dadof2 Posted February 13, 2015 Report Share Posted February 13, 2015 http://www.ebay.ie/itm/Motor-Cycle-News-13-2-74-Bultaco-May-Sue-Rathmell-Front-Cover-/351309700538?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item51cbb09dba Anyone remember what the above was about? His move to Montesa? Bit ironic as he is now importer for Sherco Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woody Posted February 14, 2015 Report Share Posted February 14, 2015 As far as I recall, he was under contract to Bultaco and tried to sign for Ossa following a disagreement. Bultaco stopped it. He finished the year on the Bultaco and won the world championship for them, or European, whatever you want to call it, same difference. He never rode the Ossa in competition. He moved to Montesa the following season Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nigel dabster Posted February 14, 2015 Report Share Posted February 14, 2015 didnt he do the same to move to suzuki? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cleanorbust Posted February 14, 2015 Report Share Posted February 14, 2015 He did in fact ride the Ossa in one trial, a local Yorkshire Centre one. This caused some raised eyebrows at the time as the move was a surprise, and he didn't actually do very well, not being used to the Ossa's shorter wheelbase etc. He soon patched things up with Bulto and was back on one the next week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woody Posted February 14, 2015 Report Share Posted February 14, 2015 Ah, ok, I thought he'd only ever tested one, didn't realise he'd ridden a trial on one. Interesting though as I thought the Ossa would have suited his riding style as from what Martin Lampkin has said, Rathmell preferred to ride a more measure style and pick his way up sections which the Ossa was better suited to than a Bultaco Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
breagh Posted February 14, 2015 Report Share Posted February 14, 2015 Didn't his long flowing golden locks cause more controversy? Hard to believe now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nigel dabster Posted February 15, 2015 Report Share Posted February 15, 2015 Never forget him in a trial in Devon on a 349 i'm sure, waiting to go into the section, into first into second into first then nuetral then second, letting the clutch in and out whilst doing it, gear change on the "wrong side of course, and repeating the process, I assume to make sure the mont didnt jump out of gear?. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cleanorbust Posted February 15, 2015 Report Share Posted February 15, 2015 Lots of the top guys of that era used to do exactly that, sometimes four or five times, before launching themselves into a section. Didn't mean they distrusted their gearboxes, just part of their mental prep: being 110% sure they were in the right gear meant they could focus completely on their attempt. Doesn't seem to happen so much these days. Another trick was for a rider to prod his bike into bottom gear about a dozen times, advertising to his watching rivals that he was going to use first gear for the section, then sneakily brush the lever into second just before letting the clutch out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nigel dabster Posted February 16, 2015 Report Share Posted February 16, 2015 Not with a mont they used to jump out, and with rathmells bike having the gearchange on the other side didnt help im sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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