Montesa Cota 247 & 123

MONTESA COTA 247 & 123

Cycle World Road Test

We Test A New Small Bore Trialer In The Company Of Its Well-Established Predecessor, And Tell You Why You'd Prefer One Size To Another.

THE INTEREST in organized, and unorganized, trials riding is rising every day. More and more trials clubs are appearing and entire families are beginning to participate in one of the most enjoyable types of motorcycle competition. Trials are good, healthy, if not always soapy clean fun with little noise and relatively little danger. Observed trials events require that the rider be in top shape if he is to do well, but it isn’t necessary to have the almost super-human strength and endurance of a motocross rider, or the razor-keen reflexes of a road racer or flat track racer to keep from dabbing your feet and do well in a trials event.

With this surge of enthusiasm for trials competition has come the 125cc trials machines. There are several on the market already, but Montesa is the first Spanish factory to build a 125cc trialer from the ground up. The many similarities between the 123 and 247 Cota are evident at first glance, so it’s obvious that the Cota 123 was intended to be every bit the champion its larger brother is.

The Cota 123 shares the single tube, cradle frame of the Cota 247, but uses slightly smaller tubing in certain areas to keep the weight down and because the smaller machine is lighter. The frame consists of a large diameter tube which runs from the steering head back to a point under the seat. Two smaller tubes branch out from the large tube and run rearward to form a support for the seat and the rear fender, while two other tubes run downward, curve forward and eventually join with the downtube near the front of the engine.

This cradle arrangement has a bash plate welded between the bottom tubes to protect the underside of the engine from rocks. Tabs for mounting the footpegs and swinging arm are welded to the rear of these bottom tubes and a gusset around the steering head gives support in this critical area. Tabs attached to the frame are neatly welded, unlike many Spanish machines we’ve seen in the past.

Lightweight, polished aluminum alloy fenders protect the rider from mud and water and the trimline fiberglass seat/gas tank combination is beautifully done and slightly re-styled, with no apparent flaws in the fiberglass work. A narrow, thinly padded seat points out that the Cotas are serious trials machines which are to be ridden standing up most of the time.

The Cota 247’s engine employs the tried and true “oversquare” bore/stroke configuration of so many of today’s 250 two-cycle Singles. Ball bearings support the crankshaft, which has an additional flywheel on the left hand end to help smooth out the power impulses and make the machine more tractable.

Roller and needle bearings are used at the bottom and top ends of the connecting rod respectively, and some subtle changes to port timing, cylinder head and exhaust system have raised the horsepower by l bhp. The Cota 247 pulls well. It accelerates from idle rpm smoothly to well past its power peak of 6500 rpm. At no point in the rev range is there a flat spot where power is not readily available.

Unlike most Spanish machines of this size, the Montesa uses helical gears to get the power from the crankshaft to the clutch. There is virtually no slack in this system and a spring > loaded rear chain tensioner makes a smooth transition from deceleration to acceleration possible. Improved clutch plates are used and the clutch will take endless abuse before it begins to slip or drag.

Transmission ratios are typically trials-type: 1st, 2nd and 3rd gears are close together, 4th is slightly farther and 5th acts almost as an overdrive to get the rider from one section of an observed trials to the next. Gear selection is crisp and positive and the transmission is virtually silent in operation. Such smart shifting on a new machine shows high quality materials and craftsmanship in assembly.

We are amazed at the smoothness of the 1973 Cota 247 engine. It feels more like a Twin than a Single, but none of the high frequency vibration of any type came through to the rider. It’s a superb job of balancing, and it makes the machine more comfortable to ride for long periods of time.

New and different are terms best describing the smaller Cota 123’s engine/transmission package. It features the classic “square” bore/stroke dimensions of 54x54mm, but shares many of the more ordinary features with its big brother except the transmission. The Cota 123 has a six-speed gearbox and shifts on the left/hand side instead of on the right. Both the layshaft and the mainshaft ride on hefty ball bearings and a cylindrical shifting drum has curved slots in which the three shifter forks ride to guide the gears back and forth on the shafts.

Shifting is extremely smooth on the Cota 123, and the addition of another gear helps the little engine, which has a narrower power band than the Cota 247. For its size, it is a “torquer,” requiring only slight change of style to negotiate most sections. On steep, long climbs—Scottish Six Days sort of terrain—the 123 would be at some disadvantage to the 247.

Handling of the Cota 123 is not quite up to par with that of its larger brother, however, in spite of its lighter weight. The > Cota 247 is one of the most agile, and yet neutral, steering machines we’ve ridden, with soft, long-travel front forks which have yet to be bettered. The rear suspension units are excellent, also, with just the right amount of rebound damping and five-way adjustments for the springs to compensate for the weight of a heavier rider.

COTA 247

$920

COTA 123

$820

The forks on the Cota 123 are too stiff in action and feel as if the springs inside the fork tubes are too long. It’s very easy to “top out’’ the forks and elevate the front wheel just when you don’t want to. The rear suspension units seem overly harsh, too, making the rear wheel hop when negotiating steep, rough downhill sections.

One interesting point about fork assembly design will give you an idea of the comparative states of design of the proven 247 and its new little brother. The axle spindle width is approximately the same on both machines. But the spindle on the 247 is nearly flush with the outside of the fork stanchions, while on the 123 it projects nearly an inch beyond.

This may sound like a piddling observation, except for the fact that branches, vines and bushes—a trialer’s natural enemy—catch on a projecting spindle and may disrupt the steering process enough to cost the rider a dab, and some penalty points.

The spindle mounts on the 247’s stanchions, which are about 2 inches in diameter, are recessed inward to reduce the projection of axle spindle and nut. The 123’s stanchions have about a half inch less diameter, but there is probably still enough meat available for an inset. You can assume this will happen eventually, in direct proportion to how much of a run the buying and competing public gives the smaller machine. And it would be quite a run, as factory rider Gordon Farley is said to prefer his own 123 to the 247.

The reason why you might prefer the Cota 123 to a machine in the well-established and proven 250 category has to do with price, $100 less. But it also has to do with wheelbase. The 123 has a wheelbase 2.5 in. shorter than the bigger Cota. A shorter wheelbase within the context of good balance, suspension and steering geometry can give you quicker handling and delightful agility.

The most important reason has to do with, you guessed it, weight. The 247 is no slouch, to be sure, but the Cota 123 is really light.

With an all-up weight of 177 lb., it surely ranks among the lightest trials machines available. Thus, it would be an ideal mount for the beginning rider or for a woman, as well as the expert. And it is easy to ride because it is so smooth and agile.

Braking action on both Cotas is very appropriate to the needs of trials, with moderate pressure being required to give a good amount of retardation going downhill, and much pressure necessary to lock the wheels. Control feel is just right for trials riding, and the tiny brake hubs help reduce unsprung weight. The Cota 247 employs a cable to operate the rear brake, while the Cota 123 has a conventional brake rod.

Three bolts hold the seat/tank units on, and when they are removed the air filter elements can be easily reached for cleaning. Both Cotas use a dual muffler setup which effectively squelches the exhaust popping, intake noise is also quite low, in spite of the fact that there is no baffling in the air cleaners.

A new twist which saves a few ounces is the use of circlips to keep the rear suspension units on, saving the weight of a nut and washer at each attachment point. Judicious pruning here and there has brought the weight of the Cota 247 down about 10 lb. from last year’s model, and the engine modifications have made it even more tractable and easy to ride.

A patented handlebar adjustment gauge enables the rider to set his handlebars at any particular angle, note how the letters and marks line up, and reset the bars to the same position should he ever have to change the setting.

Detailing on both machines is very good, steering geometry is spot on and the power characteristics couldn’t be better. The Cota 247 is our favorite, a distillation of all that is best in a trialer. But with some fine tuning, the Cota 123 could be made just as fine a trials mount as its bigger brother. [gj