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Re: Basket Cases

Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2011 10:16 pm
by David Lahey
Yes Mark I did do more than just clean it, but not much that made a difference cosmetically
I rebuilt the motor, which included repainting the cylinder fins, polished the engine covers and painted the black bits around Bultaco, painted the brake pedal and the brake rod and painted the kickstart lever. The rest of the nice-looking effect is from cleaning off the accumulated dust, possum wee, gecko poo, spider webs, oil and gunk. For evidence here are photos taken in 2006. One is at the Twinshock Masters Nov 2006 and the other was taken at home just before that event, so maybe it was late 2006 that I haven't cleaned it since? I remember I got such a fright riding it at Conondale that year that I barely thought about riding it until Brownie rode his M49 at the Denman 2 day in 2010 which fired me up about getting it to be nicer to ride.

Re: Basket Cases

Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2011 11:17 pm
by Mark K
You are of course quite right. It was pretty then and it is still pretty now.

I suspect it will take half a stick of gelignite and another bike before I have one that looks good. I also suspect that cleaning my little beastie will just reveal more ugliness. Even so, I'll still be taking it to Conondale in a couple of days to show it how some good bikes look.

Re: Basket Cases

Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2011 9:56 pm
by Greg Harding
Hi Everyone,

David, there are some nice bikes in the photos that you have posted and even better seeing them in the flesh all lined up in Parc Ferme!

Wow, genuinely surprised that I won that one, especially after some little problems leading up to riding the event. With fuel dissolving resin inside the tank and blocking the fuel strainer, the tank spent all week in the sun without a cap or tap. Had a bit of a ride on saturday to practice on the terrain that is uniquely Conondale. Paranoid about fuel supply problems, drained the tank and left to dry out, then was informed that we could be scrutineered on saturday. This is good and still enough fuel in the carby to test killswitch, passed with an empty tank and peace of mind for me.

Very happy to say that the bike really impressed me in the reliability department and did everything I wanted, believe it or not even in the brake department!

Would like to thank the following:

Steve for the lend of some fairly major components: forks, rear sprocket, exhaust and motor.

Graeme for rebuilding the motor, tuning and fibreglass repairs.

Brownie for carby and the rear shocks.

Don Newell for spokes and guards and encouragement.

Phil for giving me a spare tank, fuel tap and frame.

Robin for general Bultaco advice.

George for general Bultaco advice.

And Ray for the lend of crossbar pad.

Everyone that clicked my scorecard.

As you can see, this was a real team effort.

Below is some photos of my rear brake mods which created a bit of interest. This made my job a lot easier and incorporated the existing engine mount and brake pedal pivots.

Re: Basket Cases

Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2011 11:40 pm
by Bully fanatic
Hello Greg. Why have you put the brakes on the wrong side, it would have to make them a bit vague wouldn`t it. It really doesn`t take long to get used to left side rear brakes and on Bultaco`s they are much more direct with left side brake and right side shift. It is probably the only thing the Poms ever got right. The only Bullys to ever have them both on the same side were the last model or two of the Astro`s which were the flat trackers which only ever turned left. Graham.

Re: Basket Cases

Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 1:00 pm
by JC1
Nice work Greg.


"Bout time I posted some pics here. Having had my interest in 70's trials bikes rekindled in the last year, I went in search of a ride (or 2 or more). Not sure I found trash or treasure, but its time to 'fess up to some of the 'roachs I unearthed. (Ignore the date on the pics)

First came a 247 Cota I vaguely recalled hearing about probably a decade ago, but had no contact, not even a name. First lead went nowhere, then coincidentally I was talking to another chap 400km away about TYs & he mentioned this guy's name which I instantly recognised. Still listed in whitepages & he still had the cota... "in about a hundred pieces".

Actually it was only about 20 pieces. He'd removed everything from the frame yonks ago to strip & repaint it, but never got around to it. Frame appeared quite rusty but thankfully only surface rust. (Isn't included in pics cos I'd already stripped & primed it).

Amazingly almost everything is in the box. Motor appears to have little wear, except the carb slide. Swingarm pivot tube is seized in bushes & RH frame mount is flogged out - common probs w that model it seems.

Re: Basket Cases

Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 1:09 pm
by JC1
Then came an M80 Sherpa

PICT2023.JPG
M80 LHS
PICT2023.JPG (80.13 KiB) Viewed 6693 times

Re: Basket Cases

Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 5:34 pm
by Mark K
JC1 wrote: ............ "Bout time I posted some pics here. ........
Sooner or later somebody had to state the obvious, so it might as well be me. Here we are into the 16the page and post number three hundred and something and finally a picture of "much of a bike in a basket". I've been waiting so long to see a basket full of Basket Case.

And for what its worth, I'm currently fixing my broken footpeg mounting bracket, so with any luck I'll be able to ride once more without bouncing droopy footpeg syndrome, thereby saving myself the possibility of becoming a human basket case.

Re: Basket Cases

Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 11:14 pm
by Greg Harding
Hi Everyone,

Graham, I like Thai food (a little off topic but bear with me). One of the main reasons is they don't seem to follow any culinary rules, instead opting to mix any ingredient to get the flavour and texture they want! Which means they are not limited to doing things in a certain way simply because they have always done it that way! Some of the best inventions and break throughs in design have come about from experimenting and thinking outside the proverbial box. Anyway, had been to the local bike wreckers and bought all of their gear levers that were damaged on one end or the other really cheap. Below is another photo of brake linkage to help me remember where the brake pedal is, this time without the motor blocking the view. Starting with the pedal, a Kawasaki KX80 gear lever welded to a Honda CB125 gear selector shaft centred inside my custom bracket. Attached to the other end is a Yamaha DT175 gear lever cut and twisted at the right length and drilled to fit a Suzuki LJ50 linkage. This in turn pulls my special rocker utilising the original brake pedal pivot designed to give mechanical advantage. The extra force generated helps the original (I think they have never been replaced) riveted brake shoes grab the cast iron drum. Contrary to popular belief, not all Sherpa T's have bad brakes and people laughed at me when I said the brakes were good! Now that I have given you the recipe, you can make your own pudding!

JC1, love your technique on tracking down Basket Cases! American Pickers are good to watch and they give some good tips, one that they continue to reiterate is that they were able the find and buy rare items simply because they asked. The 247 looks pretty good in the corrosion department, what are the fork legs like under the gators and do you have the exhaust? The Bully looks like it may be less work to get to riding condition, what is the motor like? Good to see your saving some old bikes and hopefully going to ride them!

Mark, very observant, perhap the baskets are to let the rust fall out and not fill up with water exasperating the proplem.

Re: Basket Cases

Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 11:44 pm
by Bully fanatic
Hello all. Greg, it really is a work of art. There was quite a few old bikes had linkages to put the rear brake pedal on the other side including Bultaco`s. This could be to put them on either side. Just to go off the brake subject here did you know that your Sherpa has Pursang footpegs on it. They are longer by about a half an inch to three quarters of an inch over the Sherpa ones and it was a common mod back in the day. Graham. Ps my Sherpa does have good brakes as you know.

Re: Basket Cases

Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2011 9:51 am
by JC1
Greg Harding wrote:Hi Everyone,


JC1, love your technique on tracking down Basket Cases! American Pickers are good to watch and they give some good tips, one that they continue to reiterate is that they were able the find and buy rare items simply because they asked. The 247 looks pretty good in the corrosion department, what are the fork legs like under the gators and do you have the exhaust? The Bully looks like it may be less work to get to riding condition, what is the motor like? Good to see your saving some old bikes and hopefully going to ride them!

Mark, very observant, perhap the baskets are to let the rust fall out and not fill up with water exasperating the proplem.


Greg, Yes the 247 exhaust is there (just forgot to include it in the pic) tho it has a welded-on J&R (or similar) muffler, not the original. Fork chrome appears good under the gators as far as I can see.

Haven't had the head off the sherpa yet so don't know what the motor is like but compression feels OK

Also picked up these TYs. (forget the date on the pics) 250 runs, & motor seems OK, but rest is obviously shabby.

Lots of work ahead. (If I'd found a bike in better nic I would have bought it.)