cmc84

Sod it, ordering a new red one. Red tank, black plastics and black frame...

Any one got a source for spokes for a 199a? Undecided whether to get stainless or regular steel (any advice here appreciated)- being tighter than 2 coats of paint, I think I'll go for plain steel and keep them clean, depends how flush I am at the end of the month. Going to have a bash at re-building the wheels myself. Should take my mind off the kickstart spring if nothing else....

Aw, is that it? I've just ordered one, after breaking the original whilst trying to re-fit it, I was hoping for some voodoo trick. I tried chopping a few mm off it, which ultimately succeeded in fatigueing the metal. Might try that again with a die grinder rather than a hacksaw.....

Hi all, mentioned this elsewhere, but I'm keen to get a solution - I have a plastic tank for my Sherpa which no matter how I try to clean it, dries with a white powdery appearance. Have tried paint thinner, car polish, kitchen cleaners, petrol and hot water (not at the same time) but no luck. Had a go with some wet & dry tonight which has almost completely smoothed out the texture of the tank, but still hasn't got rid of the white. I'd like to have a good looking tank, but I'd rather clean this up than buy another. Any ideas?

Thanks, I'll give him a try.

Hmmm... Haven't been on for a while, cos I've been too busy tinkering in the garage. Bultaco is getting there, ready to try and start it on my next trip to the garage. (Although I've been saying that for a while....)Need some advice though: How much oil in clutch & gearbox? My fuel tank cleans up really nicely, but dries with a white "scale" on it - any ideas? (have tried car polish, paint thinner, bleach, sanding/wet&dry - no joy....) Also, I have the seat base, but no foam or cover - any ideas how I could make something of it - or what else would fit? I don't fancy paying the prices on ebay/bultaco.uk if I can get away with it - this is a recession project! Heading outside now to polish fork bottoms. (too miserable to buy paint when theres plenty sand paper/wet & dry lying around...) Think I asked some odd questions on my last visit, oh well, that's what happens when you've got a box of bits and no instructions!

Sherpa Resto rolls on.... Frame & swingarm painted, engine painted, bashguard cleaned up, all that lot & yokes fitted. Found an old piece of mudguard, and used it to repair the plastic tank. Haven't tested it yet (other than covering the holes, and trying to blow through it), but looks good, and a helluva lot better that the previous repair - where someone had covered the hole with cable ties melted in place. Need to check everything is bolted up, then rewire from magneto to new coil and check spark. Next weekend will hopefully fit exhaust, have carb cleaned and fitted, fill clutch & gearbox, wire throttle up, and check for life. To do list: Check bolts & head bolts Re-fit swing arm, without forgetting to fit exhaust mount/chain tensioner Rewire new coil/cut-off switch Tidy up kick start & gear lever Grind a chunk off ally LHS brake lever to get more travel Fit bars (Renthals or old style?) Fit controls - re-use old Amal throttle Fit exhaust Oil Tidy up tank welds & fit Fuel lines/breathers Recover seat with bits of scrounged Gixxer seat Make up ally side panels Sort original air box or use cone filter? Fork legs rechromed Rebuild rear wheel Worry about brakes What I could do with from someone with a Sherpa handy, is a picture of the rear engine mount/exhaust bracket/chaintensioner set-up. Also, anyone who runs their Sherpa with a brake rod on the left hand side - a picture of the brake pedal and rod. I cant convince myself that when the swing arm moves the brakes won't jam on. Tomtom - found bushings. They were in one of the many boxes. Seen better days, but they'll get me up and running. Thanks. Must get my pictures up too...

Hi guys, first post here - my name is Chris, and I've been playing with trials bikes for about a year. I've just acquired a Sherpa, model 199 (possibly year 1979? - engine and frame numbers match, but can't remember anything else) which I'm in the process of rebuilding as a winter project. Not going for a show winner, but a good useable twinshock that I won't mind getting dirty. Seem to have 90% of the original parts, give or take what I bin/ruin, and is all going to plan so far, but I could use some advice on a few wee problems (and there will probably be more as I go...) I've just had inserts machined and brazed on to correct oval-ed holes for the swing arm pin, and have managed to salvage and paint a complete exhaust, shocks and controls so far. I've got mostly everything else cleaned/primed/painted, although the wheels and forks need some attention. By the weekend I'm aiming to have the engine cleaned, and the wiring tidied up/renewed. Will post pics next time I'm on. I've got a plastic fuel tank with a lid and tap, but its got a hole about 3 inches wide and half an inch long where it would have sat over the exhaust - any ideas what I could use to fix it? I've got half a notion to buy a new one from miller/bultaco uk, and also like the look of miller's universal alloy tanks - which could be a real possibility given that the original seat is destined for the bin - but, ultimately, if I could salvage the one I have, it would free up funds for elsewhere on the bike. Also, I don't know what shocks the bike would have had originally, but I've found a pair of Girling units which have cleaned up all right, and seem salvageable - any ideas where I could get the rubber inserts for these?