1983 Montesa Cota 349

Video log on the restoration of my 1983 Montesa Cota 349 trials motorcycle. For the 1982 model year, this bike had gray fenders. Generally, people were not attracted by them then, nor was I now. Thus the switch to white fenders.
Made in Spain, this was the pivotal year in which Honda purchased the Montesa company in order to better penetrate the Spanish market with their small displacement bikes. Under Honda, the manufacturing of Montesa trials motorcycles continued uninterrupted and remains today as a premium brand still producing world championship wins in both the indoor and outdoor variations of the sport. Viva Montesa!

[@jeffy3964]

Lovely job well done 👏

[@cristianmartinezfarran4335]

Excelent!!! Very good....

[@nilmarcet7191]

Muy buen trabajo. Tengo 2 cotas y estoy encantado por ser la herencia de mi abuelo...ahora empieza la restauracion! GRACIAS POR EL VIDEO🎉🎉

[@DarrellShannon]

¡Mucha suerte con la restauración!

[@harryrenner4016]

Montesa they were AWESOME!!!! they dominated trials competition. they were the sister company to Bultaco. I'm curious if the company is still around I would imagine they are difficult to get parts for. a rebuild would have to be a challenge. they also made motocross bikes their big bore models were AWESOME!!!! they had so much torque that they needed only a four speed gear box. when I was young they were my favorites but they were difficult to find in the United States. as far as European bikes go the closest I ever got. was a Husqvarna 360 dessert cross bike it was a very good motorcycle.

[@DarrellShannon]

Well, not at all "sister companies". Paco Bulto started out with Montesa but became angry with their direction regarding racing. In frustration, he left the company and launched Bultaco. So, to some degree, bitter rival would probably be the better term for the company relationship! I am in the midst of another restoration, at the moment, but once wrapped up, I have a 1976 Bultaco Model 158 that I will be doing. On an interesting side note, I was at a trials event this weekend and met a gentleman, from Spain, that was over visiting a friend in Texas who had come to our event. After talking to the guy awhile, it turns out the both his Mom, and He, worked at the Bultaco factory for several decades. Very interesting man to talk to. Not an encounter that happens every day, in Texas anyway!

[@cemoto15]

Looks great 😀

[@DarrellShannon]

Thank you!

[@cemoto15]

@@DarrellShannon Just bought one this weekend, would interested in your thoughts on electronic ignition and how you stripped the tank . All the best 😀

[@DarrellShannon]

@@cemoto15 - Compared to having to deal with points, the electronic ignition is a breeze. The brand I used is detailed in the video, and is a great kit. Simple installation. As you can tell from the video, stripping the tank was a chore. I used a brand of stripper called "Klean Strip", but I understand that CitriStrip may work as well. The real work comes AFTER you get all the paint off, as you need to make the raw plastic look nice. Basically, you are running through various grit levels of sandpaper, just like polishing metal. I probably spent 40 to 50 hours on that step alone. I went through various polishes, trying to get a shiny finish. In the end, it was a combination of polish and heat. I used an electric polisher, with a carefully controlled speed and a deft touch on how much friction I applied. Not sure that I would do it again! However, if you choose to repaint the tank instead, you can hardly avoid paint bubbles eventually forming as modern fuels seep through the plastic. Even with internal tank sealers, it is tough to totally prevent issues. So, long term, stripping the paint is the best bet.

[@cemoto15]

@@DarrellShannon Thanks for your detailed reply , my tank is not so bad so I’ll probably leave it for while . I’m from England so should be able to source the ignition fairly easy . Think it’s an English brand . Thanks again for your reply 😀

[@MachTuck]

Beautiful job! I love that Montesa model, the Cota 349

[@DarrellShannon]

Thanks! Final year for the 349. Everything following had Honda's hand in the mix as they purchased Montesa, to get into the Spain market.

[@Despertaferro100]

very nice job!!!!!! Viva Montesa! From Barcelona!

[@DarrellShannon]

Greatly appreciated!

[@mattliberatore3021]

Thanks for sharing the restoration in such detail with great camera work for the video! Beautifully done 👏🏼👏🏼 !!

[@DarrellShannon]

Thanks Matt. Labor of love, for sure. The problem now is that I don't want to ride it and bang it up.

[@mattliberatore3021]

@@DarrellShannon Yes, I can understand that completely 👍🏼

[@yrornoswal]

Well done on a stunning build and a damn good build video. Bellissimo

[@DarrellShannon]

Thanks! Greatly appreciated.

[@stasmitrakov5405]

Super!

[@DarrellShannon]

Thanks!

[@6rilllir6]

Thanks for sharing that restoration ! You did a GREAT job on this beauty ! Now I see I can do a better job at restoring my Bultaco's fork !! SHINY ! :)

[@DarrellShannon]

Thanks. Regarding the forks, my secret weapon is a polish that I have used for decades now called Wenol. I have tried many different things and never found its equal. It is German, and used to be very hard to come by in the US, but now you can pick it up off Amazon. www.amazon.com/s?k=Wenol

[@6rilllir6]

@@DarrellShannon alright, I'll look into it then ! Thanks for the tip ;)

[@fjt3637]

Great great job !

[@DarrellShannon]

Thanks so much. Very much a labor of love. I have since removed the white stripes from the tank. A fun experiment but a bit too Bultaco looking it seem as my riding buddies kept giving me a hard time. So, the next (current) restoration is in fact a Bultaco Sherpa T Model 158. Hoping it turns out as well as this one.

[@emmanuelcaillat1232]

La plus belle des cota

[@maxencepaul4202]

A really great job !!! I'm interested in the tank restoration. Could you share me the technique you used?

[@DarrellShannon]

It was a major undertaking, as you can see in the video! I used "Klean Strip" paint stripper, to remove the old paint. That leaves you with the bare plastic tank, still in red. The task then becomes to polish the plastic. I started with sandpaper, starting at 600 grit, and working my way up through 20 2000 grit. This was ALL done by wet sanding. Once done with sandpaper, I worked through some polishing compounds, by hand. I then used a small hand-held electric polishing tool, with lamb's wool, and polishing compound. In the end, getting a shine came down to a delicate balance between the speed of the tool, and pressure applied, to generate a level of frictional heat that glazed the surface into a shine. I put AT LEAST 40 hours into the process. Not sure I would ever want to do it again. However, I have zero problems with the finish now, where as everyone I know that tries to use paint ends up with bubbles eventually. So, well pleased with the outcome.

[@maxencepaul4202]

@@DarrellShannon thanks a lot for your reply. I started on an old 349 tank and I see now the amount of work needed... i Hope i will be able to obtain one day your super nice finish....

[@bultacowally]

a lot of Bultaco influence on that Montesa...and of course Honda

[@DarrellShannon]

I was experimenting with vinyl wrap, and wanted to see what it would look like with stripes on the tank. The answer? It looks like a Bultaco! I have since removed the stripes.

[@sicks6six]

we need a Chinese manufacturer to make bikes like this, twin shock, basic machines, LED lighting kit, analogue clocks, electronic CDI, forget the things they're making now with plastic shrouds and covers that do nothing except make it look like it's from space, when a firm remakes these bikes MONTESSA, BULTACO, HONDA TL, SUZUKI TS, YAMAHA DT, they will domonate world bike sales, this is what people want, either a full blown race bike like the R1 or a trail bike that is stripped back to basics, no thrills or uneeded clutter, light, nimble, simple, basic and easy to maintain, and very cheap, low markup but huge sales figures, "stack them high sell them cheap"

[@DarrellShannon]

Somewhat applicable to your suggestion. Tenaci-Wong is making a great, basic, bike. www.tryalsshop.com/tenaci-wong/

[@aqualung777]

The white line is from Bultaco... no Montesa!

[@DarrellShannon]

And yet, there you see a Montesa with a white stripe! It was an experiment, using vinyl. I didn't end up leaving it on. 🙂

[@aqualung777]

OK, I'm just like to say that this is not an official version. Thanks!@@DarrellShannon