Pre-65 Bikes

Question. I've had a question from a guy who has a Sprite trials bike in basically standard condition with an iron barreled Villiers 32A motor. He wanted to know if the Sprite was eligable for Pre65 events. Now i thought that Sprites were made from 65 onwards so they are most definately NOT eligable for Pre65 events. Not a problem to ride in our events as we dont have a Pre65 class any longer as i felt it was too much of a minefield so the class has been changed to British Bike but he was concerned taht his bike is or is not eligable for Pre65. Roy Bacons book seems to infer that as i said they are not eligable but canb anybody here give me a categorical answer?

Hi - I'm new to the forum and new to the pre '65 movement. Saw the demo at the Historic motor sport show and it re-awakened old urges. I've acquired an unmolested '59 Francis barnett Trials 83, which needs new tyres. I can't find a 19" trials tyre anywhere. Millers advised me to build a new wheel with an 18" rim. Is this the only way? Any help would be appreciated

I have a long term project on the go at the moment a C15. Was up the shed tonight and done a dry build on the rolling chassis,seems like I will have to increase the ground clearance as its quite low about 9",not very good.The frame is standard, front forks are standard,What is the best length of rear shockers to fit to help with the ground clearance.As I said its a long term project as I'm enjoying riding my 250 Scorpa and learning every trial I do.Any other advice would be much appreciated. cheers the noo Brian

Hi Guys, I know this sound stupid but GOV132. is lost. I thought it was still at the National Motor Museum, No reference. Sammy Miller Museum, No reference. National Motorcycle Museum. No reference. The last time I saw "The legend" was in the spring at the Classic show at Malvern. Where is it Now, Has Colin Dommett got it back? Scott was garding it at the show. PS, Did'nt a young man named, ? Clarke own it at one time too. PS<PS Just found a picture of Mick Clarke riding GOV 132, in ORR number 38, will post it when I have zaped it on to my site. Regards. Charlie.

Hi Guys. Here

I am interested in building a B40 on a new frame and don't really fancy the Miller 'Hi-boy'. Does anyone know of another frame maker other than Cheney? I have a lovely Cub with a hand built frame that I believe was by Roy Burgess - is he still making frames does anyone know and how to get hold of him? Any help and advice appreciated!

Hi, can anyone tell me where I can find any info/pictures etc on Sprite Motorcycles? If anyone's got any literature, advertising stuff I could buy copies of or anything for sale I'd be interested. Cheers, Glenn.

Hi all, can anyone give me some advice on the drawbacks of purchasing a Drayton Bantam? I've been given the opportunity to purchase one at a good price but heard that they aren't accepted at many of the pre65 British bike type trials? I'm thinking I may have a problem getting in at BMCA events and I guess the Scottish should I ever decide to have a go. Is this generally the case? Will I be limited? Do they hold their value as well as the purer versions as far as the investment goes? Many thanks, Stewart

Hello all, Been having a nosey round this awesome corner of the forum for some inspiration and advice. As a direct result of my mate Petorius' purchase of a Tiger Cub project i am now the proud owner of a Bantam project. I'm not new to the world of bikes (i'm on 6 and counting) and projects but i am somewhat new to the world of trials and in particular pre 65. The sorry looking pile of parts currently consists of a D3 1956 swingarm frame, a 1959 D7 engine, a chrome tank, and not a lot else. One thing i have found is a casting on the underside of the head "GT100B", i was led to believe that the engine had a Todd centre plug head, i was wondering if this casting corres…

Hi guys, I was helping my dad clear out one of his garages and in the corner lurking behind an enfield was a old BSA bantam rolling chasis, under a cloth there was an engine and other odds and sods looks like maybe 90% of the bike present. It is obviously a road bike and it is of the twinshock era rather then ridgid. My question is what work and cost would it take to make this basket case into a decent trials machine? Is it even worth the effort of should i do it back up into a road bike and flog it? If i could.convert it i would keep it but i dont have a road license.

I want to widen and lengthen the rear swing arm on my trials cub. I intend to do the cut and shut myself then take it to a local fabricators for welding. Can anyone tell me where to cut and what to make. I have a pretty good workshop with a lathe and small milling machine. I have 2 standard trials swing arms to play with. I was thinking of removing the LH (brazed in?, cranked) arm from one unit and sticking it on the RHS of the other but this seems wasteful. I have seen a sketch on another post but it doesn't give any sizes. What do you do with the rear shocks when the swing arm is widened as the bottoms won't line up with the tops! Are both sides widened by…

Hi Guys. I have decided to build an exact replica of Scott Ellis's last works BSA C15 F. I have several photos of the bike with Scott riding it, but only one picture of the bike from a side view, in Don Morley's book. Has any one out there got any side view shots of the bike, or does any one know where the bike BOK228C is. It is still registered at the DVLA as a BSA 250. ( this is the frame that the copy is now reffered to as an Otter). Regards Charlie.

Does anybody know who makes the mick andrews james replicas you see at pre 65 trials

For my sins, I have just bought a 1962 C15 (distributor model) which looks the part of a trials bike but has a standard road version engine. It has a 375 monobloc Amal carb. I am going to change the engine duplex sprocket for a 18T and the gearbox sprocket for a 13T with a 64T on the rear wheel. Once I have taken off the lights, got it to run smoothly at low revs and got used to Pirelli tyres I hope to trial it. Am I on the right track to have a usable machine or do I need to do anything else? I had heard that lengthening the inlet manifold helps with low revs and torque - does anyone know if this is true? I would like to find a kick start that clears the footpegs -…

What is the best carb choice for a tiger cub 200 for Pre-65 events. is there a restriction on tyre choice, ie X1 michelins allowed ?

Just finished a rebuild of a James swapped for a surplus Bultaco. Its interesting having a new 'old' bike and researching all about the history of both bike and manufacturer. There is a very good website for James bikes in general (http://www.simplywizard.co.uk/index.htm) and Bill Lomas's book, which is a great read in its self, also provided a lot of background for which I am indebted for the blurb below to go with the photos. I would add the bike to the garage but the manufacturer dropdown does not include James! Anyway, here is the blurb about the bike and some James trials history... The late 40s and early fifties saw an upsurge of 2-stroke trials specials built …

Hi could any body out ther tell me if Serco is still going, as I have tried the phone number everyday for the last 2 weeks and do the still supply aluminum barrels, big ends and gears.

Sadly as yet no news is bad news and no sign of either the stolen van or the pre 65 parts that were inside has been recieved so not looking good and sadly it is beginning to look as if these were possibly stolen to order which is an option that not only saddens me but deeply worries me as Classic and pre 65 Trials riders i have always thought were a good bunch. In a previous post i informed as many as i could about Alan Whitton having his van stolen and that inside the van was the Bantam rolling chassis he had on show at Telford as a showcase for the parts he sells. Alan didnt have any photos at the time of this but someone has kindly responded to our request for a piccy…

Getting this off my chest. I do not expect any support in my post. I just wanted to say it and share it. I am a returning rider after a long lay off. I rode extensively in the North and mostly Cumbria. I managed to get to Intermediate standard which was hard to do. You had to win a Novice trial. Very hard 'upt North'. Once up a level you could not ride at a lower level. ie, No more Novice events or results. I now live in Suffolk and ride twin shock and Pre 70 bikes. I am 67 years old and ride the white routes. Here is my first gripe, why do those with far greater ability ride white routes? In some trials you ride as Expert and 50/50 but when it suits you ride the wh…

Hi, Would like to know what modifiations should be made to a D14. 4 speed motor to make it competitive and reliable in Pre 65 trials ? Expecting to use alloy barrell, modified Fantic head ?, electronic ignition, replacement carb, etc, etc. Would be great to hear from someone who has done this recently and built a good engine ? Thanks, Jon.