Day 25a: Getting The Timing Right

It has been awhile since the last post. I was having a problem getting the timing exactly right and thanks to John Haberbosch at http://www.rmmontesa.com/ a solution to the problem is at hand. John has updated his site and put in some tech articles. If you click on the title of this post it takes you to the tech article I am using. Yes, it is manufacturing a tool to get the timing perfect. The article itself does not have any pictures but here is one. Thanks John (and feel free to use the picture)!

Day 24: Electrical, Wrapping It Up

Here is the complete electrical system! All wired up and new! The red button is the kill switch and the schematics below is the page from the manual showing the complete system. Note that this model does not have lights. It all checks out with the ohm meter and it's ready to go!

Day 23: Electrical System and Ignition

Now that the ignition is all rewired I decided to replace all the wiring on the Montesa, which is not much. The coil wire and kill switch are the only other electrical components on the motorcycle. Then the ignition plate is remounted. The gap is set to 0.015in. It was quite a bit larger and that could have been a contributing factor to the starting problems. I also replaced the mismatched mounting bolts on the coil. They were rusted and just looked horrible. Now they are matched new allen bolts that don't stick out too far . Next, the paint must be removed from the mounting location for the coil to get a good ground. That is the tab sticking below the top tube on the frame with the two holes in the picture below.

There is a reverse lock washer for the magneto that broke. It was old and very brittle. The manual reccomends replacing it anyway and Vancouver Bolt should have a replacement. That will have to wait until Monday when they are open. Update; Vancouver Bolt www.vancouverbolt.com did not have it but my Whizzer mechanic buddy Dave did. Thanks Dave!

Notice the tiny half moon spec in the picture. That is the keyway that keeps the magneto from slipping on the shaft. Not a part one wants to loose.

Day 22: Rewired

Prepping the wire for soldering, and of course routing. It pays to keep attention to detail to get every little thing right. Home Depot had the wire I needed for $4.95 a spool (24 ft/spool) with most of the original colors. The original colors were black, yellow, green and pink. I have replaced pink with red, because I could not find pink wire. Leave it to Spain to use pink. The old pink was so bleached out from time it looked white anyway. Here is the finished product before the housing is put on the wire so everyone will know it is good as new!! This should last another 40 years. Good 16 AWG wire with very solid solder points. Now to install the housing over the wire, mount the plate and properly set the points.

Day 21B: Problem Found!

Well, well, well. I was traveling around the points with the ohm meter and I was getting some strange readings. Sometimes the readings were good, sometimes not. I am thinking, what the heck! Being the thourough person I am, from my history of working on fighter jets, I decided to be better safe than sorry and take the entire plate off of the engine. This is kind of a hassle because ultimately, this is how the timing on the points occurs. The position of the plate, due to the fact that it is all mechanical, will have to be timed again upon installation. Well when I get the plate off, there is a broken wire behind it. A couple of strands were touching, hence the variable readings. This is the holy grail of why, when I was cranking the kick start in the previous video, there was nothing. I have a feeling we will be rolling soon, stay tuned!

Day 21A: Points Revealed!

Well folks, the points are finally revealed! The nut on the magneto was proving to be a project stopper. I finally dried up on creative, non-destructive ways to get the nut off and took the whole engine down to: www.johnnysmotorcyclerepair.com/. Those guys are really great down there! Johnny himself got that nut off with a couple of special tools in about 5 minutes, and no charge! Thanks Johnny:)! Next, I took it home and got out Dave's gear puller and popped that magneto off. I do, by the way, mean POPPED! I was looking for blood after it came off. No holes in me though, so I continued. Upon inspection under the magneto, I found the stray end of wire grounding out. This could be the problem I have been searching for. The next step is using the ohm meter to check everything and adjust to factory specifications and throw it back together. Now work can start to progress again. Expect more soon!

Day 20: Ingniting Perfection

Turning on the gas, watching it drip into the clear line, like blood that keeps precious life from slipping away. Cycling the kick start to get the piston at top dead center. Maybe even using the tickler to coax her a little! Checking for neutral, winding up and giving her what for! When you are constantly met with nothing for all your efforts and you have a good, solid spark; there is only one thing left. Yes, I am talking about the points. I have now split the case on the other side from the kick start and will be digging in to the points. Fortunately the manual has good testing procedures for checking and timing them. The only problem is the mystery tool used to hold the reverse threaded balance flywheel is just that, a mystery. It feels like the nut was put on with more than the reccommended 72 ft/lbs of torque as well. A little T&E (minus the E) will follow. I will let you all know how it goes, wish me luck!

Day 19: Kick Starter Shaft Repaired!

Karl's dad, John, comes through again! This is a $166.00 part that he was able to straighten and repair. Thanks John!

Day 18: Carburetor, Air Filter etc.

I have been trying to find somewhere to get foam to make a replacement filter. I was tempted to shave some off an existing cushion. Then it hit me, I have this love seat I am trying to haul off to the dump. I started cutting the covering off and was able to harvest enough foam to last another twenty years! In lieu of the spring, I will just use aluminum tape for doing duct work. Problem solved! We also took the carburetor apart and verified that the current jet is in fact a "U" like the manual specifies. The replacement part for the kick start is $166.00. We are going to explore some other options and see if that works. Thanks John Haberbosch at http://rmmontesa.com/ for giving the proper fuel to oil mix! This seems to be one of those closely guarded secrets! 28:1 to as low as 20:1! Otherwise we will be constantly replacing pistons! This little tip will probably save us plenty of heartbreak since we were recommended 40:1 to as low as 30:1! Quite a disparity there! Well even though the piston is easy to replace, I still would not like to do it every week. This was probably what originally killed this bike. Again John, THANKS!

Day 17: Parts Supplier Found!

Well I got an email back from John at Rocky Mountain Montesa. Below is my whole wish list I am getting pricing for: Serial # on engine: 28M1448 Foot peg spring: 2820.326 Front Fender and hardware: 0090.0620, 0093.106, 0093.506 and 0092.06 Chain Guard: 2820.306 Rt side case gasket: 2860.113 Exhaust clamps: 3362.063 and 0096.1026028 Air cleaner: 2162.067, 3462.057 and 2862.321 Clutch parts: 0263.107, D5518, 2155.020 (amal 18/838-m) and 2155.021 ( amal 18/839) Kick Starter parts: 2865.007, 2865.005 and 2865.010.1T

Then lets see about making it street legal while we are at it!

Accessories

Light switch: 2170.065.2J Tail light: 0070.170152 and 2170.025 Wire harness: 2870.0345J Fuse box and pin: 0270.203 and 0070.2210204 Mounts: 2835.004 and 2835.005 Head light: 2170.0011J, 0070.2208003 and 0070.140267