scotty Posted January 1, 2007 Report Share Posted January 1, 2007 Take a look at this! item number 180069194718 laugh or cry! the rear end on my gripper never looked like that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unbalanced Posted January 1, 2007 Report Share Posted January 1, 2007 :agree: Never seen anything like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
30/60 Posted January 1, 2007 Report Share Posted January 1, 2007 Well look in your family picture 1972 and look at you now.... Yes I agree it looks horrible... Happy New Year.. any way Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old trials fanatic Posted January 1, 2007 Report Share Posted January 1, 2007 (edited) :agree: Orrible. "common mod" I've never seen one done like this. and why? the normal back end works fine. Would cost good money to put right but i bet some bozo bids over Edited January 1, 2007 by Old trials fanatic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ossaman Posted January 3, 2007 Report Share Posted January 3, 2007 Don't knock it 'til you've tried it. My mate had a Gripper in the mid 80's - the handling was a bit questionable to say the least. He carried out a similar mod to this and the stability was improved dramatically. He kept the bike for at least 5 years after the mod, so he was more than happy. Looks a nice bike to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roberto Posted January 3, 2007 Report Share Posted January 3, 2007 That isn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woody Posted January 3, 2007 Report Share Posted January 3, 2007 It's a Gripper, all they've done is modify the swingarm and shock mounts. Frame is nothing like a MAR. This along with the colour, missing tail pipe, seat and seat/unit, probably makes it look worse than it is as besides that, the rest of it looks in sound condition. Good forks and wheels, exhaust, engine cases etc. Obviously the mechanical state of it is unknown but if it sells for around that price it would be a good basis for a rebuild. Any more and it becomes too expensive and too much effort to put back to original as finding the missing parts will be hard. However, it's also a good basis for a special. After all, bikes did have mods carried out to them at the time they were current and it's nice to see modified bikes as well as standard ones. All this one needs is the shock mounts and positioning tidied up and it would be something different. Not sure about it being a common mod though.... Never seen another one like it. Beautiful Gripper Roberto. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roberto Posted January 4, 2007 Report Share Posted January 4, 2007 Thanks, my gripper took a while to get together. The bike was in really bad shape and was rebuilt completely, engine and all. I really don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenthetuner Posted January 6, 2007 Report Share Posted January 6, 2007 Hi, after reading what Woody had to say about the bike I bought it. I am pleased with it and intend to ride it in the twin shocks class of the grey beards. To my surprise the rear end feels OK . I will not be putting it back to it original spec or be spending any money on it. I don't see the point just to throw it over some rocks or down a bank. But I will be having lots fun on it Woody I owe you a beer. Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woody Posted January 6, 2007 Report Share Posted January 6, 2007 Well if everything works ok, you've a good useable twinshock for a pretty good price there. In case you didn't know, the engine number means it is a 250. I noticed there was a question mark over the engine size in the ebay questions. Good luck in the greybeards, I'll look for the Gripper in the results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roberto Posted January 12, 2007 Report Share Posted January 12, 2007 Your lucky it is a 250, pistons for the 350 are hard to come by. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woody Posted January 12, 2007 Report Share Posted January 12, 2007 What is the difference, dimensionally, between a Gripper 350 piston and a MAR 350 piston. I don't mean the window in the back of the Gripper, just the measurements. Some say they are the same, some say they are different. I remember having one of each and they both appeared to be the same. Also, are the 350 Gripper and 350 MAR crankshafts the same. Again, opinion differs on this. There is supposed to be some sort of difference between them, maybe the flywheel key is in a different position? Both bikes have the same bore and stroke Do you know Roberto? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksithumper Posted January 12, 2007 Report Share Posted January 12, 2007 Good Q woody, I've been trying to find those answers for a while! The Gripper and MAR crank part no's are different, but no-one has yet told me what the differences are. Gripper cranks are like rocking horse droppings, guess how I know.... I've finally got all the bits I need for my bottom end rebuild, will worry about a piston later. I'm told a MAR piston can be adapted? Chassis is already done, and she's a beauty! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woody Posted January 12, 2007 Report Share Posted January 12, 2007 Yes, as far as I know the pistons are the same, just need to add the window for the Gripper. I was also told that you had to turn the MAR piston back to front if used in the Gripper otherwise the ring gap would foul the ports but I don't think this is right. I rebuilt a Gripper a few years ago and used the MAR piston and from memory didn't turn it. The skirt height is the sme back and front, unlike the 250. When I bought the bike it rattled really badly from big end and piston but still had good power and pulled very well. I rebult it with the MAR piston but I also used a rebuilt MAR crank that I had as at the time I had no idea they were different. Something was definitely different though as the bike just wouldn't run right at all. It was better before I rebuilt it. It wouldn't pick up cleanly and it used to spit back. Couldn't do anything with carb or timing to cure it and evetnually sold it. Perhaps it was down to the ignition flywheel keyway in the crank being in a different position from the MAR meaning I was never going to get the timing right. Only way to tell would have been to put them side by side and compare but don't know what happened to the Gripper crank. Similarly it would have been interesting to have compared the original piston that came out of the Gripper to the MAR one, but I threw it away before the new MAR one arrived. Be really interested to know if anyone knows for sure (none of the dealers/specialists did that I asked at the time) as I will surely aquire another one one day and I'd like to know how to rebuild it properly next time.... Look forward to seeing pictures of your finished Gripper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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