cfraser

Happy New Year Jimbo, really looking forward to the pics. All the best, Carl

Just as Totalshell said....take your time and think about it as you are threading it forward from the rear. I just re-installed mine this evening. Once you get the hang of it, it can be done in a minute or so. Just twist and pull and angle the front through the frame, twist and take your time..once the front of the exhaust clears the front frame downtubes, twist and bolt it all together. Sometimes you do just have to walk away for a few minutes. It's good to hear you have it re-installed...as you noticed, no need to remove the head, carb, or airbox. Happy New Year, Carl

Lets not forget Bill Grapevine who started GRM (Grapevine Racing Motors) which used Islo motors imported to the USA from Mexico.

Feetupfun is 100% correct. Jamie, your Monty does have a seperate gearbox and does not share the oil with the clutch as you know. There is no need to run a hypoid type of oil since you are not running beveled gearing under extreeme pressure. The additives in a hypoid oil will cause the clutch to slip. All the best, Carl

EDIT------Non-Hypoid The Manual calls for straight SAE 90wt. I've known others who run ATF as well as anything else you can imagine without adverse affects. I run an after market (MAXIMA) light weight 75wt motorcycle transmission oil designed for wet clutches for both trans and clutch and have done so for years. I normally don't get the sticky clutch problems unless of course the basket is notched. I sent you the Manual a few minutes ago Jamie. Please let me know if you receive it. All the best, Carl

If you PM me an email address, I'll send you a pdf of the Manual for the 349. I have a 349/4 and as the others have stated, the 349/4, MH349 and 350 are the same motors. The Manual is in Spanish however. Here are the lubrication amounts: Gearbox 300cc of SAE 90 Clutch 300cc SAE 10W30 All the best, Carl

Ben, I'm happy to hear that progress is being made. Did you ever get the chance to coat the inside of your petrol tank and apply paint? Let me know how you made out...I went a different route with my italjet tank. I'll fill you in on the details...drop me a PM. All the best, Carl

Thanks everyone for your responses to my plea for help. I will definately take your advice and clean, check and insure all grounding points including engine to frame mounts are good. I have ordered the HT Coil from the UK. If the LT Coil is indeed the original, is it worth sending the coil to have it rewound and refurbished? Lee provided me the Link.... Does Steve G. or anyone else in the UK still have Old Stock LT Coil/stator's on hand? Does anyone have one that they would like to sell? Sorry for all of the questions, we just don't have a good source for some of the Trials related parts here in the States. Thanks again and all the best, Carl

Great story Russell! You and I think alike, my wife still has know idea of how many bikes I really do have. She avoids the garage...lucky for me! I will try and take a few pictures this week. I'm back home from travel now. I will also see if I can get you a picture of the 350 T rear brake pedal. Mine is left shift - right brake. I saw you were asking for a picture in another thread. All the best, Carl

Thanks for the reply, I assume this is Keith's web site.... www.midwestSWM.com All the best, Carl

2/4, Thanks for the reply, no, you have not insulted me in the least. The first thing I did do was to disconect the kill button. I too have had that problem with other bikes. The bike is hard starting and the previous owner stated that the bike would quit running when warm. Compression is good and the carb cleaned...the slide is not worn and jets clear. Fuel delivery is good. Just a weak spark...tried two new plugs. Push starts fine but will die when warm and start again when cold. I did purchase the bike knowing it had the problem and did pick it up for a good price. All the best, Carl

Lee, Sorry it has taken so long to reply, I was out on travel last week. I want to thank you for taking the time to search and find the links for me. I suspected the resistance was a bit on the high side after reading your previous discussions on this topic. I'm going to try Steve and see if he has a HT Coil available. I'll try that before moving onto the LT Coil since they are hard to find here in the States. I do have a quick question, if the ignition stops when hot, which is most likely the problem in most cases? The HT Coil or the LT Coil? I really appreciate the time you took to respond to my call for help. I'll tell Steve hello from you when I cal to order the HT Coil. All the best, Carl

Hello everyone, I'm the proud new owner of a Fantic 200. I've read all the previous posts and I need help troubleshooting both the LT Stator and HT Coil. I've followed Lee's advice regarding resistance measurements. I've measured the resistance between the black earth terminal and the green trigger terminal and I have an acceptable reading of 42 Ohms. When I check the resistance of the red to black terminals I get a reading of 692 Ohms. If you are out there Lee, I could really use some help. If anyone can help me identify the problem or further troubleshoot the Stator and HT Coil, I'd be forever greatful. All the best, Carl

I'll clarify this step...we have the same issue as you do in the UK here in Pennsylvania. I did leave the tank in the sun for a day and then just placed it in a box in the garage for a week or so just to let the vapors escape. However, Ben's advice on leaving the tank in the hot sun for two weeks would probalbly aid the process. I let the tanks dry a day or two between cleanings. I don't know if this makes a difference Woody but the overall process was time consuming and I just didn't want to sand and wash the tanks everyday, LOL. The constant cleanings and sanding is more than likely what is required. The plastic fibers from the sanding process were cleaner than the deeper fibers. In all seriousness, it looks rather good! You definately can tell where the weld is but the tank looks good. I do plan on draining the tank after use and I hope I never have to do this again...... It's raining here in Pennsylvania so I never got the chance to sandblast the frame...hopefully the weather will improve...I guess I should be thankful that it's raining and not snowing.... Molecules of plastic reacting to heat....an amazing thing! All the best, Carl

Thanks for your replies.... The stock white tank was yellowed as well as cracked. I also had a green tank in the exact same condition. When I started the project, I had every intention to paint the tank. I took the advice from the good people who replied within this post as well as following instructions I found on the web. I started with Ben's advice: 1. Drain tank 2. Flush tank with acetone to remove as much residue as possible 3. Flush with detergent/truck wash and warm water, the rinse with fresh clean water 4. Leave tank without lid in the sun for 2 weeks to help evaporate hydrocarbons from tank internals and with the plastic. 5. Flush again with acetone and leave dry6. Flush with detergent/truck wash and warm water, the rinse with fresh clean water 7. Use Blue Lightning sealer as per instructions Except I did not follow through with step 7. I repeated this process 3 times and I started to notice an improvement after experimenting with different detergents. A brand named Spray Nine here in the States seemed to work the best. I did leave the tank to soak for a day in the detergent...I would replace the detergent and hot water every 30 minutes. I did this to both the green and white tank. The white tank actually was easier to clean. There was a remarkable improvement however you could still see some staining from both fuel and UV light. I sanded both tanks using wet/dry 220 grit sand paper with washing and soaking between sandings. Be very careful and take your time so you don't take off to much plastic material. As I repeated this process, the tank started looking very clean but with a dull scuffed apperance due to the small plastic fibers from sanding (I hope this makes sence). Remember, at this point, I was still planning to paint both tanks. Since both tanks had cracks, although very small, I took a very small pollishing/sanding bit attached to the Dremel drill and grooved 45 degree angles along the length of both sides of the cracks. This is what I observed after the process: The dremel was set at a high speed and as I was grooving the crack to prep for plastic welding, the crack actually melted and repaired the small cracks and the original color of the plastic became apparent. I contined by filling the groove using a plastic welder and my welding material was small pieces of plastic that matched the tanks from mud guards. I then re-sanded both tanks after the repair with yet another detergent bath. Instead of using a flame to heat the plastic for final paint prep as previously covered in an earlier response, I decided to use a variable heat setting style heat gun. When I started heating the tank, small sections at a time (be very careful not to over heat and distorte the plastic), the original color returned. My speculation is this...the original color returns due to the sanding and scuffing leaving micro pieces of plastic on the tank. The heat gun actually melts these micro fibers and the tank returnes to its original color. After all of this, I purchased a product called Plastic Renew and applied the liquid to the plastic. I now have no need to paint the tanks. The tank project took a lot of time but IMO it's well worth it. I will try and post some pictures when I return home next week. I hope this helps and I'm sorry for the long explanation. All the best, Carl

Just a quick update on the Italjet restoration. The bike is completely disassembled and the good news, nothing is missing, broken, or worn out. I have contacted Steve Goode regarding cables. I'm sand blasting the frame today as well as glass beading the softer parts. I'm including a few pictures that were taken prior to disassembly showing the paint dabs. I have also sanded the tank and performed some plastic welding. I used a heat gun to renew the plastic tank after the sanding and the tank looks as good as new. I hope to start posting pictures of the restoration as I progress with the project. All the best, Carl

I've enjoyed reading this for the first time and I feel compelled to bring this post back to life! Remarkable!!!! Jay, I do have a few questions: How is the Sherdaka holding up? Did you ever start the Beta Hodaka Project? What have you been working on this past year? What a great post, inspiring story to say the least! All the best Jay and I hope this response finds you well. Carl

Good song and GREAT video!

Thanks for the link and information. I'll keep you posted as the project progresses. All the best....

Thanks for the reply. I've read some of your past posts and it sounds like your bike is well sorted and you are having fun with it. I like the Italjet and I'm not knocking it from the performance standpoint but rather from the lack of parts available. I have only seen two other Italjets here in the North East and I've been riding long before Italjet made trials bikes. I'm looking forward to a frame off restoration over the winter and I do plan on riding it when I'm done. The gas tank is my main issue. I have the original white tank and a green one that the previous owner found. Both tanks have really broken down over the last 25 plus years. The platic is split and seeping fuel. I'm going to repair the tanks differently with hope that one of the repairs works out. The first is what I have previously listed in this thread. The 2nd, is to repair the tank using a PE welding process. Let me know if you ever run accross any parts. I'm going to stock up on spares, especially the kicker shaft. Good luck with the Italjet and I hope your Bultaco project is progressing well. All the best - Carl

Looks GREAT!!!!! Thanks! -Carl

Hi Ben, Thanks for the additional info. I'm going to place an order for the Blue Lighning in the morning. We must be reading the same info on the web. I'm going to try the heat gun method as well. When are you planning on starting the project? Do me a favor and take a few photo's along the way and keep me posted on the outcome. I will do the same as well. Wishing you the best, Carl

Glenn, Thanks for the reply. It sounds like you have been chasing down information for awhile now. Your bike sounds sweet and it's always nice to hear of some of the changes that were made to the works bikes. Good luck with the additional information you are trying to discover and get answers to. I'm getting ready to tear down the Italjet and I'll keep you posted on the discoveries. Please post a pic of your bike, I'd love to see it! All the best, Carl

Ben, Sounds like a good process for preperation. Here is a link I found on-line and it seems like a pretty good process for painting. let me know your thoughts. http://www.4strokes.com/tech/plastic_restore/ Cheers - Carl

Thanks Ben and it's very helpful. You may have saved the day. I like the fact that it doesn't harden and remains flexible. I'm going to try and find a local supply store that carries it. When are you going to try it on your 240 tank? I wish you luck and please keep me posted on the details. Thanks a million..... Carl