fish06 Posted October 24, 2018 Report Share Posted October 24, 2018 For those that have ridden both in competition how does the Fantic 200 (Minerelli) stack up against the Fantic 300? Pro's and con's of both please. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petert Posted October 24, 2018 Report Share Posted October 24, 2018 Depends on the rider (weight) and type of sections. Don't discount the 240 as well. The 200 (156cc) will feel very light and nimble compared to the full fat 250 of the 300. I had a 240 and then a 300, regretted selling the 240 as for some reason I felt it rode better and felt lighter but probably wasn't a lot in it. A young lad local to me does very well on a 200, but he is about 5 stone soaking wet. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cleanorbust Posted October 24, 2018 Report Share Posted October 24, 2018 (edited) I have never ridden a 300 but owned the 200 when they were new and would say don't fall into the trap of thinking the 200's (156cc) competitiveness depends on the rider's weight. That bike was a winner from the outset for any rider. Probably the first smallish capacity bike which really was equal or better than any other and could tackle any section on equal terms. I never heard any rider with a bad word for it. From common perception at the time the 300 was a less easy ride, more of expert's bike developed for the severe sections which were becoming a feature of the world rounds at the time and a bike which didn't really find favour with many clubman riders. Edited October 24, 2018 by cleanorbust 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
section swept Posted October 24, 2018 Report Share Posted October 24, 2018 I’d be going for a 200 or 240 either is a capable bike. ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nhuskys Posted October 24, 2018 Report Share Posted October 24, 2018 I've never ridden a 200, but did have a 240 and 300. The 300 is physically larger and a bit of a pig, compared to the 240. I've think the 240 modified to accept the 300 motor, as a better option to the 300, if you want the 249cc motor. Personally I'd keep the choice to 200 or 240, not 200 or 300. I'm out of twin shocks for the time being to concentrate on modern bikes, but when I comeback to them, I'd like to try a 200. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourex Posted October 25, 2018 Report Share Posted October 25, 2018 I have not ridden a 200 or 240 but do have a 300 (250) which I have been riding in Twin Shock events in Australia for about 3 years now, so I can only comment on the 300. The bike looks and feels like a pig as others have stated and those original tank shrouds can hook on the top of your boots and come adrift mid section which has happened to me a few times when crouching low to get over an obstacle. I replaced these with an aftermarket fibreglass tank and alloy side panels which more resemble the look of the 240 and increased the steering lock. The top shock mounts on the 300 also rub on the back of your legs causing some bruising until you get used to it. The motor is lovely and crispy in the low to mid similar to a modern but tapers off after that probably due to lack of a reed valve. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjw123 Posted October 25, 2018 Report Share Posted October 25, 2018 Owned them all back in the day. 200 was a game changer, but we all weighed 10 stone back then. It has its work cut out a bit now to haul around 14 clem. Superb build quality, so easy to ride & lovely soft motor, if a little underpowered as it is 156 cc. Showed the rest up when it came to build quality. Had the pleasure of owning Jack Galloways old bike as supplied by Roy Carey. 240 was a revelation, best bike out of the box bar none. Had a few of those. Wonderful bike. Zippy 212 cc motor probably best one of the lot. For modern use, drop the pegs & get a set of yokes from Ossie at Audit CNC, 300 bit of a big old lump. 249 cc motor I think. A bit of a half hearted effort by Fantic, as TY Monos ruled the roost by then, & they must have been thinking about monos. Steered OK, motor a bit lumpy & didn't rev too well. Acquired a reed valve on later mono models. Can be modernised, but still bit of a bus. IMHO, go for a well sorted 240 or why not try a 245 aircooled Mono, as this class is on the up. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2stroke4stroke Posted October 25, 2018 Report Share Posted October 25, 2018 (edited) The Minarelli engined 200 was a world championshop section bike in its day as well as a great clubman bike (grand for the SSDT for me) so probably well up to today's twinshock sections. Rider weight is no problem as they coped with two men and a sidecar quite successfully. 300 never really caught on (they never sounded to run right, but they do more to them nowadays) and I know a few folk who never really got on with the 240, there was a rash of measures to soften it off, successfully or otherwise, but we are now used to sharper power and have better tyres and rear suspension. Edited October 25, 2018 by 2stroke4stroke Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metisse Posted October 26, 2018 Report Share Posted October 26, 2018 The 200 Fantic is the bike most riders should have, we have one back in the garage after the first one over thirty five years ago. Its got the pegs a little back and down, and the motor has been fully rebuilt thats all, and its fab. I do weigh a little more now than a 14 year old when I had the first one but it still does everything and more that I need. I did like my 240's and had several and lately a 340 , but the 200 is a super little stead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourex Posted October 26, 2018 Report Share Posted October 26, 2018 20 hours ago, pjw123 said: Owned them all back in the day. 200 was a game changer, but we all weighed 10 stone back then. It has its work cut out a bit now to haul around 14 clem. Superb build quality, so easy to ride & lovely soft motor, if a little underpowered as it is 156 cc. Showed the rest up when it came to build quality. Had the pleasure of owning Jack Galloways old bike as supplied by Roy Carey. 240 was a revelation, best bike out of the box bar none. Had a few of those. Wonderful bike. Zippy 212 cc motor probably best one of the lot. For modern use, drop the pegs & get a set of yokes from Ossie at Audit CNC, 300 bit of a big old lump. 249 cc motor I think. A bit of a half hearted effort by Fantic, as TY Monos ruled the roost by then, & they must have been thinking about monos. Steered OK, motor a bit lumpy & didn't rev too well. Acquired a reed valve on later mono models. Can be modernised, but still bit of a bus. IMHO, go for a well sorted 240 or why not try a 245 aircooled Mono, as this class is on the up. Good point about the yokes, the 200 had the preferable and highly sort after top clamp whereas the 240 and 300 had a top clamp which had that tiller effect where the bar mounts were further back. I'm not familiar with Audit CNC but I do know that Gerry Minshall can provide custom made yokes/triple clamps for many bikes including the Fantic. Pics attached are Gerry's yokes for my Fantic 300 with slightly steeper fork angle requested than std, which I will be fitting this weekend, the quality looks impressive. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
section swept Posted October 26, 2018 Report Share Posted October 26, 2018 7 hours ago, fourex said: Good point about the yokes, the 200 had the preferable and highly sort after top clamp whereas the 240 and 300 had a top clamp which had that tiller effect where the bar mounts were further back. I'm not familiar with Audit CNC but I do know that Gerry Minshall can provide custom made yokes/triple clamps for many bikes including the Fantic. Pics attached are Gerry's yokes for my Fantic 300 with slightly steeper fork angle requested than std, which I will be fitting this weekend, the quality looks impressive. Lovely, lovely machining....envious? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
axulsuv Posted October 28, 2018 Report Share Posted October 28, 2018 I'll stick with my Trusty 240 , Still got a fresh 300 motor to go in her if the urge and time come together ... 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trapezeartist Posted October 28, 2018 Report Share Posted October 28, 2018 Sorry for a bit of thread drift, but I don't understand this thing about tiller effect due to the position/angle of the handlebar clamps. It seems to me the only points of interest are the steering axis and the position of the handlebar grips. Everything in between is irrelevant. Isn't it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b40rt Posted October 28, 2018 Report Share Posted October 28, 2018 Tiller effect, also known as the bollock effect ? 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourex Posted October 29, 2018 Report Share Posted October 29, 2018 I found that the original top clamp on my 300 forced me to roll the bars further forward than I would normally like for renthal fat bars. With the alloy top yoke I got from Delay a couple of years ago I can run the bars in a similar position to how I like them on my modern GG. Jumping from one bike to the other doesn't feel so different in that department anymore. I think having the bars rolled too far forward did give me that 'tiller' feeling. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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