OzVMX Forum
Marque Remarks => Spaniards (Bultaco, Ossa, Montesa etc) => Topic started by: JC on January 01, 2009, 05:26:16 pm
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Anyone got a spare VA/VB 125 frame they're willing to part with?
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what would you want one of those for ??? ;D
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I've still got some VA125 stuff, but not a frame. Just love those little beauties!
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i have a nearly complete spare bike
not sure what i am doing with her yet ;D
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Whats missing on it H'shot?
Got any pics of it?
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missing throttle assembly
airbox
chain and levers as you can see not much :D
has great pipe and muffler 8)
engine needs big end (of course) :'(
and needs piston barrel good
looks just like my other one 8)
i think they are about ten numbers out on frame
still not sure yet what i am doing with her ;D
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Happy New Year everyone!
I had a VB125 in '78. I love Montesa's and currently have 5. During the 70's I raced several of them including the 125. I am sorry to have to say, with the risk of being howled down, my experience was that it was the worst bike I ever owned!
I don't think it ever completed a meeting successfully. Handled OK but was badly under powered and unpleasant to ride due to the engine. The motor vibrated and ran that badly that it was seriously disappointing to own. Basically something always vibrated off or too pieces.
Barry Ryan, NSW distributor at the time, tried to assist but it seemed that everything was to no avail. It had a 36mm Bing carbie which meant the power band was narrower than a flea's dick!
Maybe it was just the one I rode but I sold it at the time for an RM125B. Kept the VB 360 and moved on to a VE414.
Hopefully your bike will be much better and gives you great pleasure. I will be interested to see how it performs. Sorry I can not be more complimentary about the bikes abilities.
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Yeh, I can concur w much of what you say. I had a VB125 too, but set up as an enduro. I didn't have the vibration problem tho. I never raced it in MX, but it sure wouldn't have been competitive w an RM125B which was one of the nicest & most fun bikes I ever rode. Best 125 MX bike in its day by far in my view. Just loved that bike (the RMb)
Unfortunately the VB125 was quite underdeveloped. Only diff I recall between VA & VB barrell was size of inlet tract. They just seemed to wack the 36mm Bing on in the hope it'd be competitive. It wasn't. Ports were fairly small even for VA's day. I tried a 34mm Mik on mine but it still seemed too big for the ports & I wasn't using it on the track anyway. 32mm Mik went much better for what I used it for. Had a decent powerband for enduro/trail w the 32 Mik. I liked the ergonomics, handling & light weight too. It never seemed to 'cramp' you like other smaller 125s of the day.
In my view the VA125 is a much nicer looking bike than the VB. I'm under no illusions of thinking it (the VA125) would be a winner in pre78, tho almost anything is possible these days w $$$$.
The VA125 is just a real sweet looking bike & I've liked them ever since they 1st came out. The shame is that Montesa didn't bring the predecessor out in 74 when they could have.
I'd be happy if I could just find a VA125 frame & do the rest up myself. Anyone know of the whereabouts of one?
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http://sunol.es/joaquimsunol/motos/trofeomontesa/trofeomontesamotos.html
Enjoy ;) ;D 8).
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The main concern I have with the VA 125 (and to a lesser degree the VB125)
is the kickstarter mech. and the transmission. The VA uses many of the parts that
were designed for the Cota 123 and they are not up for the pounding that the mxer
hands out. I have built numerous VA and VB 125 engines and they can be very
frustrating to get everything correct and working properly. I do remember talking
to Lyal O'Brian a few years back concerning the VA 125 and his frustration
with the transmission. All I can say is go easy bro....
ps when kickstarting, push down and feel the kickgears engage before
kicking thru.
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JC there is a rear wheel hub assembly (hub, backing plate assembly and axle) for one of them in my shed and you are welcome to have it.
David
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Jared one the guys who ride Cota 242s here in Queensland Australia had new kickstart gears custom made for his last year. He is a top level trials rider and doesn't spare the bike and yet the gears seem to be holding together well. I don't remember who did the work. The rider is Wayne Chadwick. If anyone is interested in getting similar for their 125 MX Monties, I can probably get hold of Wayne for them.
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Yes, the Cota 123, 172, 200 242, 304 all have weak kick gears, as well
as the VA/VB 125. They did start heat treating the kickgears on the Cota
307, 309 and 310 models and they have held up well. I have customers that
are looking for kick gears, but when they hear the price of having these gears
made, they flee! The one good thing is that almost all of them use the same
gears with just the middle bearing being different in the later models.
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David, I'll take you up on the offer of the rear hub. Is it VA/VB 125 or Cota 123?
I hope to be down in G'stone about mid-year. I'd love to see yr bikes too if yr happy to oblige.
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Its a VA/VB 125 rear hub and yes it would be great to get together here.
I'll post some photos of the hub so you can ID it yourself.
Regards
David
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I have customers that are looking for kick gears, but when they hear the price of having these gears
made, they flee!
What is it with people? Why should something be cheap just because it is for an old bike anyway? Another thing I hear from time to time a bit like that is at trials where we ride in with the modern bikes on our twinshocks and classics. Well-meaning observers will say "gee you ride well on that old bike - you should get yourself a new one - it would be much easier to ride"
What can you say?
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that is annoying everyone thinks if you like motorbikes youll have a modern my mates from school cant understand me only liking vintage bikes i dont know if its possible to have more fun on a modern never ridden one might not thanks Michael. :)
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Well-meaning observers will say "gee you ride well on that old bike - you should get yourself a new one - it would be much easier to ride"
What can you say?
IMO they're right David. Face it, a whizz-bang gasser or Sherco is heaps lighter and easier to ride than a 210 lb asthmatic Bult, but that's not the attraction of the old bikes. To me the attraction is the charisma of the machines and the non-intimidating nature of the course. Problem with new bikes is that everybody expects you to be able to breeze up that 6' step after a nasty 90 deg nose wheelie turn.
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The main concern I have with the VA 125 (and to a lesser degree the VB125)
is the kickstarter mech. and the transmission. The VA uses many of the parts that
were designed for the Cota 123 and they are not up for the pounding that the mxer
hands out. I have built numerous VA and VB 125 engines and they can be very
frustrating to get everything correct and working properly. I do remember talking
to Lyal O'Brian a few years back concerning the VA 125 and his frustration
with the transmission. All I can say is go easy bro....
ps when kickstarting, push down and feel the kickgears engage before
kicking thru.
Jared, you almost convince me to do an engine transplant! Use a yam engine or the like. But I still need a VA/VB125 frame to start anyway. Anyone know of one?
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when kickstarting, push down and feel the kickgears engage before
kicking thru.
Same goes for the Gasser pro series trials bikes particularly the 300. The problem has only recently been corrected.
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Well-meaning observers will say "gee you ride well on that old bike - you should get yourself a new one - it would be much easier to ride"
What can you say?
IMO they're right David. Face it, a whizz-bang gasser or Sherco is heaps lighter and easier to ride than a 210 lb asthmatic Bult, but that's not the attraction of the old bikes. To me the attraction is the charisma of the machines and the non-intimidating nature of the course. Problem with new bikes is that everybody expects you to be able to breeze up that 6' step after a nasty 90 deg nose wheelie turn.
Yes Tim I agree. You can ride at a level that is quite challenging on a twinshock and minimise the risk of serious harm compared with the type of section it takes to make it a challenge on a modern bike. My wife rode for a while and wanted a modern bike so we got a Rev 3 Beta which we both loved riding. I rode it a few times and found that because it was so easy to ride, you started putting yourself in very tricky situations and riding very big obstacles, just to get a bit of a challenge happening. After 20 minutes practice at that level, I was totally stuffed compared with being able to practice for hours on a twinshock.
And yes in my eyes there is no cooler bike to ride than any 1970s twinshock trials bike.
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After 20 minutes practice at that level, I was totally stuffed compared with being able to practice for hours on a twinshock.
Yup. On the upside on a modern you can stop and take a break in a section for 5 mins ::). I was out practicing with PeterB a few months ago and got myself horribly off line in a section. Two minutes of hopping around and I was shagged.
And yes in my eyes there is no cooler bike to ride than any 1970s twinshock trials bike.
Maybe it's our age, maybe it's because I couldn't afford 'em and nor could my dad when I was 15. Maybe it's because our heroes were more accessible in those days. Could it be that the Bultaco logo is arguably the best logo ever dreamed up by man? To be truthful I like moderns as much as I do spanish twinshocks.