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44
Joined
10/2/2016
Location
GB
To avoid highjacking the "should I ride it thread" though I'd post this up separately for those with fond memories!
It is a '77, but the rear frame loop has been removed at some point to give it the later look of the '78.
Suspension is obviously not the std fit and helps with old knees!
It is a '77, but the rear frame loop has been removed at some point to give it the later look of the '78.
Suspension is obviously not the std fit and helps with old knees!
One of the Local Houston Texas guys had one, Don't remember what year it was.
We couldn't get it to start one day he had it at Rio, But he did get it running later & was jetting it last time I saw it.
Bultaco Kid who is a Vital member Owned it!
I restored last year my dads 250VB 1978 after it stalled for 20 years in boxes in his basement....
Below you find a Facebook link with more info if you like:
https://www.facebook.com/MontesaCappra250VB/
My VF 414 is almost all original still, but not cherry. More of a (mostly)well maintained survivor. I still have the Certificate of Origin for it.
IMO, the VB series was as far as Montesa should've gone with that platform. Slightly less but very usable power, slightly less suspension travel gave a little lower seat height, which in turn made the location of the kickstart lever not so awkward to use and made the non-primary start not so much of a disadvantage if it stalled in a race .
I've always liked my 414, but it wasn't as easy to live with as my VB 360 was.
Just my take on it, as a owner of both back in the day. Having said that, I love them all. I had a '73/74 YZ 250 dual shock that I bought new that I'd love to have sitting my garage today, as well.
RB
The Shop
Never found the 360 lacking in power though against more "modern" vintage equipment.
Biggest problem (excluding the top shock mount protrubances) is keeping the front down. Riding position for a taller rider puts the cg too far back. I have seen some with a longer swing arm and it's a mod that is on a list.
I only ever saw one 414, at a National in 79 IIRC, and it looked sort of clumsy, as if it had gotten too big as you say, sort of like the Spanish equivalent of the YZ490 compared to the YZ465. Old Shoe, have you considered making a top triple clamp that doesn't tilt the handlebar clamps back that way? One with bar clamps tall enough to let the bars clear the raised fork tubes, and contemporary low-rise bars to keep the overall height down? Doubtless the leverage relative to the steering head and the pendulum effect of the whole front end would change, but maybe not in a negative way, and moving the handlebars forward rotates your upper body forward in a different way than simply putting on lower bars would, in terms of getting your weight over the front end naturally. I know someone on here moved the bar mounting on his vintage bike forward and raved about opening up the cockpit and getting a more modern feel. Back in the day, there was that DeCoster-style attack position that one can't do if the bars are too high or too far back. I was thinking that in your shoes I'd want to keep the quicker turning and better hookup of a shorter swingarm if I could, and maybe moving the bar clamps would enable you to weight the front end much better--and maybe a custom top triple clamp costs less than a custom swingarm.
What I did for starting on my brother's Rickman 250VR was file the right footpeg mount a bit in the right spot until that peg could be folded back out of the way to give the kickstarter nearly 180 degrees of effective rotation. After that, it was always running by the time you reached the bottom of the stroke, hot or cold. It was hard to start until I did that. Cold, a Bing tickler probably seems crude and barbarous compared to EFI, but it sure helped cold starting on the Bing-equipped bikes I had.
My dad is on a age of 64 @ the moment and parked the VB seriuesly in his livingroom after he receved it on the day I surpriced him with the resto...! :
So yes i'am sure the bike keeps his perfect state in the future..
With that fact there's allways a VB250 in "concours" condition the next 50 years..!!!
Yeah I have considered a more fwd positioned bar mount, which would pull the rider fwd, but my problem has always been in any seated position my legs always push me too far back. I've avoided any type of mods that could not be reversed so I picked up a scrap swing arm to mod as an easy option, but that's as far as it got.
I appreciate your comments and will take a look at the whole thing again. Quite a blast being so light up front, controllable and spectacular if nothing else!
Photo will not load error from vital....I hate computers sometimes....
Pit Row
It's a shame that one of the things that makes those Montesas look so good--that sleek tank/seat combination--doesn't look right anymore if you build up the seat for your height. I had to go back and look up what Jaak Van Velthoven used to do, and realized that he probably liked his KTMs for the way his raised seat still blended into the look of the bike. It looks as though he used an inverted set of bar clamps to raise his handlebars a bit:
I made 2" longer swingarms for him to address 2 things:
1: Overly light front end, both in excess wheelying and, more importantly, front end grip. He ran the axle about 1- 1/4" back from where it could be maxed out on the std. swingarm. He said it cornered so much better than standard, and was much more stable.
2 : The shocks were mounted that far forward on the swingarm, that the suspension curve went perilously close to, or into, a falling rate. I think the std shocks were something like 390mm / 15 -3/8" eye to eye. We used 17.5" shocks with eyes that brought them out to, I think, 18.25". Don't hold me to those lengths, it's a long, long time ago. The longer shocks facilitated movement of the shock mounts backwards on the swingarm, to correct the geometry of the shocks / swingarm. Both Fox Airshock and Fox Factory Piggyback Spring shocks were used, and the last I heard from him, he had some Ohlins on it.
I'll see if I can track him down, but we've lost touch over the years.
He raved about both changes to the swingarm design. I rode both a few times std and modified, and it was a massive improvement, if I do say so myself
I've got big feet, but just looking at my own startline pic I can touch the foot peg and bottom shock bolt with my boot.
Compared with other bikes of the era that seems ridiculous!
Buy a motocrosser, old or new, one size fits all.
They're still on there. I've sent them back for a factory rebuild twice, I think. I checked my photo's, but the number plates cover the shocks, which would have shown the three different color coded springs.
No doubt, the VG frame was the answer to the VB thru VF rear suspension. At least as far as twin shocks are concerned.
RB
Old Shoe, thanks for reminding me to record the fit measurements on my bicycles. Need to have a record of that somewhere in the event of calamity to said bikes
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