Montesa Honda 349

[mh349]

Hi there i am new to your forum just wondering if any one can give me advice on my montesa honda 349 i am trying to find out were i can get some clutch plates from for it?? I have the age certificate for it i would like to no how i can get a V5 for it so i can use it on the road got the lighting kit for it as well Chears MH349

[tayld]

Clutch plates for your MH349 should be readily available from Jim Sandiford Imports or In-Motion.

If your clutch slips when kicking the bike over or when pulling a big gear this is not unusual. The MH349 has an all metal clutch which does not seem to like modern synthetic oil. It may be worth changing the oil before going to the expense of new clutch plates. Following advice from Kevin Breedon Racing we have used 300 cc of an old style straight monograde oil in the primary drive case. Morris Lubricants Golden Film SAE 20 is available direct from the makers in 5 litre containers. To be sure there were no additives left over from the modern oil we changed the first fill of monograde after only a few hours use. With the monograde oil the clutch does seem a lot better. The 349 produces a lot of torque and the clutch is only small so it will always have a hard time when the bike is used fully.

I have just registered a MH349 following the advice from another contributor to Trials Central.

The form required from the DVLA is V55/5, this can be ordered direct from the DVLA who will post it to you.

The sequence we used was:-

Obtain and complete form V55/5, there parts which are left blank.

Have bike MOT tested with the frame number being used instead of the registration number.

Obtain insurance for the bike using the frame number. I used Carole Nash, they have a time limit of 30 days for you to supply the new registration number to them.

Take your completed form V55/5, MOT certificate, Dating letter, Insurance certificate and personal identification to your local DVLA office. It could be posted but if there are any problems it is easier to sort out in person. Once the paperwork is in order a first registration fee and a years road tax is payable. Our local office was very helpful in handling the paperwork. They will then likely want to inspect the bike, a separate appointment is probably going to have to be made with the Vehicle Inspector. The complete bike must be presented with frame and engine numbers clearly visible and showing no signs of alteration. Once again I could not fault the service provided by the DVLA Inspector, he clearly knew his job and within 30 minutes of the inspection an age related registration number was issued.

Do not forget to tell your insurer the registration number as soon as possible.

Hope this helps.

Edited July 8, 2010 by Tayld

[mh349]

Hello Tayld Thanks alot for giveing me all that info about it jim sandifords don't have any plates in for it but i will try the change of oil first of all. do you mind me asking when they insepted the bike did yours have its lights on it?Do you think it add's value to the bike? chears.P.s thanks again for all the info on getting it on the road got a V55/5 form so far ive filled in this info as gose period licince 12 months

make montesa honda

model 349

type of body/vehicel motorcycle

wheel plan 2 wheel

unlanden weight N/A

Number of seats one

Braked kg N/A

unbraked N/A

Revenue weight kg N/A

number of standing N/A

max permissible N/A

date from licince 01/07/10

type of fuel petrol

vin num *****

engine num ****

cylinder 349

CO2 G/KM N/A

Trialer weight N/A

Year ****

wonder if you can tell me if this is what you filled in on urs? thanks again

Edited June 2, 2010 by mh349

[tayld]

Checking a copy of the form I used to register my MH349 there are some further boxes I filled in.

I gave the model as MH349, this was used on the original publicity material.

In the Type Approval box I wrote "Exempt", as advised on the dating letter, quoting "Trials Competition Motorcycle" as the reason for exemption in the relevant box further down the form.

Max Net Power is 10 kW.

Power to weight ratio is 0.10 (I calculated this figure).

Our MH349 has no lights and was tested this way with the addition of a red reflector on the rear mudguard. Because apparently there were several changes in the rules for bikes made around the time the MH349 was new, a bulb horn is not acceptable and the speedo should state "MPH" on it, a "KPH" speedo is not acceptable. Different MOT testers or DVLA inspectors may interpret the rules their own way but this is what I found out whilst going through the registration process.

The original lights have no battery back-up, their current legality may be worth checking with your MOT tester before actually taking the bike for test.

Whether the lights add value is a difficult question. By the time the MH349 was on the market Yamaha's first TY mono was just around the corner and a Fantic was the twinshock bike of the moment so a MH349 is unlikely to ever have the desirability or value of a Majesty, Fantic 300 or a TLR. Once put together well it is generally a better bike for twinshock trials than the earlier 349's but at 92 kg it is no lightweight. We have found our MH349 to be both reliable and tough. In all perhaps the MH349 is overlooked but it is capable of providing a lot of fun without the worry of damaging a valuable trials heirloom.

[mh349]

Thanks alot for all your info i won't borther putting lights back on bike then i am deffo going to try my best at getting a V5 for it will let you no how i get on thanks again chears