Basket Cases

[JC1]

Here's a couple more SM-framed Sherpas from the Gilles Escuyer stable.
Did someone say electable eye candy!

SM Sherpa escuyer 2.jpg (210.11 KiB) Viewed 2312 times

SM Sherpa escuyer.jpg (213.93 KiB) Viewed 2312 times

SM 330 Sherpa.jpg (520.7 KiB) Viewed 2312 times

[Bully fanatic]

Gilles and his Fathers bikes are all very, very nice John!

[David Lahey]

I've spray painted the colour coat on a fuel tank and the finish came out pretty good but it looked funny in one spot after I put fuel in so then had my doubts about the paint being resistant to petrol splash.
I decided to do a test. I painted both little buckets with the blue custom mix paint shop "automotive" paint that I used on the bike tank, let it dry for about an hour, then painted one of them with clear automotive lacquer and let everything dry for 24 hours.
I then put a drop of petrol on each bucket, let it sit for about a minute, then wiped the surface with a cotton rag and you can see the results.
I'm glad I tested this out before putting the expensive stickers on the tank.

20210201_160417.jpg (1.23 MiB) Viewed 2222 times

This is the blue paint I used

20201026_133300.jpg (1.56 MiB) Viewed 2222 times

[Bully fanatic]

Wow. That is surprising David. PPG paints are rated as one of the best brands around for automotive use. Acrylic Lacquer is still good with having petrol split on it and so is a normal 2 pack paint. Looks like the 1 pack Acrylic Enamels are not!

[BOGWHEEL]

Yes, I'd have thought circa '75 too Dave
Notice in the pic with the Homerlite unit that it has been cut to make it fit around the top shock mount.

Nice frame. From what I've read, that's the one to have.
The early SM frame was said to have the footpegs in the wrong place.

I noticed the pegs were further back than the model 80 and model 49. I'm sure there will be lots more revelations along the way.
Have you seen this story?
http://motoeuro.org/sm552.htm?fbclid=Iw ... z7WIXyS6p4
I noticed that my frame looks like the one in this story but the bike in the story has later type triple clamps than what was on mine in the UK

Yes, I just read that article recently Dave.

One post on TC said he'd heard the first # in the VIN was what series SM frame it was eg VIN 235 would be 35th frame in the 2nd series, but I think it more likely that it was the year of manufacture, ie 1972. Some of the VINs mentioned on TC are in the 700s and I think it likely they were from '77 (the later style frame) as I've seen no evidence anywhere that there were 7 series of SM frames.

Footpeg location is interesting. It's difficult of course to determine if bikes on google images have original peg location or modified but given the plated frames probably most pics are of original peg location.

The first frames appear to have used the bolt-on early sherpa pegs,
then they were welded on the swingarm pivot plate just under the pivot, ie fairly high.

Then they were welded on the rear frame-tube and a fair bit lower,
then like yours on a plate behind the rear frame-tube.

My later style frame was 696 or 969 - depending on which way your head was. Another regretful sale.
Bit of a pig compared to the M158.

[David Lahey]

My later style frame was 696 or 969 - depending on which way your head was. Another regretful sale.
Bit of a pig compared to the M158.

I hope mine's not a pig too Terry.
Remembering what you told me years ago, the thought did cross my mind and I'm planning to get it ride-able and give it a chance to impress or otherwise before doing too many expensive cosmetic things.
It's interesting that they did away with the laid-down shocks idea between my model and yours.

[Rod]

I'm curious, why a pig? Was it the SM frame geometry not right?

[BOGWHEEL]

Probably for me it was too big.
The earlier frame design SM's are said to be better. Later were not made by SM.
They look the part though.

[Rod]

Interesting, I've always wondered why the Manuel Soler 250's (158/182/190) were made different to the bigger brother 325's being the 159/183/191 and then they did away with this concept, obviously manufacturing costs of two different frames, triple clamps, swing arms would have come into play. I had a 158 in '75 or '76 as a 14/15 yo, which was a great bike but I never rode a 159 to compare it against. It was maybe the thoughtrain back in the day to make the 250 more accessible to the everyday Trials rider and the 325 was for the experts. Anyway, it appears that all the SM frames from whatever era are based around the 325 frames.

It's also sad news that Manuel Soler passed recently at only 63 years old.
https://trialsguru.net/2021/01/20/manue ... 1957-2021/

[David Lahey]

Well, not quite finished - still needs the "360" stickers.