mboon Posted September 1, 2013 Report Share Posted September 1, 2013 Hi all, I have tasked myself with getting my dad's old Montesa Cota 247 running and riding again. The bike was bought years ago and spent most of it's time in his shed collecting dust. I dragged it out a few years ago and kicked it over, kicks over fine but would not start. I put it back with a promise to try get it going again. So that day came today, got it back out. Both tyres are flat and it needs some work. We are going to try get her running and riding again and then strip it down and make it look like new This is the bike in current form So checked the oil, looks OK, kicked it over a few times and everything seems to be free. I removed the HT lead and went into remove the plug... 20mm spanner? which I do not have... You can imagine looking down and just seeing the empty space where it once lived So dug out an old spark plug, put it on and kicked the bike, nothing. So went to the other Montesa Cota 247 we have and removed the coil, removed the tank and coil from this bike and replaced. The coil I fitted was the old screw tyre on top of the plug which was fun, fitted this and still the same. I have put fresh fuel in the old girl and made sure the tap was opened. While kicking you can smell the fuel. That is the original coil fitted. I have removed that one. I have loads of questions and this is the first bike I have ever worked on. This was my last project A couple questions I have straight away.... Do we need to mix the fuel? ie put lead replacement into the unleaded fuel? What oil does these bikes use? Where is the oil filter... or is there not one? Any ideas why we are not getting a spark? We are based in Somerset UK and half tempted to find a local bike guy to get her up and running and I will do the cosmetics. Anyway, any comments welcome... Interested to know what we have etc... Does the parts look original? Like I said, it is my dad's bikes... He had them back in the 70's and bought these for a reminder of his youth...mid life crisis haha Right guys, An update. So I kicked the bike over and nothing... Took the lead off, put another plug on and put on the tank, kicked her over and cannot see a spark.. I noticed under the tank was a coil, so removed the tank and checked the connections on the coil, all OK. I removed the coil and replaced with the coil from the other bike which was the old style that screws into the top of the spark plug Some photos While I was taking bits off I came across the engine number??? of this bike... Can anyone tell me details on this engine number please... I next removed the chain cover and checked the points by eye, all looked OK but know I need to get these looked at again Next I took the air filter off and cleaned etc So while the air filter/box was removed I thought I might as well remove this and check over and clean All fitted back together I removed the plug and checked, all looked fine, gave it a bit of a clean up but didn't really need it This is the spares bike we have, can anyone tell me more about this one? And this is the engine number... Again, can anyone shed some light on this for me? age etc After all this I went to fire and nothing again. I ended up putting the original coil back in her and tried again, still the same. I am half tempted to put it into a garage and get them to make her breath again then I can start on the body. While I am talking about the body of the bike, can anyone tell me paint codes etc please and what colour items are supposed to be. ie... the air filter housing, is that the correct factory colour? if not what was...? I am going to pressure wash the old girl down and start rubbing down parts and giving a new lick of paint This is where I work my magic Anyway, thanks for looking, sorry for all the pics... I like to show plenty of detail. I was a nightmare with my Escort but was great reading for enthusiasts and for me to keep track of what I did to her. Thanks Mark Well guys, this is the old girl running. My dad was over the moon which was nice. This has highlighted the exhaust manifold needs some work... any ideas? One happy montesa helper haha Right, nice little update. As some will know, I put the bike in with a mechanic I know, we left it that he would take it apart, see what is needed and give me a call to discuss. I dropped it off Friday around 4.30 and was not expecting anything until the tail end of next week. 10.30 Saturday morning I get a call from the mechanic saying it was ready for collection... Shocked was a understatement. So managed to grab the work van and collect the bike, £35 lighter she started first time! He found a few little things that need to be addressed but overall very good. So in the van it went and back home. I was going to give this to my dad straight away but had an afternoon of Karting and just didn't have time so put it in my back garden and went karting. Later that evening I wheeled the bike over to my dads without him noticing and kicked her into life! His face said it all So after a good chin wag and some ideas we are putting our heads together and starting to tidy the bike up. So today I got the bike back at mine (I live across the road), removed the fibre glass petrol tank cover and sprayed the bike down with WD40, I let this sink in while I was getting the pressure washer readyMontesa Cota 247 Restore by Mark Boon, on FlickrMontesa Cota 247 Restore by Mark Boon, on FlickrMontesa Cota 247 Restore by Mark Boon, on FlickrMontesa Cota 247 Restore by Mark Boon, on FlickrMontesa Cota 247 Restore by Mark Boon, on FlickrMontesa Cota 247 Restore by Mark Boon, on Flickr I forgot to say, the mechanic just adjusted the points and it kicked straight into life. 5 years this bike sat, very impressed. So a few pics after it was sprayed downMontesa Cota 247 Restore by Mark Boon, on FlickrMontesa Cota 247 Restore by Mark Boon, on FlickrMontesa Cota 247 Restore by Mark Boon, on Flickr Now was the time to start stripping it down until it looked like thisMontesa Cota 247 Restore by Mark Boon, on FlickrMontesa Cota 247 Restore by Mark Boon, on Flickr Now I was going to strip this right down and get the frame blasted and sprayed.... but it looks pretty good, so now thinking of just doing a light resto on the bike and get all the metal/chrome looking a bit better. I took a few photos of small detail on the bikeMontesa Cota 247 Restore by Mark Boon, on FlickrMontesa Cota 247 Restore by Mark Boon, on Flickr I also found the frame number.... which matches the engine Montesa Cota 247 Restore by Mark Boon, on Flickr One of the things that was highlighted by the mechanic was the pipe from the tank to the carb was too small, the fuel takes an age to prime the carb. So I will remove the fuel line from the spare bike and change it over This is the problem hoseMontesa Cota 247 Restore by Mark Boon, on Flickr Also noticed this on the bikeMontesa Cota 247 Restore by Mark Boon, on Flickr Up until 6 months ago I was Head IT Engineer for a company that supported Talon. There office is around 10 minutes from my front door, that could come in hand at some point. So the first thing I wanted to tidy up which has bugged me since day one was the air filter box It did look like thisMontesa Cota 247 Restore by Mark Boon, on Flickr I sanded it down with wet and dry and currently sat on the table waiting to dry before I spray it. I am going to spray this Titanium Silver..... purely because I have some of this paint in the shed from our BMW. I will update once I have sprayed this item, it will take a good few coats thoughMontesa Cota 247 Restore 2 by Mark Boon, on FlickrMontesa Cota 247 Restore 2 by Mark Boon, on FlickrMontesa Cota 247 Restore 2 by Mark Boon, on Flickr Next up was the exhaust, years of riding has took it's tole so off that came, sanded down and sprayed Sanded downMontesa Cota 247 Restore 2 by Mark Boon, on Flickr A couple coats of matt black high temp paintMontesa Cota 247 Restore 2 by Mark Boon, on Flickr I was not happy with this, held it up to the bike and it looked rubbish against the shiny black frame. So out came my trusty can of Satin Black, after a good coat of this (it is still very wet) I think it looks a lot better than it did... although still not happy.Untitled by Mark Boon, on FlickrUntitled by Mark Boon, on FlickrWhile I was and still am waiting for this paint to go off I got the Autosol metal polish out. I started on the mudguards This is the bit I was not happy with, but.... Not much I can do about it unless I buy new items... which is very tempting if they can still be had. Can anyone tell me if the metal items I have are original items? did they come with the metal ones or plastic? So this is a before shot, as you can see the metal is putted and really dullMontesa Cota 247 Restore 2 by Mark Boon, on FlickrMontesa Cota 247 Restore 2 by Mark Boon, on Flickr This is the stuff I am using, a good friend uses this on exhausts and its cracking stuffMontesa Cota 247 Restore 2 by Mark Boon, on Flickr And this is a kind of before and after shotMontesa Cota 247 Restore 2 by Mark Boon, on Flickr As you can see, still plenty of room for improvementMontesa Cota 247 Restore 2 by Mark Boon, on Flickr And after some elbow grease they ended up like this... well the front does.. Not started the back yetMontesa Cota 247 Restore 2 by Mark Boon, on FlickrMontesa Cota 247 Restore 2 by Mark Boon, on Flickr Pretty tired by this point but couldn't resist seeing what the engine cover would come up like so started on this BeforeMontesa Cota 247 Restore 2 by Mark Boon, on Flickr AfterMontesa Cota 247 Restore 2 by Mark Boon, on Flickr Seems to be working on the engine covers but loads of little nicks and marks in the metal which is annoying.. I must remind myself this is a trials bike and not a show car haha. So I am just waiting for the exhaust to go off, will put another coat on that and will put the first coat on the air filter. Not sure if the titanium silver will be any good but I guess I can always sanded it back down and spray again. I have ordered the first part for the bike as well, and thanks to Gary (Above) for pointing it out. We are missing the rubber sleeve that goes over the join on the exhaust, this was causing the smoke to come out by your leg I also have a friend coming around today to look over the fibre glass tank cover, he is going to repair and spray for me so it should look like new again. I will also like new decals if possible? anyone know where I can get these from? Thanks for reading, sorry about all the pics but I like detail Cheers Mark 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mboon Posted September 2, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 2, 2013 The tank cover was collected last night, to repair and spray is costing £130. I have put a coat of paint on the air filter housing but want to sand it down again, not looking the best it could. Does anyone know somewhere local to Yeovil Somerset where we can take the bike for a ride. Not interested in going on a course or anything, just somewhere we can get her up through the gears and test everything is working as it should? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shercofray Posted September 2, 2013 Report Share Posted September 2, 2013 Would love an old ts, there will be some people on here who appreciate this but check out trialscentral.com as this is bike trials forum and that is the motorised equivalent. and there will be more people interested in your project. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FamilyBiker Posted September 2, 2013 Report Share Posted September 2, 2013 thought the same,all this effort put in the pic heaviest topic i´ve ever read,and its all in the wrong forum. interesting though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Filo Posted September 3, 2013 Report Share Posted September 3, 2013 With the carbie taking alot to prime. You have to press the little tickler. Push in and out until the fuel squirts out the little hole. Google mk1 Amal concentric carbie and you should find alot of information. As for starting, does it have spark? Have you cleaned the carbie? If it hasn't been run for ages the needle that's connects to the float could be stuck. Good news with the carbies is that you can get all parts for really cheap. Check the points and condenser, make sure that its timed correctly, that will help. Look into the wiring and make sure the coils is correctly installed. There is so many variable to find why it's not starting that its really hard to explain over the Internet. You will be able to find alot of information online. I can tell you that tank isn't original either. You have started polishing, if you want it to be alot shinier you will also need to use wet and dry to remove all the pitting and ensure all the scratches are going in one direction. You can restore them cases and mudguards to look like a mirrorThis is how they looked https://www.google.com.au/search?q=montesa+cota+247&safe=off&client=safari&hl=en&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=NsglUu2BMI2ciQf2rYHYDg&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAA&biw=1024&bih=672 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mboon Posted September 3, 2013 Author Report Share Posted September 3, 2013 With the carbie taking alot to prime. You have to press the little tickler. Push in and out until the fuel squirts out the little hole. Google mk1 Amal concentric carbie and you should find alot of information. As for starting, does it have spark? Have you cleaned the carbie? If it hasn't been run for ages the needle that's connects to the float could be stuck. Good news with the carbies is that you can get all parts for really cheap. Check the points and condenser, make sure that its timed correctly, that will help. Look into the wiring and make sure the coils is correctly installed. There is so many variable to find why it's not starting that its really hard to explain over the Internet. You will be able to find alot of information online. I can tell you that tank isn't original either. You have started polishing, if you want it to be alot shinier you will also need to use wet and dry to remove all the pitting and ensure all the scratches are going in one direction. You can restore them cases and mudguards to look like a mirror This is how they lookedhttps://www.google.com.au/search?q=montesa+cota+247&safe=off&client=safari&hl=en&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=NsglUu2BMI2ciQf2rYHYDg&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAA&biw=1024&bih=672 Good info, we got the bike going now. Points just needed cleaning, she fired first time, not bad. I have got some fine wet and dry, will give that ago on the underside of the fender andsee how it comes up. If I could get them a little better and a few marks out of the engine covers I will be happy. Not going to full show bike or anything, just nice and clean and able to use the old girl.After sanding down the air filter box first time round and it looking like thisMontesa Cota 247 Restore 2 by Mark Boon, on Flickr I was not happy with the finish.. So sanded it down again to bare metal, that was funMontesa Cota 247 Restoration Paintwork by Mark Boon, on Flickr I then got the wet and dry out and thought I would try for the standard lookMontesa Cota 247 Restoration Paintwork by Mark Boon, on Flickr I was not happy with that so reverted back to idea number 1, titanium silver it wasMontesa Cota 247 Restoration Paintwork by Mark Boon, on FlickrMontesa Cota 247 Restoration Paintwork by Mark Boon, on FlickrMontesa Cota 247 Restoration Paintwork by Mark Boon, on Flickr I am happy with this, would of prefered OE is possible but unless I buy a new item I really could not see it happening. The tank cover has been collected and in the process of being repaired and painted. £120 at mates rates so happy enough with that. That should come back like new. Just trying to track down some tank decals, possibly a new seat or a trim and plenty of metal polishing to keep me going. The tank itself had to go with the cover to the bodyshop due to clearence concerns after repairs etc. The list of things I would like to get sorted cosmetics. New decals all over New hand grips Re-chrome the kickstart/pedals/rear brake lever/gear changer Connect up a kill switch - ideas needed? change the back wheel clean the tank out clean the tank filter change the fuel pipe from the tank to carb Clean, clean clean... What can I put nuts and bolts in to clean them up? trying to remove rust from visiable bolts... any ideas on this? was thinking vinger or coke? Thanks Mark PS I have this on trial central.com as well just spreading it as I am sure most who run both trials would be interested and might help or get someone else to buy a classic and lightly restore to working condition Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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