ludde

We got one 4RT 260 here in Sweden that I test rode last weekend. The new engine is really nice. Little softer on low revs but alot more punch on mid and high revs. The engine feels more lively and smoother in its power delivery. That camshaft together with the changed fuel injection map does make a big difference. The changed engine brake was only noticable to me on low revs when you open and close the throttle. Now when you close the throttle the engine does not brake as hard as before. This give a smoother feel on low revs. The new suspension do make the bike feel alot lighter and nimble. One guy that test rode the new Montesa rides a Sherco normally and he thought the Montesa ha a better setup even though it is the same suspension compnents on the Sherco and the new Montesa. The suspension is quicker than before but still has that smooth soft feeling a Montesa always have. However, I have been spoiled by riding with Showa suspension for the last eight years. I did't get the same confidence with the new suspension and to me it felt a little unstable. It is probably only a setup issue. Bottom line is: TRY the standard bike BEFORE you discard it as the cheap bike no one wants. It will surprise you.

It is actually cable operated but there is no conduit on the cable. It looks like this: I can imagine the frustration of Birketts because the alignment is one of the reasons I'm converting it back to drum brakes. Every time I take the wheels of I have to get everything lined up perfectly otherwise the brakes will squeak or not work properly. The rear swing arm is original as far as I can tell. There is no marks from any cutting and re-welding apart from just in front of the brake caliper. Maybe that bit has been changed to accommodate the caliper.

Hello It has been a while since I have posted here but now I need some help from the RTL owners out there. I have a -87 RTL which was converted to disc brakes by Nigel Birkett at the previous owners request. The previous owner sold the drum brake wheels which meant I couldn't restore the bike to it's original state. Until now. A month ago I received two drum brake wheels from Japan. The rims are a bit corroded but the hubs are mint which is the most important. Anyway, I have all the parts I need to fit the drum brakes except from the front and rear brake cables. Venhill has all the cables for the RTL except for the rear cable. Does anyone know where I can find one? Otherwise I think I can use the rear brake cable form a 1980s CR80 which looks the same but is too long. What's the correct length for the cable on a RTL? Also if anyone has a photo of the brake pedal pivot I would appreciate it. I need to fabricate that as well. I know use you can't just ask a lot questions without posting pictures of the bike in question This is how it looks today. A photo on the same bike from 1988 When I ordered the wheels form Japan I also got me one of these just for fun

No there almost no one riding around Lund that I know of. A couple of years back there was a small gang riding Pre-65 bikes but I don't think they are active any more. There isn't alot of forrests around Lund and the terrain is quite flat. As Carl said around Gothenburg there is plenty of club and areas to ride in but that's 160 miles north of Lund.

Yes

Correct, you can't judge the 09 by the older models. It's a different bike, more agile and easier to ride. My old 06 repsol had 280 kit, mitani titanium exhaust system, modified linkage plates, and changed gearing. After all these changes it felt really good to ride. Until I tested a standard 09, after that I didn't my want my old bike anymore, the 09 so much more comfortable to ride. My new 10 (09 registered as a 10) is as original as can be. The only changes I have done is to increase spring pre-tension half a turn at the front and one turn at the rear. Rear damping set to 4-5 clicks in (depending on conditions). That it! I just wish Montesa had released the 09 back in 05. So hurry up and buy one in case they would disappear

Could be that they are just waiting for the stocks of finished bikes to go down and then resume when the demand grows. Just pushing the cost of production forwards as long as they can, hoping that people will start buying cars and bikes again.

From what I heard from our importer in Sweden is that the bikes sold in 2010 will be 2009 bikes, same plastics and everything. If that is because they are shutting down or developing a new bike for 2011 I don't know. I hope it's the latter

I'm just wondering if it really is the 4T engine that's the problem. Seem to remember from articles and interviews that the old Hondas, like the 360 and RTL250 were really good in mud, if you knew how to ride them properly like Lejeune and Saunders. So what has happend? Is the modern 2T engine more like an old 4T than the 4RT in terms of grip? I'm thinking maybe it's a chassis problem. The 4RT has the longest swing arm in history, I think all the other brands have shorter ones. And the old 4T bikes had very short swing arms and hugh fork angles. Is the Sherco and Beta 4T also rubbish in mud?

Here in Sweden the 4T trials bike cost as much as, if not less, than the 4T mx and enduro bikes. That's not bad for low volume bike. I have to ask. Do any of you think that Dougie and Dibs switching to 2T again has influenced the sales of 4T in the UK? In Sweden all but one rider in the championship class rides a GasGas (there are just 7 riders). And I think because of that GasGas is the biggest brand in Sweden.

If you can switch between a C15, Ossa, and a modern bike without any problems I have to congratulate you, because I can't. In the family we have a Cub, B40, RTL250S, and two 4RTs. When I switch from my 4RT to my RTL it takes my half a day to adapt, mainly because of the chassis but also because the engine isn't as snappy and powerful. And the B40 is even worse, that engine is a big lump and snappy isn't the word I would use to describe it. We almost never have any really snotty mud climbs or long grass banks here in Sweden so I can't comment on that. When we have very muddy conditions (not that often) I usually use third gear and as much throttle as possible, or third gear and low to medium revs and wring out as much torque as possible. But that said I would like a bit more practice in the mud. I used to be good at that but the last years the sections are made up by rocks and boulders. Maybe I should go to southern UK over the winter

Oh come on! The weight isn't the problem, all the four-strokes weigh about the same. Compared to two-strokes they are all fat lasses. And before you write off the 4rt completely I hope you have tested the '09 which is ALOT better than the previous models. The fork angle isn't as steep as before, the rear suspension is new, and the engine is super smooth and yet it feels more powerful. I think the biggest problem for all the four-strokes is that riders don't give themself enough time to adjust to riding a four-stroke. You have to change your riding style and adapt, and you can't do that in only a year. In my opinion it takes at least two years to adapt youself to the four-stroke engine. I have had a 4rt for four years now and now I feel I can use the engine properly. Now I don't like two-strokes any more, especially not the GasGas. It's to bouncy and unstable and the engine is to aggresive. The 4rt is a competitve club man bike, I just wish that people would stop writing it off before they know how to use it properly. Why isn't it the best trials bike? I think it's the same reason stated above, many rider don't adapt their riding style to the four-stroke. In terms of build quality it wins in every way possible. I have yet to repair something on my bike that I wasn't responsible for myself, by crashing usually. They are very reliable bikes and I can't think of anyone, at least here in Sweden, that has had any major problems, correct me if I'm wrong. Unlike the GasGas and the Betas.... Maybe that is unfair to the Beta but the new frame isn't any good. It crackes and because the fuel tank is integrated it starts to leak fuel. And don't get me started on the GasGas. Lets just say that GasGas seem to like the old Lotus mantra "simplify and add lightness". But if I don't remember wrong the Lotus F1 cars broke down alot too... That's enough ranting for one day

How much did you mill off your 270cc piston? Is it to the same height as the standard piston?

it sounds like the air/fuel ratio is slightly off. everytime you kick with the throttle open you bring clean air into the engine if you have a PTB try lowering the ignition on 0% TH and 1000rpm-1800rpm to -3 degrees. This has work very well for me. adjusting the fuel is harder, you have to look at the plug to see the results of your changes. Just remember that the curves and the 3d view give a more accurate description of how the map will work.

Hi Victor Sorry for not getting back to you sooner. I do not know what the solution for you're problem is. The only thing a can think of is if something is vibrating loose. Make sure that all connections are secure.

I also saw Caby's bike blow up. Sounded like the cam chain snapped or jumped, total breakdown. Funny thing is, I enjoyed Dougie being back on form and having fun more than I did looking at Raga and Bou. Here's Doug on the big step at section 4 And Dibs on section 5 Another high of the weekend was being allowed to test ride one of Dibs training bikes. That bike was perfect. Engine was very powerfull, suspension was great. So now I have to start saving so I can get me a bike like that

Anyone going to take a trip to Sweden for the WTC? It's going to be a nice course, havn't seen all the sections yet but those I have seen look very spectacular. I'm going to be minder on saturday and hopfully I'll be free on sunday to get around a take some photos.

The kickstart is longer on the works bikes, so you have to compare with something different

Yes, finally no smoke. Replaced almost everything in the head but the problem was probably that the second piston was installed upside down. It was very hard to start, so compression was high but also alot of smoke. The old rings had no markings on them, I think it was the original ones. The new ones are now installed the right way. Much easier to start and no smoke! Job done!

Thanks for the info. I'll check the cylinder when I get home tonight.

Ok, I'll probably have to do that. The strange thing is that the old rings that were on before has the correct gap, about 0.4 mm. So I'm leaning towards using the old rings again but it feels wrong to put old parts in when I have new ones.

Ok, I'll see if I can find any info on that restrictor. Another problem showed up yesterday. The new piston rings, the ones with a different number than the originals, has a larger piston ring end gap than there should be. According to the manual the gap should be 0.3-0.4 mm when new, but the new ones are 0.5 mm same as the service limit. Could I damage something with a larger end gap??? As far as I know there are no oversize pistons available so the cylinder can't be bored out, so why are these piston rings different???

Oil restrictor??? Can you give me more detailes where this restrictor should be. There is alot of oil around the area of the valves but I thought it should be like that to enhance cooling.

An update on the Honda. Well, the engine is in pieces again. This time I'm replacing everything I can think of, valve guides, piston rings, o-rings, head gasket. Actually, the head gasket together with the valve guide reamer were the parts that took the longest time to get hold of. This time, to avoid missfit between the head and valve guides, we will heat up the head enough to fit the valve guides without having to knock them into place with high force. I just hope that the o-rings don't get damaged when installing the valve guides. The piston rings were little hard to get a hold of. The original part number 131A0-KR9-003 is discontinued but I found another number 131A1-KR9-003 which fits nice but look abit different from the ones that were on before. Anyone know if why there is a different number on the piston rings? I hope this works because I don't know what else to do.

The problem is that the RTLs are mostly owned by collectors, who own them for their rarety. The RTL was very expensive to begin with, almost twice the price of the two strokes, and Honda only made a couple hundred bikes per year. Today the problem for those using the bikes in competition, myself included, is the lack of spares. There are no original rear fenders or tank shelters left, the piston rings and cylinder gaskets are the same as the TLR250 so those you can get hold of but they are expensive. Luckily most of the parts in the engine is taken from other Honda engines so you can easily get hold of these, but often thaey are pricy. All these factors drives the price up and sadly some people are not willing to use a bike they paid so much money for. I think the main problem for the RTL is that it feels very awkward the first time you ride it and it takes alot of time to get used to. This is mainly a chassis problem, the engine is brilliant, so much better than the TLRs. My dad had a RTL as his main bike for twelve years and rode it better than any other bike his ever had. The grip he could find on that bike was amazing, even snow and ice was no problem. But he says it took him 2-3 years to work out how to ride the bike. I think the RTL was ahead of its time in some ways, I don't think you could get much more out of a 2 valve four stroke at that time. Now I have babbled enough...Just one more thing...For those of you that have a RTL, RIDE THE BL**DY BIKE, how else can you fully appreciate it?