02-apr

I am pleased to see that accommodation is hard to find, it has been all too easy in recent years to get somewhere. The Scottish was traditionally a good source of income for the town but there are other, bigger, things these days (eg mountain bikes) which may not leave the place like a ghost town in the evening as seems to be the case these days with the Scottish. 280 riders "on their own" so to speak ain't that much, therefore, while competitor enthusiasm remains it is spectator numbers that are really going to help ensure the future of the event (leaving other developments in restrictions on vehicle use aside). The moral is, make the effort and get there in large numbers but take to heart what Big John says. There are plenty good road runs on a bike with a short walk to sections so dig out the old road bike or gear up the trials bike and enjoy the run but stick to the tarmac. Or, heaven forfend, you could even volunteer your services to the Trial for a day or two and legitimately get on to the rough.

Any local upholsterer should be able to put something together for you at a reasonable price. There's one local to me that does stuff for taxis that the lads have used with good results. As you don't have black cabs in Scarborough (if I remember right) there may not be such a vehicle specialist there.

Thanks Barry. It's obviously one of these things where tolerances vary between individual bikes. I couldn't get the barrel off the studs to twist it. If I ever have to remove it again I'll try shortening the studs by the visible single thread which might just make the difference.

It's caused by a mismatch between the profile of the guard and the stay with the rivets pulling the guard too tightly against the stay. When the stay twists the guard cracks across the edge of the stay. Use a nice set of dome head allens and nuts instead of rivets, put some rubber 'twixt guard and stay and don't overtighten. Problem solved - in my case at least.

Has there been an alteration to 04 and later? I had to pivot the motor down to get clearance on my 03 for the barrel to come off - the lug for the top engine mount hit the underside of the "tank". Was tempted to "ease" the tank a bit but I don't think it's feasible with what is the strongest alloy tank in the world. Don't ask about the major operation to get the sumpguard bolted back, I wouldn't want to do that again. Even worse than the old MAR with its fine pitch theads.

Two of anything modern fits in the Berlingo Multispace no bother, paradoxically the van may be more difficult as it has the metal barrier across behind the seats. I recommend putting a strap round the bars and fork ends to compress the forks so the bars don't fight with the roof lining in the car - makes it much easier to load. I don't think I really tried putting the bike in without removing a rear seat but once removed and greased the mounting bolts are easy to undo if you really need to replace the seats for use through the week.

Can't see it helping theft any as tens of thousands of registered vehicles disappear every year and are never reunited with their owners, only partly due to lack of police manpower. Did you hear You and Yours a week or two ago? Woman in Manchester saw her sons' two motocrossers being ridden away by two young guys and called the police who actually turned up at her door to tell her that a patrol had already spotted them. Great thought she, they'll be caught in the act. Ah but....the police refused to do anything as the lads were not wearing helmets and, if they pursued them and the poor wee scones got hurt, then the police would be in trouble. As she said the moral of the story is; if you want to nick a bike then don't wear a helmet and the cops will wave you on your way. So how is the registering of off road bikes going to do anything about the mini motos etc being ridden round the local estate if the police aren't prepared to even attempt to catch the bu**ers anyway?

Weren't the monoshocks Whitlock framed? Quite fancied one at the time as an Ossa man but not as much as the monocoque Ossas ridden by Duncan Macdonald and his father a bit earlier. Anyone else remember them, they had cut down front forks as rear units, well ahead of their time.

I dont recall a special test in a "modern" trial in Scotland for decades but it is a good idea as it at least reflects some sort of riding ability. Going back not quite so far, the Hawick and Border club came from the other direction to most by awarding ties in favour of the rider with fewest fives - makes sense to me and I think it was well enough accepted by riders.

First trial? Quite a while ago when 4-speed Bultacos were current. They didn

Yes John, it was a real pleasure to see him again. The latest project he was talking of was the building of a wide wheelbase mini pick-up. Goodness knows where the parts are going to come from over there. Will it end up blue and yellow like the one he used to haul the CZ with here I wonder.

About a year ago I had a very brief shot on a Gaunt Jawa which was in good order so presumably representative of the model. To say the engine must have been buzzy in its day is something of an understatement. Opening the throttle gave the impression of being fired from a cannon which increases my admiration for Peter Gaunt's riding skills. I always fancied an Alta, a very neat bike - does anyone else remember the gent in Scotland who rode one in collar and tie at all times. I wonder if it's still in Scotland. Going off at a bit of a tangent, there was another pressed steel frame 125 Suzuki in Scotland. Trevor Hay rode a self-converted road bike in '69 or so with some success. Its light weight was demonstrated when, Trevor claimed, he heard the revs rise as the back wheel came off the ground when the wind lifted him from one lane of the Forth Road Bridge to the other. Wouldn't have fancied riding a low geared 125 to and from events, the Bulto was slow enough. A bit later on Stuart McLuckie converted one of the blue tank tubular framed 125 Suzukis and rode under the G P Chatham banner. Needless to say this had the trademark McLuckie expansion system and was, ahem, "crisp". I'll stop rambling now or I'm likely to go on all night.

Don't think about it, just do it, you won't regret it. Go for a comparatively modern watercooler as the light weight and good suspension are much easier on an ageing back as I found out when going from a long-owned Pinky to a 200 Beta. A 200 should be enough if you can get one. I imagine an adequate modern bike could be had for about

Whether removable or not surely the concept of washers stuffed up the pipe in a (vain) attempt to silence a bike belongs in the middle of the last century and not on a machine that is supposedly at the cutting edge of technology in 2007?

Having heard the Mitani I'm not too impressed. The 07s at the recent test day had the extreme edge knocked off the noise but were not what you could call quiet (to the ear, I don't know what the meter says). Certainly not as quiet as a bike needs to be in this day and age. Given Honda's environmental credentials the necessity for the racket from the 4RT is something of a mystery. Honda were able to produce quiet fourstroke triallers twenty years ago and, whilst silencing a single has its own problems, they have the technology to produce 190 mph bikes where the exhaust is, effectively, almost inaudible. Getting about 20 bhp from a trials bike that is adequately silenced should not therefore be a problem. Not that many folk are trying to ride up World round sections after all.

Couldn't be something silly like they make them there could it? Along with the probability that the Spanish probably buy them in big numbers unlike the relative handful sold here in two years.

If you look for "bead breaker" on Google you will get a few ideas on how to make up a breaker with a couple of lengths of old timber and a pair of hinges. Best bolted to a wall but a temporary QD arrangement could be made if you don't have a garage and need to use the garden wall. Works every time - even on the trailer wheels.

Back in the days when roads were quieter and policemen more sporting in outlook (can you hear the violins in the background?) my Renault 6 was quite happy at about 100 with three bikes behind. The most impressive set-up then was the guy with a diesel Merc who towed five bikes behind plus one on a very heavy steel channel rack and a TY 80 in the boot. And yes all seven riders and their observer pals travelled in the car too. Not the fastest or most economical but certainly the longest braking distance!

Was '83 not the year the noise testers, much to Papa Lejeune's panic, came close to spreading the works Honda valvegear across the carpark when they did not allow for the fact that their electronic revcounter was under-reading by 100% due to the fourstroke only producing half as many sparks? Papa's reactions saved the day but I was looking for a shrapnel-proof shelter!

The Peugeot, be it car or van version, easily takes two bikes. Saw three (albeit one was a 50) in a Kangoo (car) recently.

I've had an Iris on for well over a year and it has hardly needed adjustment. As with all brands there are different quality levels available for different uses. Not sure what mine is but it was not super cheap so presumably a mid-range version?

A long way from Canada. Don't want to spoil BJ's fun in guessing by revealing too much.

I don't know about being unmasked but it's kinda hard to hide one's identity when you have a clear photo alongside the message, as you have always had the courage to display. I would guess more know who you are than do not. Personally I find it amusing/interesting trying to work out who the contributors are when I feel I "should" know who they are. I've worked out a couple so far and admit that is due in part to knowing roughly where they are.

I echo betamike's thanks to the Perth club for a good day out, as always. As regards the Scottish scene, has anyone else noticed the appparent phenomenon where people progress through the Schoolboy ranks but don't generally seem to stick at it in the Adults? There seems to be a big void between the young adults (say early 20's) and the over 40's with few competitors, certainly regular competitors, about the thirty mark. All credit to everyone who is doing the winning but few are coming up to challenge, witness Les Winthrop coming back after X years to find he was competing against the same guys as before. Now he has gone it's effectively back to Gavin Johnston (in a way I don't count Gary Macdonald as he is essentially a professional and in a different league altogether).

Just catching up after a while away from home hence the late reply. The one I had was not a bit heavy John, it was grossly overweight. Sold to a north sea diver and never seen again as he had no desire to ride trials (he got the right bike!). Don't really wish I still had it but often wonder where it ended up - does anybody know an ex-diver with a TL? Can't remember the reg number.