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The Dalesman Trials Bike


laird387
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Hi,

Yet another small manufacturer of British motorcycles was Peter Edmundson, who, based on his shop in Otley, Yorkshire designed and manufactured a lightweight trials model, called appropriately the 'Dalesman' since Otley is sometimes looked upon as the gateway to the Yorkshire dales.

Seen here is Bristol-based Norman Colin, with his Dalesman in the Bath and West club's Spring Cup trial in 1970.

Enjoy.

post-19290-0-50147900-1390488495_thumb.jpg

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Wow, that untethered front brake cable is a tad on the long side isn't it? Just waiting to snag itself on a passing branch.

My first bike was a new 1972 Dalesman, with the six speed Puch motor. On delivery the front spindle was an incorrect fit in the forks. It took ages for the factory to sort this out as nobody there recognised which forks were fitted to the bike! Happy days. I changed to an older Bultaco after a few months which was of course a much easier ride with superior suspension and motor but it would be interesting to try the Dalesman again now to see how (in)capable it really was.

I recall that Peter Gaunt rode a development version of the bike for a short while, being fitted with a front disc brake (first trials bike to do so?).

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Wow, that untethered front brake cable is a tad on the long side isn't it? Just waiting to snag itself on a passing branch.

My first bike was a new 1972 Dalesman, with the six speed Puch motor. On delivery the front spindle was an incorrect fit in the forks. It took ages for the factory to sort this out as nobody there recognised which forks were fitted to the bike! Happy days. I changed to an older Bultaco after a few months which was of course a much easier ride with superior suspension and motor but it would be interesting to try the Dalesman again now to see how (in)capable it really was.

I recall that Peter Gaunt rode a development version of the bike for a short while, being fitted with a front disc brake (first trials bike to do so?).

Look closely, it's the speedo cable.

I had a new 6 speeder in 1970, a bit of a disaster area really.

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  • 1 month later...
 
 
 
 

Think that could be Rob Fitton (1960s GP road racer) on the Dalesman. It's certainly his helmet design.

Hi

I don't know the rider.

But the bike has a West Yorkshire registration number and Dalesmans were manufactured in Yorkshire

and the photo was taken by Yorkshire (Ilkley) based Barry Robinson.

From memory, it does look a bit like Rob Fitton and it would have been slightly unusual at the time for

a regular trials rider to be wearing a pudding basin helmet and note the lack of any proper trials boots.

Was Mr Fitton from Yorkshire or have Yorkshire connections??

So, an interesting photo on several levels.

Regards

Sparks

Edit:-

Just looked up Rob Fitton's Wikipedia entry and yes he was from Leeds but was sadly killed at the Nurburgring on the 2nd May 1970.

The photo could have been taken in 1969 or very early 1970, Rob having bought or borrowed the bike to keep his hand in during the racing closed season.

So Cleanorbust may well be right, it could well be Rob Fitton.

I shall paste in the Wikipedia entry:-

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Robin Fitton Nationality 23px-Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg.png British Born 1928 Died 2 May 1970 (aged 41–42)

Nürburg, West Germany [hide]Motorcycle racing career statistics Grand Prix motorcycle racing Active years 1964 - 1965, 1967 - 1969 First race 1964 500cc Ulster Grand Prix Last race 1969 500cc Ulster Grand Prix Starts Wins Podiums Poles F. laps Points 9 0 1 0 0 37

Edwin Robin Fitton (Leeds, 1928 - Nürburg, 12 July 1970) was a Grand Prix motorcycle road racer from Leeds, West Yorkshire. His best season was in 1968 when he finished the year in fourth place in the 500cc world championship.[1] Fitton was killed at the Nürburgring during practice for the 1970 West German Grand Prix.[2]

Edited by sparks2
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Hi sparks,

Add to your 'Rob Fitton' details that, for a brief period in the late 1960s Barry Robinson was Rob's race mechanic.

Cheers

Hi,

The man himself, my old mate Pete Edmondson, creative influence of the Dalesman project, takes one of the very early models for a scamper up above Otley Chevin.

Enjoy.

Hi

Deryk, the fact that Barry Robinson acted as Rob Fitton's mechanic, would add credence that the photo was of RF.

Well done to 'Cleanorbust' for actually spotting that it could be Rob F.

I would never have guessed that in a thousand years.

The Dalesman shown with Peter Edmondson is actually of slightly later date (mid 1970 onwards) than the one shown

with Rob Fitton, which is of the original (1968 - 1969) type.

Regards

Sparks

Edited by sparks2
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  • 5 months later...

Hi,

Now here's another interesting model, Brian Hutchinson tried the prototype 175cc Dalesman.

(Correction to that - it is a Sprite Goldfinger, according to sparks, which I gratefully acknowledge.)

This photograph comes from the Offroad Archive.

Enjoy.

post-19290-0-51672800-1410251726_thumb.jpg

Edited by laird387
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Hi

Sorry Deryk, but #12, with Brian Hutchinson on board, is a Sprite Goldfinger.

Good photo though, none the less.

You can even see the American Eagle badge on the tank, the VF logo on the front guard,

REH hubs, and, best of all, Dunlop Trials Wellies.

Regards

Sparks

Edited by sparks2
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  • 6 months later...

I had one in the 70's. I bought a 6 speed Puch engined one as a non runner that had suffered a damaged flywheel due to contact with a rock. The flywheel cover on the 6 speed engine was a steel pressing with a breather tube that required quite a bit of skill to restore to its original shape. It took an age to get spares for it and repair it. The attraction was 1. If Peter Gaunt could win the Irish Experts on a 90cc Jawa then a mini bike was for me, and 2. it was under 175cc which was all I could legally ride as a youth on the road (in the days when there was a great deal of roadwork). While rebuilding it/saving for the parts I remodeled the exhaust in the style of the Kit Campeon Bultacos as the original stuck out quite a bit. I cut and shut a section of a car exhaust I found on a tip for the front pipe. The sweep over the top of the engine under the fuel tank required cutting a large trangular slice out of at least one of the fins at the rear of the cylinder head which took quite a bit of courage to perform. The exhaust box was made from the steel door of a Super Ser portable gas heater, shaped around a wooden pattern and using the internals of the original silencer. I roughly followed the dimensions of the original silencer except it was then a parallelogram shape that tucked in by the rear frame rail. I enjoyed riding it in about 3 or 4 trials and then the crankcase seals failed and I stopped riding in trials as I was at university and had neither the time nor the money to compete. I eventually repaired it and sold it. It was a very capable little bike (see photo) and if anybody has a 6 speed Puch engined bike that they want to sell please pm me.

Dalesman_zpswasaj8bs.jpg

Edited by esteve
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  • 4 years later...

Anyone got a programme, set of results or pictures please from the Manx 2 day trial in 1970.

The Trial was won by Terry Wright on a Dalesmsn, which I believe was Dalesman’s only ever National victory ?

thank you

 

 

Edited by Jonny wishbone
Just in case I get any replies. Thanks
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