LSMO

Loads of interesting and useful information. Thanks to all for your contributions.

Once all the video shots are done, I can drop back to a ratio that will give good longevity. For now, I must reduce the smoke.

Thanks, woody. Seems strange to me that you have made 4030 posts yet you're still considered a newbie.

Very much appreciate you both taking to time to give me some guidance.

My Model 85 is finally running after much advice from many of you. Hearty thanks to all of you! I'd like to know what gasoline-to-oil ratio you have successfully used in your bikes. I'm seeing everything from 40:1 to 100:1 recommended for two-stroke motorcycles in general. I'm sure that covers everything from pit bikes to high-level motocross racers. What actually works with the trials and trail bike Bultaco engines? My bike will be used in an amateur video production, so very low smoke output is important. What works, gents?

GREATLY appreciate your assistance, feetupfun.

Thanks for your suggestions, feetupfun. This is for sure a gush and not a trickle. The stem of the tickler is retracting properly, and I've triple-checked that there is no interference of the float swinging freely because of the bowl gasket or any other hindrance. The previous owner left the bike sitting in a field for approximately 40 years, and the float bowl was FULL of dirt and green/white crystals. I have to wonder if the float needle was distorted in those years by the temperature extremes (-24 to 39 deg C in my area) and the force of the crystal growth. Does anyone sell a rubber-tipped float needle for this carb?

Having a hard time getting the float valve to function on my Model 85. My bike uses a 27mm Amal Concentric. The float and float needle look healthy and the seat looks clean, but fuel gushes into the intake duct and also out the tickler port. I can hear nothing when I shake the plastic float, and there are no pronounced "steps" in the float needle. Can someone suggest other things I can check? Anyone run into this before?

Thanks, Lorenzo, for this and the MANY other times you've helped with this project!

Would someone please tell me how the black and green wires going to the tail light assembly of my Model 85 are supposed to be wired? The schematic in the shop manual could easily be interpreted as those two wires being joined together in the tail light, but we know that's not right. I'm inclined to think the green wire goes to the brake light bulb and the black wire goes to the tail light bulb. True?

Thanks to you both, Trials-dabbler and JRob. Appreciate your help.

JRob does have a good point, and it makes me wonder how often I would need to replace my stickers given that gasoline spills seem to be inevitable. On the other hand, your BEAUTIFUL tank proves that clear coating the stickers is possible, Trials-dabbler. I'm curious who manufactured your stickers and what brand of clear coat you used over them.

I'm facing a "pick your poison" situation. I'm painting a Model 85 tank using the common base coat / clear coat process and need to know what to do about clear coating the Bultaco stickers. On the one hand, if I don't clear coat the stickers, I'm concerned that any gasoline spill will dissolve the adhesive, and the stickers will come loose. On the other hand, the clear coat manufacturer isn't sure the clear will adhere properly to the stickers. How is this commonly handled? What works, gents?

Can't imagine how I would have gotten very far through this restoration without help from folks like you. Massively appreciate all of your advice! Do any of you have experience dealing with guzman175 who is offering FEMSA RSA1X-7 that look like factory original pieces? guzman175 is shipping these from Spain.

Thanks, Lorenzo. The Spanish schematic gets me closer but I'd still like your confirmation that I understand it properly: It looks to me like the diode and the resistor are wired in parallel and the negative (cathode) side of the diode goes to ground. Yes? If so, do you have any idea what the wattage rating is for the 4.7 ohm (from your post of 22 Jan) resistor and also for the diode?

Thanks, feetupfun. I must have lights to get street legal where I live, but I don't expect to ever be riding at night. Sounds like the stock electrical system would be acceptable for me, and it would keep things simple. However, to get the stock system functional I will need a brake light resistor, and I've had a TOUGH time finding one. Lorenzo mentioned in a post several months ago that he found a couple on eBay. I've been watching since then and have not seen even one come up for sale. None of the parts suppliers I normally deal with offer a resistor. Do you have any ideas for me? Alternatively, can you tell me how the circuit is arranged and what the diode capacity is? I can buy a resistor and a diode and mount/wire them to make my own if I knew the arrangement. Thanks again for your help, feetupfun.

Do most Alpina Model 85 riders use the stock electrical system or toss it for a total loss battery system?

Can anyone tell me if there is supposed to be a felt ring between the fixed and the rotating parts of the drive?

Thanks, Lorenzo and bodwheel.

Thanks, Lorenzo. Any idea who still sells these? I've checked with the domestic parts suppliers I usually use, and none of them offer these parts.

Thanks very much for taking the time to measure your resistors, Lorenzo. I'm having a hard time understanding what you wrote because I've never seen a brake light resistor and don't know what you mean on the tags and terminals. And I didn't know a diode was involved at all. I posed the question because I can't seem to find a working resistor for sale and figured I would find out what the resistance is supposed to be then mount a wire-wound resistor so I can get my bike running.

Can someone please tell me how many ohms the brake light resistor has as used on the Model 85 and similar? Would someone who has such a bike be willing to measure the resistance? Thanks.

Does anyone know the ratio of the AVIS-VDO speedometer drive used on the Model 85 Alpina?