Here is the '03 That I bought on Tuesday. Just like you said it drags the clutch, especially when cold. Could you give me more info on the fix? Here are a couple pics of my new addition/addiction! [/IMG] [/IMG]
Congrats on the bike. They really are fun to ride, and easy to maintain. Heck, the one I got served as a trainer and comp bike for many years with very little in the way of TLC. I rebuilt the thing because the bike really deserved better. I had good luck and am happy with the following: Pulled clutch, being very mindful as to orientation of the 7 fiber discs. See that 4 are different thickness than the others(they go in a particular fashion-refer to manual). I took the metal plates and roughed them up real good with 150 grit. Don't be shy. Some use the ATF fluids, but, I happened to have a bit of the ELF HTX fluid called for in the manual. This stuff is amazing in the feel of the clutch. Result is much much less drag at all temps. Be aware a bit of drag is expected and as you learn to ride it is desired. Option two is get an aftermarket Mitiani clutch. I think they are about $120. They have different fiber material and have very little drag. I think if my 315 were my primary trialer, and I was resonbly sure I was gonna stick with it, then I would do option two. Happy trialing!
Nice looking '03. Before you peel the plates out of the bike... I have an '01 315R that had similar problems BTW.... bleed the clutch, make sure the clutch lever is adjusted correctly and order a master cylinder rebuild kit to have sitting in your box of spares for when the time comes.
There should be 3 fiber and 2 paper friction plates, the paper ones are the last ones on. Some people have put CR250 clutches in and they have 7 fiber plates. If it has 7 plates in it it will drag. I put the Mitiani clutch in mine and used the elf HTX740 and as the British say"this works a treat".
Seems spendy but the condition and market scarcity will dictate. I have a 2001 I'm considering selling for ~2k as is (needs a new silencer, loads of scratches).
Here's my old 02 I was searching for another bike and came across this thread. I sold that one after a lack of use but want to get back into it. Garthe, where do you ride in the Valley? I'm out in FJ, Superior and TM all the time with my buggy.
That's my biggest problem, I don't ride my Montesa very much at all. We just had our Second Son six months ago and things are starting to settle down. My wife and I sat down yesterday and looked at the CAT schedule for this year and we're going to try and make a good portition of the Events this year. My other problem is my regular riding partners don't ride Trials bikes...
That's funny: you're all the way in AZ, but your bike still has a RITC number plate on it. Who says trials bike are only good for short distances? BTW, I also have a Cota 315R, of '99 vintage. It was pretty banged up when I got it, but since it's my first trials bike and I'm far from being a connoisseur, I'm not too picky. I've only taken a couple of classes, and done one competitive event last year, but am thinking this hobby is going to stick. -- Ilya
I used to compete in New England Trials when I lived in RI. Then I moved to Coloardo and bought it from my friend who is dealer in RI. Now I'm in AZ and want to ride Trials again..
Howzit from South Africa Montessa fans. I have an old 98 Cota that I ride in the Northern Regions Club trials down here. Tough as nails and if I ride properly I can beat my mates on new Beta's Pics to follow.
Hi, I have been competing on my electric trials bike (made from 2000 315R) for the last three seasons with the SactoPITS club in California. I have been trying to upload a couple of pictures, but all attempts fail. I even tried down loading one of the pics from this thread, but when I upload, that fails too. If someone can suggest a solution I could try again. Electric bike has a Perm132 motor, Alltrax 7234 controller, and custom 72V 11ah battery. It weighs about 175 pounds. Recent improvements include a power selector switch (100, 90, 80, 70, 60, 50 %) on handlebar, clutch lever operates rear brake. Last year I modified the frame to allow the battery to sit within the frame instead of resting on top of it. Check out some videos on youtube (early lead acid version, plus later lithium ion version). Search for ecotrials.
You can fabricate an electric trials bike from a Monty but can't load photos. Just shitting you a bit. I would like to see it. See how too on using snapfish.
The pictures are all there at ecotrials.com. Very cool. I imagine it must feel very odd to ride w/o clutch, since modulation of throttle and clutch is so ingrained in anyone who rides trials. I have hard time imagining, learning curve aside, whether absence of the clutch is a positive or a negative development. I understand that with the electric motor stalling is not an issue and starting does not require a clutch. But what if while balancing you wanted to let the bike roll forward/backward an inch or more? Is the motor circuit open at closed throttle to allow freewheeling? Can the throttle go negative to propel you backwards? How does it feel? PS: One more question. I also wonder whether the proverbial "electric" nature of power delivery is a good or a bad thing for traction. From flat tracking and road racing, we know that lumpy power is preferable for better traction/feel/control, at least in some circumstances. Have you experimented with artificially modulating the power delivery? Since it's a DC motor, you are probably using PWM. What if you overlaid a lower frequency harmonic on top of that? And maybe even allowed for adjusting its waveform and frequency to suit trail conditions. Just a thought.
I'm going to take a look at this one some time this week. http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/mcy/1599239647.html Wish me luck.
