Montesa 99-03

[trials lad]

hi all

How much better is a '03/'02 montesa compaired to a '99 montesa?

Cheers Dan

[d. sileo]

The 1999 Montesa Cota is a great bike, however the changes between a 1999 to a 2002/03 are extensive.. The biggest in my opinion would be the addition of the Showa suspension front and rear, followed by many refinements in frame geometry along with a few very impressive motor changes.. (porting etc).. To stay close to current i would suggest the 02/03 , or if the price is right on the 99 and its in good condition , the 99 makes a very capable trials machine....Good luck , have fun.......VIVA MONTESA...........Hope this helps........D

Keystone Cycle

Edited February 1, 2004 by D. Sileo

[jaylael]

In '02 they got a better clutch master cyl. with lighter pull and in '01 they got different (better) brake calipers. Notice the ones with the rear caliper protected within the swingarm instead of perched on top in harms way.

[subira]

Just to clarify on what the guys have said above.

From a '99 to a 2000 bike they changed the front forks, chromed the front pipe, used DID Rims and polished the hubs

From 2000 to 2001 the carb, swinging arm, inboard rear brake caliper, 4 pot front brake, were all changed/ added.

2001 to a 2002 the major change was the frame geometry.

2002 to a 2003 the big change is the motor porting.

There's other detailed changes, but when the difference in cost is probably

Edited February 2, 2004 by Subira

[monty-python]

Having owned a 99 for the last year or so i had a shot briefly of an 03. The main differences that i noticed were the motor and the suspension. The 2003 motor is sooo much smoother than my 99 one and because of this, i noticed that the rear tire was less likely to lose traction, which is always a good thing. It is also much better low down in the rev range than the 99, My 99 has a 2002 carb, which made a huge difference to the original which was unpredictable and basically pants. I never noticed much difference in the brakes, i did think my 99 rear brake was much sharper though. The front forks are definitly smoother in action, and seem less likely to ping off steps etc. With my 99, i pushed the forks through the yokes to avoid tucking of the front, and this mod also gave me more ground clearance ( i was clouting the exhaust on steps). The 2003 seems to be "tighter" in the front end department. The clutch pull on the 2003 is definitly lighter. The thing that you have to remember when comparing bikes is the fact that the previous owners maintainance schedule will have a lot to do with the way a bike rides, and the obvious fact that a newer bike will have done less, so will be tighter in all departments. You could as Subira suggests get your bike ported to 03 spec, but at the end of the day, it won't increase it's value when you do decide to offload it, and if the rest of the bike is a bit shabby, you may well be better off changing for a newer one. It is also going to cost a few quid to change but if you were to go for a 2002 it wouldn't be so painfull. I have been toying with the same dilema for the last few weeks...will i, wont i, is it worth it.....only you can decide, but if you get the chance, try one out and decide for yourself!!

[mark christopher]

Notice the ones with the rear caliper protected within the swingarm instead of perched on top in harms way.

From what never had any problems with mine!!

[trials lad]

Hi..

I decided to keep my '99 mont, its a good enouth trials bike for me.

Thanks for the advise though

Danny