General Trials Talk

Dougie riding through goodwood house was good but this is sooooo funny Click here!

I rode dirt bikes as a teen, road bikes in my 30s. Now I'm in my mid 40s and have been racing road bicycles and mountain bikes for 10 years. I've always been fond of trials (motorcycle and bicycle) and recently found out there are some active clubs here in Michigan. So I'm thinking about giving it a shot. I've been keeping my eye out for used bikes for a few months now. It's winter here so I haven't had the chance to get out and talk to the locals. I did chat with one on the phone and he gave me the impression that 250s are great for everyone and 300s are a "handful". I'm just looking for a second opinion. Unlike Europe, trials bikes are a little harder to come by…

So during this walkthrough of Kadlec's bike setup (turn on subtitles), at 1:15 in, where he talks about using a 'throttle ring'. As far as I'm aware, the only parts domino makes for trials that affect the throttle ramp up are either the slow (black) or fast (white) throttle tubes. Since the TRS comes with a fast throttle, clearly something else is at work here and I'm curious if anyone knows what it is. When you see him turn the throttle, it looks to me like it's wide open at about 1/8 turn, which is about a quarter turn sooner than the standard (fast) domino white throttle tube. Domino do make these, but they look to be only for push/pull throttles: http://www.domin…

On another part of this site (engine temps 2 v 4 strokes & why do they seem to run hotter) Woody ventured to say he thought the engine fitted to Nigel Birketts TYZ special was his favourite trials motor by far. Just why is it considered so good, I also recall reading (possibly a quote from Mr. Birkett) though I cannot remember that the engine fitted to his ex-works Suzuki was also very good, was the comparison being made with machines or bikes available at the same time as themselves or those both 2 & 4 stroke currently available.

I'm new to bikes and wondered what most people do as a general routine regarding bike cleaning, any tips would be appreciated. I know it sounds like a simple question but you never know, some peoples idea of a good thing could be a bad thing in other peoples eyes.

For those that don't read the front page... Back in April 2009, one of our Trials Central Forum users posted in our Stolen Bikes Forum that his garage had been broken into and three bikes had been stolen. Roll on 10 months to February 2010 and TC Forum user "benz19" posted a link to a rather dodgy looking Gas Gas which had appeared on EBay. Several thousand miles away in Massachusetts, USA TC Forum user "Dan Williams", not content with providing his very useful Beta Clutch Fix started playing detective and suspected the bike on Ebay was one of the ones reported by the user back in April 2009. Now we're not sure which, but either Dan or user "motofire", again out in the…

had a good off today, managed to tear the ligaments in my shoulder........ wasnt anything major, just lost the back end on a slow turn up a hill and when i went to take a dab, there was no ground beneath my foot....... inevitably i went over and came down over the bike down hill landing on my shoulder... i felt/heard a quite loud crack and was convinced i had fractured it (again)... after a few minutes of cold sweats and cursed words i got my mate to get my bike on level groung so i could ride it back to the car... went the hozzy and had an xray and thankfully its not broken/fractured... but, the ligamants and muscle are torn... i can tell you, ive had a fair few s…

Just wondering........... Do Japanese trials riders have a Gaijin Zap..............

Hi there guys, i am currently compiling a list of motorcycle champions 1950 - 2006 for a college project. Can anyone help me out with the winners of kickstart or junior kickstart between 1978 and 1991??? Any help would be great.

We currently have 4 trials manufacturers marketing bikes (Montesa/Honda; Beta; Gas Gas & Sherco). Two more appear on the verge of relaunching (Scorpa & Xispa/XPA) Two more revived brands have new bikes that may imminently be launched (Greeves & Ossa) Can such a small sport as trials really support eight manufacturers? I suspect not and whilst I would like it to be untrue I suspect the enthusiasm and optimism of the new entrants may be clouding their commercial judgement. How many of these eight do you think will be viably making & selling bikes in two years time when the WTC next arrives in Fort William?

hi i have a 2000 sherco 250 and the chain is comming loose nearly every trial and i dont know why i unloosen it and the pull the wheel back and it works but then the next trial it comes loose does any one know what the problem is? thanks r.hayes

Hi Guys, Ive got a dilemma regarding what bike to buy. I stopped riding maybe 10 years ago but up until then had ridden since I was 13 at a reasonable level. Im now 36! Last bike I rode was a Ty250 mono (early one!). Before that I was old school Ty 80 and 175 and a couple of fantics. I have a budget of

hi,i own a small field just a few acres,with the local poice tightening up so much ,i've let my brother take his 7 year old twins and there pw50's on there bikes on there for an hour on a sunday,it's situated next to the main london rail line ,so trains come past every 20 minutes,so it's already noisey.already it seems a counciller who lives local has complained and this morning i've had a nasty letter from the council,am i right in thinking that for 21 days a year i can use it for purposes other than agriculture?or how i stand under uk law. it really upset me that a couple of busy bodys can cause me so much trouble,as they are no more noisey than a lawnmower and i'd qui…

How long do rear wheel bearing last for you? I replace the one on my 4rt about 3-4 months ago with good quality skf bearings. Last night while I was installing a new sprocket I notices fhpse. Eating are already very notchy feeling, but there is any play yet. It seems to me they should last a whole lot longer. I mostly use the bike from trail riding. I would guess I have about 400 miles on these bearing. The have see their fair share of mud but never with more than a garden hose. I even Froze the bearing and heated the hub so I didn't need to use much effort to press them in when installed. Any thoughts? Thanks

Andy's survey, and a few recent posts from people who hide behind the anonymity of their signature, have made me think. Would the forums not work better if our real names were displayed on the member

Can you all help me with a bit of advice in choosing my next bike? I've had a Rev3 250 which I probably rode less than 10 times as I spent most of my limited knowledge and time repairing it. However I did like it (nothing to compare it against though) and once I got it running right I sold it quick. A year has passed and I'm now about ready to delve back in to trials but I'm unsure what to buy... I have a budget of around £2000 give or take. My skills are very basic - I would class myself as a complete beginner and I have no intension of competing. I have always had road bikes but never really got into motocross - my friends' 250s used to frighten me to death …

Any suggestions for music I could use in the background of a short video clip? It's a clip of me in 1992 which I am using on a site I am building for a college project. Here's a link if you want a laugh at the clip. It's not quite Jason Finn! http://212.219.116.40/~sbird/movies/aprillia.wmv

Winter is here and my bike has been sold. So while I toss logs on the fire and dream about either spending next summer in Italy or buying a new bike (the two are not at all intertwined by the way... I'm not forgoing one for the other, but if I'm in Fiesole for the summer I won't be trialing), I figured I should at least give thought to what I should buy if I end up needing another bike. I'm coming off a '13 Beta Evo 300. Bullet proof, very smooth, no real complaints. Maybe feels a bit heavy? That said, total overkill in the power department. It was never a hindrance, but I never used 60% of it in my riding. So with that in mind I was thinking of a 250 or 200 Evo. But I'm…

Hello, I’m just looking for some direction if anyone can help. I’ve had bikes all my life, I’m 53 now and looking to get into trials. I had a TY175 many moons ago but have never ridden competitively. My only recent trials riding experience was at a ‘trials experience’ day in Wales recently where was given a competition spec (apparently) Gas Gas 300 to play with and it was far too much for me! I eventually launched it through a fence after accidentally grabbing the throttle over a log……! Clearly something lower powered would be in order for now… So I’m torn between buying a lower powered older ‘modern’ bike or an even older twin shock, the modern bike seemin…

I normally use fully synthetic Castrol ‘racing’ mixed at 80mil of oil to a gallon of fuel. I accidentally bought castrol 1 (not racing) is this still ok to use? It’s a 12 beta evo! Thanks.