Kevin, Tim Thorp, etc:

Just got back from the first set of Nationals to see all the postings on clutch drag on the Montesa.

According to Martin Belair, US Montesa importer, the Montesa is originally set up with an Elf oil which was previously unavailable in the US. Martin made a request to Herb at Elf to import the original transmission oil, which will be designated Elf HTX 740 when it arrives. We ordered a case for our riders, and will try it out when it comes in. I was also told that Elf oil designations in the US do not correspond to European Elf oil designations, hence the Elf designations in the Montesa manual do not apply in the US.

We have been using the XT-4 with no significant problems. Our rider Jeff Hursh won the Expert Class at the U.S. Nationals in Tennessee on Sunday using XT-4. We change our oil about twice per month, but we put in a lot of practice hours.

Regarding the drag, the bike will want to "jump" when put into gear when cold, then things are fine. This seems to appear as soon as the original oil is drained, and the XT-4 is used. Make sure your clutch is adjusted so that engagement is complete. I had a problem last year with my '97 with the clutch dragging horribly...found out the AJP master cyllinder seal was leaking by. A rebuild of the master cyllinder eliminated the problem. Also, I was told that the Champ Class riders have experimented successfully with 30 wt. Mobile 1 to remove the last bit of drag. I may try the Mobil 1 to find out for myself.

Hope this info is helpful,

Jon Rentschler
Inter-Zona Trialsport

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In response to all the e mail lately concerning Montesa clutch dragging, I would like to offer a different possibility to consider.

I don't have a Montesa and have not ever worked on one, but on my Beta the main source of clutch drag proved to be glazed friction plates. When the facing is perfectly smooth it is difficult to break the suction between the plates. Even though the spring pressure is no longer holding the plates together, the suction keeps them from moving apart.

Deglazing is a simple job that takes about ten minutes to do after you remove the plates. Just take a sheet of glass, drill press table or some other FLAT surface and lay a sheet of 120 grit A/O sandpaper on it. After removing as much oil as possible from each plate, lay it on the sandpaper and move in in a circular pattern a few times with gentle pressure. Then change your hand position and do it a few more times. The changing of the hand position prevents the uneven pressure from your hand from wearing one side too much. Repeat the process on both sides of the friction plates not the metal ones.

The job is done when each side is evenly roughened.The amount of facing actually removed is miniscule.

This may not be the cause of everyone's problem, but it worked for me. It will only cost you 39 cents to find out.

Ron Milam