longlegscanbeuseful Posted October 3, 2011 Report Share Posted October 3, 2011 Hi, I've decided to join the twinshock gang and have gone for my teenage favorites. I had several Ossa's as a schoolboy and owned a Gripper back in 1981/2 when it served me well. Trouble is I don't really remember much about the bike and need some help with basic stuff like fuel mix, plugs, gearbox oil etc. Bike is basically ready to ride and hopefully will get its first outing at Oxenlaw on Saturday. I'm looking for an "expert" who can answer my daft questions as and when they arise and offer tips on set up and maintenance. It would also be nice to know how many grippers are being regularly trialed, I haven't seen any in the North East. Thanks, Gary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woody Posted October 3, 2011 Report Share Posted October 3, 2011 Forks between 180 - 200cc of SAE 10W Gearbox 800cc of any modern gear oil such as Silkolene light. I've never used ATF so can't comment but can't see any reason to use it in place of proper gear oil. Barnett clutch plates work well (from the USA - probably ebay) They clear perfectly and because they are higher friction you can back the tension of the springs off more. Moving the cable locator and lengthening the clutch arm gives an acceptable pull on the clutch along with the lighter spring tension. For the engine I use 50:1 with Castrol TTS (or whatever it's called now, they keep rebranding it) but again,any modern 2-stroke will do. Spark plug I can't remember but NGK BP5ES through to 7ES should be ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longlegscanbeuseful Posted October 4, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 4, 2011 Forks between 180 - 200cc of SAE 10W Gearbox 800cc of any modern gear oil such as Silkolene light. I've never used ATF so can't comment but can't see any reason to use it in place of proper gear oil. Barnett clutch plates work well (from the USA - probably ebay) They clear perfectly and because they are higher friction you can back the tension of the springs off more. Moving the cable locator and lengthening the clutch arm gives an acceptable pull on the clutch along with the lighter spring tension. For the engine I use 50:1 with Castrol TTS (or whatever it's called now, they keep rebranding it) but again,any modern 2-stroke will do. Spark plug I can't remember but NGK BP5ES through to 7ES should be ok. Thanks Woody. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bisby Posted October 4, 2011 Report Share Posted October 4, 2011 I had an ossa gripper back in 1981 and after 18 months sold it for a majesty, then in 1991 i decided to look for an old twinshock and it had to be another gripper anyway that is what i still ride today. I have had to rebuild it a few times over the years but it is so reliable! I buy my bearings & seals at local distributers. I use a good motul two stroke oil at 50 to 1 and shell V-power fuel, NGK sparkplug B7ES, I have a mikuni carb 28mm and a foam Ram air filter, i have opened the air box top up a bit too.My rear shocks are Falcons but i have made them rebound faster, there are other good makes available now too. I have a standard clutch with car engine oil 10/50, i find the clutch slips and sticks with light gear oils (i must try some barnett plates some time) The bike is unusual but get to know it well and you will ride it as good as any other twinshock. - Steve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longlegscanbeuseful Posted October 12, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 12, 2011 I had an ossa gripper back in 1981 and after 18 months sold it for a majesty, then in 1991 i decided to look for an old twinshock and it had to be another gripper anyway that is what i still ride today. I have had to rebuild it a few times over the years but it is so reliable! I buy my bearings & seals at local distributers. I use a good motul two stroke oil at 50 to 1 and shell V-power fuel, NGK sparkplug B7ES, I have a mikuni carb 28mm and a foam Ram air filter, i have opened the air box top up a bit too.My rear shocks are Falcons but i have made them rebound faster, there are other good makes available now too. I have a standard clutch with car engine oil 10/50, i find the clutch slips and sticks with light gear oils (i must try some barnett plates some time) The bike is unusual but get to know it well and you will ride it as good as any other twinshock. - Steve. Thanks Steve. First outing went quite well. I entertained the crowd with a face plant in the first section, other than that it was just the front end that I wasn't happy with. I need to dial it in to my slight frame (17st stone in my shreddies and 6'5"). I've changed to 10W oil and put some preload spacers in. Also added some 13mm bar risers. So lets see how we get on this weekend. Back end was great, no grip issues at all and very comfortable between sections. I had to keep reminding myself that I can sit down on this one. Woody, I would interested in seeing some photos of your clutch arm mod. ATF seems to work well in the gearbox, I would just like the clutch to be a bit lighter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaindrive Posted October 12, 2011 Report Share Posted October 12, 2011 I had an ossa gripper back in 1981 and after 18 months sold it for a majesty, then in 1991 i decided to look for an old twinshock and it had to be another gripper anyway that is what i still ride today. I have had to rebuild it a few times over the years but it is so reliable! I buy my bearings & seals at local distributers. I use a good motul two stroke oil at 50 to 1 and shell V-power fuel, NGK sparkplug B7ES, I have a mikuni carb 28mm and a foam Ram air filter, i have opened the air box top up a bit too.My rear shocks are Falcons but i have made them rebound faster, there are other good makes available now too. I have a standard clutch with car engine oil 10/50, i find the clutch slips and sticks with light gear oils (i must try some barnett plates some time) The bike is unusual but get to know it well and you will ride it as good as any other twinshock. - Steve. I have recently got hold of a 350 Gripper and would like to know all the details of your mikuni carb swap. chers Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woody Posted October 13, 2011 Report Share Posted October 13, 2011 Woody, I would interested in seeing some photos of your clutch arm mod. ATF seems to work well in the gearbox, I would just like the clutch to be a bit lighter. Don't have any photos and can't get any as the bike is at the back of the garage at the moment where it's been for 12 months with a broken gearbox. All you have to do is get a piece of alloy that is thick enough not to bend under the strain (say 4mm thick?) Cut a rectangular piece (you can 'shape' it if you like) twice as long and the same height as the existing cable housing on the timing cover. Drill a hole in one end and use this to bolt the alloy to the existing cable housing. Dill another hole at the other end and cut a slot down into it to make a new housing/retainer for the outer cable. Cut the clutch arm in half and weld in a piece to make it long enough to reach the new cable position. How long the clutch arm and alloy plate need to actually be, you can work out from looking at the bike. The length is restricted by the fact that too long and it will foul the frame tube. I'm guessing at the length when I say cut a piece of alloy plate to twice the length of the existing housing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bisby Posted October 15, 2011 Report Share Posted October 15, 2011 I have recently got hold of a 350 Gripper and would like to know all the details of your mikuni carb swap. chers Mark chaindrive, sorry i have not got my mikuni carb spec to hand until i next take it off for cleaning. steve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bisby Posted October 29, 2011 Report Share Posted October 29, 2011 I have recently got hold of a 350 Gripper and would like to know all the details of your mikuni carb swap. chers Mark Chaindrive, i have not had the carb off yet but i have found a bit of paper with the jet sizes on it, i must have made a note for safe keeping. Pilot jet 2.5 main jet 190 needle is a 5 L 3 clip on middle groove slide is a 2.5 I hope this helps, if when i have the carb off soon and if it is differant i will get back to you. steve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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