laird387

This is Simon Tyas, son of Huddersfield Falcon observer and organising legend Bob Tyas. Forty six year old Simon suffered a heart attack a few months ago but is recovering and hopes to back into trials soon. His sons Harry (10) and Ben (12) who both have trials machines so expect Team Tyas competitor this year. Simon also compiles the Falcon reports in great detail for the Technical Press and more importantly the Huddersfield Examiner, local paper. His mother claims Simon gets his journalistic skills from her. I think Simon sets a great example. His reports are in great detail.

Yes, I know it's Nigel, on his way to a storming win in the 1986 Ilkley Grand National - and there are a dozen or so more images in ORRe - but my question was, is the mono '86 Honda one of the red/white Hondas someone wanted to see on the forum some while ago. I think it is - but since we were all still using film in those days and only black/white film stock gave you enough speed to be able to take decent action photos I can't PROVE it is the red/white version, if you see what I mean? PS. Noting your location, there's coverage of an '86 Sheffield and Hallamshire trial as well as the '86 Bemrose in the same feature............

Some while back there was a request on the forum for more pictures of the red/white Honda models, well if my memory serves me right they were in the 1980s and, lo and behold, we have just started a regular feature in our digital magazine highlighting action photos of precisely that period and there are plenty of the Honda models already included, such as this 1986 model in the Ilkley Grand National photographed by James Moorhouse. Enjoy.

Thanks for that, Mick, I have around eighty-five images of that Bemrose that I have collected together, including twenty or so pre-65s, so it will make a sensible photofeature when I get round to that date - I'm trying to put together an analysis of important events sorted chronologically, so it's probably about three ORRe's away to the Bemrose turn! I don't have any results for that Bemrose - so if you can scan them it would be a real help, email is always worthwhile. Next in line is the Ilkley Grand National, the Cleveland, the North v South scramble, the Travers, the Wainwright Shield, etc.

Trawling through the archive for the ORRe feature 'Thirty Years Ago' I began sorting 1986 Bemrose images and found a group Pre-65 riders like Howard Midgeley on one of his Matchless models in the midst of mainly twinshocks and monoshocks of the period - so did the Bemrose include a 'classic' class back in the mid-eighties? It definitely is a Bemrose image, I can recognise the upper part of 'Cheeks'.......... Enjoy - (more in ORRe)

Please find Richmond 2017 dates attached. Richmond-Motor-Club-Dates-2017.pdf

"Regs" for our forthcoming Timperley Cup Trial are attached. Although clearly stated in the "Regs" I would just like to take this opportunity to remind everyone that whilst this event is open to all adult classes, for the youth it is, as in the past, restricted to Class "A" only. Martin Jackson. Timperley Cup Trial 2017 - Regs and Entry Form.pdf

The Richmond Motor Club lost a trials stalwart with the death of Ronald Lacey Jones. Ron Jones was a typical backroom club member observing and helping to organise trials. His connections with the Scott Trial exceeded two decades. He observed world trials at Bainbridge and Pateley Bridge under Wetherby and Darlington colours as well as being a regular SSDT visitor. Born in Leeds where he left school and served a motor engineering apprenticeship and served national service in the same capacity. In 1953 his parents moved to West Scrafton and Ron joined H. Wood & Sons in Leyburn who were main dealers for Ferguson tractor, Rootes group cars and vans. After marrying he moved the Bellerby and Cadburys followed by many years at Catterick Garrison as an R.E.M.E. fitter. Many Richmond young guns benefitted from his knowledge. Alan Richardson, AndyKearton and David Watson to name a trio. Ron fought Alzheimer’s for thirteen years. His wife passed several years ago and he is survived by his sons Frank and Jimmy. Both sons rode trials. The funeral service took place at St John’s Church, Bellerby on January 19th.

Airedale & Pennine Motor Club. Yorkshire Dales Classic Trial. May 7 The Yorkshire Dales Classic Trial is well on schedule to take place on May 7 and centred again on Nidderdale area and Pateley Bridge. The route willtake in many classic favourites ranging from new tests at Greenhow and Scott Trial favourite Watergate. Other new sections are planned for the Lofthouse area. The start will be again Pateley Bridge Auction Mart where the TeacupsCafé will serve breakfast and meals throughout the day. As an RAC and ACU affiliated club the Airedale and Pennine Motor Club will accept classic carsand solo and sidecar motorcycles. Full details and contacts will be issued shortly.

You make a truly valid point, Jon, that you may not have realised actually illustrates the point I made far more lucidly than I did........... It took Ian Rennie and myself over two years and many, many miles of route checking, validating old maps, hours spent with the Wiltshire County Surveyor in order to recreate the Arbuthnot - which had been originally run just after the First World War but was then dropped from the calendar in 1929. Because we were recreating an original trial we tried to set the sections exactly as they would have been (and that meant, generally, wide and with room to manoeuvre) and also set the main trial for rigid machines only. Because I have always been a firm believer in 'the more bums on saddles the merrier' we invited machines with springing to participate by invitation on a non-competitive basis - and Mick and Mary Rye and the rest of the Salisbury club have, as far as I know, carried on that grand old tradition. So the whole ethos of the event was based on creating suitable sections for the old bangers - not modifying the old bangers like crazy to try to emulate what fit youngsters on modern bikes can do....................

Who? What? When? Number 27 I'm sure I have seen this section in the Allan Jefferies - but who is on the Bultaco, and which year - or is it somewhere else entirely? As ever, whatever, enjoy!

Who? What? When? Number 26 Here's a 'lost' image from the 1996 Scott - scanned from the somewhat weird colours of the film before digital cameras with their far more realistic colour rendering became the vogue. Now I haven't an entryt list for the 1996 event - so please somebody - who is this, any details welcome. Just for comparison I am also attaching a Black/white version - which I think looks better - anyone agree?

Who? What? When? Number 25 Now one for the Greeves men - yes I know it is an 32A- motored Anglian - but does anyone recognise the rider?

Who? What? When? Number 24. OK, I can see it's a Fantic - but can someone give me a clue as to what year Fantic, etc. Also that's a very distinctive riding number card - does anyone recognise that - and who is the youngster? Whatever, enjoy.

Who? What? When? Number 23. Riding No is '61' and I reckon Scott trial very early 1990's?

Who? What? When? Number 22.

Who? What? When? Number 21.

Collyolly said: "Be interested to know when you last rode a bike in a trial, they are set out so tight these days that the modern way of riding the clutch gives the best result." To which I have an answer: If riding the clutch is the best answer then you are riding in trials where the whole ethos of riding a Pre-65 machine has been thrown out with the bath water and you are now in a new realm of cloud cuckoo land........ Our entire reason for creating the sport of Pre-65 trials, back in August 1972 on the moors above the Red Lion Inn at Shawforth in Lancashire, was to organise a trial WITH THE SECTIONS SET AS THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN BEFORE 1965. We definitely had no thought of just preserving the machines - just the section plotting - and with it, the sport. WHY????? Because with the arrival of the Sherpa, a machine specifically designed and developed for trials use, those of us with old British bikes that couldn't afford new Spanish models found we couldn't even WHEEL our bikes around the new breed of tight sections - so we could either scrap our bikes and go watch football instead - or do something about it. We did something about it and a whole new sport - sadly misnamed (by this idiot) Pre-65 when Pre-unit would have made a lot more sense (thankyou hindsight - how useful!) flourished and grew and was enjoyed by thousands over the years and even spread around the world. But the clock has moved on - times have changed, the only ones of us left who actually rode in a trial before 1965 have got to be in their seventies now (myself included) - so maybe it is up to another generation to create a whole new sport that they want to enjoy - preferably without spending a fortune.......... AM I TOTALLY WRONG ???????? (Along with the 200 plus enthusiasts at the TALMAG in a few days time........)

You can't buy natural talent or skill - but you can compete against yourself, particularly when you achieve something on a machine which you KNOW is nowhere near as special as the 'stars' are riding. But most of all you can ENJOY yourself - then you really will have WON........ And here's a photo that quite clearly shows that happening - taken, incidentally, at the very first trial actually called 'The Shawforth Shake' in 1973 (the fore runner in 1972 it was called the Bigger Banger Trial.......)

Sadly the information that you give doesn't actually give us any idea as to what the actual ratios of your bike are, so a useful starting point would be to balance the bike upright on a box so that the rear wheel is clear of the ground, then take out the spark plug and remove the chaincase outer cover. Now you can set the 'box into bottom gear and turn the rear wheel until the engine is at top dead centre. Mark the side of the rear tyre with a chalk mark at the twelve o'clock, and I always marked the main sprocket 'top dead'. Now turn the engine over and count the number of times it passes 't.d.c' during one revolution of the rear wheel - that will give us an idea of the actual overall gear ratios - then we can advise on where to go next - or you could ask someone using a similar machine these days for advice. One thing I can tell you, having ridden Ajays, Matchlesses and Ariels for many years, is that you DO NOT slip the clutch - that is just a waste of time, clutches are for starting off from rest and changing gear ONLY. To maintain traction you set the throttle very carefully and ease the ignition timing to retard slightly to prevent stalling. Constant clutch slipping is an unhealthy two-stroke habit. As you get more used to the bike I suspect you need to find trials more suited to your machine - email me your location and maybe I can advise you directly of people to talk to and events to ride.................

OK, I recognise John Drabble and that means it's probaby an early Midland Classic event - but can anyone add to that?

Who? What? When?

Hungry Hill at Aldershot, the traditional venue of the TALMAG trial for the past twenty years or more, will once again echo to the sound of TWO HUNDRED PRE-65 SOLO and SIDECAR machines on SUNDAY 29th JANUARY. There can be thousands of spectators and certainly will be many, many reunions of friends old and new at this most friendly traditional old event. Intended to maintain interest in the real old bangers that were seen at every corner of the land before the second Spanish Armada (before 1965 - that is) there is usually a limit of NO MORE THAN TWENTY entries of machines below 300cc. Who are TALMAG - well the simple answer is they are the rejuvenated remainders of a 1939-45 wartime territorial 'gang' - who formed a local clan of 'mates' long after the hostilities had ceased. The Territorial Army - London, Mobile Army Group. As always the most comprehensive photoreport of the event will be a feature of our own digital magazine - ORRe QUESTION: IS THAT A TRIALS BIKE? ANSWER: WRONG QUESTION - YES THAT IS A BALL OF FUN..............

This posting topic is proving to be not only very useful for helping to sort some of my pile of 'lost' images - but also rather popular with other members of the forum. That is excellent, the more the merrier, obviously. That in itself opened a new train of thought, it is obvious to me that not everyone in the forum reads our digital magazine - and equally obvious to me that not everyone that subscribes the £12 to access the magazine regularly reads the forum, so BINGO split the huge pile of lost images in half and create two sets of queries, this one PLUS a different one in the magazine - and with luck and a following wind the pile will be sorted in double-quick time. So, from issue 51 there will be a new regular feature.......... Thanks for all your help - but mainly - ENJOY Deryk. PS. Who? What? When?