Dear friends,

I have just bought a classic Cota 247 that has been badly 'reworked' by its previous owners. Never mind, it has its papers and a registration number, a rare thing in Italy where most classic trial bikes have been taken off the road to avoid paying taxes and thus cannot be re-registered (Crazy, uh?)

I've asked the guys who restore my classic cars to take it apart to restore it, but I'm not sure if this engine has to be black...The bike is a 1980 (?) Cota 247, the engine number is 21M2*** but I never saw any 247 of those years with a black engine; my other Cota has its engine in its usual polished metal finish. Is it possible that the 'black' engine has been repainted? I know that 348s were black but I haven't found any black 247 engine yet.....

Also, any idea of where I could find spares for my 247s would be very welcome. Thanks a lot!

All the best,

Stefano Pasini

www.stefanopasini.it

Edited June 30, 201412 yr by stefanop

The primary drive cover does not look like 247. Cylinder looks like 247. From what I can see of the frame it looks like the seat/tank is a tilt-up like a 248.

More photos would be helpful

Looks like the bottom end of a 248 (1980s) with 247 top end and frame although not a lot to be seen in the photo, needs full bike view

Thanks for your answers. I hope that these pictures are a bit better, sadly the bike has been taken apart by now so an overall pic is not possible.... But your help/ideas will be very much welcum. Thank you!

Stefano

Cio Stefano

It looks like you have a very late Montesa Cota 247 built somewhere around September/October 1980.

The last 247's had the 348 style tank as Feetup said, possibly with the large tandem seat like the Trail version that also had rear folding footrests on the swinging arm. The Trail version also had lights fitted as standard.

As for the engine casings originally being black, certainly the later bottom half covers were black as they again followed the trend set by the 348/349, but some Ulf Karlson replica versions had the shiny alloy covers with the same M relief pattern and some were black! I would check Google Images on Cota247 for sales brochures that look similar to your bike for confirmation.

Regards

Dave

This is my work in progress, a well used Mk4b.

Also Stefano you asked about parts suppliers, I would thoroughly recommend Inmotion who advertize on this site. Frankiemountain spanish parts supplies, and also good old Ebay

Dave

Hello and thank you for your answers, all of them very helpful for a Montesa 'old newbie' like myself. Dave, your Mk4b is beautiful!

Regarding the black engine,TopCat very correctly observed that it could be a 248 bottom case and 247 top end, but I am editing my answer as I found (call me slow, but I noticed it only this afternoon, as the bike is 30 miles away from my home and checking is not easy....) that the engine and chassis numbers match, so the engine and chassis were born together and put together at the time of the first assembly of the bike. It is also clear that this is a true 247, as its chassis/engine numbers are 21M2**** while the Montesa: VIVA book by mr Herreros show that the 248 had numbers beginning fron 21M51***.

It would be useful to know if anyone has a Montesa chassis numbers list so to check when this unusual late-series 247 was produced. Sorry for the editing, but I thought that it was not correct to keep here some wrong remarks that I made before I found the reality of the matching-numbers chassis.

All the best

Stefano

Edited June 30, 201412 yr by stefanop