smokey125

It's a 309 from 1991, they were released at the same time as the first K-Roo with the same colour scheme and suspension as the K-Roo. I think the site that fourex gave has got the year wrong, this is another site that has plenty of info https://www.fanticmotor.asso.fr/r02.htm I had one from new and still have it now. The USD forks were very similar to what everyone was using at the time and were as good as anything around when new. Considering they are nearly 30 years old they are still a very capable machine and the engines are great. Like any old bike spares can be a problem but nothing that can't be overcome if you really want to. At some point I wouldn't mind getting another one and upgrading it but that's a project for the future!

I’ve got a handbook, comes with the road race license, but in usual ACU style it is less than clear. Based on the comments so far and that they don’t seem to be standard on newer bikes I guess I’m ok as I am. My new local club has an event on this weekend and a club meet next week, I’ll get myself along to one or both of those to have a chat.

Having not ridden in an ACU trial for 10 plus years I just want to check if there’s anything that has become compulsory in recent years? I’ve read the appropriate sections of the handbook and all I can find is that output sprockets must be covered, chainguards must be as manufactured and about rear sprocket guards in the general bike description section but nothing specific about them in the trials section. Are sharks fin (as there called in road racing) rear sprocket/chain guards required for trials?

The 307 and 309 are virtually identical. As has been mentioned the exhaust is different the front forks have different dampers and it has a smaller diameter rear disc although it uses the same calliper so the pads are too big and you get a step at the top of the pads as they wear. Two other things to watch out for is the rear subframe can get worn through where your boots rub against I put some thick rubber tube over it to protect it and the lightweight swing arm spindle is very delicate! It was brought out the same year as the first KRoo and shares the same colour scheme. Love my one had it from new. Still think the engine is better the the KRoo was.

It's not a TSS, it's a Montjuic 360 based 24 hour racer. Hence the lights and big tank.

I'd love to see a picture of the other side of the Morini. There's no foot controls on the side we can see, must be a modern bike rider who likes a right foot rear brake.

So am I. The racer is my dad's I raced it for about 20 seasons. Last time I rode it I finished 3rd in the 2015 Classic Junior TT. I also have a Moto Guzzi 250 TS as a different road bike!

The 350 was definitely available in 65 and possible 64. The 250 version which is basically the same was available from 62 so the bikes themselves are old enough. It's only a case of if you have to prove it one was used pre-65! If he built it in 71 I doubt it was from a new machine as the "widecase" version of the bike was released in 69. This was taken all the way to 450cc but is significantly heavier and quite a bit wider than the narrowcase model he used.

I agree would be more than happy with either of them. I’ve always like things that are a bit different and a Ducati for pre-65 certainly fits different! For reference the Peter Gaunt one is probably a 350 Sebring. Same as the pictures!

Had a closer look at the picture if this one. The seat rails have been modified to lower the seat and move the top mounting for the rear units. The mounting point on the swing arm has also been modified slightly. The lower rails of the rear triangle have also been shortened seeming the allow space for the exhaust. Not sure that is the best idea as I would of thought it would exaggerate what is the naturally weakest area of the Ducati frame.

I would have thought the most likely option is the 160 Monza Junior. The cranckcases were different on the 250 version. Of all the Ducati singles the 160 is probably the best option for a trials bike due to the compact size and potential power to weight ratio.

It's a 160 not a 250. Of all the Ducati's I've always though that the 160 would make the best pre-65 trials bike. If I could pick up a donor bike for sensible money it's what I would build just to be different! The frame looks fairly standard but it's hard to tell if the headstock angles have been modified from the picture.

I agree to a point but when you have a bike that would have had solid round discs originally I would rather have round discs with slots cut in it than a full wavy disc. I'd most like something like a Beta Evo disc in pattern.

I can see the logic that a wavy disc will help clear mud etc from the disc/pad surface and can see the logic that it would give a bit more bite to the brake both of which seem to be very desirable for modern trials. They certainly seem to work on my mountain bike. Old trials fanatic can I ask where your getting the discs from and how much they are charging? I've been looking for some discs for my 309 I've found a couple of companies that make them but no uk resellers for them.

Once it's stabilised enough to not cause him any discomfort whilst riding it won't effect him in any way. The thing I find interesting is that over the last 20 years it seems that every form of motorcycle sport has introduced multiple safety improvements either to the bikes themselves or to the riders kit, yet nothing seems to have changed in trials. Not entirely sure what to suggest but would of thought some form of back protection would be easy enough to introduce even if only for the top levels of the sport.

We just used to ride in groups and mark each other at events where observers were in short supply. I hated it where you were supposed to make yourself, it was all I could manage to get through the sections let alone try and remember what marks I dropped. Although the idea of less laps of lots of sections is very appealing very for of the venues we used to use regularly could manage more than 12 sections at a lot you would be hard pushed to get 10. We would try and reduce the problem by setting riders off at time intervals with the odd numbers starting at section 1 and even numbers half way round.

IMO there are three areas you can look at bikes, rider/kit and organisational. Changes to bike requirements can be quite difficult to implement on the range of different bikes people ride. Think pre 65 ridged right through to current bikes. Lanyards seem like a reasonably idea, and keeping the above in mind not difficult to retrofit to older machines. The only other thing I can think of is some sort of disc that fits to the spokes to stop you getting caught in them, but to be honest I see that causing more problems than it fixes. I can’t see any real improvements that can be made to rider’s kit. I don’t think boots offer any more or less protection now than they did 20 years ago, make them any stiffer than they are now and they will become too stiff to use. Helmets have come on massively and are now at a point where they are on a par with other branches of the sport. The only possible change here could be to add a chin bar like a motocross helmet, I’m not convinced by the effectiveness of this, the only time I got hit in the face was by the mastercylinder, it slid in just below the peak of the helmet a chin bar wouldn’t have stopped this. The only other thing would be some sort of back protector. The biggest difficulty with organisational changes is making them standard across all clubs if you don’t it will tend to cause confusion. How many riders actually read instruction or listen to briefings? Having a standard sign or marking denoting the area you go to for help or to report an accident is about the most you could do. Medical training is a difficult one and to be honest almost impossible for a club to keep up to date with. When I look at how little our first aiders are allowed to do at work before its take the person to hospital or call for an ambulance. I don’t think there is a real benefit of clubs trying to get/keep someone trained. I think totalshell’s suggestion of notifying the local ambulance service is about the best you can do. I can understand the comments about not fixing what isn’t broken but if something happens and the insurance companies take a hit their reactive measures will be much worse than trying to be proactive.

I agree with what you’re saying in that complacency is a bad thing but don’t really see what can be done to improve things in trials. Even if a club keeps a first aid kit who is going to administer it, who is trained to use it? The repercussions of someone administering first aid who is not properly trained/qualified and ends up doing more harm than good even if done with the best intentions is likely to be far worse than the original injury. Might be worth organisers having a box of those lightweight foil type thermal blankets to hand out to observers, if someone did have an accident at least you could keep them warm. In a similar way I’m not sure what instructions you could give to observers or riders that would actually help. You could have a designated emergency location which always has at least one of the organisers there but can’t think of anything else you could sensibly do. The idea of notifying the local ambulance service is an interesting one and certainly worth looking into. Ambulances normally mill about the area they cover so they might put one closer to a trial if they were notified about it. Equally if they never received calls to go to trials they may well just view it as interesting information and nothing more.

My brother did this on a TY50, didn't die but did go backwards down the hill very quickly!

By its very nature of being a slow speed, control based sport it will always be relatively low risk with a relatively low chance of injury. Crashes are only ever going to be low energy impacts. The basic safety precautions taken in trials are more than adequate to protect from the most likely accidents. Not that it's without risk you only have to look at what happened to Martyn Ashton to realise that things can still go wrong if it's motorised or human powered. Comparisons like this are never really valid but can make for an interesting discussion. It comes down to what level of risk you feel comfortable with the old chestnut of “lies, damn lies and statistics”. People will always as die taking part in sports/hobbies in the same way that everyone will die. Things like heart attacks are more linked to the average age/health of participants rather than the risks associated with it. Yes road racing and in particular “real road racing” are higher risk but they are also most fun. Of course that is entirely my own opinion. On a side note autotests might not seem like much fun to watch but they are an absolute blast to take part in. Think of it being like a time and observation trial but in a car!

In theory if you clamp right next to the weld so long as you have a good earth it should be ok. Having said that whenever I take anything aluminium to my mate who’s a fabricator for welding he tells to me take it all off just to be safe. I don’t know what the Section is like but on my 309 all the electronics is built into the coil. The only other thing is the generator itself. Once the coil is disconnected the only connection to the generator is earth through the body of the stator onto the engine. I suppose it all comes down to how comfortable you feel with doing it. Sorry I can’t offer a more definitive reply.

I doubt they are a standard tool. The ISR road race caliper said have a similar setup and you can buy the tool for removing the caps as well as servic kits from ISR. Even then there are different size tools for different sized pistons. Why do need to take the caps off?

Yes the proper way of doing it is with a press, but if the person using the press doesn't know how to use it properly, and there's plenty that don't and you don't make or have appropriate covers/spacers etc then you can do more harm than good. Personally I've always used the method of breaking the outer cage and using a Dremmel type tool to grind through the inner race carefully when it thins out enough it will crack through due to the interference fit of the bearing.

I've got a solution that doesn't require an electronics wiz! It just takes me back towards a Sherco 0.5 and stuff I understand!!!

My daughter is showing a bit of an interest in having a go. She's had a few rides on an Oset but wants a bike that makes a noise when you turn the throttle! Why don't some of you like the autos? I've been thinking of a TY80 but I'm concerned that clutch and gears will be too much for her.