tomch

6'6" and a bad back. 4 and a half inch rise on the bars and one and a half on the spacers. At least I can ride all day without slipping a disc.

Bark busters on handlebars yes.... For the back end... No, as it's a much bigger area to protect

Have both an ossa and a montesa. No problems with the montesa at all... i drowned the Ossa in the Ssdt and had it remapped when all was in bits. No problems with either of the fi systems after i learned to always have a spare plug handy for the ossa. I have abused the ossa viciously leading to a broken dogbone.. The nice thing is clean running bikes with no dribbles at all, absolutely no "rainbow water" in mountain streams and no stinky petrol fumes when stuck halfway up a rift valley cliff. For a beginner such as myself i think it is great not having to adjust anything whether riding at 15ft asl (fort william car park to 8600ft asl (Molo, rift valley)...

Thank you very much! I'm going to be back but maybe to assist the marshalls this year

I hope the picture shows up...

I found this parked in a bush outside Arusha in Tanzania! I'm down here with my Ossa looking for some good places to ride!

The sensor is already inside the tank...

It is an accessory that clips into an existing fitting on the side of the tank with some sort of rudimentary switch inside. It's not very bright and hard to see in direct sunlight. I lost the bulb on mine when it was squeezed out going under a low branch. It lights when you have about a litre left.

I have one of each... my first trials bike is an Ossa and it is light and responsive.. as I get better I can do so much more with it....but I have found it unreliable and fiddly to work on. Now all sorted out and a joy to work out new moves on. The cota is much more robust, a little heavier with the really smooth, tractable engine power of a 4stroke. Much easier to start and no messing about with mixing oil. Saying all that I am torn between the 2..maybe the ossa is easier to learn on but the cota does more for me now I know a bit more. Both are a lot quieter than an enduro bike and will get you looking at the same countryside in a new way. Whatever you buy will be right so dont stress and get to join the zen masters of motorcycle sport any way you can!

I'd like suggestions for something in a beautiful place on either the second weekend (13-14) or the third (20-21). And suitable for a beginner as perhaps I bit off a little more than I could chew with the SSDT. I'm an incurable optimist and am sure I'm going to have the most awesome time!

Thank you for finding the pictures for me... now I can clearly e plain the crazy wonderful SSDT to those that have no idea of what we getup to and why we keep trying!

Somehow I seem to be the invisible man! Does anyone have any pictures of me doing the ssdt this year (only lasted until Thursday!)... Is there anything I can show my peeps back here to prove that it was me in the ssdt? Any pic, no matter how unflattering.....

I was out today at the buzzard practice ground on my 4rt and found it totally different to the ossa.. it felt like riding on ice until I figured it out. No clutch, maybe a gear higher and don't worry about hanging off the back as it has ace suspension and wont bite you in the bum. It rewards a more definite riding style but if you have the committment it will make you look great.