Ossa
Ossa
Here is a beautiful and rare cantilever Ossa !
owner's name known by the webmaster
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I read, that Eric Cheney modified 7 MAR 250 into cantilevers in 1973 for the the UK importer Cliff Holden. Then Cliff modified himself another 30.
Here would be the base Ossa MAR 250
and here a link to a spanish page: http://www.ossamoto.es/trial/trialCheney.htm
So, let's start with the Ossa Trials story, as far as I know and red in the www.
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| 1967 Ossa 230cc Pluma, more a Scrambler | with high front mudguard |
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| Works Ossa, DAS MOTORRAD 1967, exhaust outside of
shocks, smaller front brake drum |
1969 with lower mudguard |
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| Trial version of the 1969 catalogue even with cross front tires... | Enduro version, looks almost similar... |
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| 1969 now with 250cc and Black air filter box | 1970 Pluma with grey air filter box |
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| our club member of honour HR Menzi 1969 on an Ossa | Menzi in full action 1969. The front hub broke once, was a weak point |
| 1970 video Super8 clip 1MB: Ossa Pluma in Oberiberg 1 | 1970 video Super8 clip 1MB: Ossa Pluma in Oberiberg 2 |
The Ossa Pluma from 1967-1970 seems not as competitive as a Bultaco or Montesa and the engine was more a crosser than a trials. However, Mick Andrews was 3rd 1968 and already 2nd at the 1969 Scottish. Here a pdf of an Ossa Pluma 250cc 1970 restoration from www.matv.com.
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| Ossa 250 1969, exhaust exit behind shocks, at museum de Joel Corroy, Vesoul (2006) | Markus Büeler's Ossa Pluma 1969 |
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| Markus "Mac" 's nice Ossa from front |
Mick Andrews became the Monarch of the Glens in the 1970 Scottish, winning on a new Ossa special.
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| 1970 Mick Andrews works bike | Mick and his new 250cc Ossa |
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| Mick meets again the Proto 2006 in Spain after Trial
Classicas de Cabrianes (Foto from Todotrial) |
1971 ad of the proto to keep people waiting for the real thing coming soon |
Then, finally in the late 1971, the new Ossa 250 MAR (Mick Andrews Replica) was announced, but came only to the market in 1972, due to flood at Barcelona factory. This bikes seems to me having been at top of the competition in 1972. The sump protection was black fibre. Mick won for the 2nd time the Scottish in 1971 and 1972. He then moved to Yamaha in 1973, finished 2nd in the Scottish with the new twinshock Yamaha (behind Malcolm Rathmel, Bulto), won than 1974 and 1975 on the cantilever works Yamaha.
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| Due to a flood at the Barcelona fab, the 1971 MAR was only built in 1972 | |
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| Mick Andrews brought a big success for Ossa | IRZ carb was maybe not the best choice... |
This Ossa 250 MAR Mk1 was a great success and built for 3 years with almost no midifications. About 7000 units were sold (but maybe inclusive the MK2?). Anyway, Mick went to Yamaha to develop the new TY 250 and Ossa made some modifications for the MK2, comming in 1974 to the market.
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| 1974 Ossa 250 MAR MK2 wiht aluminium engine
protection, slimmer cases, slimmer tank, Still called MAR, although Mick was already working for Yamaha... |
longer swing arm, electronic ignition, better brakes. |
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The engine was still a long stroke 60x72 = 244 cc, but now with a heavier crankcase and more torque. Thore Evertson from Sweden finished 3rd in the Scottish 1974 on his works Ossa.
In 1975, the Ossa 350 MAR arrived : 65x77=310cc actually. The colour was red and green.
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| 350 MAR was 310cc |
The prospectus indicates 350cc, but was 310. Can we believe the 87kg?
The 1976 version had steeper shockes
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| steeper angle for the rear shocks and plastic mud guards | |
The 1977 model became green (not my taste) and Ossa ran out of success, because the model was almost 6 years old with only minor modifications.
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| new Bing carb, new cylinder head with other fins | 1979 Ossa green, green, green, short swing arm |
Ossa ran into financial trouble in 1978 / 1979 and had some financial injections from the governement. Furthermore, Mick was back, after Yamaha stopped development. He was still somewhere around 5-10 in the worldchampionship, but the Cotas and Sherpas were more popular, plus the Italian Fantic and SWM were born.
Then, in autumne 1979, the new yellow TR80 350 was shwon at the Paris salon. It came to market in 1980.
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| Ossa TR80 350 Amarillo, a beautiful and outstanding design, with a hugh exhaust in search for torque, record ground clearance |
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| again only 303 cc and not 350, but now a short stroke 65 x 77 bore (wrong order in english on the prospectus!!, the spanish is correct) |
Despite beeing almost bankrupt, Ossa could hire the promising newcomer Spaniard Toni Gorgot in 1980. Unfortunately, he had an accident on the street bike. But in 1981, Toni was back and became the best foreign rider and newcomer at the Scottish plus he got 2 4th places at WC trials. Then Ossa, Montesa and Bultaco started to die because of overcapacity and not beeing allowed to reduce staff. Toni could ride for Montesa in 1983 and as a big surprise won the 1983 Scottish on a Cota 330 proto !
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| Toni Gorgot, nice yellow engine protection | Toni with moustache |
The 250cc started as yellow in 1980, but became apricot in 1981, a rare but nice colour (for me). It was said to be lighter than the 303.
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| 230cc short stroke 60 x 70 diameter | |
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The factory was long time cloesed, but then in 1983 produced a batch of Ferrari red 303 Ossas and sold all of them to Italy. I like it, although I never saw one in reality.
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