HRC YOU LATER
Honda became a key player in the World Trails
Championship in the early ’80s when the sport was
booming, with victory in the 1982, ’83 and ’84 world
titles using four-strokes piloted by brilliant Belgian
rider Eddie Lejeune.
By 1986, Honda owned 85 per cent of Montesa but
the workforce had been reduced dramatically and only
the Cota was still being produced, in 125, 200 and 349
versions. In 1987, the 335 and 307 were launched.
The last real two-stroke Montesa Cota was an
alloy-framed, liquid-cooled 311 which ended its run in- From 1994, the 314R was introduced with a
four-stroke powerplant, in line with Honda’s own trials
bikes. The HRC Montesa Cota 4RT took the top spot in
the 1996 world championship; was second for the next
three years; first, second and third in 2000; first and
second from ’01 to ’04; second and third in 2005,
second in 2006 and returned to the top spot in 2007,
where it has stayed courtesy of amazing Spanish aerial
contortionist Toni Bou (right).
praised the Cota for things like the Telesco
shocks, the uncluttered lines and the
snail-cam chain adjustment. The 20mm Amal
carburettor was criticised for its old style
‘tickler’ instead of a choke for cold starts,
which covered the cases with pre-mix, but
overall the testers opted for the Montesa.
The engine was actually 157.5cc, not 172,
as it was a stroked version of the 123. They
shared a 61mm bore. This was decided
because the porting on the 123 worked so
well. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. The
trim-looking tank held 4.5 litres, starting was
primary kick, compression 11.5:1 and cost
$895 from Ryan’s Motorcycles in Parramatta.
The Cota 247 was tested in ADB #4 and it
actually had a capacity of 247cc, as well as a
27mm Amal, a five-speed gearbox, 5.7 litres
of fuel, stainless steel mudguards, a toolkitand 250mm of ground clearance.
It went for the same price, $895, but put
out more horses at the same revs as the 172.
It was tested against a Bultaco Sherpa T and
came out on top for both its rideability and the
fact that it was $155 cheaper.
ADB #5 tested the 348, which was the bike
of A-Grade rider Joe Hedrics and emblazoned
with the words Super Grunt. Joe had put the
phrase there partly in homage to the bike’s
pulling power and partly to psyche out his
opposition. The 348 had enough power to
suck hills under its front mudguard and could
turn on a sixpence as well.
The boys were impressed. The test stated:
“Even when in the wrong gear the engine
refused to quit. There were times when it felt
it was about to, but it never did. That sort of
thing gives you a lot of confidence.”
The 348 still had the one-piece seat/tank
unit, a six-speed gearbox, held five-litres of
premix fed through a 27mm Amal and used a
non-primary kickstarter to fire the 305.8cc.
The “crinkle cut” fins had become another
Montesa styling point.
Weight was 89kg, ground clearance 312mm
and the distinctive polished alloy guards had
been replaced with white plastic ones. Lights
and speedo were fitted for road use and the
price in 1976 dollars was $1250.THE ENGINE WAS
ACTUALLY 157.5CC,
NOT 172, AS IT WASA STROKED VERSION
OF THE 123
Taillight assembly was designed to
cut the birth rate in Spain, where the
public purse was in dire straits, but not
for the last timeSecond sparkplug came in handy when
the first one fouled courtesy of the weak
Motoplat ignition. You could also swap it out
for a decompressor if prone to drowning110 | APRIL 2016 http://www.adbmag.com.au