is it a cota 200 or mh200 ?

[billp]

help required to identify my new purchase to hopefully obtain proof of manufacture date to enable registration for road use for dvla, bike was bought as a cota 200 but having doubts now as may be a mh200, it came with a white tank and cota 200 decals but has a montesa honda vin plate rivitted on front of steering stock and also a stamped number on side of steering stock both numbers are the same and start as MH200 prefix,  the engine number has the same last three digits as the frame number but starts with 29H so numbers appear to be matching, however the 29H is puzzling as sources suggest 29M should be the prefix, the frame has the engine protection loops and the carb is the amal mk2, have tried contacting honda uk when i thought the bike was a cota 200 but they were unable to date bike saying numbers incomplete ?  hoping someone can help or suggest who to contact to identify bike.

[feetupsbetter]

Hello there, have you also considered the possibility of model ref Cota 200 ‘C’.
Back in ‘85 I bought an (alleged) ‘83 model which carried the 200C decals on the white tank unit just under the seat area. It wasn’t road reg’d but I think I had a dealer sales receipt from a previous owner listing it as 1983 200C. That was around the transition time from montesa to Honda. Unfortunately it was stolen a year or two later & I didn’t have any record of numbers but 29M sounds familiar (and isn’t far from 29H when reading through layers of paint). Mine had white fibreglass tank (I believe the MH models all had red plastic tanks with a large MH logo running along the side), red frame with single down tube to a curved split cradle under the engine with a pretty poor thin pressed bash plate. The rims were gold (akront branded ?) with black hubs and particularly notable was half width front hub where the earlier ones seemed to have smaller diameter full width hubs. If I remember rightly, when the MH models came out (84/85 ?) they were the same as the ‘C’ except for colour scheme & plastic tank, red tank, black frame.

I don’t remember any riveted vin plate, steering lock was just a kind of tube welded to the headstock, holding the lock inside with a thin metal pivoting cover over it. 
Appreciate there’s nothing definitive in that just (pretty vague) memories but it might jog someone else’s memory.

cheers

[billp]

thanks for your reply, a picture is now emerging as apart from the rivetted plate headed as montesa/honda mh200 and also the stamped numbers on headstock bearing the same montesa/honda numbering starting with MH200 its looking like the bike is a mh200, my bike has gold akront rims and with half width hubs and when i purchased the bike it had a black frame which i assumed was incorrectly painted by some previous owner, i have since painted it red but didnt find any evidence of it having previously been red unless it was blasted or dipped however as the rivetted plate shows no signs of being disturbed this is unlikely,  i have stripped the tank to the gelcoat and its never been red so looks like i have a mh200 with a cota 200 tank,  as my engine has same last three digits as the frame number  i assume its got its original engine, 

[feetupsbetter]

Hi again, just had a look for a few pics to jog my memory (Google, not pics of mine I don’t seem to have any 🤷‍♂️).

Clearly my memories are clouded as all the pics of the MH version show a red frame, and I must be getting single down tube frame mixed up with something else, maybe mates cota 250. Also with the tank, I thought I remembered a slightly textured finish plastic tank on the MH but again all pics show otherwise, a very shiny red tank which could be fibreglass, mine definitely was fibreglass but white. On the slightly older models, the rear lower edges of the tank unit below the seat, had a ‘flaired’ shape over/around the rear shock top bolt ( presumably for comfort against the leg/boot) but the later ones seem to be trimmed along as a straight edge. In my own experience those ‘flairs’ cracked & crumbled so ended up being trimmed off & I expect many others were too.

Any way good luck with your project, I hope you find the detailed information you’re looking for, and that my vague & sometimes inaccurate memory helped in some small way. I always thought it was a great little bike, despite its utterly rubbish brakes in water🤣. It didn’t seem to matter what cables or shoes or mods thereto, as soon as they got near water they were useless for the rest of the trial. Wheels out first job after every wet event ! Oh great days eh!