Trials Meeting - Come all new riders

[Trakxntrials]

Well you fellas havent heard from me for a while - been a bit on the busy side - but Im back! I want to invite new & old trials riders to come and have a go ... We are holding our Spring Trials Event on the Sunday 30th October 2005 for Only Classic & Twinshock bikes. An N.Z.C.M.R.R. event. To be held at Rex George's Property, Razorback Road. Slightly north or Highway 1 & 2 Interchange. Nikau Road turnoff. Entry on the day $15.00. No Competition License Necessary, but you must be a member of a MNZ affiliated club. Please bring your membership club card. Permit applied for. Signing in at 9.30am - 10.30am. Trials start at 11.00am. We will be putting in a Novice route for this trial also.

[kro]

Hey, sorry to invade your thread, but I met a guy the other day here in Nelson, who was going around locall businesses getting donations of equipment, and obstacles for a HUGE trials track that is already running in Nelson at the moment.
I will dig up the guys name for you if you are interested. The course they already have is huge, and they have lots of trick stuff to ride over already.

[Trakxntrials]

Sounds interesting - you have got my attention - I will keep watch - many thanks

[kro]

Ok, I'll keep you posted. I think this guy wants to make it a world class trials course. I am donating some concrete manholes to him, so he will be coiming in to see me next week some time. I will grab his details, and pm them to you for future reference.

[Motu]

Can I do the novice line? I just want to see my name at the top,just once please....

[Trakxntrials]

Motu - Im sure if you sweet talk the secretary "Me" and bribe me with "Strawberries", I will consider letting you ride NOVICE - hey how is the bike - all up and rearing to go??? Is she stuck up well with cellotape and glue??? Or did you manage to get new / second hand parts for her? I have knowledge that Terry's restoration baby will be making an appearance with her new owner - could be interesting ! See you on Sunday Pray for nice weather.

[Motu]

What a neat day that was - I'll take you through a trial to give you an idea of what goes on.

It was a pretty relaxed trial,I got there reasonably early at 10.00am,unloaded my bike and wandered around greeting people and listening into conversations.Normaly everyone is off doing a bit of a warm up,jumping a few banks and stuff,but there were no motors going,just chins wagging...very social and a good feeling.I finaly decided I better warm my bike up and was down with Pete on his newly restored Italjet going up and down a bank when we heard the horn calling us to the riders meeting,we had to race back to the cars and kill our motors so we didn't drown out what was said.

There are 8 sections as usual and we do 5 laps,we start at 11.00am and are usualy finishing about 2.30pm,some riders get through quicker than others,sometimes the weather plays it's part,but it's seldom we go beyond 3.30pm.Sections 1,2,3 are on a rock strewn hillside,section 4 over the valley by itself in a small stand of native bush,sections 5,6,7,and 8 over in another little valley.It's an easy trial,and all sections are cleanable,but there are mistakes up for grabs everywhere.We usualy start on the last digit of our rider number,and as I'm 32 today head over to section 2...section 1 is jammed packed with riders,seems they all want to do it in order,so I start on section 2,keeping ahead of the big cluster of riders.It was a good tactic as I am one of the first to finish.

Section 1 - Has a deep narrow very muddy creek crossing,then across some cow pocked ground,through rushes in the swamp and a right turn to exit.This section was the undoing of me a couple of years ago here,but today I got it sorted.You have to do the creek crossing just right - too slow and you'll just stay in the ditch spinning madly,too fast and you'll come out out of control.Some are launching off the bank,but the bike lands with the rear wheel in the mud,all momenteum is lost and the bike stops...or else they launch out of the ditch out of control.I just ease the front wheel of the Honda down into the mud,and then nail it - the little bike goes through and comes out nice and slow,all in control and I head towards the rushes.The swamp is dry,but the experts line a couple of metres to the right is a full blown bog.I see no problem with the rushes,they are not in clumps to knock you around - so just nail it through in a straight line,I've got enough speed on to not get knocked around by hidden clumps and bumps.Turn right at the end and try not to stuff up on the easy rocks to the exit gate.I clean it everytime,except on my last try when it is very badly cut up - I need a well placed dab to get me out of the mud,and another to steady myself as the bike comes out spinning and sideways.2 points picked up on section 1.

Section 2 - Is just an easy down through a little ditch,turn through some rocks and back the way we came,exiting up the hill through the rocks.I was first through this section and cleaned it easily,but next turn the little ditch was full of mud and I needed a dab to correct,but cleaned from then on,just one point picked up on section 2.

Section 3 - Was an oblique downhill through widely spaced rocks,a squeeze between a holly tree and ankle bitting rock,a downhill exit and out.On my first try I fluffed up picking my way through the rocks and exited through the expert line,getting 3 points.Next time around the last part was a huge bog! How come it wasn't there before? You can't get a good run on and have to enter the mud slowly,I need one dab each time to get the bike over - so 7 points picked up on section 3.

Section 4 - Is a windy uphill through the trees,turn at the top and then over tree roots and a soft bank to the exit.The up hill looks like you could straightline it,but obsticles under the grass dictate a curve around...not too difficult.I've found the TLR200 doesn't respond to subtle trials like inputs over tree roots,I just nail it and am over,same with the soft bank....aim at it then hit it hard,done.At some point I see enough attempts have been done on the uphill section to clean it up a bit,so decide to go straight up,but it's not as easy as it looks,and I do a couple of dabs to recover my line....so 2 points on section 4.

Section 5 - An MX charge over the paddocks to section 5,which starts with a very steep desent,with the strong engine braking of the 4 stroke,the brakes won't hold it and I lose control of the rear wheel and I just slide down the bank,no worries,I tidy it all up at the bottom before I do a sharp turn and up a short steep bank and out onto a farm track.The Experts go straight up the next bank,and us Clubmans are relieved around the outside - but someone has put the marker too low and it allows us to cheat by going up the bank at an angle to the left and at the top have a huge area to turn around and come back.If I can legally cheat I will,one of the many skills you learn in trials is interpreting a line,and if you can see an easier way to do it,then that is your advantage....and you take it.The rest of the section follows a sheep track with stumps and small logs to dodge,pretty easy.All cleans for section 5,a big 0.

[DemonWolf]

Nice writeup Motu.. sounds like you guys had a blast.. Got any pics??

[Motu]

Section 6 - Is another stock trail beside a swamp on the right,up hill to the left.Most guys appear to be going low to the right and up to the trail to miss some rushes,but I see no problem with them - what appears to be two bushes,one behind the other are actualy seperated a bit.So I make a straightline approach from the right start peg and go between the rushes,footpegs on both sides go through them,but my wheels stay on the grass.This gives me a good line for the next hazzard - a tree to the right and a log to the left,with a tree root between,and turning while we do it,and the swamp below.No problems,but lift my left leg a couple of times to miss the log,and once scrape my right boot against the tree.The rest is easy,but on my first pass hit something on the grass and get well out of shape,but manage to keep it altogether.Another 0 for section 6.

Section 7 - There is always one section that gets the better of me,and this time it was section 7.A long hill climb with a few turns on the way up,at the top we exit hard left along a narrow sheep track,with a drop down the hill to the left.The TLR is an excellent hill climber,so long as I can keep it nailed...but I lose some momenteum on the last squiggle and I'm into the borderline area between traction and looping,and no way do I want to loop on this one! I lose too much speed and have to sit down and paddle out,my next attempt sees me pulling the wheel up,spearing up into the next sheep track....time to abbort.Another paddle to a 3 and on my 4th attempt finally clean it - phew! On my final run,totaly knackered from a hard day I take 2 safety dabs on the uphill side,better to keep the weight on the uphill side than risk a dab down hill! Section 7 adds 13 points.

Section 8 - This was a good test of skill,but still easy to clean,a good feeling of achievement.Just a 180 around an old log in a gully - run the front wheel up the bank on the left to make the turn around a bit of punga,through some mud behind the log,then run the front wheel up the bank on the otherside to clear the log,run between some other narrow obsticles and down to the exit pegs.But on my 4 th run coming out I was a little off line and popped my front wheel off a mound - a basic trials trick that brings the front wheel off the ground,and with the front wheel turned the bike turns,then you bring it down where you want...simple.But it appears the mound was soft,and it collapsed,catching the front wheel and spearing me off to the right into a ditch.This was a big tumble,downhill with lots of things to hit,I know my head hit the deck and I did a couple of rolls.My bike didn't look nice,and I had a hard job extracting it from the ditch,which was full of mud.The rear muffler bracket was broken pushing the muffler into the rear tyre,and my repaired front guard is now totaly stuffed again...bugger.It should of been all cleans for section 8,but that fall on the ''easy'' part collected me another 5 points.

That all adds up to 30,so that's wrong...maybe it was more of a drama on section 2 than I thought and got 3 points...the makes 32.That gave me 4th place in Clubmans,that puts me a long way from Andy in 3rd on 20 points - but without my stupid 5 in section 8 and Andy's obvious cheating then 3rd should be my rightful place.But the points and where you come doesn't matter worth a damn,it's just a shitload of fun and my best day out for ages.

This time we had a Novice grade,and 4 entries.Leon made his son do a complete trial on his TLR200,but the chain guide came off with 6 sections to go,so he was DNF,a bit disapointing for the lad,but atleast he made the effort,under the watchful eye of his dad.Leon used to race the 666 sidecar at Rosebank and other speedways,he was always a crowd favorite and pushed hard all the time,he's a big boy as you can imagine.He got sick of the whole political scene at speedway and started coming to trials about 3 years ago with his son,turns up at nearly every trial but doesn't enter,they just enjoy a day out on the bikes together - his swinger also had a ride today,retired with a broken brake lever.Peter Birch's wife also rode and won the novice I think,she did pretty good on a TY175,but her tutor is an exceptional rider.

My good mate Geoff who I knew when we both lived on Waiheke came down from Waipu with his 7 yr old son - Geoff just picked up a TY50 on TradeMe,the boy can't touch the ground and has only been on it a couple of days and is real keen to get on and ride - Geoff releases the clutch for him and he's off round the paddock while Geoff and I continue talking.The boy comes past and says he's coming in next time around - Geoff stands in front and catches the bike between his legs,pushing in the clutch at the same time and kills the motor.Geoff gives Brian a Jikove (sp?) carb for his Jawa and I score a beer from Brians cooler,a nice end to the day.

There is such a great atmosphere at a trial that you never see at any other motorsport event...egos have no place here...if any come along they are soon deflated at the first section....