Vintage Scott trials footage. 1974.

[george formby]

This is a real blast from the past for me. I spent most weekends as a kid spectating on freezing, bleak moors while my Dad rode his Montesa in trials very similar to this. Used to be huge turn outs of riders, hundreds.


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[Ocean1]

Helmets eh? And a KT250.

Don't remember seeing helmets here until a good decade after that.

Good seeing some non-alien riding, makes me feel almost adequate...

[george formby]

Helmets eh? And a KT250.

Don't remember seeing helmets here until a good decade after that.

Good seeing some non-alien riding, makes me feel almost adequate...

I remember most guys had flat caps or beanies, with a pompom if the missus was spectating. Barbour used to make waxed cotton cap covers.. The Scott was and to a certain extent still is a major event. It's still a test of stamina.
IIRC my first attempt at riding a bike was on a 360 Bultaco. I wasn't very successful, spat me off almost instantly. To be fair, it spat me Dad off a lot, too. He bought a TY 175.

As for aliens, some of those streams would have me a bit puckered.

[Ocean1]

I remember most guys had flat caps or beanies, with a pompom if the missus was spectating. Barbour used to make waxed cotton cap covers.. The Scott was and to a certain extent still is a major event. It's still a test of stamina.
IIRC my first attempt at riding a bike was on a 360 Bultaco. I wasn't very successful, spat me off almost instantly. To be fair, it spat me Dad off a lot, too. He bought a TY 175.

As for aliens, some of those streams would have me a bit puckered.

Still in the official manual last time I looked, "Set about a natural watercourse and generally ascending". Or words to that effect.

A mate had a '72 Bluetaco and a '75 Redtaco. Neither of 'em had the slightest pretense of a rear brake. Not very much front either, and none at all wet. The same guy has just completed the restoration of a TY175. I used to like them, but the lust for power was upon me even then. The main object of my early desires was the couple of banana yellow Ossa 305s that turned up to local events.

[george formby]

Still in the official manual last time I looked, "Set about a natural watercourse and generally ascending". Or words to that effect.

A mate had a '72 Bluetaco and a '75 Redtaco. Neither of 'em had the slightest pretense of a rear brake. Not very much front either, and none at all wet. The same guy has just completed the restoration of a TY175. I used to like them, but the lust for power was upon me even then. The main object of my early desires was the couple of banana yellow Ossa 305s that turned up to local events.

T'was a Bluetaco. Never stayed on it long enough to test the brakes. Was it the Ossa's which had a rattle / hiss / tinkle, a bit like The Predator? My Solo chainsaw does it, a unique noise as the revs drop.

In your lust for power how do you rate the modern 250cc+ bikes? The amount of grip and torque watching modern riders blows my mind.

[merv]

I rode my first Scott trial as a schoolboy riding my Suzuki A100 stripped down a bit and with a trials tyre on the rear about 1970 or 1971 at Maraekakaho in Hawkes Bay. Bugger was it rained heavily that day and the stock ribbed front tyre gave me no grip on downhills and I spent a lot of time sliding down the hills beside the bike but completed the course and enjoyed it.

At the same property, I think on a different day, my bro' gashed the right engine case of his TS90 against a rock and a piece of broken engine side case went into the carburettor and munted the disc valve. The things we did then, but it was a hell of a lot of fun and great learning experiences. He fitted a mesh over the carburettor intake after that just in case for next time, but it never happened again.

[Ocean1]

T'was a Bluetaco. Never stayed on it long enough to test the brakes. Was it the Ossa's which had a rattle / hiss / tinkle, a bit like The Predator? My Solo chainsaw does it, a unique noise as the revs drop.

In your lust for power how do you rate the modern 250cc+ bikes? The amount of grip and torque watching modern riders blows my mind.

The only real modern I've sampled belonged, in fact to the same guy: an Ossa TR280i. It led me to believe that I could be competitive on that. In 1976. Magic power, not so much the quantity, but the delivery, very easy to dial up precisely, right off idle.

Not that that was a particular requirement of my attempts, then. Appalling balance compensated for by pure velocity, that was me.

Oh, the noise, The later (early) Ossas would "ping", on over-run, exactly like someone had smacked the head with a ball peen hammer.

[Ocean1]

I rode my first Scott trial as a schoolboy riding my Suzuki A100 stripped down a bit and with a trials tyre on the rear about 1970 or 1971 at Maraekakaho in Hawkes Bay. Bugger was it rained heavily that day and the stock ribbed front tyre gave me no grip on downhills and I spent a lot of time sliding down the hills beside the bike but completed the course and enjoyed it.

At the same property, I think on a different day, my bro' gashed the right engine case of his TS90 against a rock and a piece of broken engine side case went into the carburettor and munted the disc valve. The things we did then, but it was a hell of a lot of fun and great learning experiences. He fitted a mesh over the carburettor intake after that just in case for next time, but it never happened again.

I only ever did a couple, pity they sorta died from the local scene, the broader skills required let me patch over the larger holes in my repertoire.

[Hads]

No CZ's or Jawa's? Or did they not make trials bikes?

[98tls]

Cheers for sharing that...great watch.