June 23, 200620 yr A freind of mine brought his two SWM's to my house the other night to see what I could do with them. one is a 81 240 (black framed) in box's and peices. The other one is a 82 240 ( blue frame no rear loop) that rolls on it's wheels but alot of bits to it in a box too. So after a note to MartinM to see what the correct plug should be ,I cleaned the tank and carb , dropped in a new plug and some good fuel and the 82 ran on its own ! I just had to try it out ... And I have to ask those that may know , is the 240 fantic a whole lot more powerful than these or do I just have alot more work ahead of me ! Now that the 82 does run at least , it gets remanufactured ,The bike is sooo loose its scary ! But first I'll put the 81 back together to see if it is a viable engine too. I hope they feel more like trials bikes when they are put back in a proper state And Martin if your out there , thanks for the help !!! I'll be needing some fork seals and maybe steering head bearings soon .... Thanks to all .... Glenn
June 23, 200620 yr I rode a 280 swm from 1982 at the last trial I attended. It seemed to have much smoother power than the 240 Fantic I normaly ride (243 engine fitted). The top end I would say is about the same. I must admit the guy who owns the bike has set it up very well and it was really nice to ride. If I didnt have so many 240s and bits for them, I might have been temped to try the swm route also. Having said that I have no idea what the parts supply situation is for these bikes and Fantics are bad enough although there were 18000 240s made! Lee
June 23, 200620 yr Having said that I have no idea what the parts supply situation is for these bikes and Fantics are bad enough although there were 18000 240s made! Lee, take a look at my website www.motoswm.com I have most of the parts available new for all of the SWM trials range....and also a lot of second hand parts. Cheers Martin Edited June 23, 200620 yr by MartinM
June 23, 200620 yr Hi Martin, your site is very impressive and there is lots of info. And certainly the price of your spares is excellent. (An advert for martin, I dont know how he does it!) If I think what the 200/240 side panels cost me to make and buy and them compare to your parts..... All we now need to do is teach bill pye how to set up a website, and then get him to use your prices........ I saw you bid on the jumbo in italy, (as I did also) which was eventually bough by Olaf koster here. Olaf said he knew all the bidders...maybe we should comunicate more...or is that illegal and called price fixing....never mind. Lee PS will you be riding the dartmoor two day in september? And to Glenn...what do you mean by so loose? Edited June 23, 200620 yr by Lee Harris
June 23, 200620 yr Author Loose as in the head stock move's , there is no oil the forks (but the springs are real strong !!!), The controls are all out of wack , and I think the swingarm bushings and or rear wheel bearings are shot... But I'll play with it and make it right as rain again. cause right now it has no directional stability and is dangerous to ride !!! Glenn Edited June 23, 200620 yr by axulsuv
June 23, 200620 yr The SWM is a good bike. The Rotax engine is a proven performer. I am a little biased, but I believe the Fantic is pretty much the Ferarri of it's time. Out performs anything in it's class with suspension. The motor in it's day was considered almost too zippy, but by today's standard's is quite excellent. The 240 was quite simply ahead of it's time!
June 24, 200620 yr Agreed, and heres an even better option 240 + 243...... 240 +303 in the pipeline Lee Edited June 24, 200620 yr by Lee Harris
June 24, 200620 yr Author I know I love my 240 , From the way it starts to the way it handles and even the way the old girl looks ! And Lee : where did you get the fantic jersey ? I NEED ONE !!!! and Martin do you know of any parts diagrams like you have for the hearty swm's available for my trusty 83 240 pro ?? Thanks , Glenn Edited June 24, 200620 yr by axulsuv
June 25, 200620 yr The SWM is a good bike. The Rotax engine is a proven performer. I am a little biased, but I believe the Fantic is pretty much the Ferarri of it's time. Out performs anything in it's class with suspension. The motor in it's day was considered almost too zippy, but by today's standard's is quite excellent. The 240 was quite simply ahead of it's time! On the SWM vs Fantic debate....would think that if Fantic was the Ferrari of its time, SWM would have been Lamborghini I have owned/ridden 240 & 300 Fantics (& even comnbinations of the two Lee!) and they are excellent bikes.....however I switched to SWM. Why?......several reasons, the handling of the SWM is better than the Fantic, in muddy conditions they grip like nothing else and from a maintainence angle they are much cheaper/easier to keep running (points/condenser ignition and steel cylinder liners). Granted the Fantic motors are much lighter and very zippy, but get it in the mud and its a bit of a handful! Martin
June 25, 200620 yr Hi Glenn, my mam bought me the sweatshirt. It came from bride motocross in exeter and cost abot 12 pounds......it was in 1981!!!
June 25, 200620 yr Author OH WELL ; I guess I have to get ahold of Bossisimo Motori ? in Italy and try to get one then ... The Search is on !!!! Cheers, Glenn
June 26, 200620 yr Glenn, check out Metro Racing. They have Fantic (and everything else) Jerseys. Find what you want and then give Chad Kimbrell a call. He can get them. http://metroracing.com/cgi-local/web_store/web_store.cgi
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