The Montesa King Scorpion frame arrived. It has some nasty, localized corrosion around the tang slotted into the front of the seat, but that’s probably the area I care about least, since I don’t intend to source a stock seat. Other than that, it is in good shape.
The whole reason for buying this was to help use up my pile of excess parts, so I grabbed my spare set of matching second-generation Suzuki cast wheels (GS1100 19″ tubless front and GS300 16″ rear) and a Yamaha SR250 swingarm for a quick mock-up. The swingarm uses a 15mm pivot bolt and is just a bit narrower than the width of the Montesa frame. Unfortunately, the SR250 swingarm’s shock mounts are somewhat wider than the upper Montesa mounting points.
As for the front end, the 37mm Suzuki forks I put together for an abandoned Aermacchi project bolted right on; the bearing races in the Montesa frame are the correct size and look to be in fine shape. I swapped the 19-inch wheel into the forks, but I really like the 17″ 3-spoke front wheel better, and forks are set up with the fender for it.
I have to admit that I would like to just transfer all the components from the Aermacchi frame over to the Montesa. A disk brake on the back would be extra work, but a worthy upgrade. The Rex KL30 tank I was wanting to use doesn’t fit the frame, while the Benelli Mojave tank is a fine fit.
Fortunately, there’s no pressing need to decide any of this. I am not jumping into a new project at this point. However, if I can bolt up a rolling chassis, that would be easier to move around than shlepping a pile of oddly-shaped parts here or there.