mr neutron

I *think* , but am not 100% certain, that the reason for not having a rear brake on the left hand handlebar is that Mr. Schless believes he may be able to fix a clutch up to the electric motor. One of my friends mentioned this to me when we were discussing the bike a few weeks after the trial i mentioned above. One of the "Champ Level" riders (one that rides the US Nationals) in our club rode the bike. One thing that kept this National level rider from trying some of the tougher obstacles was not having a clutch. But as far as being able to lift the front wheel, and go hopping along on the rear wheel, he could do that...... He mentioned needing a clutch to do some other stuff that he felt he couldn't/shouldn't try...... Jimmie

You folks have too much fun! Another great video, Sherconoob! Jimmie

I wasn't sure if this has been covered or not. At a local trial here in the Pacific Northwest of the States, a man pitted next to me with two very interesting bikes, Naturally, I forgot to bring a camera that day, and further forgot my new "smart" phone is also a camera. I wish I'd taken some video or photographs of these bikes that day...... An interesting thing, to me, was that these motorcycles were both hand built. Things like the suspension & brakes were sourced, but the frame, swingarm, plastics, & such were built by the man parked next to me in the pits. He's an engineer/welder/fabricator/designer, and did what I considered a very good job at building his electric trials bikes. One bike was his "prototype", and was ridden by his son in the Novice class. The son actually won the class on that day, beating his father on the more refined version like what you see in the link below. I think that particular trial was the "maiden voyage" for those bikes. The batteries seemed to hold up well, as far as I was able to tell. Between the 2nd & 3rd loops, the son had his bike on a generator powered charger for about 10 minutes, if I recall correctly. http://digitmototrials.com/index.html If you click on the link above, and then find the "Specs" button, click on that. It shows two side views of the bike, and of course, lists the specifications. One thing that really impressed me was the quality with what the builder, Ely Schless, put into his bikes. He makes his own molds for the plastics on the bike, & builds his own frame & swingarm. The craftsmanship on the frame & swingarm looked on par with most other bikes I've seen. At the trial competition I'm writing about, we have what's called "Group Checking", or Group Observing. Riders form small, 2-4 rider groups, normally within their skill level, and observe/score each other in the sections. The son rode the prototype in the group I rode in, a mix of Novices & Intermediates. The bike seemed to perform very well for the son. Not having ridden it, The only negative aspect of the bike that I could observe was the sound the rear tire made when it occasionally got slapped by the rear fender (mudguard). I think there was further trouble with a plastic cover, where a fuel tank would typically be. Again, this was the prototype version; I didn't see, or hear, these problems with the refined version that the father/designer rode. In fairness, he rode with another group of riders, so I didn't see him as often as I saw his son. I wish I had the money to order one of these. The price is definitely higher than gasoline-engine bikes, which is a bit of a drawback, I guess. I'd really like to ride one sometime. The build quality looked very good, and might possibly justify the price. The weight is definitely light, a plus for those of us that need to pick our bikes up more frequently than others...... My Gas Gas doesn't bother my neighbors when I ride it on my property, but it would be nice to be able to ride a bike like this one on my land. No one would ever know I was out practicing, unless they could see me...... Also, having had a total knee replacement on one leg, and needing one on the other soon, it would eliminate that old starting problem, for certain..... Anyway, like I said, this is an interesting machine. I don't have first hand riding experience with it, and being relatively new to Trials, wouldn't be very good to evaluate it anyway. But having ridden with a young man on one, I was impressed by the bike.I work for a large commercial aviation company here in the Northwest, which shouldn't be too hard to figure out who that might be. So I see very high quality engineering, machining, designs, assemblies, and such on a daily basis. I'm thinking Ely Schless's work on that bike is at least up at that level..... Jimmie

Maybe riders could simply use heavier oil in their forks?

Now That is destined to be a Trials Video Classic!!!! It contained EVERYTHONG.... Errr, EVERYTHING, I mean.... Elements of suspense, drama, conflict (man versus walking), wonderful cinematography & narration, outstanding acting, and (I think I can speak for Zippy here, as well as Mokwepa & myself), point-of-view cam footage of a guy rocking a pair of shorts while riding! Seriously, these are great, informative, & fun to watch, Sherconoob! You folks Down Under really rock it! Ohh, yeah.... One other thing I find really cool is the number of young folks, girls and guys, you have riding in your club, and how good those riders are. To me, that would seem a healthy sign....... Jimmie

I dunno..... I used to splice cable TV in Portland. A lot of the utility poles were in those alleys. The grass was seldom maintained by the city then, & tended to hide all the dog s#!t the adjacent property owners could throw back in those alleys. It was nearly impossible to walk through there without stepping on the dog bombs. I'm certain the riders leaving on later minutes will learn this..... Jimmie And you're most definitely correct, Biff! Portland is extremely weird, & revels in that. I personally am much happier living near Boring, Oregon, a sister city to Dull, Scotland.

Ya know, here in the States, I seem to recall weight minimums being put on mx bikes, when, around 1975 or so? This was in response to how the light & expensive factory bikes were dominating mx back then. It was meant to make it easier for privateers to compete, and a "claiming Rule" was even introduced to supposedly aid the non-factory riders...... So, the AMA made a weight minimum. People would still pay whatever price they needed to back then for YZs & other light bikes, the sport was enjoying enourmous growth, but the AMA still stepped in with a weigh minimum. The factories simply then switched their development dollars into suspension, water cooling, engine improvemnts, and other areas. And the bikes didn't get one single nickel cheaper. Racing didn't get cheaper. This is essentially "Deja Vu" all over again...... It won't make Trials bikes any cheaper, or more competitive for most riders. It won't grow the sport. Develoment on lightness might stop, but the factories will simply turn their development money (what little there is....) towards some other area to gain an edge on the other brands. Electronic traction control, suspendion, and/or other gimmicks, that will no doubt increase the cost of bikes, and drive down sales & participation. Jimmie

Nicely Done, Dylan!!! Way to go! Heck, man, you'll be movin' up a class before long! Jimmie

Dylan, I was really hoping you'd take my post in jest. If I offended, I'm truly sorry. Wasn't my intention at all.... FWIW, in the trial I rode yesterday, one of the guys in my class commented on the winner & his bike. He looked as if he'd stopped at car wash & cleaned his bike at the end of the trial, while the rest of us knew we were looking forward to some quality time with the wash bucket. His clean bike was no indicator of how wet/muddy/tough the trial actually was. And I've ridden enough to know that mud/lack-of-traction can be a sort of "relevant thing". There are holes on this planet, in seemingly perfectly dry areas, that are capable of swallowing up a motorcycle. And somehow, we dirt bikers seem to seek these out to ride...... And I dunno. We rode in a couple "rocky mud hill" areas this weekend. Small, loose rocks on the sides of steep hills, barely anchored to the hill by mud. The sections tended to meander, or zig & zag up through the rocks & up the hills. A lesson I took away was the need to keep up momentum while going around a turn. Slowing down too much, which I thought would help keep me in control in the corner, would always cause wheelspin as you came out of the turn and pointed headed back uphill. Making me out of control on the actual hill/loose rocks combo. So I resorted to A LOT of dog paddling, sitting, rolling backwards at times, pushing, and fives on the scorecard. I learned I need to get in better shape if I plan on pushing my bike up hill like that! There's something to be learrned everytime we go out, I feel..... Actually, I'd bet most of the Brits here would have the best advice on mud; they seem to be having a lot of rain lately....... Jimmie

Not exactly "Trials Training", but mud is mud, and traction is traction, no matter the bike.... A scrambles race on New Year's Day callled "The Hangover Scrambles" (2009 vintage). Melting snow, rain, & mud. I'm the guy in middle bent over the orange KTM. This is also where our club has it's next trials at this Sunday...... We get to ride in this, or not ride at all, at certain times of year...... No offense, Dylan, but you & your bike weren't even dirty, bud......

Any dealers there that sell this book internationally? Or any dealers in the States that might carry this book? Jimmie

This time of year, in the Pacific Northwest of the US, pretty much every day...... We get about 80 inches of rain a year here in Sandy where I live...... If there's a good thing about this, it's that sometimes I don't have to wash my bike; the weather does that for me..... Jimmie

Riding Trials will help you to ride better in other diciplines (enduro, mx, & such). But if you're the type of person that enjoys challenges & achieving realistic goals in riding, Trials is very addicting in and of itself. It's both very fun, yet can be hard enough to really be a great challenge. And it typically doesn't beat you up very much, after a certain level of proficiency is attained, or if you have other riding experiences to draw from...... I think most Trials folks that I've met are genuinely GREAT people, which always helps. And Glenn above here makes a great point: a lot of past & current champions of enduro, mx, & such, have been very good trials riders. Jimmie

I probably ride only 10-12 events a year. Two of them are traditionally "Observed", while the rest are Group Checks. I much prefer the "Observed" type, but defintely understand why we're pretty much forced to do the Group Check deal. I've seen one example of some cheating, and I think it was dealt with tactfully. But I'm certain most scoring "discrepancies" are typically the type where a rider exits the section, stops his bike, talks with other riders for a minute or two, and then forgets what score he earned in the section he completed only minutes ago. Most of us are older, and probably forget to zip our pants up half the time....... I've gotten way over the "competitive" mentality a good while back. I no longer ride for score or placing high; I just try to have the most fun I can..... Jimmie

Ahhh, that brings back some of my fondest childhood memories...... Fresh cowpies, and people to throw them at........ Yeah, Blackdog, I did let Gary ride my bike when I was signing up. I was hoping he'd get more riding on it later, but it just didn't work out..... It would be nice to see both of y'all up at Washougal in a couple of weeks. But that will probably be a wet & slick one! Practice your turns, and bring some traction! Jimmie

Blackdog, it was nice to have gotten to meet you today, even if it was only briefly. We needed to sorta hurry along, and on our last loop, some of the course cleaners had already taken down some ribbons and markers before we finnished. I hope you liked what you saw today enough to bring the Beta a long next time! Next time will be at Washougal, on 3/9, I believe..... We've had two trials there already this year, Bill! And (emphatically) Yes! It was dry, the wind held off today, and was actually sorta warm (after a couple of sections ) in the afternoon. I love being able to drive an hour & a half, and hit that dry type of climate & terrain. But it sure lets me know how badly I need to practice on rocks..... Jimmie

Aren't you gonna ride the trial???? This will be a good one for starting out, provided the cows haven't eaten the course markers, ha ha....... Even then, the sections will get "re-marked" if that happens..... Jimmie

I can be a great example of "What Not To Do" on Sunday at Dallesport, Blackdog! Just watch me, & do the opposite, hee hee! About the only advice I can give you right now is to strive for "riding time", or "peg time", hee hee. Not "seat time"; I get a bit of "seat time" sometimes in sections, and my scores reflect that..... Seriously, get all the riding in that you can, but even without it, you'll have fun. Hopefully, we can bump into each other at the trial. My bike has a white number plate on it with a "swirling atom" sticker on it like my avatar by my name. My bike is unfortunately beat up looking, and it's a 2010 Gas Gas 280, red & black in color. Truck is an older Powerstroke diesel crew cab long bed, with a weird metallic tan/pink color. Fortunately, I'm very secure in my manhood..... I bought my bike from a very good Expert rider that lives in Zillah. I really like that part of the hemisphere..... Jimmie Bill, you and/or Barry gonna be there?

Other than not getting to see the rider do a backflip off of his balanced bike, I thought it was Great, Sherconoob!!! I thought it was really good. I don't have time right now to "subscribe"; are there more of these? I liked the "ride along the log" deal; it gave me an idea for a practice deal here on my property. I've always got trees, or parts of them, falling down everytime we get some wind. Some of these might get called into duty as trials practice obstacles, instead of the usual firewood........ Jimmie Added in EDIT: I was gluing the mud flap to back of my new Gas Gas air box tonight, so had to "bag out" quickly while ago, before the glue totally set up. Later, I did watch the other, nicely done vid on turns (more like that needs to be emphasized at the Novice & Intermediate levels), and subscribed. As somewhat of a bonus for us folks watching, it appears you guys have fun when you ride together! Very Cool! Thanks!

It looked like a "Splatter" to me, Dyllan! And you're doing it without a kicker, which is harder to to do. Your front wheel didn't hit the tire. You essentially wheelie while jumping the bike up from the ground. As soon as the rear wheel hits the obstacle, the front end comes down. The rear wheel normally hits the very top portion of the vertical part of the object, which like I said, brings the front end down, and keeps you from coming over backwards. This is somewhat of a more advanced technique, and is what's used (normally with a kicker) to get up even higher obstacles. Hey, Rock the shorts & no shirts look! You can work on your tan while you practice, and be the envy of Zippys everywhere! Jimmie

Hmmm. Maybe I can drag my Pom Poms & cheer outfit utta retirement..... Do you folks in Flint require shaven legs? Actually, I envy y'all for havin' a nice setup like that. I too was outside in our paltry 4"-6" of snow we got last week. Actually used the bike to chase a cow down that had "escaped" from it's pasture, and gotten into my neighbor's property across the road. Fun trying to keep traction & momentum while cutting a scared/surly cow in the direction you'd like her to go..... Any practice is better than none, tho, huh? Jimmie

Hmmm. Well, I'm defintely no "expert film critic", ain't good at editing, am rather ugly & stupid, and crash my bike a lot. So my opinion on editing is pretty much worthless....... But here's my take on it anyway: I liked the "angles" you used to film it. I don't understand exactly what you mean by "flying", but look above here. I already stated I was stupid. Anyway, I normally notice things with vids that I don't like, and there really wasn't anything in yours that I didn't like. So, for what this is worth, I felt you did a good job, Tom. Way better than I personally could. Heck, I'm certain there are plants in gardens that could edit better than I..... Jimmie

I too thought you did a great job picking & editing the music! And you did a great job of not having it too loud. I personally like to hear what the bike is doing, and like to hear the engine. The music (my opinion here......) should just be "background" sounds..... Good job editing the deal too, Terrarapta! Ben, you're ridin' was good! It looked like tough riding in the muck; you're doing just fine, Young Man! Jimmie

I love it, Andrew!!! If I had a TY, I'd want it to be one that I knew was solid mechanically, and then I'd ride the wheels off of it........ Not too concerned about "cosmetics"..... Jimmie

Where'd you ride a Trial at, Bill?? On topic, I was shown a drill to do at a Trials School once. All it takes is a "C" shaped ribbon laid out on some dirt. The ribbon is laid out in about a 11' diameter circle, or something that approximates about two wheelbase lengths for the diameter. If your bike has a wheelbase of, say, 1.5 meters, then lay the ribbon out 3 or so meters in diameter. You enter into the circle as wide as you can, and ride around the inside of the circle 3 times in one direction (without dabbing), and then ride out. Then, enter it again, and ride around the inside of your ribbon 3 times to the other direction. I really like this drill. It sorta helps me get used to the mental aspect of dealing with ribbon. Tightening it up definitely forces you to use correct technique. You can easily make this circle smaller, to be more challenging, and I can guarantee you that lightly dragging the rear brake will make it easier to do. It is possible to work the rear brake while turning both directions, but I agree it's not easy..... Maybe I'm too ham-fisted with my right index finger, but everytime I try to lightly use the front brake, the bike dives on me, and usually causes a dab. I like the idea of stiffer springs for my fok, like suggested by 0007, but more because I seriously outweigh my poor bike than to use the front brake in corners, hee hee..... If I recall correctly, Bernie Schrieber recommended staying off the front brake for turns in his book...... Jimmie