slogger

Many thanks to everyone who replied..... Found another bodge.... one sump guard bolt with a nice round head. Luckily it was back corner of the opposite side. Was able to get the other 3 off and lever the sump guard clear enough to do the clutch case cover. Will add the bolt to the list of things to do! All the repair is complete with the fan kicking back in and no leak's. Just the bash plate to bolt back up now... On a separate note, the seat/rear mudguard assembly was only held in by one bolt at the front and there should be 3, one in the middle and one each side by the mesh grills. Are these standard off the shelf fittings (if so what size thread etc) or is there a seat assembly bolt kit ?

Following the bike overheating at the end of the last comp, investigation led me to a very nice bodge job by the previous owner around a crack in the water pump housing filled from the inside! This has now given way resulting in the overheat. I have elected not to repeat the bodge but to carryout a full inner clutch casing change! Having released all of the bolts, the old casing appears to be catching on a rubber spacer on the lower front edge. The only way I can see of getting around this is that the bash plate needs to come off? Is this correct or am I missing something??? Also any other things I should be aware of / checking?? Rob

ta for that............should have looked at an engine schematic first.......!!!!!

Just a thought ? Before I go down the possibly expensive route of electrics could the reed valves be at fault and is it a quick check or something more complex??

Glenn, Been onto Steve as suggested and he was really helpful. Unfortunately my Fantic appears to have a Motoplat coil which is quiet unusual for a 240 ???? and the only contact he knows is in Spain. Would be useful to try and fault this prior to sending the coil and the stator out there. If anyone has a spare one knocking about I can use as a test that would be appreciated???? Rob

The restoration on the 240 I picked up recently is making progress and although she was stood up for 5 years its all small stuff to get her into a rideable state (before I go for a gradual restore!) I did have her running following a full carb refurb but whilst she will tick over and pick up with no load, once I put her into gear and pull away she wont pull. Am going to strip the carb again but I wonder if any electrics need replacing due to her age / period of standing up ? Havent worked on bike electrics in detail so it might be worthwhile explaining any suggestions............. Rob

I am currently in the process of restoring a 240 and trying to keep it as originial as possible. I have noticed that the front arm has worn against the cam and the leading edge is no long true against the cam shape. This has added about 15-20% of play on the brake arm compared to its intended position. Is there any know way of remedying this or are new arms available ???? I know that a number of people fit a 300 front set up but I would like to keep original if possible ? thanks Rob

Had another try tonight reverse bleeding with a 100ml syringe. More bite but the problem definately appears to be too much pedal travel + not enough pressure to the pistons. Did try this starting with the pots fully in and also out to a reasonable amount with fluid behind them. Observed the pots moving in the caliper once bleed (with the pads out) and they all move out under pressure, between pedal up and pedal down move in and out about 2mm each. The inner pots are not moving as freely as the outers but if you lock the outers the inners do move fully out Whilst air seems like the logical reason, the amount of times I have bled them I must have hit "luck" once and had no air in the system and the problem is consistent every time. The only parts of have not changed are the master cyl (although this has been re-rubbered) and the brake line (from the cyl to the caliper)? Would appreciate a photo of an 03 rear end to see the amount of spare in the brake line. Mine does seem to be overlength and I wonder if this is a bodge from the previous owner. Once again, thanks to everyone for thier tips, I am slowly attempting each method but my hunch is still a component ? its to consistent ........

Not the way this one is moving...................... Came in a sealed Beta bag, but the pistons are tight. It takes a good push with BOTH thumbs to move them in.

All. thanks for your support and advice on this. Have ordered a 100ml syringe from ebay to try the reverse bleed method. Will let you know how it goes. Still surprised even with a new factory calliper how stiff the pots are in the calliper??? Does anyone lube on re-assembly? Some people swear by rubber grease, others brake fluid, others wd40????? So much conflicting info.................

Hi Graham, thanks for the prompt and comprehensive reply......... How much hassle is it to refit in a fully assembled state??? their does not seem much space as an end to end so I assume their is a level of dis-assembly of other bits to put it back together in one piece? Rob

Many have helped out and commented/advised on my dilema so sorry to labour this one but it really is doing my head in......... Long story short, rear caliper seized during a comp and overheated. Was never 100% happy with the rear brake so have set about overhauling it. Changed the pedal assemble and refurbed the master cylidar with a rubber kit. Attempted to refurb the caliper but one pot would not go in even without a seal so suspected that over time the overheating had warped the caliper body slightly. So purchased a brand new caliper and pads from Lampkins and attempted to fit that a few nights ago. Have spent 3hrs bleeding it with and can not get decent pedal pressure. Am getting full movement on the pedal without it going completely solid. It will just lock the rear if rotated by hand but not under load. Have deglazed the pads/disk using the usual get heat/cool down method but the problem definately appears to be lack of fluid pressure to moke the pots adequately. The only thing that has not been changed is the brake hose from the caliper to the master cyl so I am going to replace this. I did strip the new caliper to make sure the pots moved OK and they did? Am really stumped and would appreciate anyones thoughts?

Hi Doug, Just to confirm, Are you saying that on your bike once the cable is in place with the handle bar and fork leg adjusters in a "reasonable" position, the length of the inner strand from the bottom of the fork adjuster (ie where it comes out of the bottom of the fork leg adjuster) to the nipple (ie brake arm) is about 2 inches ?? Rob

Hi Stork, cheers for that advice. Have had a good look and their are some good tips that have helped. Have replaced the master cyl seal today and also "deglazed" using the running it with the brake on in top and then cool the disc down a few times. The certainly helped. Going back to my original point though, I am still struggling for a point of reference of what a "good" rear brake feels like? eg if im running on a centre stand should I be able to stall the engine in first at a fast tickover? How much is "good" pedal movement? Maybe I'm shooting for the moon and their are to many variables to answer these. I suppose Im trying to understand if I have got the set up as near to perfect as possible?

All the above near identical. Linings are about 4mm, anchor strut the same, as is the brake arm so that does seem to lead to a duff cable ????? The one provided is as follows: Outer shroud = 34 inches With bar end nipple tight against the shroud I have the following from the bottom end shroud: adjuster = 1.5 inches excess cable to lower nipple = 4.5 inchs ( from end of adjuster)

Having had the rear brake seize on me during my last comp I have stripped the rear caliper put new seals, pots and pads in but am still not getting enough pressure to lock the rear if the bike is on a fast tickover in 1st (it will lock if rotated by hand. Am fairly happy that its well bled (fluid is running clear) but have decided to also replaced the master cylinder rubbers. This is my first attempt at this job so any advice would be appreciated. The pedal and pedal link arm were also pretty ropey so I have planned to replace these as well. I would also be interested to know what a "good" pedal looks and feels like following a full refurb (eg does it lock the rear wheel if the bike is on a centre stand running on tickover in 2nd)..... Have worked on brakes quite a bit now but have never had a bike from new so my expectations have always been based on someone else's maintainence!

The rebuild has taken a bit of a back seat due to the fact that my Beta has a poorly back brake and the fact that the Fantics front set up is doing my head in!!!! The problem I have is that the previous owner (bodger bill......) was running a front brake cable with two adjusters on the front fork leg to get the cable to fit. I have ordered a new cable and it is the same lenght as the bodged one so I still appear to need two adjusters which cant be right. I have stripped the drum and even turned the cam 180 deg incase it is of set, but its not. Their is some play (about 15deg) in the arm as it has worn but this is not enough to warrant the double adjuster. Can you help with the following: 1) It would be good to understnad the correct measurements of a correct set up. Can anyone provie me with overal cable lenght and the lenght of exposed wire to nipple with one nipple tight against the outer cable shield. This will eliminate the fact that the supplier has sent me the wrong cable 2) Has anyone had a similar issue with front brake arm play and how did you resolve it 3) Any other thoughts on my dilema would be appreaciated..... Rob

Blocky, am working on my 240 this weekend. Am happy to have a go and post it to you etc. Let me know if you still need it? Have a look at my post (240 stood up......). Need a few bits of info, dont know if you can reciprocate? Rob

Am, wondering if the problem is not the cable but the brake arm ? Have put it all together very rough and am surprised at the amount of movement on the arm before the brakes bind. The arm is also at quite a steep angle and close to the fork leg. I wonder if this is why the previous owner had two adjesters at the fork leg end? During the strip down I did not notice any splines to adjust the angle, just an ovalised rectangle (if you get my drift!). Two requests: 1) Can anyone post or send me a picture of the completed brake assemble on theirs so I can compare the angles and adjusters 2) Can anyone measure what they believe is a correct cable in terms of overal lenght and the amonut (lenght of) bare wire with the nipple tight on one end so I can compare it? thanks Rob

Stork, cheers for that. Parts have arrived so will have a bash over the weekend. Rob

Have put the two cables end to end and they are identical in length and exposed inner. The only exception is that the original (bottom of two cables) had two adjusters. One physically attached to the cable and the second one was the one that screwed into the fork leg. As you can see by the photo, the fork leg adjuster is shot (hence the reason for buying a new cable as I beleived that it would be shipped with both?). The new cable on top only has the adjuster attached to the cable so I am no better off? Have I been shipped the wrong one (ie the 240 one should come with the fork leg adjuster) or should I be ordering the fork leg adjuster separate? If it is the later where is the best place to get them. I have seen 6mm adjuster on ebay ? are these a stock thread etc???????

will do....

Have just recieved parts from Bob Wright. Was after a front brake cable (as the adjuster that screws into the fork leg was shot). The cable itself has an adjuster on the end but its to short without the extra adjuster? Based upon posts previous, I was expecting to get the leg adjuster with the cable but it only has the one threaded with the cable? Have I ordered the wrong part, should I have requested the leg adjuster as well or has Bob shipped the wrong part? Would ring him but he is on holiday in france and one of his assistants put the order together and shipped the order? whats peoples thoughts before I ring them back??

Stork, cheers for that. A stupid question.....do you apply the rubber grease to the seal prior to seating in the groove or just to the outside lip and piston when seating the piston. Someone previously told me not to grease the seals as you get a "hydraulic" effect (grease in the groove causing the seal to sit out)???????

Front forks done this weekend. Took them apart. Once again, no oil in them. Seals looked good so I did not disturb them. Had bought a new set but they looked different? The originals look about 3/4 inch deep but the new ones are much thinner? Only 1 small pitting in the chrome but its above the max compression line. Hopefully just a new front sprocket and front brake cable and she is ready for her maiden run! She does look in a sorry state paintwork wise but hopefully once she has had a few outings she can start to be striped bit by bit......as well as allowing me a bit of fun!