My wife asked me why I watch these guys having fun. She said that I should go out and have fun of my own. Jokes on her, the kids and I now have 8 machines in various stages of being repaired.
@@SyThco13 honestly, Craig has become that "dad" for me. I didn't have one growing up and just recently got into bikes and repairs... would've been nice to learn from him. Keep it up.
I had a 73 Montesa 250 enduro street legal version, even though they were pre-mix and one had to carry pre-mix oil with them when stopping at the gas station. The gas cap was actually a cup and held the exact measurement of oil for one tank of pre-mix gas in the tank. Great woods bike !!
I used to use Terry Cables on my BMX bikes in the 60s and 80s. They were super popular in spite of costing 5 times what a regular cable cost. As they say on Seinfeld, "The BEST Jerry! THE BEST!"
Congratulations from spain! You have reborn a great legend from spanish motorcycling : one of the great montesa "cappra" 250cc, a powerfull machine on outroads. It is one of the most appreciate bike to have in a collection. Congratulations again!!
You seem to always get these bikes running, but the look of pure amazement and joy when you hear them fire up the first time then when they run on their own is absolutely wonderful. You do great work. Thanks for sharing with us.
My buddy rode/raced a Montessa 250 MX bike. Mine was a ‘72 Husquvarna 250 WR which I ported and did carb upgrades on. One tough bike! Both bikes chained together with a HEAVY chain. Both got stolen the same night. I still believe a bunch of guys came, lifted both bikes and put in the bed of a pickup truck.
@ correct. I was referring to the big brands out of Japan (Kaw, Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha). I’d add another name to those alternatives-Can-Am. Used to see a few of them out in the woods.
Inside the gas tank, attached to the petcock is a fuel filter, easily serviced. Your kicker should be mounted more or less vertically, so as to allow you to end your kick at the bottom of it's rotation. Remember, the average age of the riders was in the middle teen years. This would allow them to use all the strength in their legs to their best advantage. The pipe might be off a Yamaha 250. You can roll the top of a tube sock over double atop the air filter cage and spray it with W4DD (as we called it), and it will do a bangup job of air filtering without having to spring for a new one. Fix the brakes and get a new clutch lever. Oil your cables and grease the brake pivots and go have fun.
I remember having a cable oiling /greasing tool that I used on my dirt bikes it was like a cylinder that the cable clamped in and a cycle pump provided the pressure to push the grease /oil into the cables .
Oh what a great world it would be if we all could hold onto the joy and enthusiasm of youth.! Ya gotta love it when that old engine comes back to life!
I was born in 61. Grew up in the 60s and 70s. Started on a Suzuki 90 in 1974. All of my friends rode bikes. Great times and memories. Thanks for bringing some of that back.
Hello, i live in Maine. Shortly after i was born in 1969, my father and his brother, my uncle Jimmy opened up a sports shop in my father's garage. They sold Montesa bikes and Sno-Pony Snowmobiles. My father even took us on the weekends to local motocross tracks in support of the Montesa entry in the race. Thanks for this. I'm going to send it to my now 80yr old father.
You're the first person to mention SnoPonys! Picked up a 14 hp to play with in the early 70's. Fun, but little, I could fit one in your trunk... (I'm in W MI)
Montesa, Bultaco,and Ossa. The Spanish made tremendous motorcycles back in the 60s and 70s, lightweight, powerful, and great handling,all 2 strokes and very reliable. Ah for the great days of the 60s and 70s!
Wow - so the Flimsytronics (Femsatronic) still works! Actually a really good ignition. A friend of mine had an old Montesa and he mistakenly left the fuel tap on and parked it for a long time. We kicked and kicked and pushed and, fully flooded with fuel, it finally fired, 12-stroked, and 15 stroked and blew raw fuel out the exhaust, but it did run! Gotta love those things - I still remember the fuel cap was just a plug with some o-rings.
*I got a cQQl Montessa Trials bike in 1981~I was 12 years old ~It had very small shift lever area to put your foot~Kickstarter was on the other side~The clutch was backwards in that you pull the lever in and it went~You let it out and it was like neutral~Like pulling in on the lever on any other bike~The fiberglass tank went all the way past the seat and the seat was a tiny oval pad~It was the coolest bike~I had a Suzuki RM80 already but this Montessa was very fun to ride~There was a learning curve for sure Craig~You'll really like your bike :))*
I love the random old dirt bikes on this channel, they remind me of my childhood. Just from seeing it initially I knew it would be later than 73 due to it having laid over shocks. Nice looking bike. When we were kids, we would judge how fast a bike was by the rear sprocket. Bigger the sprocket the faster the bike 🤣
Actually, it's the opposite. Normally a larger rear is more bottom end and slower top speed. Smaller rear was slower acceleration, but higher top speed.
@@MSH_361 Yes we all know that, but 10 y/o kids didn't!!! As a 10 y/o, big is better! Many European small capacity dirtbikes had large sprockets in the 60s & 70s as they were mostly using converted road bike engines with road bike gear ratios, so they enlarged the sprockets for off-road use to compensate. Husky, Beta, Bultaco, Fantic, Montesa, CZ, MZ, BSA, Triumph etc all had large sprockets. Even the Japs used them to begin with, but they trailbazed the way with more suitable gear box ratios for off-road use and the rest followed suit.
Hey guys. This was my first season with my first bike. I’ve learned a heck of a lot from you and continue to learn so much. I’ve never been an engine guy but things don’t seem so scary or foreign anymore. Thanks for doing these projects and giving me and others a bit of education.
The square slider Betor forks was an instant giveaway that this was a 75 or 76 Cappra. I raced a 1976 Montesa 348 Cota in trials for a few years. I started in 1970 with a Bultaco Matabor that I converted to a desert racer with a butt load of Pursange parts. It ran pretty good. After some German bikes , I went back to the Spanish with a 1967 Montesa 247 Cota then upgraded to a 1970 247. Throw in a 1970 Ossa Stilleto in an attempt to get speedy again (no real luck) then I got the 348. Spanish bikes were always fast and handled really well, but had breakdown problems due to the Femsa ignition. The upgrade to CDI was a great reliability improvement, The rear shocks on your bike, if it is a 75, they might be Betors. Not sure, but that pipe might be off a 77 or 78 Cappra, the stock VA was a low pipe. The clutches would last forever as long as you changed oil frequently. They were fast and built to be modified to your taste. Good find!!!
I had a 1970's Montesa 175 cc for my first bike, absolutely loved it. Moved on to Bultaco sherpa 350, love the old scramblers ans trials bikes from the 70's and 80's.
I used to have a 175 Bultaco back in Baltimore I used in Scottish trials. So much torque it would get you out of deep mud and such great balance going over rocks in streams. Loved it!
The tank was probably made by Acerbis (Italian) who still make nylon tanks today for the likes of Aprilia and KTM. Do NOT use ethanol fuel in them, they will blister through the paint. My 99 Aprilia Pegaso did exactly this. KTM's are currently experiencing a lot of tank troubles now that E10 (no more than 10% ethanol) is now widespread in Europe (pronounced "Yerp"🤣). Keep up the great content. My weekend isn't complete without a dose of Craig and Dan. I think next year you should let Dan get a bike running, he should have picked up enough know how by now.
The different number of gears is tied to the power output of the bike. A 125 needs more gears to stay in the powerband up to top speed while the 250 only needs 5 because it is more powerful in general. The 360 only needed 4 gears to match the powerband theoretically.
While that may be true, it may also be for the same reason suzuki put 6sp boxes on their gsxr 750 and 5sp on 1100's. Using the same case they had wider gears (more tooth contact) to better handle the added torque of the larger engine.
Man I can't say how great it is that you explain things in a way everyone can understand big props on being a top notch bike guru for some of us back yard guys ...anytime you need to work on a sportster for a guy you just come see me I always have something going on lol
Im restoring a montesa "endurito h6 75". Its a nice little bike. And I also bought a bultaco sherpa 350. Spanish bikes are really cool and relatively easy to work on. Love your videos man! Great work
The amount of bike manufacturers in Spain, specially in Catalonia, is astounding. Bultaco, Derbi, Gas Gas, JJ Cobas, Mecatecno, Montesa, OSSA, Rieju, just to name a few. Some are gone now but never forgotten.
Oh cruel. Back in the 80's found a shed find. A near perfect Montesa trials, almost new under the dust, even the tyres were square edged. I couldn't believe my luck! Did a few trials with my sons and then all three bikes stolen from garage. I still feel the pain, it was a rock solid bike if a little heavy.
yeah, crank seals are 100% shot, still really nice to hear it run. that's is how 2 stroke go, you find them, you make them run twice and then you have to fully tear down the engine to change 2 or 3 seals
The “VR” acronym stands for “Vehkonnen Replica.” The VR stood for Kalevi Vehkonnen, the Finnish GP rider who gave Montesa its greatest Grand Prix results, including a fourth in the 1972 250cc World Championships (the first European brand in the standings)
I’m in the UK and only just discovered your channel. Back in the early 80’s I owned a Bultaco 250 2stroke and my friend bought a Montesa 250 very similar to this one. Only thing was that it was completely stripped down including the gearbox. I spent weeks trying to rebuild the gearbox without any manual. Eventually I got it working and running. Great memories of how we stumbled through pre internet days. As we got the rebuild finished my friend managed to track down a photocopied version of a manual. I checked all the gearbox fittings and all the shims etc seemed to be correct. I noticed a sticker on your front mudguard/fender from Preston Petty Products. I always thought they were from Preston in the UK. Thanks to google I now know it’s an American company. Barry
Man, as a spaniard I miss those brands. When the democracy came, Montesa, Bultaco and all of them dissapeared so that we would be forced to buy other european countrie's motorcycles. I have a Derbi Diablo myself. At the time Franco ordered for all the parts to be made in Spain, so that bike is all made in Spain.
It was forced by powerful global politicians. The takeover by honda was done only under the premise that production wouldnt stop...but thats exactly what honda did. Kill all the models except 1 and ignore the brand to favour its own bikes. Sou ds like seats situation, doesnt it?
Wow, a Montesa! I raced mid 70’s to early 80’s. Didn’t see too many, if any, Montesa’s in South Texas. Plenty of Bultaco’s, Husky’s, Maico’s, some Penton’s early on, KTM’s, CanAm’s, Rokon’s, Harley’s, and of course all the Japanese bikes. As a matter of fact, I still have my 78 YZ 250.
Your enthusiasm and happynes whena bike starts is so contaigous. I´m sitting here with a wide grinn on my face. Love your vids man. keep it up and don´t overdo it too much.
Every time I watch your videos it reminds me of a friend who had an Ossa trials bike that he pulled apart and then stuck it in boxes under his bed. He then moved overseas. I've always wanted to rebuild it but I guess I'd never track it down.
Just saw The Bearded Mechanic on the Jake Paul vs Tyson fight live stream. They held the camera on the audience for a minute directly on you. Way to represent how much did that ad cost 😂
I had a tank for one of those at the shop I was at years ago! Had a Bultaco and some rare Honda tanks with good chrome, some Elsinore tanks, and an old two stroke Harley tank that was close to pristine! Loved working on these old bikes!
One of the things I like about this channel is the metric bikes, and dirt bikes...I got a Yamaha DT1 250 enduro as soon as I could and rode it in the dirt until I was 16 and could get a license. Almost failed the ride test because they saw me doing wheelies in the parking lot. But my new Bride sold it while I was in boot camp...1972... ( She said "well you're Married now, you won't need it anymore")....Lol I miss that bike. The ex-wife not so much. I got stationed in California and bought my first Honda, and been riding them ever since.
If I remember, Senor Permanyer and Don Paco Bulto, who I think were related by marriage, started Montessa. When the racing department was shut down, Bulto, who was passionate about racing, went and started Bultaco. Eventually, Honda offered to buy Bultaco when labor problems were wracking Spain after facism died with Spanish dictator Franco. Bulto refused and Honda bought Montessa instead. Montessa/Honda lives on today!...That fiberglass tank needs to be coated to deal with modern fuels. Montessa had a rubber petcock on some Cappras that were derisively called "montesticles" because you had to squeeze a steel ball aside inside the rubber petcock to unblock the flow of gas...BTW, I have a 1975 Bultaco Frontera 380 with points that starts easily...Montessa, Ossa, and Bultaco were all rolling artwork made with Spanish passion.
Gotta love a 2 stoke. BTW, the excessive white smoke and hard to start probably means the crank seals are stuffed. Not to worry, who ever is going to restore the bike will do a full rebuild. Cool stuff!
I owned a Cappra 250 VR when I was 17 years old in 1980 and it was an animal to ride. Outside the power band it was a gutless dog, but when that engine revved up, you had to hold on for dear life! Such wonderful fun. Watching this video brought back such fond memories (not to mention envy for your good fortune, lol) and I had forgotten how advanced the styling was for the day... Eventually Honda teamed up with Montesa, if I remember correctly, producing trials 4-strokes but now I believe that the brand is dead. Apart from the memories, all I have left is an original filler cap with the gothic 'M' logo.
I just got a GL500 that someone cut up (butchered really) for a Cafe Racer. Story was the neighbor hacked up the wiring harness which I can confirm happened probably because it has no mufflers and is a little louder then normal.
The Montesa is super cool Craig ! I love your enthusiasm. I am a two-stroke nut with a Suzuki GT750, RZ 350 and a sweet 1986 IT 200 with a license plate. The Montesa is quite complete and I really enjoyed being able to learn about it. Yeah it was Senor Don Bulto that was the founder of Bultaco. I got to ride a 1974 CZ 400 with a low pipe in the Elsinore Grand Prix. If it ain't smokin it's broken !
I remember Montesa along with Bultaco,Rickman and Cooper 250 dirt bikes. As a kid I had Honda Elsnor, Kawasaki, Yamaha and a Cooper 250. I grew up in the country. We had sandpits and plenty of riding. Great times as a kid now at 65,I don’t ride nothing. Thanks for sharing.. little bit
Wow I remember meeting you Andy years ago at a bike shop in Reseda Ca..called Jeb's cycle,I worked there with Phil and Bruce,I'm Dave one of the mechanics. Nice to know your still around.
Men I love your video. I bought a montesa 250 vr a year ago, in the same shape. I made it run, took care of it and raced it for the enduropale race in france in the vintage class. It is an amazing bike. And your joy was the same as mine when I restarted it. Hope you’ll make a serie of video with this bike.
Great bike from my era. That make, along with Bultaco were always hard starting, although I never was around them when they were new. Had a 1972 Husqvarna 250 WR I bought new and it was awesome. I also had a 250 Honda Elsinore when they first came out. You are right, a great era for dirt bikes. I was involved in desert riding and the Husky 250 wide ratio bikes were great desert bikes. I’d love to see a Maico on your show but I’m sure they are crazy expensive. What beasts they were. I especially enjoy your videos when dirt bikes are involved. Haven’t rode a dirt bike in years but I have a 2024 Street Glide that I really enjoy. Thanks for the great videos combining wrenching on bikes with humor! To me, the humor and banter are just as important as the technical stuff.
My first Motocross bike was a Montesa Cappra 360, purchased at Competiton Cylce in Wilmington, MA. First race was at Pepperell, MA, August, 1972. You old guys know what I'm talking about.
A goodfFriend of mine had a Montesa 250 in the mid 70's that he rode the Northeast Ohio motocross circuit in his early teens and took 1st place in the class a couple years in a row. He even took 2nd place in one race that he broke a chain on the last lap and pushed it across the line. I was his "photographer" and still have many pics of him racing that bike. Awesome 70's dirt bike!
Dual sport type bikes are the ones I loved when I was younger. I can't tell you how many times I knocked blinkers off while zooming around the trail tracks we built, but it was always fixable and fun.
I used to race them. The originals had a bronze bushing in the clutch that could not (did not) hold up to the stress. Made a mess of the oil and caused he clutch to fail. Replacements were either steel bushings or a spacer and a ball bearing. The ball bearing was a pain to get in - but lasted for the season.
I really miss my M103 Bultaco 250 MX and it was a right hand shift but I really didn’t have a problem with it but what a wonderful time back then racing these bikes.
Love your videos! I rode a lot of dirt bikes back in the day, Yamaha,Honda,Kawasaki, Husqvarna, Penton ( KTM ) ,but never got to ride a Montesa. In the late 60’s early 70’s, I even got to ride a Sears 106. I’m going to go on an adventure to see if I can find a Montesa, just to see one up close. Keep on wrenching!
It would be fun to see yall revive/restore a Honda Magna. I had a second generation. Fun bike! I can't ride anymore but it's still fun watching the old bikes brought back.
Back in the 70's I had a 250 H5 Montesa enduro bike. It was bloody quick and was great fun to ride! The exhaust was low slung and curved upwards about half way along its length. Montesa was a very popular brand here in the UK.
Montesa was for really serious competition events and chances are you had to travel a great distance to find any sort of dealer that carried them. This is a very cool find and needs love. BTW: Bing carbs were also used on BMWs. Thanks for sharing.
I have a Bultaco Frontera and used to have a matador. Montessas ans Bultacos are great bikes. You mentioned the AMAL carbs and my bultacos have had them.
Love the content, love the vibe, one of my favorite channels. You should do an episode that follows you to get some glasses that stay on, now that I've noticed I cant stop counting the times you push them back on lol. Thanks for some great moto content.
I’m 68 now, but when I was a teenager, back in 74-75, a buddy’s dad sold me a JAWA 250 cc dirt bike and I had a blast driving that beast in the woods !👍👍🇨🇦
My Father owned a bike shop in the seventies which sold Montesa/Bultaco amongst others. Years later, I got to know these bikes very well when they became popular for vintage events. The transmission should use a hypoid oil. The expansion chamber looks like it is off a 77/78 model. Although, they never came with a "stinger" type silencer on the mx version. By '78, the Japanese had stolen the lead with better performance, reliability, brakes, suspension, and it marked the biginning of the end for Montesa and Bultaco.
Greg if you wanna remove rust easy without damaging the metals use aluminum foil and some water and comes off really easy;) i owned a vt250 honda magna and i would maintain it with just that and it looked brand new , lots of love from Greece!
Two of my brothers had these (bought secondhand in a package deal) back in the day. I think they ran for a few minutes after they first got them and the next time they ran was the day before they sold them (as a package). I never did see them running but they said the bikes were weapons. Agree about the tanks looking awesome
I used to ride a 1976 Montesa Capra VA 250. It had 16 transfer ports. The powerband was crazy short at the top. Like lighting a rocket. In 77 I had a Yamaha YZ 250 monoshock with a very broad powerband. The craziest powerbands were the late 60s Bultaco. How I miss riding the old Euros MXers. I had just about every one of them lol including the Greaves AJ stormer.
My wife asked me why I watch these guys having fun. She said that I should go out and have fun of my own. Jokes on her, the kids and I now have 8 machines in various stages of being repaired.
Nice!! Make sure the kids get a lesson in bike repair! I wish I learned from my dad while I had the chance.
Watching these has inspired me to do the same. I made a video Craig/Greg style on the first start.
mine said the same thing
@@SyThco13 honestly, Craig has become that "dad" for me. I didn't have one growing up and just recently got into bikes and repairs... would've been nice to learn from him.
Keep it up.
@@SyThco13 Yup agreed. I only learned basic repairs from my step dad, but it gave me the confidence and willingness to learn wrenching on stuff.
I had a 73 Montesa 250 enduro street legal version, even though they were pre-mix and one had to carry pre-mix oil with them when stopping at the gas station. The gas cap was actually a cup and held the exact measurement of oil for one tank of pre-mix gas in the tank. Great woods bike !!
A King Scorpion, right? I had one, absolutely destroyed it racing my friend’s Can Am….
Mate of mine had a King Scorpion, I had Bultaco's, Matador and Pursang.
@@potrzebieneuman4702 Such a fun time….
I owned a few " woods bikes " back in the day [ late 60`s early 70`s ] Penton, Ossa, Bul`s, Rickman.
Those plunger type suck
Terry Cable is a US company that makes throttle , clutch, and brake cables - they make a set of cables specifically for Montesa's
I thought/assumed that they were British. You learn every day 🙂
Yes. they made Bowden cables. Did they not also make hose clamps? (Jubilee clips)
'Jubilee' was the brand name - as Hoover/vacuum @@ianosprey7666
Venhill was the English equivalent of Terry cables , both far superior to the original equipment.
Terry cable Victorville California cable manufacturer.
I used to use Terry Cables on my BMX bikes in the 60s and 80s. They were super popular in spite of costing 5 times what a regular cable cost. As they say on Seinfeld, "The BEST Jerry! THE BEST!"
I just want to say that Craig has the best comment section of any UA-cam channel. Everyone is polite and helpful. Craig is a blessed man
Shh! Don't jinx it! :)
Congratulations from spain! You have reborn a great legend from spanish motorcycling : one of the great montesa "cappra" 250cc, a powerfull machine on outroads.
It is one of the most appreciate bike to have in a collection.
Congratulations again!!
You seem to always get these bikes running, but the look of pure amazement and joy when you hear them fire up the first time then when they run on their own is absolutely wonderful. You do great work. Thanks for sharing with us.
You’ve done a Hodaka, a Montessa…next find a Bultaco. When I was growing up in the 70’s, those were the 3 alternatives to the Japanese bikes
A Bultaco Pursang to be exact! 250cc of high winding power like Jim Pomeroy rode.
My buddy rode/raced a Montessa 250 MX bike. Mine was a ‘72 Husquvarna 250 WR which I ported and did carb upgrades on. One tough bike! Both bikes chained together with a HEAVY chain. Both got stolen the same night. I still believe a bunch of guys came, lifted both bikes and put in the bed of a pickup truck.
Wasn't Hodaka Japanese?
@ correct. I was referring to the big brands out of Japan (Kaw, Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha). I’d add another name to those alternatives-Can-Am. Used to see a few of them out in the woods.
Don't forget Maico! Maico Breako! lol
Inside the gas tank, attached to the petcock is a fuel filter, easily serviced. Your kicker should be mounted more or less vertically, so as to allow you to end your kick at the bottom of it's rotation. Remember, the average age of the riders was in the middle teen years. This would allow them to use all the strength in their legs to their best advantage. The pipe might be off a Yamaha 250. You can roll the top of a tube sock over double atop the air filter cage and spray it with W4DD (as we called it), and it will do a bangup job of air filtering without having to spring for a new one. Fix the brakes and get a new clutch lever. Oil your cables and grease the brake pivots and go have fun.
I remember having a cable oiling /greasing tool that I used on my dirt bikes it was like a cylinder that the cable clamped in and a cycle pump provided the pressure to push the grease /oil into the cables .
Oh what a great world it would be if we all could hold onto the joy and enthusiasm of youth.! Ya gotta love it when that old engine comes back to life!
I'm a youngster at 28, but even I share the excitement of everyone older than me when I get an old machine running and riding
I was born in 61. Grew up in the 60s and 70s. Started on a Suzuki 90 in 1974. All of my friends rode bikes. Great times and memories. Thanks for bringing some of that back.
Hello, i live in Maine. Shortly after i was born in 1969, my father and his brother, my uncle Jimmy opened up a sports shop in my father's garage. They sold Montesa bikes and Sno-Pony Snowmobiles. My father even took us on the weekends to local motocross tracks in support of the Montesa entry in the race. Thanks for this. I'm going to send it to my now 80yr old father.
You're the first person to mention SnoPonys! Picked up a 14 hp to play with in the early 70's. Fun, but little, I could fit one in your trunk... (I'm in W MI)
Montesa, Bultaco,and Ossa. The Spanish made tremendous motorcycles back in the 60s and 70s, lightweight, powerful, and great handling,all 2 strokes and very reliable. Ah for the great days of the 60s and 70s!
All were actually from Catalonia. I know it's Spain but they were all made in that small area.
Greetings from Spain. There are other brands that you probably don't know. Rieju, Puch and Derbi for example.
The only Puch I ever saw was a moped, lol. But in 73 bought a 71 TM 400, made a bunch of changes... Sure glad I was a big kid, lol!
@@dennisgauck7526never saw the Epic Puch MC 75 Cobra?
They are very reliable and cool bikes, unfortunately very rare to see nowadays even here in Spain.
A neighbour of mine has one here in Almeria
Wow - so the Flimsytronics (Femsatronic) still works! Actually a really good ignition. A friend of mine had an old Montesa and he mistakenly left the fuel tap on and parked it for a long time. We kicked and kicked and pushed and, fully flooded with fuel, it finally fired, 12-stroked, and 15 stroked and blew raw fuel out the exhaust, but it did run! Gotta love those things - I still remember the fuel cap was just a plug with some o-rings.
He said in the video, it was a Motoplat ignition.........not Femsa
Speaking as a guy from the 1970’s I’m pretty pleased to hear this Montessa running. Job well done.
My wife was sitting next to me while I watched this. She cracks up at the 2 of you just having fun making videos.
Awesome bike. Exciting results!
Thank you, Craig, for inspiring my passion for building bikes. I now have three project bikes in progress!
Those were really cool bikes back in the day. Getting rare lately.
*I got a cQQl Montessa Trials bike in 1981~I was 12 years old ~It had very small shift lever area to put your foot~Kickstarter was on the other side~The clutch was backwards in that you pull the lever in and it went~You let it out and it was like neutral~Like pulling in on the lever on any other bike~The fiberglass tank went all the way past the seat and the seat was a tiny oval pad~It was the coolest bike~I had a Suzuki RM80 already but this Montessa was very fun to ride~There was a learning curve for sure Craig~You'll really like your bike :))*
I love the random old dirt bikes on this channel, they remind me of my childhood. Just from seeing it initially I knew it would be later than 73 due to it having laid over shocks. Nice looking bike.
When we were kids, we would judge how fast a bike was by the rear sprocket. Bigger the sprocket the faster the bike 🤣
Actually, it's the opposite. Normally a larger rear is more bottom end and slower top speed. Smaller rear was slower acceleration, but higher top speed.
@@MSH_361 Yes we all know that, but 10 y/o kids didn't!!! As a 10 y/o, big is better!
Many European small capacity dirtbikes had large sprockets in the 60s & 70s as they were mostly using converted road bike engines with road bike gear ratios, so they enlarged the sprockets for off-road use to compensate. Husky, Beta, Bultaco, Fantic, Montesa, CZ, MZ, BSA, Triumph etc all had large sprockets. Even the Japs used them to begin with, but they trailbazed the way with more suitable gear box ratios for off-road use and the rest followed suit.
@@MSH_361 Yes, but 10 year olds didnt! To a kid, bigger is better!
Hey guys. This was my first season with my first bike. I’ve learned a heck of a lot from you and continue to learn so much. I’ve never been an engine guy but things don’t seem so scary or foreign anymore. Thanks for doing these projects and giving me and others a bit of education.
The square slider Betor forks was an instant giveaway that this was a 75 or 76 Cappra. I raced a 1976 Montesa 348 Cota in trials for a few years. I started in 1970 with a Bultaco Matabor that I converted to a desert racer with a butt load of Pursange parts. It ran pretty good. After some German bikes , I went back to the Spanish with a 1967 Montesa 247 Cota then upgraded to a 1970 247. Throw in a 1970 Ossa Stilleto in an attempt to get speedy again (no real luck) then I got the 348. Spanish bikes were always fast and handled really well, but had breakdown problems due to the Femsa ignition. The upgrade to CDI was a great reliability improvement, The rear shocks on your bike, if it is a 75, they might be Betors. Not sure, but that pipe might be off a 77 or 78 Cappra, the stock VA was a low pipe. The clutches would last forever as long as you changed oil frequently. They were fast and built to be modified to your taste. Good find!!!
I had a 1970's Montesa 175 cc for my first bike, absolutely loved it. Moved on to Bultaco sherpa 350, love the old scramblers ans trials bikes from the 70's and 80's.
Bultaco bikes where great I rode the crap outa mine as a young un I realy beat on em and they never broke down on me .
I used to have a 175 Bultaco back in Baltimore I used in Scottish trials. So much torque it would get you out of deep mud and such great balance going over rocks in streams. Loved it!
The tank was probably made by Acerbis (Italian) who still make nylon tanks today for the likes of Aprilia and KTM. Do NOT use ethanol fuel in them, they will blister through the paint. My 99 Aprilia Pegaso did exactly this. KTM's are currently experiencing a lot of tank troubles now that E10 (no more than 10% ethanol) is now widespread in Europe (pronounced "Yerp"🤣). Keep up the great content. My weekend isn't complete without a dose of Craig and Dan.
I think next year you should let Dan get a bike running, he should have picked up enough know how by now.
"Back in the day....1970s" I rode some mx bikes :-). We had Husqs, Pentons, Bultacos, Honda Elsinores etc. What a time to be a teenager :-)
The different number of gears is tied to the power output of the bike. A 125 needs more gears to stay in the powerband up to top speed while the 250 only needs 5 because it is more powerful in general. The 360 only needed 4 gears to match the powerband theoretically.
While that may be true, it may also be for the same reason suzuki put 6sp boxes on their gsxr 750 and 5sp on 1100's. Using the same case they had wider gears (more tooth contact) to better handle the added torque of the larger engine.
@@stevenreid-g2yexactly what I was thinking
Man I can't say how great it is that you explain things in a way everyone can understand big props on being a top notch bike guru for some of us back yard guys ...anytime you need to work on a sportster for a guy you just come see me I always have something going on lol
Im restoring a montesa "endurito h6 75". Its a nice little bike. And I also bought a bultaco sherpa 350. Spanish bikes are really cool and relatively easy to work on. Love your videos man! Great work
The amount of bike manufacturers in Spain, specially in Catalonia, is astounding.
Bultaco, Derbi, Gas Gas, JJ Cobas, Mecatecno, Montesa, OSSA, Rieju, just to name a few.
Some are gone now but never forgotten.
Oh cruel. Back in the 80's found a shed find. A near perfect Montesa trials, almost new under the dust, even the tyres were square edged. I couldn't believe my luck! Did a few trials with my sons and then all three bikes stolen from garage. I still feel the pain, it was a rock solid bike if a little heavy.
I dont work on bikes or ride bikes. Yet here i am watching these videos. These guys are entertaining and seem to know their stuff.
yeah, crank seals are 100% shot, still really nice to hear it run.
that's is how 2 stroke go, you find them, you make them run twice and then you have to fully tear down the engine to change 2 or 3 seals
This channel is relaxing to me, you're so calm and easygoing I feel we'd get along just fine. Love the videos, keep up the great work!
The “VR” acronym stands for “Vehkonnen Replica.” The VR stood for Kalevi Vehkonnen, the Finnish GP rider who gave Montesa its greatest Grand Prix results, including a fourth in the 1972 250cc World Championships (the first European brand in the standings)
Love the cool bikes! You inspired me to get an old bike to work on I didn’t find a bike but I got an 83 Honda ATC 185S.
Great videography Dan. 👍
I’m in the UK and only just discovered your channel. Back in the early 80’s I owned a Bultaco 250 2stroke and my friend bought a Montesa 250 very similar to this one. Only thing was that it was completely stripped down including the gearbox. I spent weeks trying to rebuild the gearbox without any manual. Eventually I got it working and running. Great memories of how we stumbled through pre internet days. As we got the rebuild finished my friend managed to track down a photocopied version of a manual. I checked all the gearbox fittings and all the shims etc seemed to be correct.
I noticed a sticker on your front mudguard/fender from Preston Petty Products. I always thought they were from Preston in the UK. Thanks to google I now know it’s an American company.
Barry
Man, as a spaniard I miss those brands. When the democracy came, Montesa, Bultaco and all of them dissapeared so that we would be forced to buy other european countrie's motorcycles. I have a Derbi Diablo myself.
At the time Franco ordered for all the parts to be made in Spain, so that bike is all made in Spain.
Do no forget OSSA and the infamous Sanglas
It was forced by powerful global politicians.
The takeover by honda was done only under the premise that production wouldnt stop...but thats exactly what honda did. Kill all the models except 1 and ignore the brand to favour its own bikes.
Sou ds like seats situation, doesnt it?
When she fires up,the excitement is the same as the first motorcycle you ever fixed,love it man🥰
Wow, a Montesa! I raced mid 70’s to early 80’s. Didn’t see too many, if any, Montesa’s in South Texas. Plenty of Bultaco’s, Husky’s, Maico’s, some Penton’s early on, KTM’s, CanAm’s, Rokon’s, Harley’s, and of course all the Japanese bikes. As a matter of fact, I still have my 78 YZ 250.
Your enthusiasm and happynes whena bike starts is so contaigous. I´m sitting here with a wide grinn on my face. Love your vids man. keep it up and don´t overdo it too much.
Look who's a Netflix Star!!! 2:35:16 into the Tyson/Paul fight run up, as they are announcing the lady fighters....The Beared Mechanic!!!
Yeah I also saw it, I was like, wait a minute that's the Bearded Mech, what is he doing there, doesn't he have a bike to build? 🤣🤣
I am sure at that moment you started to choke the chicken .
Every time I watch your videos it reminds me of a friend who had an Ossa trials bike that he pulled apart and then stuck it in boxes under his bed. He then moved overseas. I've always wanted to rebuild it but I guess I'd never track it down.
Just saw The Bearded Mechanic on the Jake Paul vs Tyson fight live stream. They held the camera on the audience for a minute directly on you. Way to represent how much did that ad cost 😂
I had a tank for one of those at the shop I was at years ago! Had a Bultaco and some rare Honda tanks with good chrome, some Elsinore tanks, and an old two stroke Harley tank that was close to pristine! Loved working on these old bikes!
Just spotted you in the audience at the Mike Tyson fight 💪 Watching from Australia
And you got so excited that you started whacking off .
One of the things I like about this channel is the metric bikes, and dirt bikes...I got a Yamaha DT1 250 enduro as soon as I could and rode it in the dirt until I was 16 and could get a license.
Almost failed the ride test because they saw me doing wheelies in the parking lot.
But my new Bride sold it while I was in boot camp...1972... ( She said "well you're Married now, you won't need it anymore")....Lol I miss that bike. The ex-wife not so much.
I got stationed in California and bought my first Honda, and been riding them ever since.
If I remember, Senor Permanyer and Don Paco Bulto, who I think were related by marriage, started Montessa. When the racing department was shut down, Bulto, who was passionate about racing, went and started Bultaco. Eventually, Honda offered to buy Bultaco when labor problems were wracking Spain after facism died with Spanish dictator Franco. Bulto refused and Honda bought Montessa instead. Montessa/Honda lives on today!...That fiberglass tank needs to be coated to deal with modern fuels. Montessa had a rubber petcock on some Cappras that were derisively called "montesticles" because you had to squeeze a steel ball aside inside the rubber petcock to unblock the flow of gas...BTW, I have a 1975 Bultaco Frontera 380 with points that starts easily...Montessa, Ossa, and Bultaco were all rolling artwork made with Spanish passion.
How Dan holds a camera so still without falling over laughing, is such an under appreciated skill. Good work Dan 👍
Surpising! Amal (Amalgamated) carburettors are mainly a British thing.
Gotta love a 2 stoke. BTW, the excessive white smoke and hard to start probably means the crank seals are stuffed. Not to worry, who ever is going to restore the bike will do a full rebuild. Cool stuff!
Cool bike 👌love Therese videos 👌☺️ btw i saw you in the audiance on Netflix live Tyson Paul fight 🤷♂️✌️ greatings from sweden !
I owned a Cappra 250 VR when I was 17 years old in 1980 and it was an animal to ride. Outside the power band it was a gutless dog, but when that engine revved up, you had to hold on for dear life! Such wonderful fun.
Watching this video brought back such fond memories (not to mention envy for your good fortune, lol) and I had forgotten how advanced the styling was for the day... Eventually Honda teamed up with Montesa, if I remember correctly, producing trials 4-strokes but now I believe that the brand is dead.
Apart from the memories, all I have left is an original filler cap with the gothic 'M' logo.
Hey. Think I just saw you live on Netflix at the fights during Katie Taylor’s walkin.
Every time I think I’m chasing a false dream to get my GL500 (Honda Silver Wing) running you come up with yet another great and encouraging video!!!
I just got a GL500 that someone cut up (butchered really) for a Cafe Racer. Story was the neighbor hacked up the wiring harness which I can confirm happened probably because it has no mufflers and is a little louder then normal.
1st
2nd
I'm not first so I guess I'm last
You bas**d, I was so close.🤣🤣
Nailed it! Congrats
You Sir, are a certified LEGEND!
Thanks for a great upload and bike choice, love the old school revival stuff you do.
👌
The Montesa is super cool Craig !
I love your enthusiasm. I am a two-stroke nut with a Suzuki GT750, RZ 350 and a sweet 1986 IT 200 with a license plate.
The Montesa is quite complete and I really enjoyed being able to learn about it. Yeah it was Senor Don Bulto that was the founder of Bultaco.
I got to ride a 1974 CZ 400 with a low pipe in the Elsinore Grand Prix.
If it ain't smokin it's broken !
I've got a 72 gt750. I love that bike.
Wish I kept my '77 RD400 !
@@dannyjamison8337 Also sweet little bikes! Only ever seen one of those in person in my life. Unfortunately it was roached beyond repair.
I remember Montesa along with Bultaco,Rickman and Cooper 250 dirt bikes. As a kid I had Honda Elsnor, Kawasaki, Yamaha and a Cooper 250. I grew up in the country. We had sandpits and plenty of riding. Great times as a kid now at 65,I don’t ride nothing. Thanks for sharing.. little bit
Flipping love this channel. I could honestly watch you work on field bikes all day. You appreciate their ‘lives’.
yeah man ! 70s styling cues for the VRod bike build off ! Sissy bar with king and queen seat with stacked rectangular headlights!
Just how excited you were at the end!! That makes the whole process worth it 💪🏽😎
Wow I remember meeting you Andy years ago at a bike shop in Reseda Ca..called Jeb's cycle,I worked there with Phil and Bruce,I'm Dave one of the mechanics. Nice to know your still around.
Wow, that's considered a jewel here in Spain, at least I do. You are very lucky to have one over there in the States. Good job 👍
Heck yeah...I'm here for the show!
Men I love your video. I bought a montesa 250 vr a year ago, in the same shape. I made it run, took care of it and raced it for the enduropale race in france in the vintage class.
It is an amazing bike. And your joy was the same as mine when I restarted it.
Hope you’ll make a serie of video with this bike.
Great bike from my era. That make, along with Bultaco were always hard starting, although I never was around them when they were new. Had a 1972 Husqvarna 250 WR I bought new and it was awesome. I also had a 250 Honda Elsinore when they first came out. You are right, a great era for dirt bikes. I was involved in desert riding and the Husky 250 wide ratio bikes were great desert bikes. I’d love to see a Maico on your show but I’m sure they are crazy expensive. What beasts they were. I especially enjoy your videos when dirt bikes are involved. Haven’t rode a dirt bike in years but I have a 2024 Street Glide that I really enjoy. Thanks for the great videos combining wrenching on bikes with humor! To me, the humor and banter are just as important as the technical stuff.
My first Motocross bike was a Montesa Cappra 360, purchased at Competiton Cylce in Wilmington, MA. First race was at Pepperell, MA, August, 1972. You old guys know what I'm talking about.
A goodfFriend of mine had a Montesa 250 in the mid 70's that he rode the Northeast Ohio motocross circuit in his early teens and took 1st place in the class a couple years in a row. He even took 2nd place in one race that he broke a chain on the last lap and pushed it across the line. I was his "photographer" and still have many pics of him racing that bike. Awesome 70's dirt bike!
Dual sport type bikes are the ones I loved when I was younger. I can't tell you how many times I knocked blinkers off while zooming around the trail tracks we built, but it was always fixable and fun.
I used to race them. The originals had a bronze bushing in the clutch that could not (did not) hold up to the stress. Made a mess of the oil and caused he clutch to fail. Replacements were either steel bushings or a spacer and a ball bearing. The ball bearing was a pain to get in - but lasted for the season.
that Motoplat ignition is very good. we use it on Kart engines from Yamaha, Bultaco, Minarelli, etc here in Argentina
I wish I would’ve watched this when I had my ‘72 Honda back in the 90s! Awesome work
I really miss my M103 Bultaco 250 MX and it was a right hand shift but I really didn’t have a problem with it but what a wonderful time back then racing these bikes.
Love your videos! I rode a lot of dirt bikes back in the day, Yamaha,Honda,Kawasaki, Husqvarna, Penton ( KTM ) ,but never got to ride a Montesa. In the late 60’s early 70’s, I even got to ride a Sears 106. I’m going to go on an adventure to see if I can find a Montesa, just to see one up close. Keep on wrenching!
O te falta la crema de la crema la montesa
It would be fun to see yall revive/restore a Honda Magna. I had a second generation. Fun bike! I can't ride anymore but it's still fun watching the old bikes brought back.
Love your style in videos and communication with the audience...fav videos to watch!
That bike sounds like my childhood. Thanks so much.
Back in the 70's I had a 250 H5 Montesa enduro bike. It was bloody quick and was great fun to ride! The exhaust was low slung and curved upwards about half way along its length. Montesa was a very popular brand here in the UK.
This is great, so happy to see this- I’m guessing the guy that gave you this was a great person. Good luck with this and the Yamadawgs
Twisted Fender , only a Ole east coast metal head would say that. Love the show , God Bless you and your family.
Montesa was for really serious competition events and chances are you had to travel a great distance to find any sort of dealer that carried them. This is a very cool find and needs love. BTW: Bing carbs were also used on BMWs. Thanks for sharing.
I have a Bultaco Frontera and used to have a matador. Montessas ans Bultacos are great bikes. You mentioned the AMAL carbs and my bultacos have had them.
Well done Craig, love your positively and can do attitude, quite inspiring.
Love the content, love the vibe, one of my favorite channels. You should do an episode that follows you to get some glasses that stay on, now that I've noticed I cant stop counting the times you push them back on lol. Thanks for some great moto content.
Awesome! Glad to see bikes from my teenage years live again!
I’m 68 now, but when I was a teenager, back in 74-75, a buddy’s dad sold me a JAWA 250 cc dirt bike and I had a blast driving that beast in the woods !👍👍🇨🇦
Dan has come a long way. Him and Craig feed off each others energy really well.
Such a awesome looking old bike, worthy of a full restoration
That is a piece of history here in Spain...great bike and great job
My Father owned a bike shop in the seventies which sold Montesa/Bultaco amongst others. Years later, I got to know these bikes very well when they became popular for vintage events. The transmission should use a hypoid oil. The expansion chamber looks like it is off a 77/78 model. Although, they never came with a "stinger" type silencer on the mx version. By '78, the Japanese had stolen the lead with better performance, reliability, brakes, suspension, and it marked the biginning of the end for Montesa and Bultaco.
It looks like you had a small piece of green tumbler resin left in carb bowel passage. 24:18 in video you see it. Another awesome resurrection!
I love seeing you come across a rare bike and bring it back from the dead!
Greg if you wanna remove rust easy without damaging the metals use aluminum foil and some water and comes off really easy;) i owned a vt250 honda magna and i would maintain it with just that and it looked brand new , lots of love from Greece!
Two of my brothers had these (bought secondhand in a package deal) back in the day. I think they ran for a few minutes after they first got them and the next time they ran was the day before they sold them (as a package). I never did see them running but they said the bikes were weapons. Agree about the tanks looking awesome
Great video. In my youth i use to ride a Montesa Cota 123. It was a beast of a bike... 1st gear was almost useless...
Special guest appearance of the bearded mechanic during the Katie Taylor walk out!!! Netflix finally getting their priorities straight XD
such good vibes you share with us, thanks a lot Craig!!
I used to ride a 1976 Montesa Capra VA 250. It had 16 transfer ports. The powerband was crazy short at the top. Like lighting a rocket. In 77 I had a Yamaha YZ 250 monoshock with a very broad powerband. The craziest powerbands were the late 60s Bultaco. How I miss riding the old Euros MXers. I had just about every one of them lol including the Greaves AJ stormer.