jaylael Posted November 11, 2004 Report Share Posted November 11, 2004 Hi all! Hey I was just looking at my 2004 Montesa and noiticed much to my horror, the @#$% engine is leaking oil! The leak is from the engine sump, which has been damaged by repeated whacks of the skid plate against rocks. I have two large A shaped rocks in my group of practice sections, and apparently there is a large impact to the skidplate involved to make them. Consequently my rubber damper gets squashed badly and then the clutch cover gets distorted and opens up a leak. I have this notion that some of you clever people out there may be able to solve this riddle. Why in this modern era where you can by all sorts of carbon fibre bits and dogbone suspension links and the like that no one has the sense to make an injection molded high impact plast insert to save my poor engine? The stock rubber piece wants throwen out! Anybody work in this field who could actually make this part somehow? If it were available I'd sure buy one. Now that's something that we Montesa riders really need! Any entrepenuers out there? Jay L. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ringo Posted November 11, 2004 Report Share Posted November 11, 2004 Hey Jay, Simple solution... Stop riding like me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt Posted November 11, 2004 Report Share Posted November 11, 2004 rather then attempting this leep and landing on the sump everytime surely yuo could alter you technique to make sure you land more on the back wheel and let the suspension do all of the work rather then your engine. and if this is not possible then i would seriously consider not doing it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaylael Posted November 12, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 12, 2004 Very Funny Ringo. I strive to ride like you whenever possible. The suggestion that I alter my teqnique is valid, but for me ipractical. There are just a few really good practice sections where I live and there are almost no rocks of any note. Sadly it's more of a sidehill slippery root turn kinda place if you get what I mean. My favorite rock is actually five feet tall and shaped just like the letter A. In order to make it I hit it hard in 2nd when dry and 3rd when wet. Dennis Sweeten is the only rider who will attempt it besides me so far.( Ya'll are welcome to come and have a go if you're anywhere near Portland, Or. Just look me up). He said it was scary. The only way for me to make it is to sump out momentarily and then gas it down the backside to avoid an endo you must projectile wheelie outward as it is nearly vertical on the back side and maybe 4 1/2 high minimum. The other is a so called "Zap" rock about 4 feet tall and pointed on top. The thing sits just 20 feet outside my living room window, so I get to look at my tracks up the sucker everytime I look out the window. It's hard not to be trying it in the dark while liquored up because it's so inviting to the diseased trials mind. Ask a friend of mine who works at APEX sports and answers the phone there, who tried it once and sprained his back so bad he had to quit riding for awhile until he healed up. All I'm saying is, If we are alll such a bunch of bad a** trials riders who will squander 5 - 7 grand of our retirement fund on a trials bike, shouldn't we be able to do stuff like this without the bike breaking? Beta has a thick rubber sumbitch under thier bike's engine and they are much togher for it! The whole point of engineering is to design away glaring flaws. That's what "Research and development" stands for. The thing works awesome. It just has an achilles heel. My old Hodaka could bash rocks into oblivion and never damge it's engine and that was frickin' 30 years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaylael Posted November 15, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 15, 2004 Since there has been such an overwhelming response to this thread, I am forced to conclude that I must be in the wrong here. I have replaced my skid plate rubber with a new stock one and clutch cover gasket and straightened out the skid plate so it isn't bent against the engine. I will try to behave. Don't know for how long though as I am an habitual offender. I recall seeing an injection molded plast part for a semi truck suspension that was a white nylon plastic which was springy. It seems as though one could create a really neat plastic insert that would prevent bending the engine. Apparently no one else has this problem. Jay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyboxer Posted November 15, 2004 Report Share Posted November 15, 2004 Since there has been such an overwhelming response to this thread, I am forced to conclude that I must be in the wrong here. I have replaced my skid plate rubber with a new stock one and clutch cover gasket and straightened out the skid plate so it isn't bent against the engine. I will try to behave. Don't know for how long though as I am an habitual offender. I recall seeing an injection molded plast part for a semi truck suspension that was a white nylon plastic which was springy. It seems as though one could create a really neat plastic insert that would prevent bending the engine. Apparently no one else has this problem. Jay How about a small square or oblong nylon resin block in the offending area. Stronger than rubber, but with a bit of 'give'............ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldnslo Posted November 29, 2004 Report Share Posted November 29, 2004 I agree that the stock plate is really poor if you use the bike for fast trail riding. I welded another 1/4" thick aluminum plate to the stock skid plate and welded ears on both sides to help prevent rocks from bashing the outer cases. Even with this mod I've had to pull the skid plate and bash it back into form. Some of the areas we ride in are nothing but endless rocks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaylael Posted December 1, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2004 Last time I prepped my bike I straightened the skid plate and installed a new rubber damper between the engine and skid plate. After one trials event the rubber is squashed and the engine is leaking. I was looking at a friends Cota 315 (KK) this past weekend, and I am certain the skid plate has never been off of it, and his skid plate rubber is not even slightly distorted! I must be more of a hack than I thought. I was thinking I might get my friend Jack to build me a carbon fibre engine gaurd which is form fitted to the bottom side of my engine, then install it with a thin cushion of rubber between it and the engine, then install the stock rubber damper and skid plate over the carbon fibre gaurd. It's got to help keep the engine cases from distorting so easily. Jay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
outlaw dave Posted December 11, 2004 Report Share Posted December 11, 2004 Jay - There is another solution ! - buy a Rev 3 270 - check with Fraceyman - he is sold on the 04. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaylael Posted December 21, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 21, 2004 In a perfect world I'd do just that, but I'm too cheap. I think the thicker skidplate sounds like a brilliant solution. Who knows I may yet actually have one made. My first cheapo plan though, is to make a small sump gaurd out of hand laid fiberglass from the auto parts store. I figure I could just lay layers of fiberglass mat directly onto the bottom of the engine until it's all glassed up like the bottom of a boat and then put the skidplate and rubber back on there an go try and BUST it again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaylael Posted December 21, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 21, 2004 (edited) Jay - There is another solution ! - buy a Rev 3 270 - check with Fraceyman - he is sold on the 04. Dave: I would love to get a new '05 Beta 270 but I have about 3 more years of payments on the Montesa, not to mention I just bought a fantastic new Shoei "Fuji-Gas Replica" trials helmet and XC-Ting Montesa one piece suit. It'd cost me fortune to switch brands. Edited December 21, 2004 by JayLael Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe315r Posted December 21, 2004 Report Share Posted December 21, 2004 JayLael , Try the LewisportUSA on line cataloge under "Protection for your Bike" . They have avery nice looking heavy duty skid plate for the 315 with a built in header pipe guard for $125 , and they"re not even that far from your house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveo Posted December 21, 2004 Report Share Posted December 21, 2004 Hey Jay, I had the same trouble with my pinkie 250 Yamahas.When ever I practiced hard on the big rocks ,the next morning the bash plate would be holding oil from the pressure on the engine case.It was a pain because the more times you pressed the bash plate back into position the weaker it became.On my 01 and 02 SY Scorpa had the same happen again an put in a thicker rubber absorber which did not help,finally came to the same conclusion as Ringo," Technique "improves problem disappears. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
widrace Posted December 21, 2004 Report Share Posted December 21, 2004 Think twice about placing something incompressible between the cases and the plate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaylael Posted December 22, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 22, 2004 I like the idea of a heavy duty skid plate from Lewisport. After I recover from christmas I'll be ordering one up. A good friend told me about some different types of rubber I could try a thicker piece and bend the skid plate out away to allow for the additional thickness. I'll look into that option too. Jay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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