the steering.

I was trying to remember how long the series had been running, I only go back about 8 years as I never had a Brit bike before then. Didn't remember it went back that far though. Were trail bikes part of the original series or were they a later add-on due to falling entries? Seem to have it in memory they weren't and were introduced to bolster the entry in the distant past. 30-odd Pre-units is a lot but maybe echos my thoughts that 30 years on, many of those riders couldn't handle them any more. I seem to remember from the Sebac back then that the only trick looking bike belonged to Terry Wright although I've no idea what the actual spec was. Virtually all others were pretty standard, it was before the 'modernising' took hold

I agree it is a strange class structure this year but it isn't responsible for the low entries. All the other classes are the same but the entries have been low for a number of years. Can't blame the ACU, the riders just don't enter. 2 routes to pick from so no excuse about too hard. Previously there has always been a Pre-unit class on the hard route and it is on average filled with the same 3 entrants, so it's never been well supported. There are actually more Pre-units on the hard route in this year's Sam Cooper than I can previously recall in the series as a whole but memory may be playing tricks. No-one rides a standard Pre-unit on the hard route and never has as far as I know. Someone local to me has a HT5 in period/original trim and I wouldn't even want to ride it up the road, never mind a trial. You definitely can't accuse the ACU of favouring twinshocks as there is bugger all for twinshocks outside of the Miller/Normandale series in terms of a National championship. In both of those series they have been support classes for some time and were allowed into the Miller series only due to low British bike numbers to help the events survive. Whereas twinshocks have no single genre championship, British bikes have quite a few events between the AMCA and ACU - PJ1 championship, Pre65 Scottish, Rickman Briitish Bike championship, Yorkshire Classic, BMCA in the Midlands. No twinshocks allowed in any of those events. There will inevitably be a decline in the number of Pre-units. Riders who rode them back in the day are getting on now and many just won't be capable of handling 300lbs of heavyweight bike through sections any more. More likely they'll switch to lighter bikes, Bantams etc. The next generation have no interest in riding an original Pre-unit and the cost of building a modernised one is horrific, so my guess is they will suffer a natural decline along with riders ageing. Still doesn't explain why the other British bike classes are poorly supported though.

If you mean for the clamps and bracket, any GasGas dealer or GasGas themselves. The same type of parts were fitted to Sherco, Beta and Montesa as well so you could also try dealers for those bikes too. Maybe cheaper than the GasGas items which are now very pricey.

As regards the entry list I think all Richard has done is miss of the British Replica part of the class name for class 9. I do think though that the classes don't seem well thought out this year. The class 'British Replica and Pre-unit Springer' is the wrong name in my opinion. 'Specials', meaning non-standard components fitted was a better description. The way it is titled means ANY pre-unit springer has to go in this class, even if it was unmodified - assuming someone is mad enough to ride an unmodified Pre-unit on the hard course. Replicas surely include all Faber, Mills or otherwise framed BSA machines, Cub replicas, James and FB replicas and Ariel, Matchless, Ajs with replica frames. However, the only bikes that ever seem to end up in the Replica class are any Pre-units plus one BSA. All the 2-strokes and other 4-stroke unit replicas end up in the 2-stroke or Unit classes. I don't think it is right that Pre-units should be in a class with small Replica framed 2-strokes, Cubs and C15. Seems a bit unfair, I think they should go back to having the Pre-unit hard route class as only modified bikes are realistically going to compete on the hard route. If I entered on my BSA for example which class should it go in. It has a non-standard front end but it is a C15 frame not a replica. I'd quite happily go in the Replica class if I had to but it isn't actually a replica...

I hope it p****s down like last year - made for a really challenging event in the slippy conditions

I doubt riders from Yorks classic (in general) have ever ridden the Miller series. One or two maybe but not large numbers. The riders have been pretty well the same core of riders who have ridden it year after year, others drop in and out for local rounds, some have gone forever, occassionally some new faces turn out. From my memory it has never been massively supported by large numbers of Pre65 riders and as far as I can remember again, it has always had sidecar and trail bike classes, so obviously those always helped keep the overall number up, although sidecar entries are dwindling. Why are entries low? Who knows, the sections are fine for all Pre65 bikes, the class structure is a bit strange this year with the British Replica class not being very well defined (even less well supported...) but thhere is a class to enter if you just want a trial to ride in and aren't bothered about winning a championship class. There are big rigids always present on the easy route, so if it is suitable for them, there isn't much that it isn't going to be suitable for. The sections on the hard route are still fairlly gentle in most cases, occassionally the weather has a hand of which there is little can be done, but usually it is concentration lapses that take marks rather than section difficulty, which is why most of the better Pre65 riders enter the Traditional series, not the Miller. Difficult to pinpoint any one reason but I am baffled why more Pre65 riders don't enter.

Unless you have the full registration number you can't apply for an existing V5. DVLA can easily tell from the chassis number whether a vehicle is registered or not but they won't, they'll tell you that their computer system doesn't work that way - I've been through this with them for a bike I knew 100% was registered but I didn't have the V5. When I asked how I was supposed to use it on the road again they said apply for a new registration. When I suggested that surely, if I try to register it as a new registration, it will flag up that that chassis number already has a registration number. They said no it won't to which I thought B*****ks (be a good way to lose a Q plate, but I'll bet that would miraculously flag up...) There is no legal way to find a reg number from a chassis number, you could try one of the HPI companies to see if they will HPI it against the chassis number and maybe that would reveal the reg number to them but I imagine it would be illegal for them to divulge it. You may as well try DVLA, writing can be quicker than phoning their call centre..... as things may have changed since I spoke to them a while ago now. Otherwise you are stuck with applying for a new age related registration number - coincidentally worth more to DVLA in monetary terms than just collecting the fee for issuing a replacement V5...

Not the reason really, no-one from Yorks Classic catchment area regularly rides the Miller rounds. Pre65 entries have been on the decline in the Miller rounds for the last 8 or 9 years, probably for a variety of reasons

Because of the chassis it was wrapped in... They actually made it much better with the Cota 350 model but it was too late as Fantics, Armstrongs etc were all better bikes with newer engine/chassis designs. Stopping and Hopping was in full flow (perhaps flow isn't the right word for stop and hop...) and the Mont wasn't as effective at that style of riding with its horrible Mont clutch. For today's classic trials though it's a very good bike, stonking engine and good suspension.

Pictures here http://www.ataq.qc.ca/galerie/index.php?folder=/Mus%E9e/