My try at trials.

[Ocean1]

Funny you say that about the Honda, you must have selective memory, because I remember Eddy Lejeune winning the world trials championship 3 years in a row on the Honda as per this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...ials_champions which sounds kinda like success to me, and Greg Power did wonders on it in this country.

I saw that Honda, there wasn't much on it you could call TL.

Greg's was pretty standard though, and yes he could certainly ride it.

[Motu]

Funny you say that about the Honda, you must have selective memory, because I remember Eddy Lejeune winning the world trials championship 3 years in a row on the Honda

Eddy didn't win on Sammy's TL250,the bike was way more developed by the '80's when Eddy rode,it was more like the TLR,which most likely came out of his development work.Gregg is a big guy,and rode by brute force,the overweight TL250 was a lightweight to him.

[Motu]

I messed around with the forks a fair bit, was never entirely happy with them. What did work is I loaded up the flywheel mass a bit, helped with that hickup-stall thing.

I thought the KT forks were the best of those early Japanese trials bikes,still not as good as the Spanish stuff,but better than the rest.I liked the vent valves....like the Spanish bikes.The forks vented air - so when you dropped off,say a rock or step,and stopped...the forks would compress,and stay compressed.Unvented forks rebound,and possibly throw you off balance.

The rough running of the KT at low speeds would be better cured with some modern thinking about jetting....but we didn't think like that back then.The heavier flywheel would cover up the poor jetting....and slow down engine response.Engine response was becoming important in the '80's when the Fantic's came along,the old bikes were just too sluggish.I was thinking of taking weight off my TY175 flywheel to get it to rev quicker.

[Ocean1]

I liked the vent valves....like the Spanish bikes.The forks vented air - so when you dropped off,say a rock or step,and stopped...the forks would compress,and stay compressed.Unvented forks rebound,and possibly throw you off balance.

I agree, that was one of the mods I played with, complete with separate in/out flow control and an adjustable high pressure dump valve.

The rough running of the KT at low speeds would be better cured with some modern thinking about jetting....but we didn't think like that back then.The heavier flywheel would cover up the poor jetting....and slow down engine response.Engine response was becoming important in the '80's when the Fantic's came along,the old bikes were just too sluggish.I was thinking of taking weight off my TY175 flywheel to get it to rev quicker.

Didn't seem to slow the response too much, and I'd been used to 4Ts so I was sorta used to that anyway. It did make it more tractable, which was a bonus in the local conditions. It was never going to be a Fantic in terms of weight and handling anyway so point & squirt techniques requiring instant power sorta weren't on the menu.

[Brian d marge]

Harumph .... tis the men from the boys is what you young fells need

http://www.yorksclassictrials.co.uk/waywewere.htm

by gum

Stephen

[Str8 Jacket]

Always wanted to try trials. I figured out years ago that I'd never be able to ride fast, so I might as well prove that I can't ride slow either. Just never got round to it. (And the experts make it look a bit intimidating)

I was there as an observer today and watched 2 of the 6 points. There was this one guy there riding 2 bikes, with one he took the expert line and the other the "normal" line. He made it look easy no matter which bike he took out and even while he was waiting for his next go he was bouncing of trees and doing some crazy stuff, all in slow motion.

I saw some great/funny crashes, all in slow motion! I'd love to give it a go but after 10 mins on a little BSA Bantam I was stuffed. Those guy's have some serious skills!

koba got better as the day went on and I swear he had a smile even when he was rolling backwards, lying on his side or just plain crashing! Here's hoping we dont end up with another bike in the garage anytime soon!

[koba]

Koba will laugh but I even entered the A100 fitted with trials tyres in one of those long ago back when my Bro' was competing on his TS90 Honcho.

Funny you should say that, I was thinking myself the A would do OK in the flatter sections with a pair of knobblies and lower gearing!
I had a go on a Bultaco like that, the back to frontness of it was strange!

I had a KT250 for 12 years - the motor was good,pretty grunty....but noisy and a bit ''ropey'' at low speeds.The handling was a bit wayward,and reluctant to turn full lock under power.

Unless those suthiners have their own rules,they should be...
Good on you for getting out there,hopefully there will be more interest shown in trials again soon.

I found the low speed running its weak point too, on one section I was kicking arse and then stuffed it with a real dumb stall! I really saw the difference when I had a play on a Bultaco 350.

I may have the rules wrong aye, I'm not sure.

Oh right. Didn't realise about the `no standing' thing -- I saw an indoor trials event ages ago and they were standing and hopping and doing all sorts of trickery. Might've just been for show, but they were getting scored. Put me off the idea of ever trying it because one thing I sure can't do is balance on a bike like that!

I watched a few videos of outdoors trials like you described, boy it looks fun. Like the kind of things me and my mates used to get up to in the trees and creek behind the park on our mountain bikes. One more thing to put on my list of things-to-try

Classic trials are not as hard out as the new bikes but still super challenging.

I messed around with the forks a fair bit, was never entirely happy with them. What did work is I loaded up the flywheel mass a bit, helped with that hickup-stall thing.

I know the thing of which you speak!

BUT tell me NOT better than an orgy at the Monsters eh?!

well done you sounds like a blast..get any pics???!!!

No THAT good, but very good all the same!
WIll post pics if I get some that other people took.

I thought the KT forks were the best of those early Japanese trials bikes,still not as good as the Spanish stuff,but better than the rest.I liked the vent valves....like the Spanish bikes.The forks vented air - so when you dropped off,say a rock or step,and stopped...the forks would compress,and stay compressed.Unvented forks rebound,and possibly throw you off balance.

The rough running of the KT at low speeds would be better cured with some modern thinking about jetting....but we didn't think like that back then.The heavier flywheel would cover up the poor jetting....and slow down engine response.Engine response was becoming important in the '80's when the Fantic's came along,the old bikes were just too sluggish.I was thinking of taking weight off my TY175 flywheel to get it to rev quicker.

Smart thinking.
The guy who was bouncing off trees and shit was on a fantic, It looked like a very capabale motorcycle in his hands, but he also rode the Royal Enfield and made it do things I wouldn't have imagined it could do!

I agree, that was one of the mods I played with, complete with separate in/out flow control and an adjustable high pressure dump valve.

Interesting...

Harumph .... tis the men from the boys is what you young fells need

Cool!

[PeteJ]

I would like to see a combination of a trail ride with those observed sections thrown in ,,,like the A loop with observed sections ....



Stephen

Scott trials. Great fun. One of my old trials mates once did one in the late 60s on a Honda 50 stepthru. Destroyed it, but he finished.

[Ocean1]

Here's hoping we dont end up with another bike in the garage anytime soon!

Heaps of KTs were dumped on the NZ market, around $700 iirc, most were gobbled up by farmers. You still see the odd one going for a few hundred but they usually need a lot of tlc. Cost of attending a meeting is bugger all, couple of bucks for gas and maybe the occasional lever. Tyres are the biggie but you can do a season on a pair at a pinch.

Funny you should say that, I was thinking myself the A would do OK in the flatter sections with a pair of knobblies and lower gearing!

No knobblies. Not only are they verbotten they don't work anywhere near as well.

The guy who was bouncing off trees and shit was on a fantic, It looked like a very capabale motorcycle in his hands, but he also rode the Royal Enfield and made it do things I wouldn't have imagined it could do!

I lusted after a Fantic 240, the last and possibly the best of the twin shock era. A mate still has one, calls it his Kenworth and compared to a modern bike that's not far from the mark. I've pestered him to sell it to me, damn fine trail bike.

[quallman1234]

Good stuff koba. Gutted I missed this! Turned up way too late.

Did you do it on sat or sun?

[koba]

No knobblies. Not only are they verbotten they don't work anywhere near as well.



I lusted after a Fantic 240, the last and possibly the best of the twin shock era. A mate still has one, calls it his Kenworth and compared to a modern bike that's not far from the mark. I've pestered him to sell it to me, damn fine trail bike.

The trials tyres look knobbly to me but yeah, I guess it would need a 21' front or somthing too to fit the correct sort of tyre.
Ground clearance would be a problem in some bits too.
I had a play today and given the right tyres it would have pissed thru the flat bits but sucked arse on than lumpy bits.

Kenworth, Love it!

[koba]

Good stuff koba. Gutted I missed this! Turned up way too late.

Did you do it on sat or sun?

Sunday, It was soo cool man!

[Motu]

Heaps of KTs were dumped on the NZ market, around $700 iirc, most were gobbled up by farmers. You still see the odd one going for a few hundred but they usually need a lot of tlc. Cost of attending a meeting is bugger all, couple of bucks for gas and maybe the occasional lever. Tyres are the biggie but you can do a season on a pair at a pinch.

They made a good farm bike far plonking around slowly.Another reason is that farmers didn't pay tax on their farm bikes,and were allowed one every 2 years.A trials rider would often find a friendly farmer to buy him a bike,a cheap bike for the trials rider,and a little bit of cash for the farmer to compensate.

$10 to $20 for the day,most of the proceeds going to the farmer to thank him for use of the farm.Then there is the license bit,lots of moaning about that.For guys who ride only a couple of times per year,the cost of club membership,and license costs are just too much.The South Island has gone to a confederacy,and has nothing to do with MNZ,this has worked out very well,trials is booming down there.There was an attempt to do the same in the North Island,but hit a lot of stumbling blocks and the movement seems to have stalled.You can get a day license,but they are a bit expensive,and more than a couple per season is getting close to a license.There still has to to be a MNZ Steward to issue the license,and you have to belong to a club.So called ''practice days'' get around this,but they can't hold too many a season.Something will have to done,as it's one of the main reasons that trials has gone into decline.

Tyres will easily go a couple of seasons if you are serious (reversed for season 2) - But I haven't even reversed the rear tyre on the TLR200 in 7 seasons,and see no reason to yet.My front tyre is over 10 years old and the carcase is covered in cracks,yet is good for a few more years yet.

[Ocean1]

They made a good farm bike far plonking around slowly.Another reason is that farmers didn't pay tax on their farm bikes,and were allowed one every 2 years.A trials rider would often find a friendly farmer to buy him a bike,a cheap bike for the trials rider,and a little bit of cash for the farmer to compensate.

More or less how I sourced mine...

[koba]

Something will have to done,as it's one of the main reasons that trials has gone into decline.

Tyres will easily go a couple of seasons if you are serious (reversed for season 2) - But I haven't even reversed the rear tyre on the TLR200 in 7 seasons,and see no reason to yet.My front tyre is over 10 years old and the carcase is covered in cracks,yet is good for a few more years yet.

It isn't really a side of motorcycling that NEEDS the whole MNZ thing is it?

I like your approach to tyre wear!