keychange

When I first got mine about 8 years ago it was more of a hate - hate relationship, I was tempted to torch it. But I came to understand her and her little ways so that once I got her sorted she has been uber-reliable ever since - the sheared woodruff key but not much else. Buy yourself the correct flywheel screwin extractor, you are going to need it

Yep the pusher pad (thimble) comes in various lengths --- if you can find them. Be sure not to adjust this so that the pusher is engaged as it will wear out very quickly

Would help to know which model Montesa ... and year would be a help as the older ones changed a lot.

Samwisemcg that is the correct part - it does come in several lengths so may be wise to get a couple. No you cannot kick start in gear when you engage the clutch the engine does not turn with the kick start. Best not to forget as a false kick on mine by my son broke the kick start return spring

Yes I suppose many guitar strings are quite stiff - I use a very fine soft brand of guitar strings ( Thomastik ) and so not a problem but certainly you want to be sure that the string is smaller than the jet. They are available in .011 .010 and .009 . I always carry a 6 inch length of .010 in my kit just in case - as it is useful for unblocking all sorts of orifices As for the sticking slide - this is very common with Amal carbies and almost always due to being over-tightened - the quality of the aluminium is pretty ordinary and so really too soft for the job. But as long as you know and work within the limits then the Amal does a great job. My 247 goes like the clappers/

Firstly make sure that your carbie isn't simply over-tightened. Back of the bolts so that they are just done not over-done and see if the slide is working smoothly. Otherwise remove the carbie and get a sheet of glass ( I pull the pane out of my shed window ) place a sheet of say 600 wet and dry on the glass leave it dry to begin with and rub the face of the carbie in circular motion over the wet and dry for say 20 seconds. Then have a look at the surface of the carbie face and if it is deformed you will see clearly that patches ( usually around the bolt holes) have been scuffed by the wet and dry and the rest is untouched. Now continue with smooth circular action on the wet and dry until you can see that the entire surface is making contact with the wet and dry and you should now have a flat surface. Then make sure you don't bugger it by over-tightening again

no not really

gently move the kick start until it gets to top dead centre ie:becomes very hard - then give the compression lever a squeeze and take it just past TDC then release the lever and kick normally. Once you get the hang of it - it becomes part of a natural kicking action.

You have over-tightened the carbie - that causes the slide to jam and can deform the carbie and cause air intake. Back off to just tight and see how that goes. If carbie is deformed it is easy fixed - just ask. Almost certainly a blocked pilot jet - guitar strings are good for removing stubborn blockages. Make sure your plug is good and the gap is not too large ie: standard plug setting is too large gap should be 0.4 mm Suggest you get a decompression valve before you bugger the kick start gears which are unobtainable. My Cota took me months to figure out but now that I know the beast it is a terrific and reliable old mount so stick with and don't be scared to ask as there is no such thing as a silly question just impatient responses

I have backed the compression release right off and that appears to have fixed it - not sure why and I haven't had time to do a full test but has started from cold twice now without a kickback.

Still hard to start and kicking back, sometimes on every kick. I am worried as I know the starter gear on these is not too strong. If CDI wouldn't I expect some other symptoms - engine runs fine apart from this issue.

Well last weekend I did the WD40 check with no obvious change - but I tightened the carbie just a bit more to be sure. Then I checked the valve settings - inlet was correct at .05 while exhaust was .08 ( only 1 thou ) but I adjusted that. Then I backed off the decompression release by quite a few turns. So tried it out and initially still not as easy to start as it used to be (pre- ring job) and still kicking back. I then had to make quite a bit of adjustment on the idle mix to get it right and took it for a ride. The engine was smoother and no sense of overheating. There is a typical 4 stroke lag if you crack open the throttle but generally felt good - and no sign of engine revs increasing when warmed up. But still a lot harder to start - I mean I am used to this old crate starting first kick and now it is 3 ,4 or 5 kicks to get her going. Maybe time for new plug.

jon - very true and I had a similar issue with my Cota few years ago - ultimately it was a combination of carbie and timing issues. I will do the routine leak tests and maybe replace the o-ring on the carbie mount just to be sure.

Plug doesn't suggest a lean mix and there is no colour change on the ground strap or porcelain so again no indication of timing ( and it can't be adjusted ) so I valves are the main suspect . Cheers

Timing isn't adjustable - so I will double check the valve clearance

A little while back I put new rings in my TLR200 and now she has better compression and more grunt. However my impression is that the engine is running hotter - i have no real way to measure it , it just feels hot. The plug is browny grey and clean. I also notice that the engine idles higher as it warms up and it is harder to start ie: takes more kicks. It stalls easily when cold and tends to kick back much more often than it ever used to. Any suggestions welcome

I have NJB on my Cota and TLR and I am very happy with them.

Sorry I forgot to update this post. I bought a cheap and nasty coil about half the size of the original - goes fine. I have done some 2 hour rides without a miss

Yes the low voltage is all good and working nicely - timing set - I did a 12 month apprenticeship on Cota 247 timing when I first got the bike. I have dropped the coil into a mechanic in town to see if he can either test it or scrounge up a comparable spare.

have voltage from stator and connected that direct to ignition coil ( no condensor in circuit ) and no spark.. The coil is a motoplat maxitension red with red HT lead - single input pin. Getting 6.8 k reading from HT to earth. I am guessing there is a diode as can't get a reading from the pin to earth. Can anyone suggest a way of testing this unit?

" removed flywheel, cleaned and checked everything "

Fair enough, will do - I thought that by disconnecting it from earth it would be effectively out of the circuit and normal (unconditioned) voltage would result - the condensor is only about 3 years old although probably meant for a VW . I will seek a replacement.

Hi - my 247 was a bit reluctant to start on the weekend so I replaced the plug and away we went. However whenever I stopped to open a gate etc it died, which is not normal then after about 20 minutes riding I left it switched off while I explored some new tracks by foot. When I returned no sign of spark and a long push home. I have removed flywheel, cleaned and checked everything but very very week spark. I removed kill switch and condensor from earth and measured voltage from the stator coil but it is less than .5 volts. Can anyone tell me what the output from the stator coil should read - alternatively how many ohms in a healthy coil. Cheers Andrew

I can't see where you have mentioned a year, so guessing this a C model >1978. You tested the condensor - did you make sure it is earthed properly - many people remove it from the points area and mount it under the seat ( it worked for me ). Spark can look fine but when under compression it can easy fail. At one stage I replaced the low tension lead from magneto to coil as the insulation had worn where it passed under the engine. At the same time I disconnected the other coils to remove chance of shorting from them ( mine is T model not sure all models have the lighting coils etc). Any slight fault won't show up until the plug is installed and under compression. Also make sure your plug gap is correct mine is 0.40mm (sounds basic I know) but the spark is not strong and too wide a gap will weaken it quite significantly. Failing that see if you can borrow a carbie from another owner - I don't have a clue what other bikes us use the 450 model, however I would expect the older 427 would still work, or a Mikuni from someone who has already sorted the jets. You can still get all the parts for the Amal, best to start with a full kit, but make sure it is the correct kit - my first kit had wrong needle. Don't give up - I nearly burned my Cota after 6 infuriating months of endless silly faults but once sorted it has been terrific. As I write my TLR 200 has the head off, my Yamaha (AG175) needs clutch work and my Cota has been mechanically engine-wise faultless for about 2 years.

David is correct - the Amal has no choke, make sure you tickle and lean the bike to the right. Also double check your timing - mine is a mongrel if it is the slightest bit out but starts like a dream if all is set right.