edholland Posted March 4, 2008 Report Share Posted March 4, 2008 Would like to get my second twinshock and need your advice on this one. I would like to get something to do a full restore on and have a few favorites. I love all Bultaco,s for their looks ! another favorite is the Ossa in Orange i think it,s the TR80 model or a 349 Montesa would be nice too Maybe even a 4-stroke Honda all of them are great bikes i would like to hear your choice and why please. Cheers, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest majestyman340 Posted March 4, 2008 Report Share Posted March 4, 2008 I would go for Bultaco.............good spares back up, and can be very competitive with a few careful mods. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feetupfun Posted March 4, 2008 Report Share Posted March 4, 2008 I'd have to agree with Majestyman340 on that if you want to ride it in competition the Bultaco is the go or maybe the very last model Cota 349 (which are as rare as hen's teeth). If you only want to look at it then it's a very personal thing. Of those you have listed I only find the Bultaco attractive-looking. The others have styling that looks too modern (or too weird in the case of the OSSA Gripper). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edholland Posted March 4, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 4, 2008 good spares backup is important yes good point ! I will use it for clubtrials only not good enough for real competition yet one i forgot is the Yamaha TY 250 i had the 50cc version when i was 16 years old, sold it for 50euros back then Bultaco has had so much models over the years wich year or model is best ? Cheers, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
honda_tlr Posted March 4, 2008 Report Share Posted March 4, 2008 I would say go for a Honda TLR200, there relatively cheap, built like a tank and are good enough to be competitive, even on the intermediate route. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony283 Posted March 4, 2008 Report Share Posted March 4, 2008 Having ridden nearly all of them during the 70's, they all had their pros and cons and seemed to be better at different events. The early Bultacos had the benefit of Lampkins and Rastus riding for them and were a delight on rocks. The early Ossas found grip on muddy hillsides when others ground to a spinning stop. The Honda was getting it right in the hands of Rob Shepard and the other Eddie. The 348 and 349 Montesa is not a bike that I like due to a lot of geometry and engineering flaws. Probably the most robust, and the easiest to rebuild, as parts are available worldwide is the Yamaha TY250 series. Note these machines are nothing like the ones Mick Andrews used but are exceptionally robust and seldom have any engine malfunctions. With their reed valve induction they are "peppy" enough to compete with the best but benefit from coming down one tooth on the engine sprocket. Another worthwhile mod is the bolt on Sammy Miller footrest set and if you go for the Yam get a later model 76-79 which has a slightly smoother response at the bottom end. All the ones you list are good choices. Tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon v8 Posted March 4, 2008 Report Share Posted March 4, 2008 Have to agree with Tony,a couple of years back when I was after starting trials again I looked for a decent Bultaco as its about the only make I'd never owned.Got fed up with looking and bought a Ty - it has the SM footrests and Tank/seat/exhaust.Excellent bit of kit,steers beautifully and is totally reliable.The bike is more capable than me in twinshock events,and JK Hirst's seem able to supply just about all you need.(I bought the bike with a totally shot motor with the intention of doing a full build so I knew what I had to rely on - it works) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgraf Posted March 5, 2008 Report Share Posted March 5, 2008 TY 250 a great choice so many different items you can get with ease, rode a beater TY in 1987(boy am I old) hadn't rode in 5 years and the beast only had about 75lbs compression at the time,my buddies who hadn't seen me in some time were giving me sh##t asking me If I was gonna ride that thing in the trial and laughed however after I after I won 3rd in the masters class against all the newer bikes they didn't say much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edholland Posted March 5, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 5, 2008 Thanks guys ! Will be looking out for a Bultaco,Yamaha or Honda to restore not very much Twinshoks for sale here now so i have to wait what comes up. There was a real nice TL125 for sale here but i think the 125 engine is a bit small and will leave you wanting a 200 in the end ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest majestyman340 Posted March 5, 2008 Report Share Posted March 5, 2008 Having ridden nearly all of them during the 70's, they all had their pros and cons and seemed to be better at different events. The early Bultacos had the benefit of Lampkins and Rastus riding for them and were a delight on rocks. The early Ossas found grip on muddy hillsides when others ground to a spinning stop. The Honda was getting it right in the hands of Rob Shepard and the other Eddie. The 348 and 349 Montesa is not a bike that I like due to a lot of geometry and engineering flaws. Probably the most robust, and the easiest to rebuild, as parts are available worldwide is the Yamaha TY250 series. Note these machines are nothing like the ones Mick Andrews used but are exceptionally robust and seldom have any engine malfunctions. With their reed valve induction they are "peppy" enough to compete with the best but benefit from coming down one tooth on the engine sprocket. Another worthwhile mod is the bolt on Sammy Miller footrest set and if you go for the Yam get a later model 76-79 which has a slightly smoother response at the bottom end. All the ones you list are good choices.Tony The TY250 is overall probably about the best t/s out there when we are talking about std bikes, with excellent spares back up, bulletproof reliabilty, and the option to easily update to full Majesty spec if required. Some great looking TYs on your web pages Tony, and what looks like a pretty early Majesty is very nice indeed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
honda_tlr Posted March 5, 2008 Report Share Posted March 5, 2008 There was a real nice TL125 for sale here but i think the 125 engine is a bit small and will leave you wanting a 200 in the end ? They are fine on beginner route, but if you want to be competitive in twinshock class (which is middle route) then you will be for ever wishing you bought a 200, or like me even when I have a 200 I still wish I had a 250. I bought a TL125, kept it for just over 7 months, got bored with the total lack of power, so I sold it and bought a TLR200. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest majestyman340 Posted March 6, 2008 Report Share Posted March 6, 2008 They are fine on beginner route, but if you want to be competitive in twinshock class (which is middle route) then you will be for ever wishing you bought a 200, or like me even when I have a 200 I still wish I had a 250. I bought a TL125, kept it for just over 7 months, got bored with the total lack of power, so I sold it and bought a TLR200. I think that it may be possible to convert the 200 Honda to 250................heard that someone in France has done a couple. Not sure of the full details, but you may be able to find out from BPS Engineering in France, who makes many special parts for Honda trials bikes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelmoore Posted March 6, 2008 Report Share Posted March 6, 2008 I bought a well-used TL125 after selling my 325 Bultaco. I found the TL had just enough power to get it into things that I couldn't get it out of, or at least not without dragging it. On the other hand, I've seen better riders on painfully stock TL125s clean things I couldn't on my KT250. The worse your skills are the more help you need from the bike, or at least it seems that way to me. cheers, Michael Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest majestyman340 Posted March 6, 2008 Report Share Posted March 6, 2008 I bought a well-used TL125 after selling my 325 Bultaco. I found the TL had just enough power to get it into things that I couldn't get it out of, or at least not without dragging it.On the other hand, I've seen better riders on painfully stock TL125s clean things I couldn't on my KT250. The worse your skills are the more help you need from the bike, or at least it seems that way to me. cheers, Michael A lot of people are under the impression that bigger more powerful bikes are better and easier to ride than smaller ones..................personally I find a stock TY175 a lot easier to ride than my 340, and it would probably be the better bike for wobbler type rider like me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelmoore Posted March 6, 2008 Report Share Posted March 6, 2008 A TY175 is probably a fair bit better than a TL125. Less weight probably makes more of a difference for a newer rider than the power but you still need to have "enough". Most of the time you don't need more power. But a small bike doesn't have any reserve and if you have to roll off and roll back on in a climb you may not have enough power to recover the lost momentum. If everything in the section goes as planned then the less powerful bike is just fine. A more powerful bike might get you into trouble by giving you more power when you don't need it, or it might allow you to pull out of something instead of stopping. It is like riding a peaky first year CR125 around a motocross course and then hopping on a 400 Maico. An expert may be able to just as fast on either one (and I've seen fast guys ride a 125 in the 250 and open classes and do well on tight tracks) but a novice may have an easier time on the big bike with a broad and smooth powerband than they will trying to keep the 125 on the pipe. I like heavy flywheel bikes. I wish I could get my KT250 to have as much flywheel as my Sherpa T had. But other people like a snappier power delivery to attack a section with. I like a big soft engine with lots of flywheel that lets me idle through and put my attention on steering instead of trying to keep the engine from stalling or being in the right gear. If the trials you attend all have those "meet yourself around every turn" tight sections a TY175 or 123 Cota may be the ticket. If instead you have predominately long loose uphill climbs with entry and exit cards only and everything in between unmarked then a big bike might be "more perfect" than the little one. Horses for courses. cheers, Michael Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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